Michaux-Perreaux steam velocipede
| Manufacturer | Pierre Michaux and Louis-Guillaume Perreaux |
|---|---|
| Production | 1867–1871 |
| Assembly | Paris, France |
| Class | Steam motorcycle |
| Engine | Single cylinder steam, 62 kg (137 lb) |
| Bore / stroke | 22 mm × 80 mm (0.87 in × 3.15 in) |
| Top speed | 9 mph (14 km/h) 19 mph (31 km/h) |
| Power | 1–2 hp (0.75–1.49 kW) |
| Transmission | Twin leather belts |
| Frame type | Diamond section, iron down tube |
| Suspension | Rigid, leaf sprung saddle |
| Brakes | None |
| Tires | Iron covered wood spoked rims |
| Weight | 87–88 kg (192–194 lb) (dry) |
The Michaux-Perreaux steam velocipede was a steam powered velocipede made in France some time from 1867 to 1871, when a small Louis-Guillaume Perreaux commercial steam engine was attached to a Pierre Michaux manufactured iron framed pedal bicycle. It is one of three motorcycles claimed to be the first motorcycle, along with the Roper steam velocipede of 1867 or 1868, and the internal combustion engine Daimler Reitwagen of 1885. Perreaux continued development of his steam cycle, and exhibited a tricycle version by 1884. The only Michaux-Perreaux steam velocipede made, on loan from the Musée de l'Île-de-France, Sceaux, was the first machine viewers saw upon entering the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum rotunda in The Art of the Motorcycle exhibition in New York in 1998.