The history of the motorcycle begins in the second half of the 19th century. Motorcycles are descended from the “safety bicycle,” a bicycle with front and rear wheels of the same size and a pedal crank mechanism to drive the rear wheel. Despite some early landmarks in its development, the motorcycle lacks a rigid pedigree that can be traced back to a single idea or machine. Instead, the idea seems to have occurred to numerous engineers and inventors around Europe at around the same time.
The first internal combustion, petroleum fueled motorcycle was the Daimler Reitwagen. It was designed and built by the German inventors Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach in Bad Cannstatt, Germany, in 1885.
During the First World War, motorbike production was greatly ramped up for the war effort to supply effective communications with front line troops. Messengers on horses were replaced with despatch riders on motorcycles carrying messages, performing reconnaissance and acting as a military police. American company Harley-Davidson was devoting over 50% of its factory output toward military contract by the end of the war. The British company Triumph Motorcycles sold more than 30,000 of its Triumph Type H model to allied forces during the war.
By the late 1920s or early 1930s, DKW in Germany took over as the largest manufacturer. In the 21st century, the motorcycle industry is mainly dominated by Indian and Japanese motorcycle companies.
These amazing vintage photos were found by Steve Given that show people with their motorcycles from between 1900s and 1950s.
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| Man a circa 1908 3 1/2 horsepower Bradbury motorcycle, somewhere in Victoria, Australia, circa 1908 |
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| Two sitting on an Indian motorcycle, circa 1910s |
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| Indian motorcycle, somewhere in Scotland, circa 1915 |
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| Royal Enfield motorcycle, somewhere in Scotland, circa 1915 |
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| Triumph Model H registered in Hertfordshire, circa 1916 |
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