Daimler-Reitwagen
The Daimler riding car was a direct precursor of the modern motorcycle and was constructed in 1885 by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach. He is regarded as the first motor vehicle.
Development
Daimler was founded in 1882 an experimental workshop in Cannstatt. Together with his staff Maybach he developed there a compact, high-speed single-cylinder four -stroke engine. Due to the patents of 16 December 1883 ( DRP 28022 ) and December 22, 1883 (DRP 28243 ) of the controlled gas engine was protected with hot-tube ignition. The as " grandfather clock" designated motor reached from 462 cc a power of 1 hp 735 W at 600 revolutions per minute. A revised version of the "grandfather clock" with a smaller displacement (264 cc ) was born on April 3, 1885 patent (DRP 34926 ). With a weight of about 60 kilograms, the engine was comparatively light and he made about a half horsepower ( 368 W) at 700 revolutions per minute. The small footprint and low weight, but also the operation with gasoline made the reduced clock - motor ideal for a nomadic use.
Patent models
Daimler and Maybach next step was the installation of the engine in a vehicle. For cost reasons, they opted for a wooden, provided two-wheeler with training wheels. The framework they built from hickory wood, reinforced with iron plates. The engine was mounted vertically between the wooden supports and cross braces. About the releasable on a disk drive belt, the force could be interrupted. The 60 cm high wooden spoke wheels wearing 35-mm wide tire iron as was customary at that time. The exhaust was located immediately below the riding saddle shaped like a leather seat. About cords on the handlebars effective on the rear shoe brake was pressed. With its small sprung Auslegerädern the riding car was not a real single-track vehicle, but a direct predecessor of the motorcycle.
On August 29, 1885 (DRP 36423 ) Daimler announced this first vehicle with internal combustion engine for a patent. Daimler called this "Vehicle with gas or petroleum drive machine", the name " riding car " came into being afterwards. In the patent, the claims were, together with drawings on a " ride or carriage frame ", ie registered two different types of vehicles. The then -built Daimler- snowmobile had taken the front wheel a skid that sprung Auslegerädern were replaced by rails and the rear wheel was fitted with spikes. In the winter of 1885 /86, first attempts have been made on the frozen lake Cannstatt; these ran not satisfactory.
Model 1885
Maybach developed the patent model further; in particular the indirect steering belt has been improved by a direct control head. Even the drive to the rear axle has been changed and now two stages. The load was transferred from the pulleys on a shaft with pinion on an internally toothed ring gear on the rear wheel. Two different sized pulleys, the translation could be varied ( in the state ). This could either 6 or 12 km / h down. The climbing ability was 9 percent in the small translation.
After the first test drives around Cannstatt, conducted by Maybach, made on November 10, 1885 Daimler's son Paul [note 1] the twelve kilometers at maiden voyage of the workshop Daimler in Cannstatt, Taubenheimstraße 13 to Untertürkheim and back.
The original was destroyed in a 1903 fire. 10 replicas, of which 9 exhibits and a copy as unroadworthy demonstration model have been built since then Mercedes. In the Mercedes- Benz Museum in Stuttgart and the German Museum in Munich two replicas can be visited.
Trivia
A appearing since 1986 Austrian motorcycle magazine called based on Daimler's pioneering development The riding car.