Top Ten Amazing Motorcycling Facts You May Not Know

Some you may be familiar with, while others may be new. For example, did you know that the legendary razor blade firm Wilkinson Sword tried to diversify motorbikes with Wilkinson TMC before WWI? Or that Jay Leno, the host of the TV chat show and the famous patrol chief, owns the world’s most extensive individual collection of borough sprayers? Or that Honor Blackman Honor Blackman (from Gold Finger to Billy Gallor) was a distinguished biker, serving as a dispatch rider at WWII and riding in his fifties? So, here are the Top Ten Amazing Motorcycling Facts You May Not Know.

Top Ten Amazing Motorcycling Facts You May Not Know – Top Rated

BMW’s innovative K-series was ‘based’ on a Peugeot 104 car engine

With its air-cooled boxers aging in the late 1970s and new Japanese superbikes and declining sales, BMW Motorrad was desperate for a new, extremely powerful multi-cylinder power plant – but one such was unique.

The inventor of the scooter hated motorcycles

We all know that the ‘Mods’ on scooters and the ‘Rockers’ on motorcycles despised each other in the 1950s and 1960s but did you realize that their hostility was rooted from the beginning?

Corradino D’Ascanio, an Italian aviation engineer, was commissioned by Innocenti to build a new cleaner easier passenger two-wheeler at the end of the war since he despised ‘big dirty motorcycles. Hence the design of an attached small-wheeled scooter. When Innocent insisted on using the steel backbone structure because his firm specializes in steel tubes, the two fell out.

Triumph can’t develop a Triumph car because of BMW

Norton and BSA are now in Indian businesses and in the big time in the automotive market owned by Bentley, Mini and others; you can assume that it is inevitable that Britain’s Triumph will one day start making 21st century TR7s or Stags.

It is not going to happen. Even though the original Triumph car firm was formed from Triumph motorcycles in the 1920s, the companies split in 1936, eventually merging into the Triumph Motor Company in the 1960s and Rover British Leland in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Z1 900 first appeared as a Honda CB750

It is commonly known that Kawasaki was about to launch its 750cc four-cylinder superbike when Honda’s CB750 beat them by a punch in 1968.

It is also known that, in a fit of rage, Kawasaki vowed to defeat Honda, stepped back on the drawing board, and in 1972 produced the 900cc DOHC Z1 which not only left Honda entirely behind. It was declared the machine of the year six years.

Less well-known is that while testing hard roads in the United States before the introduction, Kawasaki decided that they needed to hide their products to keep them secret.

Lawrence of Arabia’s crash led to the creation of the crash helmet

TE Lawrence, also known as the ‘Lawrence of Arabia, was not only a great superstar in the post-World War I era but also a dedicated motorcyclist who had eight Brough-Superiors which was the fastest motorcycle of the day.

However, on May 13, 1935, he crashed in Dorset and suffered severe head injuries as he was not wearing a helmet, as was standard at the time.

Hugh Cairns, one of the physicians treating him, was encouraged to launch a lengthy investigation into the deaths of motorcyclists from brain damage that led to the introduction of crash helmets.

BMW’s logo has ‘nothing’ to do with the helicopter’s propellers

We’ve all seen BMW’s famous ’round’ blue / white ‘quarter’ sign, haven’t we? Because of BMW’s roots in aero engine manufacturing, it is often considered a reflection of the rotating propeller, right? Wrong.

The logo of BMW as we know it today, BMW’s previous business was indeed the development of BFW’s design, the red parts of which were changed to blue concerning the Bavarian flag where BMW was founded.

The ‘propeller’ myth is said to have originated from a subsequent advertising campaign in which the logo was placed on top of the propeller’s image. However, this is not where the logo originated.

Yamaha’s RD350LC was perceived, styled, and tested by Brits

The two-stroke, twin-cylinder, liquid-cooled RD350LC (and its younger brother, the RD250LC) is arguably one of the most famous Japanese motorcycles ever. The essential effect of a handful of enlightened Englishmen is generally underestimated.

Because LC was not intended for the United States due to increasing emissions restrictions, Amsterdam-based Yamaha Europe played a crucial role in its development, led by Bert Paul Butler. He later joined the Kenny Roberts GP team. Become a manager. Butler enlisted the help of British stylist Mike O’Field who was needed to give his feature an aesthetic appearance and Bob Tregg, a former engineer at Norton Valeries who was also involved in creating the Norton Commando.

Triumph’s ‘T-bird’ was named after a motel located in South Carolina, United States

Triumph bikes often have more influential names than others – Daytona, Bonneville, Speed Triple, which means success or romance of previous racing. The most magical of them all, though, is everything but.

The 1950s Thunderbird 650 was Triumph’s most giant bike to date, a significant success in the United States and the motorcycle used by Marilyn Brando in the classic ‘The Wild One which later became Bonn—taken to Val.

Mixed imperial/metric tire dimensions are essentially the American’s fault

Have you ever wondered why motorcycle tire sizes such as 120/70 x 17, metric (mm) width, and profiles are aligned with the imperial (inch) diameter? It is the fault of the Americans. Imperial measures have long been the standard for tire dimensions until European advanced radial tires began using metric measurements in the 1970s and 1980s.

By this time, measurement of core diameter had become not only commonplace but also included in the legislation of the United States, the world’s largest tire market. However, converting width/profile measurements to metrics was less complicated and quickly became standard.

Harley tried its best to trademark the sound of its engine and failed

Until the introduction of the new Liquid Cold Sportster and Pan America, Harley Large, Davidson’s Air Cold V-twins were as prominent for their ‘potato-potato’ noise as they were for their appearance.

But did you know about the remarkable fact that this American company tried to trademark its voice? They tried to do the same in February 1994 and applied for a sound trademark to keep a specific, crank V-twin sound ‘his.’ Of course, rivals objected, saying that their single-crank V-twins would inevitably look alike. Harley’s efforts were finally thwarted – a full six years later.

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