The 10 Best Technical Innovattions

THE 10 BEST TECHNICAL INNOVATTIONS

Without these inventions, motorcycling wouldn't be what it is today

Ball bearings

Rolling-element bearings preceded motorcycling, but necessarily. When they became affordable in the 1860s, ball bearings used in wheel hubs and steering heads reduced friction enough to make the bicycle usable; soon a bicycle boom followed. By the 1890s, bicycle technology had advanced to the point that only the development of compact engines was necessary to create the first motorcycles.

Pneumatic tires

Patented in 1888 by John Boyd Dunlop, the pneumatic tire also fueled last century’s bicycle boom. But bicycles, operating at relatively low speeds, had already demonstrated that they could run on solid-rubber tires, if not as smoothly and easily as on the air-pressurized alternative. That’s simply not true of motorcycles, which depend absolutely on the compliance and steering behavior of pneumatic tires for the stability their speed demands.

Chain drive

During motorcycling’s dawn, transmission of power from a cycle’s engine to its rear wheel was still a challenge, with flat belts, V-belts, shafts and roller chains all being tried. But by 1920, chain drive had clearly demonstrated its superiority as an inexpensive, lightweight drive medium capable of dealing with high power levels.

Clutch and gearbox

The earliest motorcycles linked rear wheel and engine directly together, making push starts a necessity and limiting speed range. But by 1906, countershaft gearboxes had appeared, as well as multi-plate clutches. Both set the modern pattern, and have allowed the development of today’s motorcycles—machines that can cruise around town at 10 mph, and still streak at speeds well over 100 mph.

Front suspension

High speeds on primitive roads quickly had pioneer motorcycle designers thinking of front suspension; and before 1910, leadinglink, girder and telescopic forks all had been tried.

But it was the aircraft-inspired and hydraulically damped telescopic

fork that finally won, making its seminal appearances on production BMWs and Norton roadracers in 1938.

Rear suspension

Most early motorcycles had no more rear suspension than a bicycle, relying on sprung saddles instead. But as soon as 1910, Indian motorcycles used a frame with a rear swingarm supported by leaf springs. Perhaps the machine that set the current trend, though, was the 1950 Norton 500 roadracer, nicknamed the Featherbed for its compliant ride. By 1953, most production motorcycles were following its example by being built with rear swingarms supported by hydraulic dampers and coil springs.

Electronic ignition

The elimination of contact points also eliminated one of the last remaining routine-maintenance items in motorcycling. But using transistors to switch power in ignition systems began during the 1960s as a means of meeting the ignition demands of the high-revving race engines of that era. By 1969, transistorized ignitions were showing up in street applications, such as Kawasaki’s original 500cc Mach III Triple.

Electric start

These days, a kickstart-only streetbike is a rarity, a trend that developed momentum during the 1960s when Honda fitted many of its larger street bikes with electric starters. But the first large-scale production use of electric starters came much, much earlier—on 1914 Indians, to be exact.

Disc brakes

The ability to stop right now, without worry of brake fade or grabbing, is taken for granted by today’s motorcyclists. But that wasn’t the case until disc brakes came into widespread use. Derived from aircraft technology, discs made their first appearances on cars in the 1950s. Their motorcycle success came later, perhaps first in racing and then on a few Rickmans in the late 1960s. When Honda’s CB750 Four came with a front disc in 1969, the drum brake’s days were numbered.

Aerodynamic plastic bodywork

Bodywork was first used by record bikes, such as Joe Petrali’s 136-mph 1937 H-D; and the 1954 Vincent Black Prince lOOOcc V-Twin used totally enclosing fiberglass fairings to improve aerodynamics and shield its rider from British weather. The stylish bodywork on current sport machines is a mixed blessing. On the plus side, it increases top speed and offers added wind protection. The down side is that it adds considerably to a bike’s initial cost; its vulnerability and high replacement cost result in much higher insurance rates; and it adds time and complication to many maintenance and repair operations.