About Motorcycle Racing

In 1817, Baron von Drais invented a machine that could make him travel faster than he could walk. This “walking machine” known popularly as the “hobby horse” or the Draisienne (named after its inventor) had 2 wheels mounted on a wooden frame but no seat. To propel the Draisienne the rider had to push off the ground with his feet.

In the mid-1860s pedals were attached to the front axle and this design was called the velocipede . There were many variants of this early bicycle depending on wheel size, seat, and accessories. The tires of this early model were made of wooden (and then later metal) tires. It wasn't until the 1870s that metallurgists developed a metal light enough to be used for bicycles. Since these early bikes were made without springs, it often made for a bumpy ride. It was then that the safety bicycle was developed --- one that had wheels of equal size, which then became the template for the modern motorcycle.

Steam engines were used in the 18 th century on locomotives. It was first considered for the motorcycle but was too big and bulky for a light vehicle. A smaller version was invented by Sylvester Howard in 1867 and the two-cylinder steam-engine motorcycle powered by coal was born. But it wasn't until 1885 that German by the name of Gottlieb Daimler invented the first gas-engine motorcycle, which is the prototype of the motorcycle as we know it today. Daimler incorporated the “Four Stroke Internal Combustion Engine” which was invented by Nicolaus August Otto (his boss) in 1876 to his design, which he then called the “Otto Cycle Engine”.