Ask any motorcycle enthusiast out there, and they’ll tell you there’s nothing more liberating and thrilling than embarking on an adventure towards an unknown land. From Yamaha to Harley Davidson; there’s a ton of motorcycle trivia out there that even the savviest professionals in the industry aren’t fully aware of. So, it’s time to get that brain motor running to see who knows what about adventure bikes, choppers, hogs and other types of motorcycles. To that end, here’s a motorcycle quiz that will challenge novice, mid-level and even professional bikers!
Ask any motorcycle enthusiast out there, and they’ll tell you there’s nothing more liberating and thrilling than embarking on an adventure towards an unknown land. From Yamaha to Harley Davidson; there’s a ton of motorcycle trivia out there that even the savviest professionals in the industry aren’t fully aware of. So, it’s time to get that brain motor running to see who knows what about adventure bikes, choppers, hogs and other types of motorcycles. To that end, here’s a motorcycle quiz that will challenge novice, mid-level and even professional bikers!
Kretz used an Indian Sport Scout, which has an average speed of about 73 miles per hour, to win the first Daytona 200 race. The rider also went by the name Iron Man and continued racing professionally between the 1930s and 1940s.
Triumph marked their return in 1991 when they released six new models at the Cologne Motorcycle Show. These models were powered by three and four cylinder ODHC engines with liquid-cooled high horsepower and torque.
When Harley Davidson distanced itself from AMF, the brand used the phrase “The eagle soars alone,” in its ad campaign to commemorate the separation.
The singer turned actor certainly has enough money to own a Triumph motorcycle if he wanted one. Unfortunately, he’s more of a Harley-Davidson type of guy.
Indian Motorcycle remained active from 1901 to 1953. Eventually, the company was bought out by Polaris, who continued to market new Indian Motorcycles over the years.
Triumph released its first belt-driven motorcycle in the industry. It was essentially similar to a chain-driven motorcycle. The only difference was that it used a toothed rubber belt instead of a metal chain and pulleys instead of sprockets.
Fuel injection became a standard feature in all Harley-Davidson models in 2007. Before that, this feature was only available in a handful of models and was considered an optional feature.
It’s no surprise that Indian Motorcycles started a partnership with Veteran’s Charity Ride to Sturgis given that the brand has a long-standing history with the city of Sturgis.
On July 4, 1905, a rider pushed a Harley-Davidson motorcycle to its limits by winning a race in just 19 minutes and two seconds. This further proved to the nascent industry that the brand was in the lead.
Munro was 68 years old at the time and yet he set a record when he traveled 184.087 miles per hour on his motorcycle. This not only broke the record but proved that anyone is capable of being a speed demon no matter what age they are.
In 1930, E. Paul Du Pont brought a huge share of Indian Motorcycles stock. This essentially led to a merging of the two companies that only served to fortify the Indian Motorcycle brand’s position in the industry.
It took 11 days and 12 hours for Baker to journey from the West to the East Coast in 1914. This set a record and also proved to the world that Indian brand motorcycles were high-quality.
Lee Munro was Burt Munro’s great-nephew, and he rode a bike across the Bonneville Salt Flats in memory of his uncle, Burt, who was inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame in 2006. But his ride also set a new record in the process.
Triumph lived up to its brand name when it manufactured its 50,000th motorcycle in 1997. And although Triumph has had its highs and lows over the years, they’ve proven to be a force to be reckoned with.
The Indian Motorcycle Company of America was formed in 1998 and reconstituted nine companies into one. From there, the company was responsible for building Chief, Scout, and Spirit motorcycles.
One of the division’s and company’s primary selling points is that it makes limited-edition models that can be pricey, but worth it for bike enthusiasts.
Louis J. Mueller and George Holden rode across the United States for 31 and a half days from San Francisco to New York City without any problems on the road. This set a record that dared other bikers to try to break it.
In 2016, Indian Motorcycles implemented the Ride Command, an advanced system that provides in-depth vehicle data as well as expert navigation. This communication system also allows riders to hold conversations with other passengers while on the road.
Triumph held this epic record from 1955 to 1970. However, there was a 33-day period during those years where the title went to another brand. Fortunately, it was only a momentary hiccup.
Besides motorcycles, Harley-Davidson is known for producing various other items, including toys, clothing and video games. But so far, it has had no interest in producing printers.
Harley-Davidson was founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1903. But it didn’t officially incorporate until 1907 with Walter Davidson as the brand’s first president. Since then, the company has been around for about 118 years.
Motorcycle enthusiasts affectionally nicknamed the Triumph Bonneville “Bonnie.” But this wasn’t exactly a shock as a lot of riders traditionally give their bikes a name that adds a personal touch to their riding experience.
In 1965, Harley-Davidson introduced the Electra Glide. This electric start was integrated into the Panhead engine, which made the speed and efficiency of their motorcycles increase.
Motorcycle riders and enthusiasts have referred to the Harley-Davidson logo as “Bar and Shield” for years. The company patented the logo way back in 1911. But the logo itself has undergone several revisions over the years.
The farm boys called themselves Hog Boys and even used a hog as their mascot. This is one of the reasons why motorcycles are sometimes known as hogs.
The Black Hills Classic was founded by an Indian Motorcycle club based out of Sturgis, South Dakota in 1938. But it was eventually renamed to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
These two motorcycle manufacturers were hit hard by the Great Depression, but they still managed to land on top. Unfortunately, Indian stopped production in 1953.
In 1969, AMF merged with the Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Company and brought it back from the brink of bankruptcy. But in 1981, Harley-Davidson executives started the paperwork to dissolve their alliance with AMF.
The Harley-Davidson Sportster became one of the brand’s most popular models in 1957. But it never lost its appeal. In fact, to this day, new models of the Sportster continue to get built, and they remain quite popular among customers.
Polaris has owned Indian Motorcycles since 2011. Over the years, it has released several successful models that have helped bring Indian Motorcycles back to its former glory.
Harley-Davidson has factories all over the world, including York, Pennsylvania, Bawal, India, and Manaus, Brazil. But their home office is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Harley-Davidson collectors were eager to own a Knucklehead with this type of engine. Unfortunately, the company only made about 9,000 of them. So, if anyone is lucky to find someone selling a Knucklehead, they’ll probably have to take out a second mortgage on their home.
Indian Motorcycles and Jack Daniel’s partnered up to create custom motorcycles that were a force to be reckoned with on the road. This partnership continued for a couple of years before they mutually parted ways.
Bikers who loved to race were particularly fond of the Triumph Tridents. In fact, this model was the winner of several 750cc races in Europe during the 1960s and 1970s.
Harley-Davidson motorcycles are famous for their classic V-twin engines. This provided them with a major advantage over other motorcycles during races, at least back in the day, because it made the bikes go faster.
Indian Motorcycles allocated many of their resources and motorcycles to aid in World War I in 1917. Unfortunately, this meant that their inventories were severely limited, resulting in a massive drop in sales.
For years, Indian Motorcycles was top banana in the motorcycle business. But in the 1920s, Harley-Davidson popped up and took over as the best-selling motorcycle company. And it was one of the few brands that survived the Great Depression.
In 1980, Harley-Davidson added the rubber-mounted engine to reduce unnecessary vibrations. This provided the rider with a smoother and more pleasant ride than those who used motorcycles without this feature.
Indian Motorcycles built the Model 841 for the United States government during World War II. This resulted in the company making far less motorcycles for their regular customers.
The company’s original founders were William S. Harley, Arthur Davidson, Walter Davidson, and William A. Davidson. Given these folks’ last names, it’s easy to see where the company got its name from.
Although he spent a lot of time in Britain, Seigfried Bettmann was originally born in Nuremberg, Germany. He later moved to the United Kingdom in 1885.
Indian Motorcycles made about 50,000 motorcycles for the United States military based on the Powerplus model. The bikes were then shipped overseas to help World War I troops in the fight.
Joe Petrali went 136 miles per hour in 1937 using his Harley Davidson. This was considered a shocking event because he had broken a speed record thanks to the aerodynamic tail of the bike.
Although thousands of Triumph motorcycles are sold in the United Kingdom annually, the majority of sales revenue come from overseas. Therefore, the company relies more on international sales than local sales.
The 750cc Triple was released in 1968. Its three-cylinder motorcycle engine provided revving performance that made it one of the most sought-after motorcycles that year.
In the 1990s, Harley Davidson named a new bike design after the bombs that were dropped on Japan. The designed had yellow detailing and a silver powder-coated frame.
In 1953, Indian Motorcycles stopped production of new bikes. But the company was resurrected when Brockhouse Engineering bought the rights to the bike models in 1955.
In 2015, the Mayor of Coventry honored Siegfried Bettmann with a blue plaque. The reason he was given this plaque was because his automotive factory put the otherwise unknown city on the map.
Given that Tony Stark had a flying suit, it should come as no surprise that he didn’t use a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. For that matter, neither did anyone else in the film.
In 2010, Seth Enslow jumped over 183 feet on his Harley-Davidson. This was a huge feat because he broke the previous record by over a whopping 20 feet.