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century motorcycle industry was kickstarted by the widespread commercial drilling and refining of oil in the 1850s. While oil has been extracted from the ground since the 4 th century in China, the first commercial oil well was in Oil Springs, Ontario, and entered production in 1858. There had already been numerous attempts to create an internal combustion engine, small yet powerful enough to propel vehicles, but it was German inventor Gottlieb Daimler who is credited with creating the first internal combustion-engined motorcycle (the Reitwagen) with his business partner Wilhelm Maybach, in 1885. The same year, fellow German engineer Karl Benz (who had patented his first engine in 1879) unveiled the first gasoline-powered automobile –

the Motorwagen. Horse power would soon have a completely different meaning! The United States, however, lagged behind Europe in its fascination with two-wheeled speed, and legend has it that the first motorcycle only arrived in the country as late as 1895 when a French circus act turned up to perform in New York. The same year, though, American inventor E.J. Pennington showed off his first bike – allegedly capable of 58 mph (93 kmh) – in Milwaukee and reportedly coined the term “motorcycle.” It wasn’t long before a host of manufacturers (such as Indian, Excelsior, and Merkel) sprang up, and they were quickly developing and improving this new technology. So, while the motorcycle was still

in its infancy when Harley began his journey and teamed up with the Davidsons, the road to fame and success was there for the taking.

 ABOVE:  The Reitwagen was invented by Gottleib Daimler.