The Motorcycle Evolution-from
Modified Bicycle to True Motorcycle
M
otorcycles have been bringing excitement
and pleasure those of us who cannot resist
the call of the wind and the road. For more
than a century beginning with their humble
beginnings as bicycles rigged with a motor, motorcycles
have been developed into the smooth running and
powerful machines we ride today—whether that is a
dirt bike, a sports bike, crotch rocket or cruiser. This
article covers that evolution from early production up
until World War I.
Thunder Roads Colorado is proud to bring our readers
more of the history of motorcycles and motorcycling
courtesy of Thunder Roads Iowa and Melanie Schwarte.
Motorcycle Production
In the earliest days of motorcycle production the
biggest players in the industry remained the bicycle
manufacturers. They began adapting their designs to
accommodate the up and coming internal combustion
engine. As engines became more powerful and designs
began to outgrow their bicycle origins, the number of
motorcycle producers increased. With so many people
trying to succeed in the motorcycle industry, many
of the 19th century inventors inevitably moved from
motorcycle development to automobiles. Survival of
the fittest at its finest, and at the turn of the century the
first major mass production firms were established.
1894 marked the year of the first production motorcycle
in Germany. Hildebrand and Wolfmüller developed the
“Motorrad”. They even patented the Motorrad engine,
a revolutionary 1488 cc model, but only a few hundred
bikes were ever completed. At the same time the term
“motorcycle” was first used in the English language
8 Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado
when it appeared in materials promoting machines
developed by E J Pennington. Sadly, Pennington’s
designs never progressed past the prototype stage—but
the name “motorcycle” is still going strong. In 1896 The
Excelsior Motor Company began selling motorcycles to
the public in Coventry, England. (Excelsior would also
operate a company in the U.S. from 1905 – 1931) 1898
presented us with a U.S. development in the industry,
when the Orient-Aster was built by Charles Metz at his
factory in Waltham, Massachusetts.
At this point in the game, many names that have
become household standards began to emerge. The
first familiar name in motorcycles appeared out of
the bicycle era in 1898 and it was Triumph. Triumph
extended its production focus to include the motorcycle,
and by 1902 had successfully produced its first model
for sale. The first Triumph was essentially a bicycle fitted
with a Belgian built engine that boasted a whopping 2.2
HP, and a short year later Triumph had emerged as
the largest producer of motorcycles boasting an annual
production of over 500 units. Clearly not considered
“mass production” by today’s standards, but in
1902, Triumph was kicking some serious ass in the
motorcycle revolution. By 1907 Triumph had perfected
a new 450 cc 3.5 HP engine and was producing 1,000
units annually.
1901 was the birth year for the famed Indian Motorcycle
Manufacturing Company. The love child of two
former bicycle racers, Indian quickly became (and
has remained) a beloved name in motorcycles. Their
first design was the “diamond framed” Indian Single.
Its engine was built by the Aurora Firm in Illinois per
December 2015
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