Today, modern motorcycles have developed to a high degree of maturity. In terms of engine type, it can be divided into vertical and horizontal single cylinder, V-type twin cylinder, parallel twin cylinder, horizontal opposed twin cylinder, parallel three cylinder, horizontal three cylinder, side-by-side four cylinder, V-type four-cylinder, V-type five-cylinder, side-by-side six cylinder, horizontal opposed six cylinder, etc., all kinds of structures are available; in terms of displacement, from 50mL to more than 2000mL triumph "rocket three-cylinder", subdivided into dozens of different displacement models; in terms of power performance, the fiercest Kawasaki H2R peak power has exceeded 223kW. Can run out of more than 400km / h of the extreme speed; in terms of models, sports cars, street cars, cruise cars, station wagons, adventure cars, off-road vehicles, scooters, various types of competition, try to please riders with different needs; body materials, in addition to traditional iron and rubber, there are more aluminum alloys, magnesium alloys, titanium alloys, carbon fibers and other high-tech materials, applied to the frame, engine, rim and other parts; safety, not only equipped with high-performance disc brakes, And matched with anti-lock braking system, traction control system and other electronic intelligent devices, to escort the safety of the journey...
However, Rome was not built in a day. Do you know how primitive it was at the beginning of motorcycle abuse? It's a humble bike with a meager engine! From toddlers to mature atmosphere, motorcycles have experienced too many "firsts" in their centuries - the first motorcycle, the first scooter, the first expedition vehicle, the first installation of deflectors, the first use of anti-lock braking systems, the first installation of electronic throttles...
Looking back at many "firsts", we know that the history of motorcycles for a hundred years is not easy, and only then do we understand the preciousness of today, so that we are not easy to lose our way when exploring the future!
[1] The first motorcycle
It is not difficult to find out who was the first motorcycle to be fitted with an internal combustion engine, as evidenced by a patent application – in 1885, the German Batleb Daimler invented the world's first motorcycle with an internal combustion engine.
At that time, the common power unit of automobiles was a coal-fueled steam engine, but due to the smoke and the lack of speed, engineers tried to use other fuels to invent more efficient power units. Daimler, an engineer working at the Otto plant, quit his job to concentrate on the development of a small, efficient internal combustion engine, which was successful in 1883 and was granted a German Empire Patent No. 28022 on December 16 of the same year.
On August 29, 1885, Daimler installed an air-cooled single-cylinder gasoline engine with a displacement of 264 mL and a maximum power of 0.37 kW (700 r/min) on the bicycle, bringing the bike to a maximum speed of 11 km/h. The machine was patented and is considered the world's first motorcycle to be equipped with an internal combustion engine.
The earliest motorcycles are just individual cases, in the final analysis, only put into production, transformed into market products, accepted by society, can have real vitality, otherwise it is just a display in the window. It was not until the end of the 19th century that mass production of motorcycles entered its infancy. In 1894, the German company Hilde Brown-Wolf müller became the first manufacturer of mass-produced motorcycles, producing hundreds of motorcycles, and for the first time called them motorcycles; in 1896, The Exerhill Company began to produce motorcycles; in 1898, The Orient-Astor company began to produce motorcycles... From this point on, motorcycles began to enter a period of full mass production, Royal - Enfield, Triumph, Norton, BSA, Indian, Harley-Davidson and a number of motorcycle manufacturers have been put into production and supplied to the market, from then on, motorcycles gradually get rid of the simple structure of "bicycle + engine", new ideas, new technologies, new products, new materials continue to be used, to promote motorcycles on the road of evolution and development.
[2] The first scooter
Scooters have been loved by many riders with their advantages of moderate price, economical fuel consumption, simple operation, convenience and comfort. Especially since the 1980s and 1990s, the power unit of the scooter has begun to try to be larger, trying to break through the fence of "scooter = sheep boy", and the well-known models include the Honda Fusion 250, Yamaha Majesty 250 and so on. In recent years, the development trend of large-scale scooters has become more and more obvious, such as Suzuki's Burgman 650, Yamaha TMAX, Honda "Blade", Gilera GP800, Apulia SRV850... For a time, large scooters have sprung up like mushrooms, whether it is acceleration, handling or safety performance, they have reached new heights, comparable to large and medium displacement motorcycles, completely subverting the image of "obedient boys".
However, at the beginning of the start, scooters were not like this.
The prototype of the scooter appeared very early, such as the prototype scooter manufactured by the British Gilbert Camplin Company after the First World War and sold under the name of ABC Company, the wheels were small, the 123mL single-cylinder engine was mounted on the rear wheel, and the rear wheel was driven by the chain, and the top speed was about 20km/h. In 1936, the Salsbrae Company in California, USA, began to produce another scooter, which was very distinctive, equipped with an automatic transmission device, and it was very simple to operate. Their "Motor Glide", introduced in 1938, was powered by a Johnson single-cylinder engine of about 1.1 kW and equipped with a traditional CVT system.
After World War II, Piaggio's son, Henrique Piaggio, applied to rebuild the factory in Pentillar. With allied approval, Henrique and his brother Armando immediately threw themselves into post-war reconstruction. In response to the harsh road conditions and poor traffic after the war, Enrique decided to open up the light motor vehicle business after in-depth investigation of social needs, which was inseparable from the help of aeronautical engineer Coradino da Sanio.
To be honest, Coradino didn't like motorcycles, and he found that the driving position of motorcycles was neither comfortable nor convenient, and too clumsy to be particularly suitable for the elderly and women; in addition, the oil-coated drive chain would make the body dirty, and the loosely exposed wiring harnesses and parts were not elegant enough. Therefore, Coradino designed the Vespa MP6 with a wealth of aviation design experience and talent: according to the idea of aircraft design, he envisioned a monolithic structure, that is, the entire body was covered by a fairing to obtain an elegant and neat appearance; in order to replace the tires more conveniently, he designed a center bracket similar to the landing gear of the aircraft; due to the use of small diameter wheels, the weight of the car is lower and safer; the unique pedal structure makes it easier for the rider to get up and down, and the sitting posture is more relaxed and comfortable...
Convinced that this was a great creation, Enrique, a business-minded man, put into production the first 98 mL Vespa, with the first 2,000 units built. At the same time, Enrique ambitiously opened up the overseas market of Vespa, in 1950 Vespa was put into production in Germany, in 1951 began production in Britain and France, in 1953 began production in Spain, and then Vespa was also put into production in Mumbai, Brazil, Australia, Iran and other countries, the small Italian "Vespa" set off a strong whirlwind in the world. In 1960, vespa production exceeded 2 million units; in 1988, it exceeded the mark of 10 million units.
[3] The first expedition vehicle
When did the true Sense of the Word (ADV) come about?
This cannot fail to mention the bmw R 80 G/S, which debuted the atmosphere. Back in the late 1970s, BMW was involved in a number of prestigious international off-road events, such as the Six Days Race and the European Motocross Championship. During this period, BMW developed off-road/endurance motorcycles for competition, competing for the glory of victory in extremely harsh environments. On this basis, BMW has designed a multi-purpose motorcycle with wide adaptability that can run fast on the road and spread wilderness in the wilderness.
On September 1, 1980, BMW unveiled the mystery of the R 80 G/S in Avignon, France. It's a brand new category of motorcycles, so hard to categorize. Compared with the traditional large road motorcycle, the R 80 G/S has a strong ability to survive in the wild, through excellent performance; compared with the traditional motocross motorcycle, the R 80 G/S has the ability to sail through the state capital and the ability to gallop through the thunderbolt. Therefore, whether it is a road, a country road, or a gravel Gobi, it is difficult to get R 80 G/S, as its name implies: G is the german abbreviation for Gel nde, which means off-road; S is the abbreviation for German Strasse, which means street. G/S's name indicates that its identity is an "amphibian" between on-road and off-road.
The R 80 G/S is equipped with BMW's famous stunt horizontally opposed twin-cylinder "Boxer" engine, with a displacement of 798 mL, which can output a maximum power of 37 kW at a speed of 6500 r/min and a maximum torque of 56.7 N·m at 5000 r/min; the acceleration performance is quite excellent, with an acceleration time of only 5.6 s from 0 to 100 km/h, and the maximum speed can reach 168 km/h. In addition, the R 80 G/S is equipped with a single-lever swingarm that houses the drive shaft and the oil is fully enclosed, which not only provides excellent lubrication for the drive shaft, but also achieves maintenance-free and full life. It is worth noting that although the R 80 G/S has a displacement of up to 798 mL, it is very lightweight, and the net mass is only 191 kg, which allows it to maneuver in tight spaces.
The versatile, comfortable and luxurious R 80 G/S opened up a new large-scale adventure touring motorcycle market, playing the dual role of road motorcycle and motocross as a "generalist", receiving unanimous praise from the market, from 1980 to 1987, a total of 21864 units were produced. Moreover, after more than 30 years of continuous evolution since its inception, the BMW GS series has become the benchmark of adventure vehicles and a good companion for moyou's wild adventures and travel!
To be continued...