10 little-known facts about motorcycles - Interesting

[Eck]

10 little-known facts about motorcycles to commemorate the anniversary of the first known motorcycle race, which was in 1897.

 

When motorcycles were first invented, it didn't take long before people started racing them. The first recorded race was over the distance of one mile. The winner, Charles Jarrot, had a blistering time of 2 minutes and 8 seconds on his Fournier motorcycle.

 

On to the facts:

 

1)The front tire provides 75 per cent of a bike’s grip when cornering.

 

2)The Vespa brand of scooter got its name from the Italian word for wasp.

 

3)As well as motorbikes, Kawasaki also makes spaceships. It only began making motorcycles in 1962 to publicise its ‘heavy industries’ which were unknown to the public.

 

4)Devil, Satan and Lucifer have all been brands of motorcycles.

 

5)The first motorcycle was the SH Roper 1869 steam cycle.

 

6)His character The Fonz may have been the epitome of cool but actor Henry Winkler couldn't actually ride a motorcycle.

 

7)When Valentino Rossi was five, his dad (a former motorbike racer himself) built him a go-kart as a substitute to biking out of concern for his son’s safety.

 

8)The TOTO motorcycle built in Japan in 2010 ran on human waste.

 

9)American Triumph dealer Bud Ekins did the now-famous 65ft motorcycle jump in The Great Escape (in one take), not Steve McQueen.

 

10)Between 1917 and 1923 macho American bike firm Harley-Davidson made mopeds. Meanwhile, Hell’s Angels founder Sonny Barger said in his autobiography he prefers Japanese bikes to Harleys

[bongobobny]

Wow!! That's some cool stuff!!

[Wade 2000]

The Fonz =Cool however Henry Winkler really not so much.

[rickardracing]

The Fonz =Cool however Henry Winkler really not so much.

 

 

Not to get off subject, but John Wayne hated horses.

[The Tooch]

Not to get off subject, but John Wayne hated horses.

 

Not to get even further off subject,........but I'm pretty sure I hate winter!

[Bubber]

Not to get even further off subject,........but I'm pretty sure I hate winter!

 

I am positive I hate Winter!

[darthandy]

I am positive I hate Winter!

 

No doubt about it here as well!

 

Andy

[aharbi]

The Fonz's bike was a Triumph.

Sonny Barger was a past president of the Angles not the founder.

The Hell's Angles was named after a WWII fighter squadron of the same name.

[ragtop69gs]

Not to get even further off subject,........but I'm pretty sure I hate winter!

 

I LOVE winter.... WINTER ALE, Johnny WINTER.... WINTER as a season