The earliest machine, propelled by cranks and pedals, was built in 1839-40 by Kirkpatrick Macmillan (1810–78) of Dumfries, Scotland. A copy of the machine is now in the Science Museum, London, England. Italian artist and scientist Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) is often credited with designing the first bicycle, having drawn a similar machine with cranks and pedals, in the 1490s. Macmillan was the first person known to have constructed such a machine.
Fastest Motorcycle Speed
America's Dave Campos, riding a 7-m (23-ft) long streamliner named Easyriders, set American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) and Federation Internationale de Motorcyclisme (FIM) absolute speed records with an overall average speed of 518.450 km/h (322.150 mph), and completed the faster run at an average of 519.609 km/h (322.870 mph), at Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, USA, on July 14, 1990. The Streamliner weighed 1133.9 kg (2,500 lb) and was powered by two 1,500 cc Ruxton Harley-Davidson engines.
It is said that this record attempt drew the largest ever crowd to the Bonneville Salt Flats. Rather than attract corporate sponsorship, the Easyriders magazine "went to the people", offering each $25 contributor the opportunity to attend the event and have their name printed on the side of the Streamliner. Over 10,000 took up the offer, although the crowds began to thin out after a few days. In the 16 days it took to break the record, the team endured every sort of mishap and hiccup: on the third day, Sunday July 1, the Streamliner went into a wobble and crashed at around 300 mph. Campos emerged unscathed apart from a bruised thumb, but the Streamliner needed extensive repair work that kept the team of 15 – and several of their sponsors – working nonstop for three days on repairs. The front tire was also a constant source of trouble, since the only tire suitable for the attempt – 5.50 x15 Firestones rated at over 400 mph – were last manufactured in 1967, and the team had to make to with a limited number of rare second-hand specimens. The streamliner is owned by Joe Teresi, owner and publisher of Easyriders magazine.
Longest Motorcycle
The world's longest motorcycle is 7.6 m (24 ft 11 in) long, and weighs nearly 2,000 kg (4,409 lb). The monster machine was designed and built by Douglas and Roger Bell of Perth, Western Australia. The bike, which is called "Big Ben", sports a set of hydraulically retractable "training wheels" to keep it upright while stationary. During a test drive, Big Ben achieved a speed of 177 km/h (110 mph). The Australian brothers named their creation "Big Ben" after the famous British tourist attraction. This was in recognition of the quantity of British metal used in its manufacture.
Smallest Motorcycle
Tom Wiberg (Sweden) has built a rideable motorcycle with a front wheel diameter of 16 mm (0.62 in) and a rear wheel diameter of 22 mm (0.86 in). The micro machine has a wheelbase of 80 mm (3.14 in), a seat height of 65 mm (2.55 in), weighs 1.1 kg (2.4 lb) and is powered to a top speed of 2 km/h (1.24 mph) by its 0.22 kW (0.3 hp) engine.
Although its size means the rider cannot sit on it in the conventional manner, Mr Wiberg rode it for a for a distance of more than 10 m (32.8 ft) by standing on it with one foot early in 2003.
Greatest Distance Covered in Wheelie: 332km
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