Overnight in Iowa
There’s a little bit of disagreement over what invention deserves to be called the first motorcycle. One of the candidates is the Roper Steam Cycle, built by Sylvestor H. Roper in Boston, Massachusetts sometime between 1867 and 1869. A few other possibilities came out of France and Germany, but Roper’s cycle is the only one made in America and as such it features prominently at the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa.
In addition to the first, it is a strong contender for the worst motorcycle ever built. Its wooden frame might flex to absorb more shocks than a metal one, but that flex would also change the steering geometry in ways that are hard to predict or control. Not that steering was all that good to begin with. The front fork is straight up and down and in line with the steering axis, making it easy for rocks or ruts to deflect the front wheel. Once turned, there’s almost no force bringing the wheel back to center, except what the rider can input on the handlebars. Even if you did manage to steer the thing, the iron banded wheels and complete lack of suspension would keep traction at bay. A coal fired steam engine powered the whole contraption, and required the operator to manually pump water while riding. What little power it put out was wiped out by its weight. It wouldn’t have moved fast, but it wouldn’t have stopped in a hurry either: a single brake rubbed against the iron band of the front wheel, dangerously vulnerable to dirt and water. It’s worth noting that Roper died crashing one of his bikes, although not this particular model.
I love motorcycling, and I’ve said before that there’s no bike I wouldn’t take for a ride, the Roper Steam Cycle included. If that bike had been my first though, I might not have had the courage to get on a second one.
The industry developed rapidly around the turn of the 20th century, and started turning out models much more pleasing to my eye. Many of the early American manufacturers basically just bolted engines into bicycle frames, often retaining even the pedals. Harley-Davidson and Indian Motocycle models from that era also feature prominently at the museum.
I like these ones more and around town they’d be fantastic, but I still don’t want to ride across the country on them. For touring prowess, you need to look a few years later and a few exhibits over to the modern era of motorcycling. Although they lack the electronics and precision engineering that current production models benefit from, bikes from as far back as the 1930s have all the basic components that make up a motorcycle today: full suspension, twist throttle, front and rear brakes, headlight, etc. They’re not all that dissimilar from my own bike.
I love where motorcycles have ended up. I love that I always seem to have enough power in reserve to get away from the car next to me on the highway. I love the roar of an exposed gasoline engine as I rev it out a little bit while passing through a tunnel. I love being able to change the oil with a spare hour and a handful of tools. I love the wind in my face and leaning deep into corners at speed. Mostly though, I love that I don’t have to worry too much about the bike. I can just go for a ride.
A few weeks ago, I took a ride out to Iowa to visit the National Motorcycle Museum on a bit of a whim. It’s shutting down in September. I’ve been telling myself for years that I need to go visit and I decided not to put it off any longer. Walking through the exhibits, I had a feeling that I don’t know a word for. It was a kind of nostalgia, but more like I know that I’m going to be nostalgic one day. There’s a lump casually laying in my stomach or a tear welling up behind my eye and neither is on their way out yet, but I can tell they won’t sit still forever either.
In just a few months, the collection will go to auction and the National Motorcycle Museum will cease to exist. There are signs that motorcycles as I have loved them are headed that way too. Electrification is all the rage in the automotive world, and it’s edging into motorcycling too. I’ve test ridden a few of them and I’m not excited. They’re heavy, range limited, underpowered, overpriced, and they just don’t make me wanna go for a ride. Even if the electric bikes don’t catch on, the gasoline ones will be harder to ride and service as electric infrastructure replaces gas for cars. For lots of reasons, that is the right call for society, but it will make me a little sad one day.
I’m still hopeful, though. I don’t think Roper could have imagined the bikes of today in his wildest dreams. My dreams are a whole lot wilder.
