Thunder Roads La/MS November TRLAMS_NOVW | Page 16
The History of Motorcycles - pt3
motorcycle 101:
By: Melanie Schwarte
Re-Print by Request
In the earliest days of motorcycle production the biggest players in the industry
remained the bicycle manufacturers. They began adapting their designs to
accommodate the up and coming internal combustion engine. As engines became
more powerful and designs began to outgrow their bicycle origins, the number
of motorcycle producers increased. With so many people trying to succeed in the
motorcycle industry, many of the 19th century inventors inevitably moved from
motorcycle development to automobiles. Survival of the fittest at its finest, and at
the turn of the century the first major mass production firms were established.
1894 marked the year of the first production motorcycle in Germany. Hildebrand
and Wolfmüller developed the “Motorrad”. They even patented the Motorrad engine,
a revolutionary 1488 cc model, but only a few hundred bikes were ever completed.
At the same time the term “motorcycle” was first used in the English language
when it appeared in materials promoting machines developed by E J Pennington.
Sadly, Pennington’s designs never progressed past the prototype stage. In 1896
The Excelsior Motor Company began selling motorcycles to the public in Coventry,
England. (Excelsior would also operate a company in the U.S. from 1905 – 1931) 1898
presented us with a U.S. development in the industry, when the Orient-Aster was
built by Charles Metz at his factory in Waltham, Massachusetts.
At this point in the game, many names that have become household standards
began to emerge. The first familiar name in motorcycles appeared out of the bicycle
era in 1898…Triumph. Triumph extended its production focus to include the
motorcycle, and by 1902 had successfully produced its first model for sale. The first
Triumph was essentially a bicycle fitted with a Belgian built engine that boasted a
whopping 2.2 HP, and a short year later Triumph had emerged as the largest producer
of motorcycles boasting an annual production of over 500 units. Clearly not considered
“mass production” by today’s standards, but in 1902?? Triumph was kicking some
serious ass in the motorcycle revolution. By 1907 Triumph had perfected a new 450
cc 3.5 HP engine and was producing 1,000 units annually.
1901 was the birth year for the famed Indian Motorcycle Manufacturing Company. The love child of two former bicycle racers, Indian quickly became (and has
remained) a beloved name in motorcycles. Their first design was the “diamond framed” Indian Single. Its engine was built by the Aurora Firm in Illinois per Indian’s
specifications. The Single was made available in one color…Deep Blue. Indian also increased its production to over 500 bikes by the close of 1902, making Indian a
strong competitor for Triumph. Along the way, Indian pushed the evolution of the motorcycle in several ways…in 1902 Indian produced the first chain driven bike
sold to the public, as well as released the first American V-Twin in 1906 (which remains the most popular motorcycle engine today). 1907 brought the first police
unit to NYC (Indian bikes were chosen by all), and by 1914 Indian had created the “loop frame” positioned gas tank, swing arm and leaf spring suspension, and the
world’s first electric lights and starter. No more need for a flashlight, or parking your bike at dusk…diehards could now ride all damn night! Indian would continue
to rise in the production game as well, up to 32,000 units per year (its best ever) in 1913.
1901 also brought an eager young man by the name of William S. Harley into the biking world. At the age of 21 he
completed his first blueprint of a bicycle engine. In 1903, William and his partner Arthur Davidson produced their first
motorcycle in their meager 10 by 15 foot factory. Henry Meyer of Milwaukee bought the original 1903 model directly from
the founders…Meyer obviously had no idea what a lucky bastard he was! In 1904 the first Harley dealership was opened
in Chicago, Illinois by C. H. Lang, where one of the first production models was sold. In 1907, Harley becomes a corporation
and builds a new, larger factory. In 1908, the first HD motorcycle is delivered to the Detroit Michigan PD for Detroit’s first
motorcycle patrol unit. The following year, for the first time ever, spare parts for the HD V-twin were made available for
sale…makes me wonder what the hell you did before that if your bike broke down?? By 1914 Harley had introduced the
world to the renowned bar and shield logo, begun production of the “F-Head”, and brought us sidecars…the beginning
of the tag-along rider (insert apology here).
By this time, mass production was in full swing, and competition was in full force. Experimentation
and innovation were taking over and being further driven by the growing sport of motorcycle racing.
A powerful incentive to produce tougher, faster, more reliable machines was on the rise. While
initiated for the racing world, these enhancements were to quickly infiltrate the public’s machines as
well. Remember that mention of the U.S. Excelsior Motor Company? Well those cats can be thanked
for being a huge driving force behind why that bad ass bike parked in your driveway does more for you
than just take you from point A to point B. We will delve into our need for speed next time…
Melanie Schwarte, Thunder Roads Iowa
[email protected]
14 Thunder Roads Magazine Louisiana/Mississippi | November 2017 | www.thunderroadslams.com