motorcycle
A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...
made by the
Thomas Motor Company
E. R. Thomas Motor Company was a manufacturer of motorized bicycles, motorized tricycles, motorcycles, and automobiles in Buffalo, New York between 1900 and 1919.
Motorized bicycles, tricycles, and motorcycles
In 1896, E.R Thomas (1850 – 193 ...
in
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...
. According to many sources, it was the first motorcycle widely available for sale in the United States.
Production history
Thomas had been manufacturing a
De Dion-Bouton tricycle
The De Dion-Bouton tricycle was the most successful motor vehicle in Europe from 1897 until 1901. With about 15,000 copies sold, the de-Dion-Bouton motor tricycle scored the first breakthrough for the distribution of motor vehicles. In particular ...
since 1898. An early model of the Auto-Bi was created in 1900, and public availability began in 1901. On September 17, 1901, a Thomas Auto-Bi was mentioned in a Japanese newspaper article and went on sale 11 days later, advertised in the same newspaper.
By 1903, the company was the largest manufacturer of single-cylinder, air-cooled engines.Rafferty, p. 16 The 1904 ''Auto-Bi'' had a 2.5-horsepower four-stroke 442 cc single-cylinder engine, a belt-driven transmission, and could reach speeds of 35 mph (59 km/h). The Thomas ''Auto-Bi'' was later joined by the ''Auto-Tri'', a three-wheeled
motorcycle
A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...
, and the ''Auto-Two Tri'', a motorcycle that could hold three riders.
In 1905, Thomas' motorcycle business was spun off as The Thomas Auto-Bi Company of Buffalo. The company credited Clarence Becker for having invented the Auto-Bi. The same year, one of the company directors,
William C. Chadeayne
William Chadeayne was an American early long-distance motorcyclist from Buffalo, New York. He set a transcontinental record for North America in 1905, going from New York City to San Francisco in days. He was an officer of the Thomas Auto-Bi com ...
, established a new record for a transcontinental crossing of the United States in 48 days. By 1912, the demand for motorcycles had dropped significantly, and the Thomas Motor company discontinued all production of two-wheeled machines.
Features and specifications
The Auto-Bi was in all respects a standard bicycle with 28 inch wheels. It used a 200 cc capacity engine which produced 2.25 hp. This was an
air-cooled
Air-cooled engines rely on the circulation of air directly over heat dissipation fins or hot areas of the engine to cool them in order to keep the engine within operating temperatures. In all combustion engines, a great percentage of the heat ge ...
,
four-stroke cycle
A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either directi ...
, with automatic
intake valve
A poppet valve (also called mushroom valve) is a valve typically used to control the timing and quantity of gas or vapor flow into an engine.
It consists of a hole or open-ended chamber, usually round or oval in cross-section, and a plug, usual ...
, an engine weight of , and body weight of .
Historical recognition
The Auto-Bi was shown at the
Guggenheim Museum
The Guggenheim Museums are a group of museums in different parts of the world established (or proposed to be established) by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation.
Museums in this group include:
Locations
Americas
* The Solomon R. Guggenhei ...
's exhibit, ''
The Art of the Motorcycle
The Art of the Motorcycle was an exhibition that presented 114 motorcycles chosen for their historic importance or design excellenceSawetz. "The Art of the Motorcycle is curated by Thomas Krens, Director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, ...