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Video Motorcycle 1
Video Motorcycle 2
Video Motorcycle 3
Video Motorcycle 4
Video Motorcycle 5
Video Motorcycle 6
Video Scooter
Video 2-opp.-cyl. Engine
Video Servicing
Video Carburetor 1
Video Carburetor 2
Video Exhaust Analysis
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Video Six Gears
Video One-arm Swing. Fork
Video Swinging Fork
Video Two-stroke Drive
Video Fixed-calliper Brake
Video Roller Resistance
Video Air Restistance
Video Drop-center Rim
Video Motorcycle Design
Video Class. Racer
Video Ducati
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Video Classic BMW 1
Video Classic BMW 2
Video Honda
Video Kawasaki
Video Suzuki
Video Moto Guzzi
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Video First Motorcycle
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Video Drawrod Engine (NSU)


          A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

  The motorcycle 1








One could easily think that the first motorcycle users were rather the poorer people who couldn't afford to pay for a motor car. Far from it. Similar to the way is was 50 years ago with the bicycle, it was reserved for the more wealthy, for those who spent their free time riding the motorcycle or were involved in motorcycle sports. Motorcycle riding offers a much stronger experience of being one with the machine than does car driving, it also demands more emotional involvement with the vehicle itself, this makes it difficult to explain rationally.

Only in the 1950's, did the motorcycle become a bit more suitable for the masses, in the USA of course, this happened earlier, despite the fact that the reasonably priced motor car there, posed strong competition. In Europe, at that time, motor cars were still unaffordable for most people. 200 cm³ motorcycles were the highest target that one could aim for, this was partly caused by the taxation policies of the various countries. In Germany, the two-wheeler boom only reached it's peak about 10 years after the Second World War.

Indeed, the boom petered out again rather quickly. The motorcycle proved to be the impulse which started the mass buying of motor cars. In the wake of it's demise, most of the more important manufacturers also disappeared, which opened the door for the Japanese competition, who had correctly predicted the recreational significance that the motorcycle would have a few years later. Only in East Germany, with it's difficult living conditions and a 15 year waiting period when buying a car, did the motorcycle remain the principle means of transport for the masses.

Ironically, it was in the USA, where the dream of having an extra vehicle, - just for fun - was nurtured. This was even the case with motor cars, which were turned into terribly impractical vehicles and, were actually unbelievably expensive. This was not the case as far as motorcycle technology was concerned, this was, thanks to the Japanese meticulousness, affordable and also suitable for everday use. The affordability had of course, a lot do do with the fact that, at least in the western countries, a lot more money was available to most people.

The accident figures in which the increasingly high performance machines were involved, were beginning to worry people, whereby the figures concerning motor cars, because of the increasing safety features, were dropping. For a time, the braking was calculated for a machine producing 74 kW (100 hp), which in the meantime, had no meaning at all. Thus, the motorcycle made incredible performance possible, this however, required that the riders showed a much greater amount of responsibility.

The less powerful two-wheelers were becoming more and more interesting for short distance travelling, especially in the urban areas. They had a conflicting influence on the environmental protection discussions. While motorcycles hare hardly affected by the stringent exhaust gas regulations for motor cars and trucks, these vehicles, because of their low power to weight ratios, are particularly suitable for the use with electric motors. At the moment, the bicycle with auxilliary motor assistance, indeed, in the shape of the Pedelec, is celebrating it's rebirth. Nonetheless, the bicycle will probably never again be the most important means of transport for the family.

Oddy enough, interim solutions like scooters with a roof over the rider and other safety features (BMW C1 - see above picture), were never able to assert themselves. If in the past, the use of high performance motorcycles had an important place in the lives of younger people, it is now slipping into the background. Nowadays, it's nothing unusual to see an older (mostly) mans face when the rider takes his helmet off. 06/12

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Translator: Don Leslie - Email: lesdon@t-online.de

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