100+ years ago

interesting bike

Now this one is 2 cycle 1 1/2 Hp motor bicycle. Or you can just buy the motor kit listed at the bottom of the add. Says it fits almost any bike frame.

Dam what a good idea!
 

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That 1906 Yale-California bike was $175... Adjusted for inflation, that would be over $7000 in today's money.
 
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this one makes it look like they were trying very hard to not change drastically the look of the bicycle (as opposed to the engine filling the space created by the frame)

Well, it is actually more a natural developement progression. If you look at everything that was being developed in this wonderful age they were still in the embryonic stages. No one knew then what a motorcycle was supposed to look like so they just built function first. However what is amazing how form shortly followed. You see this in the aircraft, ships, cars, and motorcycles of the period...even in the development of the semi auto pistols. More technologies were being effected dramatically than ever before, or maybe since.
Take for example ships: from the ugly squat pred-dreds, to the much more powerful drednoughts, and then to the refined and much more powerful super dreadnoughts that set the mold...all in a period of twenty years.
Aircraft...from the 1903 wright flyer to the giant Handley Page 0400's of 1918.
Auto pistols...from the first crude 1894 semi auto to the utterly refined 1911 colt.
An absolutely fascinating period and this is just some of the highlights...of course much of this development led to great ill in the century but this was our fault, not the technology.
 
Well, it is actually more a natural developement progression. If you look at everything that was being developed in this wonderful age they were still in the embryonic stages. No one knew then what a motorcycle was supposed to look like so they just built function first.
Just an off the wall thought......what is a motorcycle supposed to look like? We think it should look like what we see today only because that is what we were told so.

Another way to look at it......what would a chair look like if our legs bent the other way, would your idea be what it is supposed to look like?

How things are today is the result of refinement of function.
 
Well, it is actually more a natural developement progression. If you look at everything that was being developed in this wonderful age they were still in the embryonic stages. No one knew then what a motorcycle was supposed to look like so they just built function first.

I guess what I meant was that-- logic (to me anyway) would put an existing engine inside the big hole created by the frame, or on the back like a rack mount... but instead of taking an existing engine and putting it somewhere on the bike, they created an engine that follows the existing lines of the frame of the bike-- leaving the "big hole" empty... like the "big hole" is important or something.

I see it as-- they went out of their way to keep it looking as much like a pedal-only bicycle as possible, "hiding" the engine along the frame of the bike
 
I guess what I meant was that-- logic (to me anyway) would put an existing engine inside the big hole created by the frame, or on the back like a rack mount... but instead of taking an existing engine and putting it somewhere on the bike, they created an engine that follows the existing lines of the frame of the bike-- leaving the "big hole" empty... like the "big hole" is important or something.

I see it as-- they went out of their way to keep it looking as much like a pedal-only bicycle as possible, "hiding" the engine along the frame of the bike

Take a look at this nice article and also parts I and II.
http://www.virginiawind.com/byways/history_02.asp

The location of the engine I think was due to the desire to put the engine as low as practical on the frame for functional purposes rather than make it look like a bicycle. The location mirrored the pedal location and as the pedals were used for starting, logic would put the crankcase in the same area and the heavy engine needed to be placed low on the frame. As engines became heavier and more massive like the V twin, frames started getting increasingly robust but the location stayed the same as this is the most practical and functional place to put the engine.
 
The big hole

Actually I think that for the most part they followed the logical path.
Made use of empty space and (Most builders) kept a balanced low center of gravity. Although some did opt for the powered wheel, which put the cycle SLIGHTLTY out of balance.

Hi tech doesen't impress me much any more, as it usually has a short life span and becomes just a building block.
However Art, be it in the form of a painting or bike build leaves a longer impression.

Some of the builds on this board are not high tech, yet the art in the build makes them stand out.
Same with the cars of the past, most remember the look rather than the fact that it had the first non-oil air filter!
 
Have we come this far in just a hundred or so years, amazing!

I know were there is a early Yale frame. Them things are huge. Every bit as big as a regular motor cycle and the wheels are wide and big like 26 or 28. sure was fun to see
 
I know were there is a early Yale frame. Them things are huge. Every bit as big as a regular motor cycle and the wheels are wide and big like 26 or 28. sure was fun to see

The only chance I can ever own one of these things is to find a junk frame and build it up, maybe with the single cylinder Lifan engine...then again I have been totally forturnate to have been able to ride a 1920 Triumph H single and 1917 Indian powerplus, no question they are different than the motorized bikes, significantly more robust but riding the real thing deepens my appreciation of everyone's desire to tribute the early bikes. Still fighting the chain on my loop frame bike (2nd bike) but I am getting closer.

We have a 1909 Thor frame at the museum but they sent it away and now the guy who was going to restore it crapped out so I hope we get it back. That Thor is still robust but I would still like to ride the earlier bike.
 
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