First motorcycles: ROPER

This motorcycle is part of "Made in America" exhibit (for 2011) at Trev Deeley Motorcycle Exhibition in Vancouver, BC. I highly recommend a visit if you're in town.


1896 ROPER, Steam Propelled Bicycle

This is an odd looking one.  Must have been awkward to ride.  It's a working replica of Roper's 1896 steamer.  Sylvester Roper built his first steam powered velocipede in 1868. Later in 1895 he got financial backing from Albert Pope to develop a steam powered bicycle to pace bicycle racers.






Manufacturer: Columbia Bicycle Co, Boston MA & Sylvester H. Roper
Engine type: double acting, side valve cylinder steam engine
Displacement: n/a
Transmission: direct drive
Brakes: cycle, rear only

tags: "first motorcycles" "Trev Deeley motorcycle museum" "vintage motorcycle exhibition"vintage motorbikes" "Made in America exhibition at Trev Deeley" "motorcycle history" "historical motorcycles"

First motorcycles: CCM Lightweight De Luxe

This motorcycle is part of "Made in America" exhibit (for 2011) at Trev Deeley Motorcycle Exhibition in Vancouver, BC. I highly recommend a visit if you're in town.

1908 CCM Lightweight De Luxe

CCM (Canadian Cycle and Motor) was the first to produce a Canadian motorcycle.

Engine type: air cooled, single cylinder
Displacement: 214 cc
Valve train: side valve
Transmissinon: direct drive
Brakes: band, rear only







tags: "first motorcycles" "Trev Deeley motorcycle museum" "vintage motorcycle exhibition" "vintage motorbikes" "motorcycle history" "historical motorcycles" "first canadian motorcycle"

First motorcycles: Copeland Steam Powered Special

This motorcycle is part of "Made in America" exhibit (for 2011) at Trev Deeley Motorcycle Exhibition in Vancouver, BC.  I highly recommend a visit if you're in town.

1884 American Star, Copeland Steam Powered Special

Lucius Copeland demonstrated his steam powered Star bicycle in Phoenix in 1884.

Engine: 1/2 HP steam engine
Displacement: n/a
Transmission: direct drive





tags: "first motorcycles" "Trev Deeley motorcycle museum" "vintage motorcycle exhibition"
"vintage motorbikes" "Made in America exhibition at Trev Deeley" "19th century motorcycle" "steam powered motorcycle"

First motorcycles: Hildebrand & Wolfmüller

This motorcycle is part of "Made in America" exhibit (for 2011) at Trev Deeley Motorcycle Exhibition in Vancouver, BC. I highly recommend a visit if you're in town. Although not made in America it's a great example how the industry got started.

1894 Hildebrand & Wolfmüller Motorrad

The first vehicle to be called a motorrad (German for motorcycle) was also the first to be mass produced.

Engine type: 2 cylinder, four stroke, water cooled - 2.5hp output
Displacement: 1498 cc
Valve Train: automatic inlet, pushord exhaust
Transmission: direct drive
Weight: 60 kg (132 lbs)
Top seed: 50 kmh (31 mph)




There's a video of a running one, although they don't say if it's a restored original or a complete replica.
Running Hildebrand and Wolfmüller, first production motorcycle

tags: "first ever motorcycle" "first mass produced motorcycle" "first motorcycles" "Trev Deeley Motorcycle museum" "first production motorcycle" "first ever production motorbike" "19th century motorcycle" "vintage motorcycle replica"

First motorcycles: Daimler "Riding Car"

This motorcycle is part of "Made in America" exhibit (for 2011) at Trev Deeley Motorcycle Exhibition in Vancouver, BC. I highly recommend a visit if you're in town. Although not made in America this one is a great example how the industry got started.


1885 Reitwagen - Daimler "Riding Car"

Prior to the name 'motorcycle' these 'riding cars' were created to test various engines. According to the exhibit this model was not mass produced.

Engine type: combustion principle four stroke
Displacement: 462 cc
Valve train: 1 intake valve, 1 exhaust valve
Transmission: 2 stage pulley sets on output shaft and countershaft
Brakes: hand operated pad brake on the rear wheel
Max speed: 12 km/h

tags: "Trev Deeley motorcycle museum" "motorcycle exhibition vancouver" "first motorbikes" "first motorcycles" "vintage motorcycles" "19th century motorcycles" "first ever motorcycle" "first ever motorbike" "vintage motorcycle replica" "wooden frame motorcycle" "wood frame"

Motorcycle museum

Vancouver is home to Trev Deeley Harley dealership which has a great selection of vintage motorcycles on display. This year's show is titled "Made in America".
www.deeleymotorcycleexhibition.ca
I've had a chance to visit it recently and I'm hoping to post a few pics over the next few days.

Stay tuned and ride safe,
CR

New bike... ie used but new for me :)

It was back to scouring Craigslist and the dealerships deciding what to buy. I decided to go with a lite, agile bike like a Ninja 250 but unfortunately that bike is a bit too cramped for me (I'm about 6ft tall and weigh 190 lbs). Also to be honest I don't like the way the Ninja looks and prefer the naked street-bike look. There isn't too much of a choice if you want a smaller engine and a full frame. Luckily I had an opportunity to also try a Hyosung GT250 (the naked version) and it proved to be just what I needed. Good looks, V-twin provides nice smooth power and the bike handles beautifully. It is simply a joy to ride. I don't really care it's only a 250. It has more than enough power for city riding and occational highway trips. As an added bonus the insurance for a bike in this class is cheap. Having ridden it for almost 3 seasons now I've had zero problems with this 2006 model.  Never have to use choke, even after winter storage.

PROS

full frame, good for taller riders

upright riding position lets you see properly in traffic

cheap insurance

new modern 250cc engine designed in Japan

handles very well, smooth power output

economical on gas

CONS

the finishing touches on these South Korean bikes are not as good as on the Japanese ones.

tags: "Hyosung GT250" "250cc beginner bike" "beginner motorcycle" "naked bike" "naked sportbike" "hyosung comet"

And then there was an old junker

Once I got my motorcycle license and sold my Honda Ruckus scooter (which proved exeeding easy btw) I was on a hunt for an older motorbike to commute to work on.
I was not too picky but I knew I wanted a fairly small displacement bike to practice on.
Eventually after a month or so I came across a Yamaha Maxim xs 400, a parallel twin 400cc bike. Price was ok and it seemed to be the right size for me so I figured why not?
Here is what a bike like that looks like...


It was fun to upgrade and I enjoyed that bike a lot but I felt it was too loud,"chunky" and not as responsive as I would like so again I decided to change bikes after one season of riding it.

tags: "first motorbike" "first bike" "motorbike upgrade" "small displacement motorbikes"