History of Motorcycles Timeline

Lucius Copeland formed the Northrop Manufacturing Company in 1887, continuing efforts to develop and commercialize mechanically powered cycles.

Hildebrand & Wolfmüller became the first series-production motorcycle in 1894 and the first vehicle to be called a motorcycle, or Motorrad in German.

Excelsior Motor Company, originally a bicycle manufacturer in Coventry, England, began producing its first motorcycle model in 1896 for public sale.

Peugeot Motocycles presented a motorcycle equipped with a De Dion-Bouton motor at the Paris Motor Show in 1898.

Charles Metz built the Orient-Aster at his factory in Waltham, Massachusetts, in 1898. It is identified as the first production motorcycle in the United States.

Royal Enfield introduced its first motorcycle in 1901. It used a 239 cc engine mounted at the front and drove the rear wheel through a belt.

The Indian Motocycle Manufacturing Company designed the diamond-framed Indian Single in 1901. Its engine was built by the Aurora Firm in Illinois to Indian's specifications.

The Rossiya, dating from 1902, is identified as the oldest surviving Russian-manufactured motorcycle.

Image source: Motorcycle

Triumph, which had decided in 1898 to expand beyond bicycles, produced its first motorcycle by 1902: a bicycle fitted with a Belgian-built engine.

Norton was among the British bicycle companies that began producing motorcycles in the early mass-production era, starting in 1902.

Indian produced more than 500 motorcycles by 1902, and output later rose to 32,000 motorcycles in 1913, its best production total.

The American company Harley-Davidson began producing motorcycles in 1903, becoming one of the most influential manufacturers in motorcycle history.

Image source: Harley-Davidson

The Birmingham Small Arms Company joined the British motorcycle industry and began motorbike production in 1910.

By 1914, motorcycles were no longer merely bicycles with engines. They had developed their own technologies, although many retained bicycle features such as seats and suspension.

A motorcycle introduced in 1915 featured a 550 cc side-valve four-stroke engine, a three-speed gearbox, and belt transmission, illustrating the technical evolution of the period.

By 1920, Harley-Davidson had become the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer, with dealers selling its motorcycles in 67 countries.

BMW motorcycles entered the scene in 1923 with shaft drive and an opposed-twin boxer engine. The engine and transmission were enclosed in a single aluminum housing.

By 1931, Indian and Harley-Davidson were the only American manufacturers still producing commercial motorcycles.

The Indian Motorcycle factory in Springfield, Massachusetts, closed in 1953. Royal Enfield subsequently took over the Indian name, ending the long Indian–Harley-Davidson rivalry in the United States.

Image source: Indian Motorcycle

Chief August Vollmer of the Berkeley, California, Police Department is credited with organizing the first official police motorcycle patrol in the United States.

Image source: Police motorcycle

Joe Petrali set a land speed record of 136.183 mph, or 219.165 km/h, in 1937 on a modified Harley-Davidson with a 61-cubic-inch overhead-valve engine.

As Europe prepared for World War II, BSA supplied 126,000 M20 motorcycles to the British armed forces. Production began in 1937 and continued until 1950.

During World War II, the Wehrmacht used motorcycle troops known as Kradschützentruppe for military operations.

Motorcycle riders in the United States formed loosely organized clubs and created a new social institution of motorcyclists, or bikers. The image was later strongly associated with the outlaw persona in the 1953 film The Wild One.

By about 1943, mud, dust, and snow on the Eastern Front, together with military developments, reduced motorcycle troops' roles largely to scouting and messaging.

Piaggio introduced the Vespa in 1946. The scooter achieved immediate and widespread popularity and became one of the most recognizable motor scooters.

Image source: Vespa

Honda became the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer in 1959, reflecting the growing importance of Japanese manufacturers in the global industry.

Image source: Honda

Ernst Degner, an MZ engineer and rider, defected to the West on September 13, 1961, after retiring from the 125 cc Swedish Grand Prix at Kristianstad. Suzuki later adopted ideas associated with this transfer of expertise.

BMW's worldwide motorcycle sales had sagged during the 1960s but recovered strongly after the introduction of the completely redesigned slash-5 series for the 1970 model year.

BMW introduced a full factory fairing on the R100RS in 1977. It was the first factory fairing produced in quantity for a motorcycle.

During the early 21st century, approximately twice as many motorcycle makes competed in the world market compared with the earlier period described in the industry history.

In November 2006, Dutch company E.V.A. Products BV Holland announced that its Track T-800CDI had achieved production status as the first commercially available diesel-powered motorcycle.

Honda launched the world's first ethanol flex-fuel motorcycle, the CG 150 Titan Mix, in Brazil in March 2009. During its first eight months, it reached a 10.6 percent market share and ranked second in Brazilian new motorcycle sales for 2009.

Honda launched a second flexible-fuel motorcycle in September 2009, expanding the company's ethanol-capable motorcycle range in Brazil.

By December 2010, Honda's two flexible-fuel motorcycles had reached cumulative production of 515,726 units, representing 18.1 percent of Brazilian new motorcycle sales that year.

By June 2011, production of flex-fuel motorcycles reached the one-million-unit milestone. In January 2011, four flex-fuel motorcycle models were available on the market.

Image source: Flexible-fuel vehicle