MOTORBIKE EVOLUTION
From simple early designs to today’s speedy sporting tech, these two-wheeled vehicles have stepped up a gear
WORDS AILSA HARVEY
DID YOU KNOW? By 1920, Harley-Davidson had 2,000 dealers in 67 countries
The Reitwagen’s engine produced 0.5 horsepower at 600 revolutions per minute (rpm)
1885: THE FIRST MOTORBIKE
Described as the first true motorbike, the 1885 Daimler Reitwagen was the earliest motorcycle to be successfully powered by a petrol engine. The Reitwagen bike, which means ‘riding wagon’ in German, was engineered by inventors Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach. Daimler is considered to be the ‘father of the motorcycle’ despite three similar models being invented prior to the Reitwagen. This is because they were steam-powered and didn’t fit the definition of a modern motorcycle: a two-wheeled vehicle with an internal combustion engine.
The Reitwagen had a single fourstroke 264cc (cubic centimetre) engine. Its maximum speed of 6.8 miles per hour is nothing compared to today’s superbikes, hitting speeds of over 200 miles per hour. Despite being classed as a motorbike, the two-wheeled Reitwagen required additional small wheels as stabilisers to keep it upright when turning corners. Nevertheless, the low speeds and mobility issues were overlooked for this motorbike’s innovations, and the Reitwagen served as a template for future motorbikes, sparking the evolution of more mobile and efficient models.