The invention of the motorcycle is credited primarily to German inventors Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach, who created the first gasoline-powered motorcycle called the "Daimler Reitwagen" in 1885. This vehicle is widely recognized as the first true motorcycle because it was powered by an internal combustion engine, patented by Daimler that year
. Before this, there were earlier attempts to motorize bicycles using steam engines. Notably, Sylvester Howard Roper built a steam-powered two-wheeled vehicle in 1867, which can be considered a precursor to the motorcycle, but it was not gasoline-powered and is less often credited as the first motorcycle
. The first motorcycle produced in series for commercial use was the Hildebrand & Wolfmüller motorcycle, introduced in 1894 in Germany. This model was the first to be mass-produced and sold as a motorcycle, marking the beginning of motorcycles as a commercial product
. In summary:
- The first gasoline-powered motorcycle: Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach, 1885.
- The first steam-powered motorized bicycle precursor: Sylvester Howard Roper, 1867.
- The first commercially produced motorcycle: Hildebrand & Wolfmüller, 1894
