23 Awesome Facts About Motorcycles You May Haven’t Heard of Yet
Interesting facts about motorcycles – The history of motorcycles began in the second half of the 19th century. A motorcycle is also known as a bike, motorbike or cycle that is a two-wheeled motor vehicle.
In the early times of motorcycle history, there were producers of bicycles that used their designs to accommodate the new internal-combustion engine. Because of this move, engines became more powerful and more designs were out in public. Therefore, the number of motorcycle producers increased, too.
Nowadays, the famous Japanese manufacturers, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamana are dominating the motorcycle industry and are creating top-notch names and brands that help them to gain trust and credibility especially to motorcycle riders.
Having said that, there is still a lot of trivia about it that you may haven’t heard before. Here are some interesting facts we’ve categorized that might make you love motorcycles even more.
People
- Hildebrand and Wolfmuller are the first two people who used the term ‘motorcycle’ that is ‘motorrad’ in German in 1894.
- Gottlieb Daimbler is often called the ‘father of motorcycles.’ He was born in Schorndorf, which is now Germany. He invented the first motorcycle that was widely-recognized and called Daimler Petroleum Reitwagen (‘riding car’) or Einspur (‘single track’) together with Wilhelm Maybach in 1885.
- A man named ‘Billy Baxter’ is the first-ever blind person who has set an amazing record by driving a motorbike in 2003. He was serving Bosnia when he lost his eyesight.
- Robert Gull achieved the record of the fastest motorcycle wheelie on ice with an awesome speed of 206.09 km/h (128.06 mph) on February 28, 2015 at Arsunda, Sweden.
- Malcolm Forbes who is the founder of Forbes magazine owned 50 Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
- There are famous Hollywood celebrities who love to ride a motorcycle and some of them are: Keanu Reeves, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, David Beckham, Steve Tyler, Bob Dylan, Clint Eastwood, Pink, Justin Timberlake, Ryan Gosling, Ewan McGregor, Richard Hammond, eorge Clooney, and Ryan Reynolds; among others.
Other Milestones/Records
- In 1867, the first steam-powered motorcycle was made inside the factory of a famous bicycle inventor named Pierre Michaux.
- The first-ever Harley-Davidson motorcycle had a single-cylinder engine that used an empty tomato can for its carburetor. This motorcycle only went 25 mph (40kph).
- During the 1950s, there was a type of customized motorcycle that emerged in California that was called a ‘chopper’. This has the extreme custom styles and often made out of modified steering angles and long forks for a stretch out appearance.
- The world’s fastest motorcycle is ‘Dodge Tomahawk’. It has a top speed that could cross 0 to 60 mile in just 1.5 seconds. This superbike was out in 2003 and carries a price tag around $550,000.
- The use of helmets was actually mandated when Colonel T.E Lawrence’s (Lawrence of Arabia) died in a motorcycle accident because of trying to avoid two boys riding a bicycle. It was his doctor who dedicated time and effort to study and make improved helmets.
- On October 8, 2014 in Welkom, South Africa, a man named Matthew McKelvey a.k.a ‘Bushy’, drove his motorcycle at Phakisa Freeway. This is the longest distance men have driven (3,256.5 km or 2023.5 miles) within just a day. It earned him a spot in the renowned Guiness World Book of Records.
- The need for the supply of effective communication arose during the First World War. This is why the motorbike production increased to be used by the front line troops.
- Motorcycle clubs were organized by American veterans as they gathered all together right after World War II. And Marlon Brando’s film entitled ‘The Wild One’ brought them fame after they portrayed in it.
Motorcycle Manufacturers
- Peugeot Motorcycles is the oldest manufacturer in the world. They have presented the first motorcycle that is equipped with a Dion-Bouton motor at the Paris Motorshow in 1898.
- Triumph Motorcycles in England started producing motorbikes in 1898, and in five years, they have produced over 500 motorbikes.
- Japan once built a motorcycle called ‘Toilet Bike Neo’ that used human waste to operate and generate power. This motorcycle was created by a high-end toilet manufacturer, Toto.
- Kawasaki is known for creating motorcycles, but it also makes ships, electronics, rockets, trains, jet engines, equipment tractors, and so on.
- A bicycle manufacturing company named Excelsior Motor Company that is based in Coventry, England started its first-ever motorcycle production in 1896.
- In 1901, Indian Motorcycle, an American brand of motorcycles started to produce their own motorcycles too. After two years, Harley Davidson was established. Because of the First World War outbreak, the demand for motorcycle production increased even more. This is the reason why Indian Motorcycle is considered to be the largest motorcycle manufacturer during that time for they can produce over 20,000 motorbikes per year.
Others
- In the United States, pulling out or turning in front of motorcyclists and violating their right-of-way is the most common configuration of motorcycle accidents.
- Many fans of Honda tried to guess the meaning of CBR because the company never cleared it to anybody. Fans were rooting for their favorite meaning behind the abbreviation which is ‘Cool Boy Ride.’ But it happened to be that CBR simply stands for ‘Cross Beam Racer’.
- In the motorcycle world, the word ‘ninja’ is referring to cool sportbikes. Kawasaki Ninja is a popular sports bike series and formerly called GPX900R (which is a less catchy name).
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Final Thoughts
Riding a motorcycle brings joy and a lot of fun to many. That is why it’s also kind of refreshing to know and discover things about it through some fun facts and/or trivia. These things can give extra excitement to riders in the present time.
To find more reasons to enjoy your whole riding experience, visit https://motorcyclehelmets.store/. We have top-notch helmets like ARAI, SHOEI and OGK KABUTO that passed all the Snell or JIS standards. Our helmets can indeed add something more to the kind of fun you’re craving for.