The History of Motorcycles- pt1
I often find myself asking the question“ what if …?” What if forks weren’ t called forks? What if no one had invented drinking straws? Who sat down and actually decided that toilet paper was a necessity, not just a luxury? And what did their friends and family think and say when these inventors announced their fabulous plans to change the world one convenience item at a time? I’ m sure that Martin Cooper’ s wife probably thought to herself“ What in the hell is he thinking??” when he shared his idea in 1973 to revolutionize the world with the modern day cell phone … but we all know how that turned out for him.
So this thought process has lead me to the following question … Who in the hell sat down and looked at their bicycle, and with what I assume was complete and utter disappointment in its slow moving, two wheeled existence and said …” I can make that bitch fly!” Well that person just happened to be a Massachusetts born son of a carpenter, named Sylvester Howard Roper. Roper made his living as a machinist in Boston, but began inventing at an early age. By the age of twelve he had constructed a small stationary engine, and at only fourteen a locomotive engine. Roper continued to invent throughout his life, including guns, sewing machines, and finally steam powered carriages and bicycles.
By: Melanie Schwarte Re-Print by Request
The year is 1869, and the world was about to change. History states that when Roper began riding his two wheeled contraption it was not well received. It apparently spooked horses, and was loud, as well as emitting a noxious odor when he rode through town. Rumor has it, he was actually arrested once for riding it, but had to be released when it was determined they could not find any laws he was actually breaking … and; the modern day biker was born.
Interestingly, this first model anticipated many modern motorcycle features. Roper used one steam cylinder of 2 ¼” bore by 2 ½” stroke to either side of the frame behind the seat and connected piston rods to cranks on the rear wheel axle. A firebox and boiler were suspended on springs attached to the hickory wood frame between the wheels. Piston valves for the cylinders were operated by eccentrics adjacent to their cranks, and the water pump was operated by the left-cylinder crank. Exhaust steam was carried via tubing into a short chimney projecting up from behind the saddle. A coal fire heated the water stored in a reservoir that was constructed as a part of the seat and generated steam to run the engine.
1867 Roper Steam Velocipede
You may be saying to yourself, a steam powered bicycle is not a motorcycle, but I believe it is clearly a predecessor to our modern day two wheeled objects of affection. Riding on two wheels began with a primitive push bike on which the rider sat, but there were no pedals. The rider propelled himself forward by pushing his / her feet on the ground( a Flintstone’ s bike if you will). Next came the high wheelers with a huge front wheel and a small rear wheel, and nearly impossible to ride. Finally came the“ safety bicycle”. Quite the invention in and of itself considering it had wheels of equal size, as well as a set of pedals to drive the rear wheel through a chain linkage.
The evolution of two wheel travel continued and it became a common means of personal transportation. Later it would come to be seen as a“ racing” vehicle, so of course it wouldn’ t be long until someone looked at the bicycle and knew that it had a higher purpose. An evolutionary need to be better, and by better of course I mean faster.
I like to imagine that Roper arrived home after a long day to his little inventors shop out back, tired after a long day, and an even longer ride home on his bicycle. He sits down with a cold one and stares at his two wheeler …” stupid bike anyway. No worldly reason it should take me so long to get home each night. Keeps me from working on the things I love.” Then it hits him … the light bulb moment …” I’ m gonna make this SOB fly!” Fast forward through hours and hours of painstaking disappointment and doubt to the design that actually works, and Ta-Daa! The first motorcycle is born.
14 Thunder Roads Magazine Louisiana | September 2017 | www. thunderroadslouisiana. com
While this model utilized a twisting hand grip to serve as throttle control, and also had a cable that was attached to the handlebars to allow for breaking, it was still quite primitive in design. The operating temperature was nearly 300 degrees Fahrenheit between the rider’ s legs, and the travel distance was extremely limited. A second model Roper designed later boasted a one gallon water reservoir and allowed for rides up to eight miles in length.
June 1st, 1896 Roper would showcase this model at the Charles River bicycle racetrack in Boston. The idea was to test the motorcycles viability as a pacemaking machine for bike races. Initially Roper covered a mile in 2 minutes and 12 seconds … that’ s roughly 30 miles per hour. Elated by his results, 70 year old Roper apparently got that old feeling again, and decided he could definitely go faster. Flying around the 1 / 3 mile wooden track he lost control on the back stretch and was thrown from his bike into the surrounding sand. Sylvester Howard Roper was pronounced dead at the scene, but later it was determined it was not a result of the accident itself, but rather heart failure. I don’ t know about you, but seems to me he must have died a happy man.
Both of Roper’ s steam powered motorbikes were purchased by museums … the original steam powered bike still residing at the Smithsonian. While Roper’ s motorcycles never found commercial success, they surely provided a source of inspiration and direction for inventors in the gas-powered motorbike era. Speaking of the gas-powered era … I wonder what possessed Daimler to put that first gas engine on his old wooden bike … Melanie Schwarte @ thunderroadsiowa. com Thunder Roads Magazine of Iowa