Most of us are interested in motorcycles. The motorcycles we see in the modern era were different initially. It took a few ages to come to this end. Many of us know about motorcycles and many of us don’t. Let’s know about the creation of the current position of motorcycle history.
1. Steam-powered bicycles (1860s-1881s)
1867– The first steam-powered motorcycle was founded in 1867 known as the Michaux-Perreaux steam velocipede. The motorcycle was built by a French inventor Pierre Michaux. It was a paddle bicycle equipped with a small steam-powered engine.
1868– In 1868 Sylvester Howard Roper brought a change to the engine. He invented a twin-cylinder steam velocipede engine, with a coal-fired boiler. The motorcycle was called the Roper Steam Velocipede.
1871– In 1871 Louis-Guillaume Perreaux developed a steam-powered single-cylinder engine with an alcohol burner and twin belt drives. He was a French engineer.
1881– Lucius Copeland designed a steam boiler engine in 1881 which was much smaller than the previous engines and was able to drive the large rear wheel of an American Star high-wheeler at the speed of 12 miles per hour.
2. The first gasoline-engine motorcycle (1885s-1894s)
1885– In 1885 the world was introduced to a new type of engine than the early 1860s-1881s types of engine. Two German inventors Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach for the first time invented an internal combustion diesel-based engine. They attached the engine to a wooden frame bicycle and named it Daimler Reitwagen (riding wagon) and it was considered the first motorcycle.
1894– Around 9 years later in 1894 Hildebrand and Wolfmüller turned into the mass-produced gasoline-engine motorcycle series for the first time but the sad thing is only a few hundred motorcycles were built at that time. From that time motorcycles officially started to be known as the name of motorcycle.
1896– An England motorcycle company Excelsior for the first time started manufacturing motorcycles in 1896 for public purchasing.
1898– In 1898 for the first time motorcycle was produced in the United States. Charles Metz made the motorcycle. The motorcycle was known as the Orient Star and this year at the Paris Motorshow Peugeot Motorcycles presented the first motorcycle. For that reason, Peugeot Motorcycles is known as the oldest motorcycle manufacturer in the world.
3. The first motorcycle of Royal Enfield, Triumph and Harley-Davidson (1901s-1903s)
1901– Bicycle-making company Royal Enfield and English Quadricycle made their first motorcycle in 1901. The motorcycle was made with a powerful engine of 249cc and used a belt to turn the wheels instead of the chains like modern motorcycles.
1902– The bicycle-making company Triumph produced its first motorcycle in 1902 with a Belgian-built engine and the engine placed in a bicycle. A year later Triumph turned into the largest motorcycle manufacturer with an annual over 500 Units of motorcycle production.
1903– In 1903 the American motorcycle company Harley-Davidson produced their first motorcycle. The company was launched by William Harley and his partners, Arthur and Walter Davidson. The company was later named after William Harley and Walter Davidson.
4. During the world wars and post wars ( 1915s-1953s)
1914– During the First World War The American motorcycle manufacturer company Triumph made real motorcycles by removing paddles from their motorcycles. It was a Triumph Type H powered by a 499cc cc air-cooled four-stroke single-cylinder engine. They sold over 30,000 motorcycles to their allies.
1915– The British motorcycle manufacturer company kept the Triumph Type H motorcycle model unchanged from the 1914s one and in 1915 they only replaced the 499cc engine with a 550cc side-valve four-stroke engine with a three-speed gearbox. This motorcycle gained popularity and trust as the first modern motorcycle. For this reason, people started calling it Trusty Triumph.
1920– By 1920 American motorcycle company Harley-Davidson took place as the largest motorcycle manufacturer company. At that time they sold their motorcycle in 67 countries.
1929– In 1929 a German motorcycle company DKW became the largest motorcycle manufacturer company. The company was making 1,00,000 units of motorcycles at that time.
1931-1953– From 1931 to 1953 an Indian motorcycle brand called Indian & Harley-Davidson was only two American motorcycle manufacturers that produced motorcycles commercially. However, the Indian motorcycle manufacturer company went bankrupt in 1953 but they produced their most popular motorcycle model the Scout from the 1920s to 1946. In the 1910s this Indian motorcycle brand was took place the largest motorcycle producer. During the world Second World War another Indian motorcycle brand Royal Enfield produced motorcycles for the military.
5. Period of Japanese dominance (1960s-1990s)
1959– In 1959 the Japanese motorcycle brand Honda became the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer company.
1960-1990– By the 1960s, the dominance of British motorcycle companies had waned and Japanese motorcycle brands such as Yamaha, Suzuki, and Kawasaki took over and dominated the market. After the 1990s Some American and Italian motorcycle manufacturers start spreading their market.
6. These present days
In these present days, Japanese motorcycle manufacturing companies as well as other manufacturers are holding a strong position in the motorcycle market.