The history of the motorcycle is surprisingly difficult to trace, in no small part because engineering historians often disagree about what counts as well as the somewhat complex process of dating when prototypes were dated.

What is absolutely known is that the origin point for the bikes ridden at any motorcycle driving school today can be traced back to one of three designs, all of which pre-date the Rover safety bicycle that would form the basis for everything that came afterwards.

There are two models of every early two-wheeled engine-powered transport that, if they count, were produced at least a decade before the model that inspired everything else.

A Question Of Dates

There are two main candidates, both of which used steam-powered engines and were built on velocipede frames, but there is considerable controversy surrounding which one was made first.

The first one that is known to be patented is the Michaux-Perreaux steam velocipede, patented on 26th December 1869 and built on his previously successful line of pedal “boneshaker” bikes, although some historians have claimed it dates as far back as 1867.

However, there is another, similar model made by Sylvester Roper that whilst never patented has a similar date range. The Smithsonian Institute dates it to 1869, but some have similarly claimed it was made as early as 1867.

This ambiguity has led to countless arguments, between those who claim Michaux-Perreaux’s patent overrides any alleged dates of the Roper machine and others who argue that given the existence of an 1868 model that it was the first.

There is a third option, however.

The First “True” Motorbike

Some definitions claim that a motorcycle must have an internal combustion engine in order to count as such, which would strike the debate there and then.

Instead, the same year as the safety bicycle, the Daimler Reitwagen (sometimes known as the Einspur), which is the first to use a petrol internal combustion engine.