Even for those who have never ridden a motorcycle, there’s just something about these magnificent machines that make us simply stop and admire them. In this article, we take a look at the cool, the fascinating, the unusual and the ‘what the heck were they thinking’ designs for motorcycles that have appeared for over a hundred years.
Let's start with some vintage beauties. The first motorcycle was designed and built in Germany in 1885
FN or Fabrique Nationale de Herstal, a Belgian manufacturer of firearms, also made motorcycles from 1901 to 1967. This one is from 1913
1913 Garelli (left) and the Evans Power Cycle (right), from 1919:
Indian Scout from 1928
The Sokol 1000 was made in Poland and used by both civilians and the Polish military in the 1930’s:
1940 Indian four cylinder (left). On the right is the design for a Dream Motorcycle One from the early 1950’s
The NSU Sportmax motorcycle was a winner in the 250 cc class in the Grand Prix Season of 1955:
I’m not sure if I’d want to be racing across the battlefield in this machine:
This one on the other hand looks more impressive. The Vespa 150 TAP, equipped with a cannon, was used by the French army and was meant to join the battle after being dropped by parachute
This bike, which also featured a gun, was developed for the Danish military in the 1930’s
Wondrous Biking MachinesFrom the movies here we have the Hill Valley police motorcycle from Back to the Future (left). And how could we forget Batman’s two-wheeled mode of transportation as portrayed in The Dark Knight (right):
Boldly go where no has gone before, on the Star Trike, which apparently appeared at the San Diego Comic Con in 1982
The TrikeBack’s engine reminded me of the propulsion systems in the jetpacks and rocket belts
The TrikeBack’s engine reminded me of the propulsion systems in the jetpacks and rocket belts
Could this be the world’s largest, or perhaps tallest, motorcycle?
Or how about this 48 cylinder machine, which apparently actually runs
The Panzerbike from Germany, weighing in at just under five tons, has an engine that once powered a Russian T55 tank and the sidecar used to be the casing of a Soviet missile:
Hopefully, this motorcycle isn’t a real death trap? Skeleton bikes
Toys for big boys? The Burgerbike, ideal for visiting the drive-through window, perhaps? (left) Not sure what the top speed would be on this one?
This machine was apparently made from spare parts and bits of miscellaneous junk (left)... while this one is made of wood
Not sure if you want to give up your motorcycle and buy a car, or vice versa? You can have the best of both worlds, with the Laverda sidecar bike
Who said limousines had to be cars? Here is "Anaconda"
The Jaguar motorcycle, such a cool design
The Allmond Rocket motorcycle fromn Roger Allmond and another unusual design from Japan
These are actually part of the "Tuner Scooter" culture phenomenon in Japan
Here’s a selection of really cool concept bikes. From motorcycle manufacturer Arlen Ness
Icare concept (left) and Swordfish bike concept
Ferrari V4 Motorcycle concept (left); Speed Racer motorcycle
The Magic Tricycle might sound like a brightly painted kid’s toy, but it’s actually more like something from Transformers. If you prefer to be driving a car, the vehicle moves along on its side using three wheels, but can also flip upright and turn into a motorcycle.
The 4-wheeled motorcycle? No, this is not an ATV: Japanese "Tesseract" is a unique dual scythe suspension system, allowing this sleek machine to lean into turns like a motorcycle:
And finally, here is perhaps the weirdest vintage bike of all - this one includes a sewing machine!
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