The first motorcycle was built by German inventors Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach in 1885 in Cannstatt which is a city district of Stuttgart. This was the first petroleum-powered bicycle and they called their invention the Reitwagen which means “riding car”. Their invention encouraged many manufacturers of bicycles to adapt their designs to accommodate this new internal combustion engine. The number of companies manufacturing motorcycles actually decreased when more powerful engines were developed that were not suitable for the common bicycle framework. While Harley-Davidson maintains a high degree of popularity in America, British manufacturers held the dominant position in the motorcycle market until Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki and Kawasaki began to dominate the industry in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. This was because the Japanese manufacturers were able to produce cheaper and better quality motorcycles and to develop and produce new designs more quickly.

Quick Facts

. Some motorcycles have foot-pegs while others have floorboards

. When motorcycles are fitted with a sidecar they are known as a “hack” or a 3-wheeler

. Other 3-wheeled variations of the motorcycle are known as a motor tricycle or as a trike

. There are two basic forms of motorcycles: street and off-road

. A proper motorcycle, by definition, must have fewer than four wheels in contact with the ground

. Many states distinguish motorcycles from scooters and mopeds by speed (>30mph is a motorcycle)