Motorcycle chronicles: turning the two-wheels through time

6 min readAug 8, 2018

Motorcycle chronicles: turning the two-wheels through time

“Nothing says ‘cool’ like a motorcycle” — says everyone and we thank the list of collective creators of bikes for ushering in a culture that is marked by power, independence, versatility, and progression. The motorcycle is not just seen as a vehicle but perceived to be a human that is full of emotion, imperfections and soul. In the transportation world, they are perceived to be monstrous machines that are a potent and effective means of travel.

Let’s turn the wheels and go down the memory lane to understand the advent of motorcycle and motorcycle culture. Travelling has been the way of life since eons, hence, groundbreaking inventions in transportation cocoons the most interesting evolutionary cycle. A bike is the descendant of a bicycle. When creative and revolutionary thinkers decided not to fall prey to ‘conformism’ and added an internal combustion engine to a bicycle — a motorized two-wheeler was born.

Going way back, just for a while, let’s skim through the transportation scenario. One of the first modes of transportation was animals, and soon we find animals pulling carriages, wagons, and carts. What people needed was a method that is more convenient and easy, and soon a crazy soul went ahead and did it.

“Have you ever heard of the Velocipede? No, it’s not a dinosaur. It’s actually Latin for “fast foot” and represents any wheeled device that is operated by the use of human power and pedals. The bicycle is just the most popular of the velocipedes.”The invention of the bicycle was where it all began — the evolution then took a wild turn and gave birth to motorcycles.

“Regardless of the exact definition, it is clear that the first self-propelled velocipedes were powered by steam and started to appear in the late 1860s. Mentions of new steam velocipedes started appearing in American newspapers in 1869. Early inventors included Sylvester Roper and Ernest Michaux, though it isn’t certain who was first as they apparently developed the concept independently around the same time (1867 or 1868).”– Jeff Baker

In 1860, steam velocipede came to life and soon Sylvester Roper developed a twin cylinder coal-fired steam engine to a velocipede. He is also the inventor of the power-steamed car. Around the same time, Ernest Michaux attached a steam engine to a more advanced velocipede. Alcohol rather than coal-fired this cylinder. In one of the earliest records of bike accidents, Roper died in 1896 demonstrating one of his steam-powered velocipedes.

Meanwhile…in another corner of the world, motorcycle inventions continued. In 1876, Otto and Daimler created a compressed charged cycle that was called the ‘Otto Cycle.’ While Magneto created the spark, Daimler created the carburetor to mix fuel with air. Soon differences developed and Daimler, using the initial concept designed for a car, added two-wheels to the engine and created the first prototype of a motorcycle. In 1885, Daimler built a gas engine motorcycle — a wooden bike with an engine attached. What Daimler wanted to prove was that the grandfather clock mechanism could power other ‘objects’ too.

However, the first motorcycle was designed by Hildebrand and Wolfmuller and was launched in 1894. This steam-powered engine design by Hildebrand brothers became a turning point. In this design, the rear wheel was directly driven by connecting rod, and the rear mudguard doubled as a water tank for engine cooling.

In time, the three iconic brands took the first steps to build a motorcycle — Harley Davidson, Indian and Royal Enfield. In 1910, in Birmingham, Royal Enfield made its first V-Twin engine. Harley Davidson, while attempting to make a motorboat, developed their 1st motorcycle in Milwaukee. By the end of the first decade of the 20th century, 4-cylinder engines were being designed for bikes.

“Motorcycles played an important role in World War I and World War II, as they were a quick, efficient way of transporting important communication to the front lines. Harley-Davidson devoted nearly 50% of its factory output toward the war effort. And Triumph Motorcycles provided the allies with over 30,000 of its newly developed Type-H bikes in WWI alone.”– Edgar Snyder

1920’s saw the emergence of other big brands like Triumph, BMW, Moto Guzzi et al. The sales and popularity of more comfortable and versatile bikes increased. In the 1930’s, with ‘Great Depression,’ only the well-to-do managed to own these motorcycles, and the stamp of ‘status symbol’ got attached to the motorcycles. Post the two world wars, motorcycles became quite popular and became a part of their day-day life.

In 1970, Honda invented the revolutionary transverse 4-cylinder, four-stroke engines changing the landscape of motorcycles. Suzuki Hayabusa reached a speed exceeding 310 km/h. However, the limit was soon set to 300 km/h. “By the time 1970 came around, Honda introduced its revolutionary transverse four-cylinder, four-stroke engines which changed the landscape of motorcycles, again, forever. Competition increased, again, and when the legendary Suzuki Hayabusa reached a speed exceeding 310 km/h, forced a gentleman’s agreement between manufacturers in 1999, fearing a ban or regulatory measures on Japanese and European bikes, agreed to limit machines to 300 km/h.”– Valley Driving School

In the 1980’s Industrial Revolution started and transformed the way people think. Motorcycles changed forever. Humans became obsessed with speed and efficiency. “The invention of the motor car was a turning point and soon began the endless journey of ‘innovation in transportation.’”

The invention of this most loved monster had an undeniably ‘emotional’ impact. Motorcycles symbolized freedom, power, independence, grandeur, and rebellion. Soon, this animated zeal for life got tied to riding a bike. It epitomized the bond between man and machine. A motorcycle was no longer seen as a means for transportation alone. It acquired a recreational value. Racing/Sports became a pivotal point of motorcycle riding and attribute like horsepower, torque and speed played a significant role.

“One of the most drastic (and even controversial) changes of all was the advent of the electric motorcycle. Development in electric bikes was primarily fueled by new, specialized manufacturers like Zero and Brammo. However, even traditional manufacturers have begun to show real interest in producing electric motorcycles, including Yamaha and Harley-Davidson. Overall, the future of motorcycles looks bright. The industry continues to expand in a variety of segments. Technology is adding new, exciting features every year.”– Jeff Baker

Today, motorcycles are the most sold two-wheeler in the world, and they come with more technological innovations and qualities that no one could have ever dreamt of. The motorcycle world has transformed drastically, and there are various categories that the motorcycles have been compartmentalized in — sports, adventure bikes, dirt, commuter, et al. and it’s all about a feeling of ‘freedom’!

“We love our bikes. Motorcycles are one of the best things to happen to mankind, and it all gets traced back to a wooden bicycle.”– Abhilasha Singh, Financial Express

And the rest my lovelies is history! People are making great strides when it comes to technology and design in the motorcycle world and where we are all going to progress from here can be left to our explosive imagination! It’s going to be super exciting unearthing all that is in store for the motorcycle world for years to come! Cheers!

- Neha Chokhani

References:

https://www.edgarsnyder.com/blog/2015/03/25-history-of-motorcycles.html

https://auto.howstuffworks.com/motorcycle6.htm

https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/rm-rider-exchange/motorcycle-history/

https://www.britannica.com/technology/motorcycle

https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-the-motorcycle-1992151

https://www.motosport.com/blog/2015/02/the-evolution-of-the-motorcycle-part-six-the-baby-boomers-become-young-adults/

https://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/motorcycle-history-lesson#page-3

https://rideapart.com/articles/history-radial-motorcycle-tires

https://teara.govt.nz/en/motorcycles/page-3

http://www.liveson.org/quick-history-motorcycles/