Mike Patterson Jr., age 11, of Charlotte, N.C., for his question:
WHO INVENTED THE MOTORCYCLE?
World's largest producer of motorcycles is Japan. They are popular in that country, but even more so in France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and the United States. By the early 1970s, more than 5 million were registered in the United States. Special motor vehicle laws in Canada and the United States regulate the operational standards of the motorcycle.
A German engineer named Gottlieb Daimler invented the motorcycle in 1885. He attached a four stroke piston engine to a wooden bicycle frame and came up with a machine that didn't look too much different from today's motorcycles.
For about 15 years a great deal of experimental work was done on the motorcycle, with many changes and improvements resulting. By the early 1900s, the vehicle became a useful and widely accepted machine.
Today there are many different types of motorcycles available. Mopeds, which are very much like motorized bicycles, are gaining in popularity. Also popular are minibikes, motor scooters and trail bikes. Street bikes, which weigh between 135 and 350 pounds and travel at speeds up to 55 miles per hour, are used by many for daily city transportation. The touring bike, which weighs between 350 and 700 pounds, can hit speeds of 100 miles per hour.
The engines on most motorcycles have from one to four cylinders and operate either on a four stroke or two stroke cycle. A four stroke engine has intake, compression, power and exhaust strokes. It ignites on every fourth stroke. The two stroke engine, on the other hand, combines the exhaust and intake strokes. It ignites on every second stroke.
An official world record is established when two runs are made over a measured distance within a time limit. The current world speed record was established at Borineville Salt Flats in Utah on Sept. 28,1975. Donald Vesco of El Cajon, Calif., drove a 21 foot long streamliner called the Silver Bird. The motorcycle was powered by two 750 cc Yamaha four cylinder engines which developed 180 horsepower.
The first mile was covered in 11.817 seconds, for a speed of 304.646 miles an hour, while the second run clocked in at 11.882 seconds, or 302.979 miles per hour. The average, and world speed record, was 11.8495 seconds or 303.81 miles per hour.
The world's longest motorcycle race is the Liege 24 Hours Classic held on the Francor champs circuit near Spa, Belgium. The record was set on Aug. 14 15, 1976, when Jean Claude Chemarin and Christian Leon of France traveled 2,761.9 miles at an average speed of 115.08. They rode a 941 cc four cylinder Honda.