When German inventor Nikolaus Otto created the first four-stroke internal combustion engine in the late 19th century, he inspired Gottlieb Daimler (1834-1900) and Wilhelm Maybach (1846-1929) to invent an interesting form of transportation. The concept was every parent’s nightmare: a combination of a sturdy but still unstable “bone-crushing” bicycle with a gas engine. Two-wheeled transportation was nothing new. Steam-powered bicycles had been around since 1867, and the Michaux-Perreaux steam bicycle – with a larger front wheel than the rear and a steam engine installed under the seat – was produced in 1868. But when Daimler and Maybach built the first gas-powered version of the machine in 1885, they created what would go down in history as the world’s first motorcycle. Maybach drove the prototype from Cannstatt to Unterturkheim, a distance of almost 3 km, reaching a speed of 12 km/h. While modern motorcycles resemble aircraft turbines on wheels, with riders in leather jackets sitting securely atop them, the original motorcycle had safety wheels on the sides of the chassis, which served to create a more stable riding platform. Only in later models, after riders had mastered the technique of controlling the speedy movement on two wheels, were the stabilizers dispensed with. Despite these cautious beginnings, the motorcycle has become a very versatile road vehicle. In the 21st century, the need to reduce carbon emissions will only increase the popularity of this environmentally efficient invention.