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The Evolvement of The Motorcycle
It will perhaps come as no surprise that the humble bicycle became the platform from which man developed the first motor cycle.
The earliest recorded mechanically powered bicycle was a creation built by an American, Sylvester Roper, in 1867, but this was not a petrol powered motor cycle. Roper had devised a way of fixing a steam engine to a bicycle frame and used charcoal for fuel. Roper also produced a steam powered car.
First Engine For a Motorcycle was Gas Powered
In 1885, a German inventor by the name of Gottlieb Daimler created the first internal combustion engine powered motor cycle. However, this was still not powered by petrol, but by gas. The bicycle he used was made from wood.
At the time, Daimler, who was an employee of Nicolaus Otto, a travelling salesman, and it was Otto who had the idea of the 4–stroke cycle of the internal combustion engine, which Daimler used for his motor cycle. This was this 4–stroke engine cycle, the mechanics being, induction, compression, ignition and exhaust, that was from that time to be known as the Otto Cycle.
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Even though internal combustion engines have become very sophisticated in the 21st Century, it is still the Otto Cycle that is used to describe the workings of the 4–stroke engine. The motor cycle built by Daimler and Otto was never intended to be a commercial product, but merely a test bed for the gas powered four–engine. The First Commercially Produced
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Pennington and Lawson did work on another project together to produce a car, but this too failed. It seems that whilst he had the will to be a success he just didn’t quite have the way in which to do it.
There is a surviving example of the Lawson and Pennington car, which is on display at the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu in Hampshire.
Motorcycles in the 20th Century
By the year 1900, and as interest has grown in motorcycles, there were a number of people building motor bikes. Of course these were very primitive and for most they involved peddling the machine like a bicycle before flicking a switch, whereupon the engine took over. These were more of a moped than a motorcycle.
One such example of motorcycle, released in 1901, was made by NSU, which stands for Neckarsulm Strickmaschinen Union. This company had actual set up in business making knitting machines. The engine was made by a Swiss company, Zedel, for this motorcycle.
In the same year, Indian built a motorcycle. This was chain driven and from a single speed gear. Three were built, two were sold, but the third was not as it was their prototype motorcycle. However, Indian, as a manufacturer of motorcycles, went on to be a mass producer and before the First World War had become the largest world producer of motorcycles.
Many well known car manufacturers began their life as makers of motorcycles. Triumph is one that many will be familiar with, not least because even today you can still buy Triumph motorcycles. However, Triumph as a producer of motorcycles, and Triumph as a car maker, whilst they were once one company, had parted their ways during the 1930’s.
Motorcycle Racing Pushes Technology
Like most motor–technologies, motorcycle racing was the activity that continually pushed the boundaries of motorcycle technology.
The first road race for motorcycles was held in 1902 in North America with the winning motorcycle, made by a company called Orient, crossing the line in first place having averaged 31mph. The first track motorcycle race, held in Los Angeles, had taken place the previous year as a contest between 4 motorcycles. An Orient won this one too.
By 1914, motorcycles no longer consisted of bicycles fitted with engines, as they had become a product of their own industry. It was at the time of the First World War that Triumph, a company that also built cars, won a contract to build motorcycles, both for British armed forces and the allies. This was a deal that put Triumph on the map as a manufacturer of motorcycles.
Harley Davidson Becomes World No.1 for Motorcycles
After World War One it was American manufacturer, Harley Davidson, that became the world number one producer of motorcycles. In 1928, that pole position became that of DKW, which stands for Dampf-Kraft-Wagen and translated from German means, steam driven car. This name is now owned by Volkswagen, a company that has never commercially produced motorcycles.
DKW became a dominant manufacture of motorcycles, as well as cars, due to the success experienced in racing motorcycles.
Motorcycles made by BMW were produced from 1923 and these were shaft driven. Motorcycles by BMW are today well known for using shaft drive instead of chain drive. BMW designed an engine that used horizontally opposed cylinders and which quickly took the name of Boxer engines. These are still used today by BMW, albeit in more modern form, for their motorcycles.
During the 1930’s there were an incredible number of manufacturers building motorcycles. One estimate is that of 80 different makes being available in the UK alone.
Motorcycles For The Armed Forces
For the Second World War it was Royal Enfield who were suppliers to the British and allied forces of motorcycles.
In 1951, British manufacturer of motorcycles, BSA, bought out Triumph motorcycles, thus becoming the world-leading manufacturer. But it was German manufacturer, NSU, that reigned supreme from 1955 until Honda motorcycles, the first of the Japanese companies to establish volume sales in the UK, took the lead in the early 1970’s.
The original concept of the motorcycle was that of a cheap form of transportation, as those who could not afford to run cars could maybe stretch to running a motorcycle. However, nowadays, motorcycles are not cheap to buy and they are certainly not cheap to run.
Motorcycles in the 21st Century can have an engine as big as 1.5–litres and travel less miles on a gallon of fuel than an economical car. Motorcycles have become very sophisticated too, with electric engine starters, ABS, traction control and heated handlebar grips.
Motorcycles no Longer Bought Just for Transportation
Now, motorcycles are no longer purchased as a relied upon form of transportation, but for recreational purposes. Whilst the smallest group of motor vehicle user is that of the motorcyclist, the mortality rate of riders is disproportionately high, as compared to non–motorcyclists.
Motorcycle riders can significantly reduce the risk to themselves on the road through wearing good quality protective clothing, which if course includes the crash helmet. Most of all, the best form of rider protection is good quality advanced motorcycle rider training.
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This page was last updated
Saturday, 29-Jan-2011
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