More firsts from 1902: The first wheelie; the first bike cop (“He has to race motorcars transgressing the speed limit.”) and the first reported bike theft (of a one-off prototype destined for the Stanley Show). There’s also a 12hp pacer which “has touched 55mph on the track” and a 32hp 4.2-litre vertical twin ‘bête de vitesse’ trike of which Motor Cycling said: “This machine is claimed to have—and we give the information with all reserve—a speed of 124mph.”
Motorcycle Timeline 