Motorcycle Found Hidden In A Wall Opens Up Decades-Long Mystery

It all started with a leaky pipe. One Chicago family made a routine call to their plumber, who arrived prepared to tackle whatever was making the walls sick. So, you can imagine his shock when he didn't find rust damage or termites, but an entire motorcycle lodged into a narrow crawlspace! But this was no ordinary motorcycle. This was the key to answering a decades-long mystery.

What a discovery!

It was 1967 when the plumber found an entire motorcycle hidden in the Chicago home. Surprisingly, the owners of the house didn't actually have any idea why there was an automobile sharing real estate with the kitchen pipes. Even stranger, the motorcycle was unlike any hog they'd seen before.

Impeccable craftsmanship

The frame was clearly handcrafted to a meticulous degree. It was the kind of intricate workmanship you couldn't find on bikes that are mass produced at massive factories, such as Harley Davidsons or Kawasakis. Knowing nothing of motorbikes, the experts at Motorcycle Classics went into detail about the incredible design.

Not your average road hog

"The lever gate for the shifter is also unique, operating what could have been the first three-speed gearbox on an American motorcycle," Motorcycle Classics wrote. "Even more, the tranny also features two separate neutral positions, which are marked on the shift mechanism with a zero. These are found between first and second gear, and between second and third gear." But the name stood out most.

Who was "Traub"?

There was one name embedded in several parts of the bike that spelled "TRAUB." It didn't ring any bells, at least not to the homeowners with the bike in their wall. Who was Traub, and why did he have a style of motorcycle so advanced that seemingly no other company in the world copied his design style?