Motorcycle Quiz

Motorcycle Quiz

compiled by Ken Aiken

Those that think motorcycle trivia is, . . . well, trivial , have probably never won a bar bet by pulling an arcane nugget of knowledge out of a fuzzy cranium. Sometimes these tidbits even spark a desire to dig a little deeper and learn a bit more about the history of particular marquees or mechanical innovations. Then again, it a great way to kill time on a evening when the wind is howling and the thermometer has dropped so low you suspect that Hell just might freeze over. Whatever your reasoning may be, here are 40-plus questions to test your two-wheel knowledge.

MOTORCYCLE INNOVATION

1.  Indian first used the twist-grip on their 1905 models; Glenn Curtiss independently invented it at least a year earlier. Who is now acknowledged as being the original inventor of the motorcycle twist-grip throttle?

2. The first engine used in a U.S. production motorcycle was a licensed copy of the French-made De Dion-Buton. What was the name of the Massachusetts company and the brand of motorcycle it manufactured?

3.  The first use of ball bearings in motorcycles was applied to the main shaft of the engine in 1902. Who pioneered their use?

4.  What were the first U.S. motorcycles to be exhibited at county fairs and circuses?

5.  What motorcycle company built the engines for the first Indian motorcycles?

6.  Chain-drive transmission was first used on the 1890 Panhead-Levassor automobiles. What was the first year and manufacturer to use chain drive on an American motorcycle?

7.  In 1904, the first year Harley-Davidson motorcycles were manufactured, how many miles of paved first-class roads existed in America?

8.  N.Y.P.D. began purchasing motorcycles in 1904, but they didn’t organize their motorcycle squad until June 1911. Earlier that year the first motorcycle police patrol in the U.S. was established. In what city did this take place?

9.  The first hydraulic brakes were used on the 1920 Duesenberg – although some historians credit the 1896 electric bus of Thomas Parker -- and the first interconnected hydraulic brakes were on the 1928 Ascot-Pullin motorcycle. On what year and make of motorcycle were hydraulic brakes reintroduced in the U.S.?

10. On July 6, 1903, George Wyman became the first person to cross the North American continent on a motor vehicle. What was he riding?

11. What was the first motorcycle to feature floorboards?

12. Who invented the pneumatic tire in 1888?

13. The single-cylinder engine was the first to be developed in the United States. The V-twin arrived in 1903 on the Hercules (Curtiss). The three-cylinder came into production on the 1909 Curtiss. What company made the first American 4-cylinder engine in a production motorcycle? 

14.  Charles f. Kettering invented the electric starter and the 1911 Cadillac the first automobile to feature it. What was the first motorcycle to feature an electric starter?

15. What U.S. motorcycle was the first to feature a side-valve engine? 

16. The first adjustable rear coil springs appeared on an American motorcycle in 1915. What was the brand? 

17. In 1910, the Scott was the first motorcycle to employ a kick-start. What was the first production motorcycle in the United States to use it?

18. What was the first production motorcycle model sold in the United States to feature a front disc brake?

19. The 1910 Scott was the first motorcycle to use telescopic front forks. The 1934 750cc Nimbus was the first to use hydraulic damping in telescopic front forks. On what year and model were hydraulic front forks first used on a production motorcycle in the U.S.?

20. What motorcycle was the first to use pneumatic tires?

21. The first American motorcycle-only race took place in May 1901. Where was it held?

22. The first motorcycle road race took place between Paris and Rouen, France in 1894. The first road race in America took place between Chicago and Evanston, Illinois in November 1895. The first American motorcycle road race took place in May1902. Where was it held?

23. The first hillclimb competition took place in France in 1897 with 57 competitors. The first American motorcycle hillclimb event took place on May 30, 1902. Where was it held?

24. The first closed-circuit dirt track was Naragansett Park in Cranston, Rhode Island in 1896. The first track built exclusively for motorcycle racing was a concrete oval was Brooklands in Surry, England in 1907. The first built in America for motorcycle racing was a board track built in 1909. Where was it located?

25.  The Isle of Man Tourist Trophy (TT) race was established in 1907. In 1911 an American motorcycle swept the field and captured the top three places. What was the name of the marquee?

KNOW YOUR HARLEY           

26. In what year was the teardrop tank introduced?

27. Harley-Davidson introduced rear telescopic hydraulic shocks on which model?

28. Harley-Davidson made history during a race in Fresno, California in 1921. What was this milestone?

29. In 1960 H-D introduced a fiberglass-body motor scooter that was started with a pull-cord (like a lawnmower). What was it called?

30. In 1942 H-D manufactured an opposed twin, shaft-drive motorcycle. What was its model designation?  

31. The FL Electro-Glide was introduced in 1965 with an electric starter. What was the first H-D model to be fitted with electric start?

32. In what year did H-D begin producing snowmobiles?

33. Joe Smith broke a speed record on his H-D in 1971. What was it?

34. The “Turnip Eater” was a H-D motorcycle that made history in 1970. What did it achieve?

35. In what year did H-D become the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world?

36. The first H-D built for police duty was delivered to the Detroit Police Department in what year?

37. In what year did H-D begin exporting to Japan?

38. A childhood friend of Arthur Davidson designed the carburetor and oil lubrication system for the first Harley-Davidson motorcycles. What was the name of this famous inventor?

39. Who designed the first H-D logo and pinstriped the fenders of their first motorcycles?

40. William Harley and Arthur Davidson sold their first motorcycle to a friend. What was the name of the person who bought the first H-D motorcycle?

41. Harley-Davidson acquired a seat on the New York Stock Exchange in 1987. What was the first year that the company sold public shares of the company?

42. The famous H-D eagle first appeared on gas tanks in what year?