115-year-old Motorcycle up for Auction
Published: January 1st, 2010
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115-year-old motorcycle up for auction
1895 machine among the first to be called "motorcycle" Bonhams is auctioning an original Hildebrand & Wolfmuller motorcycle, the first motorcycle to enter series production.
By Motorcycle.Com Staff, Jan. 18, 2010
Built in 1895 by brothers Henry and Wilhelm Hildebrand with their partner Alois Wolfmuller and mechanic Hans Geisenhof, the bike was the first vehicle to actually bear the name motorcycle (or in this case, the German equivalent motorrad).
The 1895 Hildebrand & Wolfmuller is powered by a 1,488cc water-cooled four-stroke Twin. With an estimated maximum power output of 2.5 bhp at 240 rpm, the bike could reach speeds approaching 30 mph.
The Hildebrand & Wolfmuller brand was short lived as the company folded in 1897. Actual figures are not available, but the company may have produced anywhere from 800 to 2,000 units.
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