Motorcycle Information

Short History of the Motorcycle

There is a fairly long history behind motorcycles and there are now specific kinds of motorcycle that have been designed to serve different functions. The history of the bikes goes right back to 1885 and were designed by a group of German designers its frame was similar to that of a bicycle but it was petroleum powered. It is sometimes argued however that the first motorcycle was designed and built in America in 1867 but it was powered by steam, that's why its never quite been agreed on which one was the first built.

It was during the 1890's that the real developments in motorcycles came about with all large motorcycle companies adapting their designs to hold an internal combustion engine. It was around this time that the companies started to compete to get the largest engines in their models and the companies started to produce more motorcycles for the public to purchase.

Up until the First World War there were around 20,000 bikes being produced annually by the largest firm based in India after this came the mass production by the American company Harley Davidson. By the year 1920 their motorcycles were being sold world wide by about 67 dealers in different countries. However, by the 1950's there was an even bigger company to appear in the industry this was the BSA Group and they were manufacturing around 75,000 motorcycles each year.

Modern Motor Cycles

In more recent years the main companies to produce motorcycles have been Japanese based with all the companies now mainly focused on sport and road bikes. Motorcycles are now more available to people than they once were, this is because they are now mass produced and there fore cost a lot less at both trade and retail prices. Although these sport style bikes are very popular Harley Davidson motorcycles are still massively popular in America with there being many clubs even dedicated to the style of bike.

There are now more motorcycle companies than ever before some producing regular road bikes for the public to use and then there are companies that specialise in sport motorcycles that are used by professionals for racing. Choosing the right motorcycle for your capabilities is very important because you wouldn't want to buy a motorcycle that you can't control properly as you could cause danger for yourself and also other road users.