Motorcycle Wallpapers

Motorcycle and Superbike, Megawallpapers: [br]Motorcycle: A motorcycle is a two-wheeled vehicle powered by an engine. The wheels are in-line, and at higher speed the motorcycle remains upright and stable by virtue of gyroscopic forces; at lower speeds continual readjustment of the steering by the rider gives stability. The rider sits astride the vehicle on a seat, with hands on a set of handlebars which are used to steer the motorcycle, in conjunction with the rider shifting his weight through his feet, which are supported on a set of footpegs which stick out from the frame. The inspiration for the earliest motorcycles, and arguably the first motorcycle, was designed and built by the German inventors Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach in Bad Cannstatt (a city district of Stuttgart) in 1885. It was the first petroleum-powered vehicle ever and, but for the provision of a pair of stabilizing wheels, a motorized bicycle, although they called their invention the Reitwagen ("riding car"). They had not set out to create a vehicle form but to build a simple carriage for the engine which was the focus of their endeavours. However,if one counts two wheels with steam propulsion as being a motorcycle, then the first one may have been American. One such machine was demonstrated at fairs and circuses in the eastern US in 1867, built by one Sylvester Howard Roper of Roxbury, Massachusetts. There is an existing example of a Roper machine, dated 1869. It's powered by a charcoal-fired two-cylinder engine, whose connecting rods directly drive a crank on the rear wheel. This machine predates the invention of the safety bicycle by many years, so its chassis is also based on the "bone-crusher" bike. In 1894, the Hildebrand & Wolfm�ller was the first motorcycle that was available for purchase. [br]In the early period of motorcycle history there were many manufacturers as producers of bicycles adapted their designs for the new internal combustion engine. As the engines became more powerful and designs outgrew the bicycle origins, the number of motorcycle producers reduced. [br]Up until the First World War, the largest motorcycle manufacturer was Indian. After that, this honour went to Harley Davidson, until 1928 when DKW took over as the largest manufacturer. After the Second World War, in 1951, the BSA Group became the largest producer of motorcycles in the world. The German NSU was the largest manufacturer from 1955 until the 1970s when Honda became the most prominent manufacturer, a title it retains to this day. British manufacturers held a dominant position in some markets until the rise of the Japanese manufacturers (led by Honda) in the late 1960s and early 1970s who were able to produce designs faster, cheaper and of better quality. Today, the Japanese manufacturers Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha dominate the motorcycle industry, although Harley-Davidson still maintains a high degree of popularity in America. [br]Recent years have also seen a resurgence in the popularity of many other brands, including BMW, Triumph and Ducati. [br]Variations exist: [br]There are three basic forms of motorcycles: offroad, street and dual-purpose. [br]Some motorcycles have floorboards instead of footpegs. [br]Some motorcycles can be fitted with a sidecar, this converting it into a 3-wheeler or "hack". [br]There are other 3-wheeled variations, commonly referred to as a trike or motortricycle. [br]Motorcycle manufacturers often also produce All-terrain vehicles or ATVs. These have two or more back wheels, usually two front wheels, an open driver's seat and a motorcycle-type handlebar. (Early models had a single front wheel, but these were prone to rollovers.) ATVs are used off-road for utility and recreation. However, a proper motorcycle has fewer than four wheels in contact with the ground. [br]Superbike racing is a category of motorcycle road racing that employs modified production motorcycles, in the same manner that Touring car racing employs production cars. Many countries such as the USA, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada operate national superbike championships, and a World Superbike championship has run since 1988. Superbike motorcycles are generally 1000 cc four-stroke machines with either two or four cylinders. 900 cc triples are also permitted, but so far only Benelli and Foggy Petronas have fielded them in World Superbike competition, with limited success. 2005 FIM regulations state that the minimum weight of motorcycles in the Superbike World Championship is 165 kilograms, or 363.76 pounds. After a race, the motorcycles must weigh at least 163.5 kilograms, or 360.45 pounds. The Superbike versions of the Honda CBR 1000RR, Suzuki GSX-R1000 K5, and Yamaha YZF-R1 are all capable of generating more than 200 horsepower. The Ducati 999F05 can generate 194 horsepower. The Superbike category is highly popular with manufacturers. Because the race bikes are built from production road bikes, the marketing value of a Superbike victory is significant. A common motorsport expression is "Race on Sunday, sell on Monday."

Daily Popular Wallpapers

Motorcycle Subcategories:

Motorcycle Gallery:

« < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 > »

Today Most popular

Just Downloaded:

Check it out: Weekly Mailing List:Your email adress:
By submiting this form you can join our weekly mailling list where will you recieve informations about new wallpapers directly to your inbox!