On August 29, 1885, Gottlieb Daimler receives a patent for his motorcycle.
The two-wheeled vehicle is called the Reitwagen and was demonstrated by Daimler for the first time in November 1885.
The motorcycle was developed together with Wilhelm Maybach and had a kerosene internal combustion engine. The motorcycle frame was made of wood, and the lining of the 4 wheels was steel.
There were four wheels - two large and two small, as auxiliary ones, for greater stability. The engine had a power of half a horsepower and was mounted under the frame. The motorcycle was incredibly fast for that time - It reached a speed of 12 km/h.
The device was originally patented as a "kerosene-powered riding vehicle". At that time, the term "motorcycle" did not yet exist, in fact, it was Daimler's invention that is considered the first motorcycle.
And if the Reitwagen was the first motorbike, then Paul Daimler can be considered the first motorcyclist. Gottlieb Daimler's 17-year-old son got on the Reitwagen on November 18, 1885 and tested it in a 12-kilometer test from Cannstatt to Stuttgart.
A little later, in the winter of 1886, Gottlieb Daimler improved the engine and installed a two-speed manual gearbox on it. Unfortunately, this masterpiece burned down in the Daimler workshop fire of 1904.
Today, a replica of the legendary Reitwagen is kept in the Mercedes-Benz Museum.