Scooter Motorcycle History

Scooter-like traits began to develop in motorcycle designs around the 1900s. In 1894, Hildebrand & Wolfmüller produced the first motorcycle that was available for purchase. Their motorcycle had a step-through frame, with its fuel tank mounted on the down tube, its parallel two-cylinder engine mounted low on the frame, and its cylinders mounted in line with the frame. It was water-cooled and had a radiator built into the top of the rear fender. It became the first mass produced and publicly sold powered two-wheel vehicle, and among the first powered mainly by engine rather than foot pedals. Maximum speed was 40 km/h (25 mph). The rear wheel was driven directly by rods from the pistons in a manner similar to the drive wheels of steam locomotives. Only a few hundred such bikes were built, and the high price and technical difficulties made the venture a financial failure for both Wolfmüller and his financial backer, Hildebrand.[3]

n France, the Auto-Fauteuil was produced since 1902. In United States, the Motoped is believed to be the first scooter to enter production, in 1910.[citation needed]
Since 1914, the Autoped Company of Long Island City, New York produced a compact scooter for short trips. The driver stood on a short platform with 15-inch tires. After riding, the steering column, which contained all operating controls, was folded over the platform to store the scooter in a compact space. The engine was an air-cooled, 4-stroke, 155 cc engine over the front wheel. The bike came with a headlamp and tail lamp, a Klaxon horn, and a toolbox. Developed during wartime and gasoline rationing, it was quite efficient, but did not achieve widespread distribution.[4] The Autoped went out of production in the United States in 1921,[5] but was manufactured by Krupp in Germany from 1919 to 1922. [6]

Scooters between the World Wars
In 1919, British engineer Granville Bradshaw created the Skootamota, which had a seat. Its single-cylinder 123 cc OHV engine, designed by Bradshaw, sat above the rear wheel and drove it by chain. The saddle and spacious footboard provided comfort. The Skootamota is a rare archetype of modern motor scooters.[7]


1921 Kenilworth scooter
The Kenilworth is another classic vintage scooter made in England from 1919 to 1924. Powered by a 142 cc overhead valve engine,[8] it reached 20 mph (32 km/h). Electric lights were a first on this machine, but its brakes worked exactly as on a bicycle.[citation needed]


1948 Salsbury scooter, in the middle
The Salsbury Motor Glide was a tiny motorbike built in 1936 in the back of a plumbing and heating shop in Oakland, California, by E. Foster Salsbury and inventor Austin Elmore. It had an enclosed body and an automatic transmission. It was such a success that in 1938 Salsbury attempted to license the design to several European manufacturers including Piaggio. The Motor Glide was the first depression era scooter, and set the standards for all later models. It inspired production of motor scooters by Powell, Moto-scoot, Cushman, Rock-Ola, and others. Salsbury produced the first automatic scooter with a continuously variable transmission (CVT).[9]


Cushman three-wheel scooter based on step-through frame
The Cushman Company produced motor scooters from 1936 to 1965. Light, compact, and rugged, they were widely used by the US military in World War II and as an alternative to automobiles in the years before and after the war. Cushmans were easy to ride and had an automatic clutch which allowed the rider to twist the right grip to go and step on the pedal to stop. The step-through design and ease of operation made it popular with men and women alike. Cushman claimed an efficiency of 75 miles per gallon, and a penny-a-mile operating cost. The scooters usually weighted about 250 to 335 pounds (110-152 kg) and some had as much as 9 horsepower (6.7 kW).[citation needed]


Cushman Eagle
The most successful Cushman model, the Eagle, was manufactured from 1949 to the end of Cushman's motorcycle production in 1965. With its exposed engine and top tanks, it resembled a motorcycle, and was technically no longer a scooter. Other Cushman models used a traditional step-through design of most motor scooters.[10] One of the most famous was the “Model 53”, a military model from the World War II era. It was designed to be dropped by parachute with Army Airborne troops, so it became known as the “Cushman Airborne”. It was also used around military bases for messenger service.[citation needed]
[edit]Scooters after World War II


Mitsubishi Silver Pigeon
After World War II (just as happened after WWI eg BMW) many wartime aircraft manufacturers kept highly skilled engineering teams together by producing motorcycles and scooters. In Japan, this created their first two-wheeler boom.[citation needed] The Mitsubishi Silver Pigeon was a scooter largely made of warplane wheels and discarded warplane parts. It eventually shared popularity with the Fuji Rabbit, a motor scooter produced in Japan by Fuji Heavy Industries from 1946 to 1968. Production of the initial model, the S-1 began in 1946, some six months before the Vespa and was largely inspired by scooters used by American servicemen during and after World War II. Fuji Rabbit were the first Japanese-made scooters that could exceed 60 mph (97 km/h). Later models were among the most technologically sophisticated of their era, featuring electric starters, automatic transmissions and pneumatic suspension systems. Although the market for scooters shrank in Japan as the economy expanded and Fuji diversified into automobiles in 1958, that was the same year that Honda launched the most popular motorcycle of all time, the Super Cub. The Fuji Rabbit has become a symbol of nostalgia in Japanese pop culture.
In post-World War II Italy the Piaggio Vespa became the standard for scooters and has remained so for over 60 years later. Patented in April 1946, it used aircraft design and materials. D’Ascanio's 98 cc scooter had various radical design concepts, including a sleek, stress-bearing structure. The gear shift lever was moved to the handlebars for easier riding. The engine was placed near the rear wheel, eliminating the belt drive. The typical fork support was replaced by an arm similar to an aircraft carriage for easier tire-changing. The elegantly styled body protected the driver from wind and road dirt, and bore little resemblance to uncomfortable and noisy motorcycles. The smaller wheels and shorter wheelbase provide improved maneuverability through narrow streets and congested traffic. Combining the best elements of automotive, aeronautical and motorcycle design, the Vespa quickly became an icon of design and economy. The name reportedly originated when Piaggio's president upon seeing the prototype, remarked "Sembra una vespa", "It looks like a wasp".


1952 Lambretta 125 D
Months after the Vespa, in 1947, Innocenti introduced the Lambretta, beginning a rivalry with Vespa. The scooter was designed by Innocenti, his General Director Giuseppe Lauro and engineer Pierluigi Torre. It debuted in 1947 at the Paris Motor Show. The Lambretta 'A' went on sale on December 23rd 1947 and sold 9,000 units in one year. It was efficient, 160-180 mpg (miles per gallon) or 68-76 km/litre,[citation needed] at a time when petrol was severely rationed. It had a top speed of 45 mph (72 km/h) from a fan-cooled engine of 123 cc. The Lambretta was named after the Milanese neighborhood where the factory stood.[citation needed] The first Lambretta designs had shaft drive and no rear suspension, later designs used various drive and suspension systems until Lambretta settled on a swingarm-mounted engine with chain drive.[11]
The Maicoletta motor scooter of the 1950s was one of the largest produced in that era. The engine was a single cylinder 247 cc piston port 2-stroke (277 cc for use with a sidecar), with four foot-operated gears and centrifugal fan cooling. The tubular frame was built on motorcycle principles, with long travel telescopic forks and 14-inch wheels. The Maicoletta had a top speed of 70 mph (110 km/h) which was comparable with most 250 cc motorcycles of the time.
Germany's aviation industry was also dismantled after World War II. Heinkel stayed in business by making bicycles and motorbikes. The Heinkel Tourist was a large and relatively heavy touring scooter produced in the 1960s. It provided good weather protection with a full fairing and the front wheel turned under a fixed nose extension. It had effective streamlining, perhaps thanks to its aircraft ancestry. Although it had only a 175 cc 4 stroke motor, it could sustain speeds of 70 mph (110 km/h). Heinkel scooters were known for their reliability.


Zündapp Bella R 154 from 1958
The Zündapp Bella was the most popular German scooter in the 1960s. It was in production for about ten years, in three engine sizes, 150 cc, 175 cc and 200 cc. They could perform all day at a steady speed of 60 mph (97 km/h). Extremely reliable and very well made, many of these scooters still exist today.
In Austria, Puch made a scooter with a 125cc (later 150cc) two-stroke engine from the late 1950s.
In Britain, Douglas made the Vespa under licence from 1950. BSA/Triumph made several models of scooter including the 1957 BSA Dandy 70 and the 1962 Triumph Tina; and culminating in 1962 with the luxury Triumph Tigress, a luxury scooter with good performance and handling like a motorcycle, drawing on Triumph's long experience of building fast motorcycles. The Tigress was sold with a 175 cc 2-stroke single engine or a 250 cc 4-stroke twin; both had a four-speed gearbox but it was foot-operated, unlike most continental models. The 250 twin sold well and could reach 70 mph (112 km/h) with efficient suspension and good roadholding despite having only 10-inch wheels. The BSA Sunbeam was a badge engineered version of the Tigress.
Small numbers of the 165 cc Harley-Davidson Topper scooter were produced from 1960 to 1965 using the engine from their line of light motorcycles based on the DKW RT 125. It had a fiberglass body, a continuously variable transmission, and a pull-cord starting mechanism.


1983 Honda Beat
In the 1980s new versions of scooters began to be released and become popular, especially in Japan and far-east Asia. This style of scooters began to reflect that of larger, sporty, higher-performance motorcycles of the time and the trend has continued till now. With the release of the Honda Ruckus, new trends towards dirt-bike scooters are just beginning. In 1988, Honda introduced a large, touring scooter design, the 250 cc Helix (also called Spazio, Fusion or CN250). Although it was bulky to handle at low speeds and was derisively called a "Barcalounger on wheels", it was designed for riding long distances in comfort. Now nearly all major scooter manufacturers produce such models, called "maxi", "GT" or "touring" scooters. The largest scooter made is now the 840 cc Gilera GP 800, a 75 CV scooter capable of reaching 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.7 seconds.


A modern Honda Jazz.
The classic styling of the Vespa never lost its popularity, and remains the most popular and most imitated scooter design. Almost all manufacturers now carry both a classic/retro model and a sporty/modern model.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scooter_(motorcycle)