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A paper on the history of bikes
A paper on the history of bikes
A paper on the history of bikes
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History of the Motorcycle
My goal is to explain the evolution of the motorcycle and how their importance has grown in our society. Motorcycles have changed a great deal over the past decade or so. They are constantly being bettered and improved. Slight changes are always being made to these man made machines.
The motorcycle is an amalgamation of a motor and a bicycle. Motorcycles aren't the only two-wheeled form of motorized transportation, there are others like minibikes, mopeds, and motor scooter (www.comptons.com "Motorcycles", 1). Some standard equipment on motorcycles today are: gas tank, battery, spark plugs, muffler, generator, shock absorbers, oil pump, headlight, and turn signals (www.comptons.com "Motorcycles", 2)
The first two-wheeled vehicles began to appear in the late eighteenth century. They had no steering and were propelled by a rider pushing there feet along the ground. Steering was later added in 1817. In 1842, Kirkpatrick MacMillon created cycle with pedals and cranks (Wilson, 8). 1869, Michaux and Louis-Guillaume Perreaox attached small steam engine to a "bone shaker" (Wilson, 8). Dr. Nicholaus Otto patented the four-stroke principle in 1876. The Copeland brothers built a prototype steam-powered bicycle in 1884. Also in 1884, Count Albert De Dion and Georges Bouton built a gasoline motor, which would be built and sold in various sizes (Wilson, 10).
In 1885, Gattlreb Daimler mounted an engine in a wood-framed machine that had a twist grip controlled break. "The engine was positioned vertically in the center of the machine; drive to the rear wheel was by belt to a counter shaft, then by gear to rear wheel (Wilson, 9)." 1887, Edward Butler built tricycle with electric ignition and a float-feed carburetor....
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...s them in battle. There are many different professional racing circuits, varying from street racing, drag racing, motocross, ice racing, and trail riding. Also, many people like to ride motorcycles for leisure. Pretty much anyone can have one so the are very abundant in the world today.
As shown, motorcycles have changed and evolved a great deal over the past hundred plus years. Companies continue to improve past improvements making better and better bikes. Who knows what the future has in store for the wonderful machines, but I'm looking forward to see what happens.
Bibliography:
Melling, Frank & Dave Minton. Superbikes. New York: Hamylyn, 1975.
Wilson, Hugo. The Ultimate Motorcycle Book. New York: Darling Kindersley, 1993.
www.comptons.com, "Motorcycles"
www.harley-davidson.com, "Harley-Davidson History"
www.motorcycle.com, "History"
Needless to say, that experience has changed over time. It began from a simplistic design in 1904 as a motorized bike. However, as time progressed it brought about the introduction of the biker gang era. These were the bad asses image riding their heavy bikes down the highway, rebels who refused to give in to society’s pressures. It was the time of the Hell’s Angels, with their patches, long hair, and untidy beards that became the symbol of freedom on the road. They created the mantra of the bad ass dude on a bad ass American bike and no one was gonna tell him what to
Allstate insurance is the second largest property and casualty insurance company by premiums in the United States. Allstate insurance handles about 12% of the U.S home and auto insurance market. (Allstate, 2014). Many of Allstate’s customers fall under what one could refer to as a traditional selection of insurance for automobiles. Recently, Allstate has noticed a major shortcoming in lifestyle insurance, which includes coverage for motorcycles, boats, and other recreational vehicles, in comparison to its competitors. The motorcycle insurance sector is a 10.4 billion dollar industry and growing (PRWEB, 2012). The U.S. Department of Transportation website reports some astounding figures, including that 5,370,035 motorcycles were registered three years before the article, 7,138,476 motorcycles registered at the time of the article, and grew to 9,477,243 registered motorcycles at the end of 2012 (NHTSA, 2013). It is obvious as to why Allstate would identify motorcycle insurance as a worthy lifestyle product to devote marketing research dollars into in order to develop new strategies for cornering a share of the market.
1. September 4, 2003 was a sad day for Pennsylvanians. Governor Rendell signed the new motorcycle helmet law into effect, sentencing riders to death and increasing the tax burden caused by this new law. Pennsylvania is the 31st state to repeal its all-rider helmet law (Berenson 2). The new law states “no helmet is required for a person 21 years of age or older who has been licensed to operate a motorcycle for not less than 2 full calender [sic] years or has completed a motorcycle rider safety course approved by the Department of Transportation or the Motorcycle Safety Foundation” (Lobel 3). This new helmet law has increased accident fatalities and the burden on taxpayers.
...es how powerful of a symbol it has become. You wouldn’t consider the fact that someone drives a Honda Accord a defining characteristic of his or her identity but somehow that changes when it becomes a Harley Davidson Heritage Softtail. "Four wheels move the body two wheels move the sole" (Harley Davidson Ad/ 1992). It becomes clear that the motorcycle is much more than a vehicle; it is a manifestation of American values. When you break it down nothing seems more American that freedom, and brotherhood. Film has fully capitalized on these characteristics helping make the motorcycle a powerful image that has had a defining impact on American culture.
Millions of people all over the United States choose motorcycles over automobiles for the thrill, speed, and high performance capabilities. On the other hand, motorcycles are not at all the safest way of transportation. Motorcycles do not provide the passenger with the outer protection that cars provide, therefore, when one crashes, the results are usually much more serious. Injuries to the head are responsible for 76% of fatalities when dealing with motorcycle crashes many of which could have been prevented had the rider been wearing a helmet. For this reason, many states have adopted the motorcycle helmet law. The law states that every passengers must wear a helmet at all times when riding on a motorcycle. This law has created a great deal of controversy. One side supports the law, believing that it protects motorcyclists from danger and saves the economy a great deal of money. The other side argues that the law is unconstitutional and it violates our right to freedom. However, statistics show overwhelming support in favor of the motorcycle helmet law. Although wearing helmets cannot prevent motorcycle crashes, they can greatly reduce the number of deaths caused by head injury as well as lowering taxes, insurance rates, and health care costs. Therefore, the helmet law should be put into effect in every state across the United States.
The bicycle, a two wheeled object that has gone through many renditions, has evolved into different kinds of new creations along the course of its history. Leonardo Da Vinci, created the blueprints and with the help of his students, tested and created the primitive form of a bicycle. Baron Karl Von Drais to Ignaz Schwinn help contribute to create a more modern version of transportation.
...cle caused a massive change in both manufacturing and marketing in America. Bicycles represented a great increase in the speed of life and in the travel options of individuals. Perhaps it is because of their current position in our society as an alternative mode of travel that it is often difficult to imagine what a difference they made on modern life.
Young males, and females are buying HD motorcycles over any other competitor. This thought was accomplished through the introduction of the VRSC’S, and the lower and narrow Sportsters, Dyna’s, Softail’s and positioning them in the market to a younger demographic. Secondly, HD needs to position the VRSC’S, Sporster, Dyna and Softail to also appeal to first time buyers of motorcycles.
Since the development of the steam engine people had been interested in creating self-powered vehicles, this manifested during the industrial revolution as the train. However, as time went on people became interested in creating a vehicle that wasn’t confined to tracks. The earliest attempts were moderately successful but served little practical purpose. Automobiles first began to truly spread with the invention of the electric motor which created cheaper, more powerful, and safer automobiles. Still the automobile still had numerous problems and were mainly in the hands of the rich. It was the development of the internal combustion engine and the assembly line that was truly able to create a practical vehicle that could be used by all and propelled the automobile into the heart of American culture and made it one of the most significant inventions of the post-industrial revolution era, resulting in a complete revolution of society.
This paper is being written to identify and provide demographic information on a population that has been through trauma and resiliency following motorcycle accidents. This population has been through some form of trauma whether they realize it or not. Some people deal with trauma differently. For example, many motorcyclists engage in drug and alcohol to feel most comfortable because they face traumatic situations on the road, daily. Many of the traumatic experiences are caused by automotive drivers. According to “Nolo” (2016), Crashes involving motorcycles and other vehicles account for fifty-six percent of motorcycle accident deaths. In the vast majority of these accidents, the car strikes the
Harley-Davidson, Inc. has a long-standing culture of relationship nurturing with its customers – of association with its customers on personal levels. Owing to this, customers look at Harley-Davidson as not only a company, but as also a family to whom they owe their loyalty. Harley-Davidson is an example of a company which has a loyal (brand) following and its customers aid in future sales via marketing based on the consumer. The company has been doing business since 1903; according to its website, “Four young men experimented with internal combustion in a tiny wooden shed. Not only did the shed not burn, but the motorcycle they built went on to serve over 100,000 miles” (Harley Davidson, n.d., p.1). William S. Harley in 1901 came up with a blueprint of a motor for fitting a bicycle. Arthur Davidson later joined him, and they then built the 1st Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
Harley Davidson began in 1903 by William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson. Harley-Davidson was known by enthusiasts as the "motor company" in order to help fund their racing pursuits. In the beginning their first motorcycles were modern bicycles fit with a small engine
When thinking about motorcycles, Harley Davidson is a name that immediately is thought of. Harley Davidson has done an excellent job of branding and making their products known along with being industry
Law enforcement agencies have found that motorcycles are also an effective in patrols with their ability to move easier in traffic. They have also been used to escort political figures, funeral procession and lead parades (Day, 2009). Motorcycle patrols have been in law enforcement use since 1909 with a multitude of types of motorcycles such as Harley Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki, and BMWs (Day, 2009). The disadvantages of using motorcycles for patrol use are the main factor that a rainy day or a snow storm
Luisa Loy Trinidad ENG 100 #0243108 Comparison and Contrast Modern cars and motorcycles are both by definition automobiles. An automobile is defined as a type of transportation mainly used to get the person to their destination rather than goods, it has its own engine and can carry from one to eight passengers but only to be used on the road and can have from two to four wheels. They can also differ from each other by the comfort in the vehicle and also the safety of the driver, but mainly the price range between a motorcycle and an automobile. Usually someone who isn’t trying to waste a huge amount of money on a vehicle can get a motorcycle for themselves. In 1884 the very first experimental motorcycle was a three wheeled bicycle called Butler Petrol Cycle which was built by Edward Butler in England, and was the first motorcycle designed in 1885 at the International Inventions Exhibition in London along with Karl Benz who designed and created the first automobile.