This sounds terrifying. The 1894 Hildebrand & Wolfmuller motorcycle that recently sold at a Bonhams auction proves that old-school motorcyclists were built of something more than we are today.
We take transmissions for granted, but in 1894 this motorcycle was direct drive. The connecting rods for the Hildebrand?s pistons were connected directly to the rear wheel, and it has no clutch. The faded white bands on the frame" Those are rubber bands that helped yank the pistons back on the return stroke.

The brakes" Well, they?re simply a ?spoon? that presses a metal pad into the tire, and when you press the brake, the throttle automatically closes. Speaking of the throttle, it?s simply a thumbscrew. Since there?s no clutch, that means you had to push-start the bike and hop on it while it?s running. Yikes. But what do you expect from the world’s oldest motorcycle" Though the Hildebrand is primitive and terrifying, at the time it was a state-of-the-art motorcycle that set competition records and today is recognized as the first series production motorcycle. This particular model sold at a Bonhams auction in Paris for ?195,500, or about $209,000, last week. Interestingly, the term ?motorrad,? which is German for ?motorcycle,? was patented in 1894 by Hildebrand, according to Bonhams.

Also at the Bonhams auction, an early 1924 BMW R32 motorrad sold for ?143,750, or about $154,000. This particular bike has sales records going back to December of 1924, and...