Bikes
motorcycle or motorbike is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle powered by an engine. Styles of motorcycles vary depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions. In many parts of the world, motorcycles are among the least expensive and most widespread forms of motorised transport.
The inspiration for arguably the first motorcycle was designed and built by the German inventors Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach in Bad Cannstatt (since 1905 a city district of Stuttgart) in 1885.[1] The first petroleum-powered vehicle, it was essentially a motorized bicycle, although the inventors called their invention the Reitwagen ("riding car").
However, if one counts two wheels with steam propulsion as being a motorcycle, then the first one may have been American. One such machine was demonstrated at fairs and circuses in the eastern U.S. in 1867, built by Sylvester Howard Roper of Roxbury, Massachusetts.[2]
In 1894, Hildebrand & Wolfmüller became the first motorcycle available for purchase.[3] In the early period of motorcycle history, many producers of bicycles adapted their designs to accommodate the new internal combustion engine. As the engines became more powerful, and designs outgrew the bicycle origins, the number of motorcycle producers increased.
Until the First World War, the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world was Indian, producing over 20,000 bikes per year. By 1920, this honour went to Harley-Davidson, with their motorcycles being sold by dealers in 67 countries, until 1928 when DKW took over as the largest manufacturer.
After the Second World War, the BSA Group became the largest producer of motorcycles in the world, producing up to 75,000 bikes a year in the 1950s. The German company NSU Motorenwerke AG held the position of largest manufacturer from 1955 until the 1970s.
From the 1960s through the 1990s, small two-stroke motorcycles were popular worldwide, partly as a result of East German Walter Kaaden's engine work in the 1950s.[4]
Today, the Japanese manufacturers, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha dominate the motorcycle industry, although Harley-Davidson still maintains a high degree of popularity in the United States. Recent years have also seen a resurgence in the popularity of several other brands sold in the U.S. market, including BMW, Triumph and Ducati.
Outside of the USA, these brands have enjoyed continued and sustained success, although Triumph, for example, has been re-incarnated from its former self into a modern world-class manufacturer. In overall numbers, however, the Chinese currently manufacture and sell more motorcycles than any other country and exports are rising. The quality of these machines is asserted to be somewhat lower than their Japanese, European and American counterparts.
Also, the small-capacity scooter is very popular through most of the world, and the Piaggio group of Italy, for example, is one of the worlds largest producers of two-wheeled vehicles. The scooter culture has, as yet, not been in adopted widely in North America.
In November 2006, the Dutch company E.V.A. Products BV Holland announced that its diesel-powered motorcycle, the Track T-800CDI, achieved production status.[5] The Track T-800CDI uses a 800 cc three-cylinder Daimler Chrysler diesel engine. Other manufacturers, including Royal Enfield, had been producing diesel-powered bikes since aThe chassis (or frame) of a motorcycle is typically made from welded aluminium or steel (or alloy) struts, with the rear suspension being an integral component in the design. Carbon-fiber and titanium are used in a few very expensive custom frames.
The chassis includes the head tube that holds the front fork and allows it to pivot. Some motorcycles include the engine as a load-bearing (or stressed) member; this has been used all through bike history but is now becoming more common.
Oil-in-Frame (OIF) chassis, where the lubricating oil is stored in the frame of the motorcycle, was used for Vincent motorcycles of the fifties, and for a while during the 1970s on some NVT British motorcycles. It was widely unpopular and generally regarded as a bad idea at the time. Today it is a widely used idea on "thumpers" (single-cylinder four-strokes) that usually have a dry-sump lubrication requiring an external oil tank. It has since gained some cache in modern (2006) custom bike world too because of the space saving it can afford and the reference to an earlier era.[7] Buell motorcycles employ a similar design - the oil is held in the swingarm, while the fuel is held in the frame.
A motorcycle is broadly defined by law in some countries for the purposes of registration, taxation or licensing riders as a two-wheel motor vehicle "fit to drive." Other countries distinguish between mopeds and other small bikes and the larger, more powerful vehicles. In Canada and some U.S. jurisdictions, three-wheeled motor vehicles fall under the auspices of motorcycle regulations.
In some jurisdictions, the term "motorcycle" includes trikesIn the UK, the rules on which motorcycle may be ridden by whom are complex.[20] A "moped", which can be ridden at age 16, has a maximum design speed not exceeding 50 km/h (30 mph) and engine capacity no greater than 50 cc. A "learner motorcycle", which can be ridden from age 17, has an engine up to 125 cc with a power output not exceeding 11 kW.
In the UK, a "large motorcycle", which can only be ridden by a person age 21 or older with two years experience on a learner motorcycle, has a power output of at least 35 kW. Otherwise, riders are restricted to riding motorcycles with a power output of not more than 25 kW for two years after passing their initial motorcycle test.
A scooter and a motorcycleFor riders in the UK over age 21 there is a direct access route to gaining a licence to ride a large motorcycle. This allows somebody with no motorcycle experience to train and pass a test in around five days. Nevertheless, all motorcycle riders in the UK must first take a one-day compulsory basic training (CBT) course, regardless of which class of motorcycle they intend to ride.
In New Zealand, "learner" and "restricted" motorcycles need only have a 250 cc engine capacity. This distinction draws some criticism, as it allows 15-year-old learner riders to operate bikes capable of reaching speeds in excess of 250 km/h.
The laws of some countries allow anyone with a car licence to legally ride mopeds not exceeding 50 cc in capacity, meaning that they do not need to show any competency in handling such a vehicle.
The laws and regulations for legal moped usage in the U.S. vary by state.[21] The specifics of the motorcycle and moped laws in the U.S. can be obtained from each individual state's Department of Motor Vehicles' websites.
The inspiration for arguably the first motorcycle was designed and built by the German inventors Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach in Bad Cannstatt (since 1905 a city district of Stuttgart) in 1885.[1] The first petroleum-powered vehicle, it was essentially a motorized bicycle, although the inventors called their invention the Reitwagen ("riding car").
However, if one counts two wheels with steam propulsion as being a motorcycle, then the first one may have been American. One such machine was demonstrated at fairs and circuses in the eastern U.S. in 1867, built by Sylvester Howard Roper of Roxbury, Massachusetts.[2]
In 1894, Hildebrand & Wolfmüller became the first motorcycle available for purchase.[3] In the early period of motorcycle history, many producers of bicycles adapted their designs to accommodate the new internal combustion engine. As the engines became more powerful, and designs outgrew the bicycle origins, the number of motorcycle producers increased.
Until the First World War, the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world was Indian, producing over 20,000 bikes per year. By 1920, this honour went to Harley-Davidson, with their motorcycles being sold by dealers in 67 countries, until 1928 when DKW took over as the largest manufacturer.
After the Second World War, the BSA Group became the largest producer of motorcycles in the world, producing up to 75,000 bikes a year in the 1950s. The German company NSU Motorenwerke AG held the position of largest manufacturer from 1955 until the 1970s.
From the 1960s through the 1990s, small two-stroke motorcycles were popular worldwide, partly as a result of East German Walter Kaaden's engine work in the 1950s.[4]
Today, the Japanese manufacturers, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha dominate the motorcycle industry, although Harley-Davidson still maintains a high degree of popularity in the United States. Recent years have also seen a resurgence in the popularity of several other brands sold in the U.S. market, including BMW, Triumph and Ducati.
Outside of the USA, these brands have enjoyed continued and sustained success, although Triumph, for example, has been re-incarnated from its former self into a modern world-class manufacturer. In overall numbers, however, the Chinese currently manufacture and sell more motorcycles than any other country and exports are rising. The quality of these machines is asserted to be somewhat lower than their Japanese, European and American counterparts.
Also, the small-capacity scooter is very popular through most of the world, and the Piaggio group of Italy, for example, is one of the worlds largest producers of two-wheeled vehicles. The scooter culture has, as yet, not been in adopted widely in North America.
In November 2006, the Dutch company E.V.A. Products BV Holland announced that its diesel-powered motorcycle, the Track T-800CDI, achieved production status.[5] The Track T-800CDI uses a 800 cc three-cylinder Daimler Chrysler diesel engine. Other manufacturers, including Royal Enfield, had been producing diesel-powered bikes since aThe chassis (or frame) of a motorcycle is typically made from welded aluminium or steel (or alloy) struts, with the rear suspension being an integral component in the design. Carbon-fiber and titanium are used in a few very expensive custom frames.
The chassis includes the head tube that holds the front fork and allows it to pivot. Some motorcycles include the engine as a load-bearing (or stressed) member; this has been used all through bike history but is now becoming more common.
Oil-in-Frame (OIF) chassis, where the lubricating oil is stored in the frame of the motorcycle, was used for Vincent motorcycles of the fifties, and for a while during the 1970s on some NVT British motorcycles. It was widely unpopular and generally regarded as a bad idea at the time. Today it is a widely used idea on "thumpers" (single-cylinder four-strokes) that usually have a dry-sump lubrication requiring an external oil tank. It has since gained some cache in modern (2006) custom bike world too because of the space saving it can afford and the reference to an earlier era.[7] Buell motorcycles employ a similar design - the oil is held in the swingarm, while the fuel is held in the frame.
A motorcycle is broadly defined by law in some countries for the purposes of registration, taxation or licensing riders as a two-wheel motor vehicle "fit to drive." Other countries distinguish between mopeds and other small bikes and the larger, more powerful vehicles. In Canada and some U.S. jurisdictions, three-wheeled motor vehicles fall under the auspices of motorcycle regulations.
In some jurisdictions, the term "motorcycle" includes trikesIn the UK, the rules on which motorcycle may be ridden by whom are complex.[20] A "moped", which can be ridden at age 16, has a maximum design speed not exceeding 50 km/h (30 mph) and engine capacity no greater than 50 cc. A "learner motorcycle", which can be ridden from age 17, has an engine up to 125 cc with a power output not exceeding 11 kW.
In the UK, a "large motorcycle", which can only be ridden by a person age 21 or older with two years experience on a learner motorcycle, has a power output of at least 35 kW. Otherwise, riders are restricted to riding motorcycles with a power output of not more than 25 kW for two years after passing their initial motorcycle test.
A scooter and a motorcycleFor riders in the UK over age 21 there is a direct access route to gaining a licence to ride a large motorcycle. This allows somebody with no motorcycle experience to train and pass a test in around five days. Nevertheless, all motorcycle riders in the UK must first take a one-day compulsory basic training (CBT) course, regardless of which class of motorcycle they intend to ride.
In New Zealand, "learner" and "restricted" motorcycles need only have a 250 cc engine capacity. This distinction draws some criticism, as it allows 15-year-old learner riders to operate bikes capable of reaching speeds in excess of 250 km/h.
The laws of some countries allow anyone with a car licence to legally ride mopeds not exceeding 50 cc in capacity, meaning that they do not need to show any competency in handling such a vehicle.
The laws and regulations for legal moped usage in the U.S. vary by state.[21] The specifics of the motorcycle and moped laws in the U.S. can be obtained from each individual state's Department of Motor Vehicles' websites.
Source...