Gaby
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On November 10, 1885, the world’s first motorcycle rattled through the suburbs of Stuttgart, Germany.
By the standards of the time, its top speed was astonishing — just 12 km/h. The machine looked like a wooden bicycle with a motor: not only the frame but all four wheels were made of wood and sheathed in iron.
The first rider, Adolf Daimler — the son of inventor and industrialist Gottlieb Daimler — couldn’t ride a two-wheeler, so two extra support wheels kept him from falling.
After that first ride, Adolf Daimler vowed he’d never be made to ride that “bone crusher” again.
Still, the machine — patented as a “horse-drawn carriage with a gas engine” — proved successful, and this new form of transport quickly became popular.
