DID YOU KNOW…
Before Gas, the World's First Motorcycle Ran on Steam!
Did you know? The very first self-propelled two-wheeled vehicle that truly resembled a modern motorcycle wasn't powered by gasoline, but by steam, nearly two decades before Karl Benz patented his automobile.
Around 1868-1871, French inventor Louis-Guillaume Perreaux attached a small steam engine to a Michaux pedal-powered bicycle, creating the "Michaux-Perreaux steam velocipede." This pioneering machine is considered by many historians to be the first true motorcycle because, unlike later contenders like the 1885 Daimler Reitwagen, it was a two-wheeled vehicle without stabilizing outriggers, designed to be ridden much like a bicycle. Its single-cylinder steam engine, fueled by alcohol, drove the rear wheel via a belt.
Love discovering things like this?
A new fact every day with photos, on the free app.