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Leonardo da Vinci - The scientist and artist is often cited as the first person to conceptualize a bicycle. But research indicates that the sketch found was not genuine.

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The célérifère - The first bicycles were made of wood. The "célérifère" was one of the first velocipedes to be produced in Europe in the 18th century.

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The beginnings - The motorcycle was invented sometime around 1869. Frenchman Louis Perreaux submitted one of the first patents for a motorcycle, and American Sylvester Roper invented a bicycle with a steam engine attached.

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Engine - In 1885, Gottlieb Daimler patented one of the first internal-combustion engines. Both he and Wilhelm Maybach are the grandfathers of the modern motorcycle.

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Mercedes-Benz - Both Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach were pivotal in the history of the automobile giant.

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Races - The first motorcycle races emerged in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century.

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Scrambler - Scramblers are European street bikes adapted for use on dirt without having to change the suspension.

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Naked bikes - The lack of fairings exposes the engine on these motorcycles. These are fairly popular bikes.

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Racing - Racing bikes have an aerodynamic design and high-functioning engines that are used in competitions like MotoGP and SuperBike.

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Racing - One of the defining features of these bikes is engines with greater displacement, meaning a strong emphasis on high speeds and acceleration.

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Maxitrail / Adventure touring bikes - These models are suitable for driving on paved streets and dirt roads.

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Off-road - These bikes are used for motocross, supercross, enduro, cross-country, and rally trail racing. They usually have tires made specifically for greater traction on dirt, with bigger wheels to get over obstacles with greater ease.

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Scooters - Scooters afford their driver a fully seated position, with their feet on the floorboard. The driver doesn't need to use their feet to switch gears, which are installed with automatic transmission with a chain sprocket and variable transmission.

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Daredevil - The American Evel Knievel holds the record for most bones broken in motorcycle accidents, with 433 fractures.

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Full speed - In 2003, Bill Baxter became the first blind person to reach the unbelievable speed of 164.87 mph (265.33 km/h) on a Kawasaki Ninja. His record has since been broken by other disabled bikers.

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Longest journey on two wheels - Argentinian Emilio Scotto holds the Guinness World Record for the longest journey by motorcycle (individual). The adventure lasted from 1985 to 1995. He covered 214 countries and over 457,000 miles (735,000 km).

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India - The country is the largest producer of motorcycles in the world, closely followed by China.

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Tribute - The Italian brand Ducati created a special line of motorcycles as a tribute to the Brazilian Formula 1 driver Ayrton Senna.

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Manufacturers - The first motorcycle manufacturer entered the market in Germany in 1894, and it was called Hildebrand & Wolfmüller.

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Harley-Davidson - One of the oldest and most well-established brands of motorcycles is the American Harley-Davidson, which was founded in 1903.

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Harley Owners Group - The Harley Owners Group, a club of Harley-Davidson owners and enthusiasts, has about one million members around the world.

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Triumph - The original Triumph Engineering Co Ltd was founded in 1885. The company went bankrupt, but in 1983 Triumph Motorcycles Ltd continued the legacy.

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Yamaha - The Japanese brand Yamaha emerged in 1887. It was originally an organ and piano manufacturer.

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Ducati - The Italian brand started production making radio components.

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BMW - BMW was founded with the objective of making engines for airplanes, and only later started producing motorcycles.

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Bimota - The Italian Bimota is one of the most respected manufacturers in the world. Bimota produces both production and custom motorcycles.

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Bimota - It is one of the younger brands in the market, and takes its name from the initials of its founders: Valerio Bianchi, Giusepe Morri, and Massimo Tamburini.

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Cagiva - The name of this brand is a combination of the names of its founder (Giovanni Castiglioni) with the name of the Italian city of Varese, where the brand was born.

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Procession -

Convoys of motorcycles are quite common around the world. In Brazil, for instance, the procession of 'Our Lady of Aparecida' attracts thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts.

See also: (New Scientist) (Guinness World Records)

See also: Ride down the longest roads on Earth

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