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About This Quiz
Were you born to be wild? Do you think real vehicles only have two wheels? Is picking bugs out of your teeth just a part of everyday life? You might be a motorcycle nut.Â
While many people look at motorcycles as dangerous and impractical, plenty of people have fallen in love with them. There's a lot to like, considering motorcycles get excellent fuel economy, are relatively cheap, and often will outperform cars in acceleration. Not only that, there's a rebellious and ruggedly individualistic image associated with anyone who rides a motorcycle.Â
Edward Butler, a British inventor, is credited with coming up with the term "motorcycle." He actually created a three-wheeled motorized vehicle in 1884, so some might take issue with that detail. Since then, motorcycles have evolved from being closely related to bicycles to being increasingly car-like. There are even motorcycles today with advanced safety features, including concepts that balance themselves. Despite these innovations, motorcycle ridership is steadily falling in the United States.Â
Do you have more motorcycle knowledge than your average person? See how many of these little-known facts you know by taking the quiz now!Â
What did motorcycle manufacturer Yamaha get its start making?
stereos
tricycles
pianos
In 1887,​ Yamaha began operations strictly as a piano manufacturer. The company still makes pianos, plus many other musical instruments, but also manufactures motorcycles, watercraft, and other vehicles.
motorcycles
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Motorcycle helmet maker ARAI started out making what?
sewing machines
dinner plates
construction headgear
When you learn that the company's founder, Hirotake Arai, was a motorcycle stunt rider, it makes sense that he would return to his roots and make something for fellow riders.
horse bridles
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What state allows motorcyclists to stop at red lights for only two minutes before proceeding through the intersection?
New Mexico
Texas
Indiana
Nicknamed "The Dead Red" law, which was put on the books in 2015, it makes red lights more like elongated stop signs for motorcyclists as a way to keep traffic flowing.
Virginia
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What did Harley Davidson start off selling?
horns
bells
wagon wheels
bare engines
The company wasn't making motorcycles until 1905, when it produced a whopping five of them in Davidson's shed.
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How many states, including the District of Columbia, require all people on motorcycles to wear a helmet?
19
Plenty of studies have shown that helmets are especially effective at reducing fatalities from motorcycle accidents, but a few states don't require helmets at all, and the majority only require them for certain riders.
25
37
43
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The Type SD was Triumph's first motorcycle to have what feature?
a chain-driven rear wheel
Triumph started out making bicycles in 1888, before it started churning out motorcycles. Interestingly enough, it didn't make any bikes that had a chain-driven rear wheel until the Type SD in 1920.
a horn
shiny wheel spokes
a headlight
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Where did Triumph open its first factory?
in a juice facility
at GM headquarters
in an old ribbon factory in Coventry
Triumph actually took over a facility that made ribbons, setting up its bicycle operations there in 1888. Needless to say, the company had to make modifications to the facility.
in a dairy farm
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What did Kawasaki make long before it made motorcycles?
sewing machines
horse carts
airplanes
Kawasaki got into the motorcycle business when it purchased Meguro Manufacturing, which was a failing motorcycle manufacturer. The new venture was called Kawasaki Motor Sales, and the rest is the stuff of legend.
unicycles
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What does a unique emblem say on the fuel tank of certain early Kawasaki motorcycles?
Kawasaki Aircraft
In the early days of making motorcycles, Kawasaki still very much thought of itself as an aircraft company first and foremost. That would change as the motorcycles became a greater source of income.
Japan Rules
Death to Slowness
Born to Ride
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What term did Harley Davidson unsuccessfully try to trademark in 1999?
wheelie
cruiser
hog
Even though plenty of people refer to Harleys as hogs, the company didn't win the legal fight to exclusive rights of the name, which traces back to a group of farmers from the 1920s.
wild
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What bike maker got its start making motorized bicycles?
Harley Davidson
Ducati
Honda
Before WWII, Honda was a big player in the motorized bicycle market. Of course, today it makes a wide range of motorcycles, plus other vehicles and small engines.
Kawasaki
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When did Honda become the biggest motorcycle manufacturer in the world?
1941
1953
1964
Through smart business moves and a reputation for making solid small engines, Honda was able to rise from the ashes of post-war Japan and become the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world
1982
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From where does the Dodge Tomahawk get its engine?
the Challenger
the SRT-4
the Viper
People understandably were aghast at the Tomahawk, which uses a Viper's V-10 engine and has dual rear wheels, making for one truly wild motorcycle.
a Ducati
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From where did Suzuki get the Hayabusa name?
the Japanese god of thunder
a Kamikaze fighter plane
To honor the aircraft used during WWII, Suzuki used this legendary name, which is also a type of Peregrine falcon, so the motorcycle could be thought of as a tribute to either.
it means lightning in Japanese
it's an island off the coast of Siberia
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What important speed-related first did the Brough Superior SS100 achieve?
it was the first motorcycle to reach 200 mph
it hit 350 mph on the Salt Flats
it did 0-60 mph in under four seconds
it was the first retail motorcycle to break 100 mph
In 1924, this motorcycle set the record, with each one certified to hit 100 mph through testing on public roads, which probably seemed like a good idea at the time.
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Which of the following wasn't one of the many other firsts the Brough Superior SS100 racked up among retail motorcycles?
twin headlights
crash bars
monkey bars
Not only did the SS100 attain all those achievements, it was also the first retail motorcycle to come with interconnected silencers and a 1,000 cc V-twin engine, making it highly advanced for 1924.
prop stands
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What was the name of Suzuki's first motorcycle?
Power Free
In 1952, the Power Free debuted, but it really was just a bicycle with a 36 cc engine strapped to it and the option to pedal the bike manually to conserve gas.
Screamer
Nagasaki
Comet
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What year did BMW temporarily stop making boxer twin engines?
1933
1945
1986
For whatever set of reasons, BMW brass decided in the '80s that all bikes should use three- or four-cylinder engines. Thanks to irate customers, the brand was pressured to continue making the boxer twin engine, which it had been manufacturing since 1923.
1965
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Which is the most stolen motorcycle brand?
Suzuki
Ducati
Honda
Thanks to the fact many Hondas have expensive parts and promise thrilling performance, they are hot targets for theft. Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, and Harley Davidson round out the top five brands for theft.
Kawasaki
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Which motorcycle manufacturer first patented a design for telescopic forks?
Kawasaki
Honda
Ducati
BMW
In 1932, BMW put these telescopic forks on its R12, showing how truly innovative the company could be in its designs.
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What did motorcycles have before gearshift levers?
a hand crank
a car-like stick
a foot clutch and hand shifter
In 1927, Harold Willis, who worked for Velocette Motorcycles, invented the gearshift lever, making it far easier to ride a motorcycle.
a large dial
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What did Suzuki start off doing as a business?
making bulldozers
making silk weaving looms
At the turn of the 20th century, Japan's silk industry was booming, so Suzuki capitalized on that by making looms to weave the silk. It got into the motorcycle business not too long after that.
digging trenches
making muskets
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What expanded product line did Harley Davidson market in its early days?
jeans
bicycles
Harley Davidson actually had a hand in a few different product lines beyond motorcycles in the early part of the 20th century, helping it to stay afloat financially.
China dishes
mops
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For what was Harley Davidson's Buckboard motor supposed to be used?
sport bikes
boats
helicopters
industrial applications
In the early 20th century, one of the many product lines Harley Davidson relied on for financial vitality was the Buckboard industrial motor, which was practical for a whole range of industries.
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Which state has the fewest motorcycles registered?
Florida
Minnesota
Delaware
Apparently people in Delaware aren't born to be wild, with just over 28,000 motorcycles registered there in 2016. California was the top state with well over 800,000 motorcycles. Florida took the second spot.
Michigan
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What did Harley Davidson use for the carburetor on its first production motorcycle?
a Model T carb
a tomato can
To say that the brand came from humble roots is an understatement, but today it is a huge financial empire.
a Chevy carb
a Mercedes carb
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What were the engines on Honda's first bikes originally designed to power?
army field telephones
Making use of what it had at hand in 1946, right at the end of WWII, Honda repurposed the 50 cc generator engines, showing how resourceful it could be.
tractors
city buses
ice cream dispensers
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What was the first state to legalize lane splitting?
Utah
California
Even though the practice was in a legal grey area for years, the state legislature finally made lane splitting legal in 2017.
Idaho
Texas
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What sound did Harley Davidson try to patent?
ribbit
gurgling
rooster crows
potato potato potato
That distinctive exhaust sound from Harleys is termed "potato potato potato" or just "potato potato" by enthusiasts, but the company failed to patent it in 2000.
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What percentage of motorcycle theft do insurance companies think is fraud?
10 percent
25 percent
Insurance companies say that about 20 percent of all motorcycles that aren't stored inside garages are stolen, but that about a quarter of those are hidden and sold or chopped and used to build a new bike.
60 percent
100 percent
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You Got:
/30
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