The first motorcycle is a topic of debate among historians and enthusiasts, as there were several early designs that could be considered precursors to the modern motorcycle. However, one of the earliest recognized examples of a motorized bicycle is the Daimler Reitwagen, built by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach in 1885.
The Daimler Reitwagen was essentially a wooden bicycle frame fitted with a single-cylinder, four-stroke internal combustion engine. It featured a hot-tube ignition system and had a top speed of about 7 miles per hour (11 kilometers per hour). The rider straddled the frame and controlled the vehicle using a tiller for steering.
While the Daimler Reitwagen is often regarded as the first true motorcycle, it is important to note that there were other early designs and experiments with motorized bicycles in the 1860s and 1870s. For example, the Michaux-Perreaux steam velocipede and the Roper steam velocipede were early steam-powered two-wheelers that predate the Daimler Reitwagen.
Nonetheless, the Daimler Reitwagen holds a significant place in motorcycle history as one of the pioneering examples of a motorized two-wheeler and helped set the stage for the development of motorcycles as we know them today.