13 interesting facts from the history of motorcycles.

There is an opinion that there are fewer motorcycles than cars on the planet, but this is not true - there are more of them. In countries with a cold climate, two-wheeled vehicles mainly belong to enthusiasts, but the closer to the equator, motorcycles of all classes begin to appear more and more on the streets. And this is justified - the climate, the long season of use, cheapness and economy. But if we are talking about “Real” motorcycles, then you can forget about cheapness with economy.

1. The telescopic fork was invented by BMW in 1932 and has become the most common front suspension in the motorcycle world.

2. The well-known manufacturer of heavy motorcycles Harley-Davidson often bought shares of motorcycle companies. There was a case that HD produced low-capacity mopeds for the Italian market.

3. The record for the distance covered by a motorcycle in one day belongs to the Russell “Rusty” Vaughn in Texas, USA, on August 10, 2011.
Vaughn used his Harley-Davidson FLHTK Electra-Glide and completed 238 laps (3,250 kilometers in 24 hours) on the test track, which earned him a place in the Guinness Book of Records.

4. The Brough Superior SS100 became the first motorcycle to conquer the speed limit of 100mph (160 km/h) in 1924.

5. The famous manufacturer of sports motorcycles Ducati started with the production of radio components, having retrained for the production of motorcycles only after the Second World War.

6. Once the second place in the production of motorcycles belonged to the Soviet Union, second only to Japan. Factories in Minsk, Izhevsk, Kovrov, Kiev and Irbit were engaged in this production. And they produced more than 1.5 million motorcycles a year, and of a very different class.

7. The frame of the first motorcycle was constructed of wood. Daimler Reitwagen, this motorcycle was built in 1885.

8. Honda Corporation began to install airbag (airbag) on serial motorcycles and equipped the serial GL1800 Gold Wing with this useful safety tool.

9. The most powerful small — scale motorcycle is the Tomahawk from Dodge. In total, 10 units of such equipment were produced, which is capable of reaching speeds of up to 420mph (676 km/h).

10. The famous Japanese motorcycle manufacturers Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki received their names in honor of the surnames of their founders.

11. The first flip on a motorcycle was performed in 2000 by Carey Hart.

12. Before the Great Depression in the United States (from 1929 to 1933), there were many many companies producing motorcycles, but only two of them survived these difficult times — Indian and Harley-Davidson.

13. The modern gearshift system on motorcycles was developed in 1927 by the Italian company Velocette.

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