When you finally manage to take to the road after all those hours of mastering the theory test and practising for the practical, you’re unlikely to be aware of motorcycling’s long and illustrious history. Whilst your mum may fret that riding a bike is “much too dangerous”, the occasional perils of having a bike today are as nothing to how they were in the past.
Early Days
As you might expect, the very first bikes were very similar to the human-powered kind, with two wheels of the same size and a pedal crank mechanism that powered the rear wheel. What you’ll likely be surprised to discover is that the first genuine motorbike wasn’t powered by oil, but, of all things, steam. The very earliest iterations were designed by Frenchman Pierre Michaux in Paris, and later in 1868 the American Sylvester Howard Roper created a two-cylinder version that he displayed and demonstrated at country fairs. Roper died some twenty eight years later whilst showing off another of his machines.
Suffice to say, the earliest bikes managed to combine the unlikely combination of being both incredibly slow and dangerous by modern standards.
Starting Up
By the turn of the twentieth century, motorbikes were beginning to evolve from mechanical curiosities to items that members of the public were more seriously interested in. Across Europe and North America there were dozens of little companies all tinkering and adapting their designs to incorporate the newfangled internal combustion engine. Some of the great companies that we know and love today were born at that time, including Triumph in 1902 and Harley-Davidson in 1903.
One of the technological drivers of change was the growing public interest in motorbike racing. As with motor racing today, the endless drive to achieve the most minute of performance advantages eventually disseminated its way out into mainstream consumer products, leading to more powerful and comfortable bikes for all.
As the century progressed, British, American and German companies competed to produce the best bikes and to dominate the market. Honda was the first of the Japanese manufacturers to join the race in 1946, whilst those great staples of motorcycling, Yamaha and Kawasaki didn’t get going until the mid 1950s.
War And The Motorbike
Strange as it might seem War was one of the great forces that accelerated the development of motorbikes. In the days of WW1, the motorcycle was much in demand as a replacement for the horse, to deliver vital messages in dangerous situations. The Triumph model ‘H’, thought by many to be the first modern motorbike, came about for exactly that reason, and eventually sold 30,000 units to governments and organisations after its introduction in 1915.
WW2, meanwhile, with all the close-knit male camaraderie and danger of serving in the armed forces, is thought to be the source of the biker culture that began to establish its own customs in 1950s America.
It’s impossible to go into all the fascinating developments and characters that were crucial to the evolution of motorcycling, but the key events mentioned here were the beginnings of trends that have continued to this day.
