Motorcycle Touring: The Long and Winding Road

Motorcycles, which breathe life into so many of us, are the result of a long evolutionary process. You could argue it all started with the invention of the wheel, which to best current archeological understanding happened in Mesopotamia in 5000 B.C. 

Jump ahead a few thousand years, and you have the invention of the internal combustion engine, pneumatic tires, and advances in metallurgy. All these elements coalesced over time to put us where we are today in terms of motorcycles and the touring thereof. 

The early pioneers of two-wheel travel—not to mention the first ancient inventor to fix a wheel to a cart—couldn’t possibly imagine how far things have come. 

The Beginnings 

The first motorcycle is credited to inventors Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach. In 1885, in Bad Cannstatt, Germany, they created the Daimler Reitwagen (“riding car”). 

It was initially intended to be a platform to test new engine designs for the duo’s cars. However, the concept of being up on two wheels proved highly popular, resulting in prodigious growth in the segment and the emergence of a multitude of motorcycle manufacturers.