Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

LOL_L_Player1 t1_iu0r3hl wrote

This shows that in the beginning motorcycles where almost bicycles with engines.

If you would make this today no one will call it a motorcycle.

12

Hattix t1_iu0wknu wrote

Almost? The Harley-Davidson motorised bicycle was, in fact, a motorised bicycle!

Benz had been making them earlier, but while Benz had good engines, he had no idea what made a bicycle work. There had been experiments with rotary wheel-engines, trikes, Benz came back with the Patent-Motorwagen, etc.

Millet's design of the 1890s set the scene for how to do it, however.

The Thomas Auto-Bi is even more obviously a bike with a motor bolted on it! By the time of the FN Four, it had become pretty ridiculous, but people wanted power.

Oh, and I best not leave this without mentioning the Roper Steam Velocipede, which is exactly what you think it is.

10

Motocamperman t1_iu0tw8s wrote

Almost? It's exactly what they were.

Electric cars don't meet my needs (yet) but I would still prefer an ebike to this old Harley though.

5

mellovibes75 t1_iu19f52 wrote

The higher classes of ebikes are practically motorcycles now.

3

IdealIdeas t1_iu228d5 wrote

Can confirm, my EnduroEbike goes 60mph and gets about 40 miles of range.

1

oldsurly t1_iu1sszy wrote

"If my mother had wheels she would be a bike"

1