Motocycle

Not to be confused with Motorcycle.
Motocycle magazine, Nov. 1895
1900 Horseless carriage
The Lewis "Motocycle" [1][2][3]
Charles B. King's motocycle, 1896
Gold Medal award for 2nd Prize of America's first automobile race in Chicago on November 28, 1895, reads "Motocycle Race, 2nd Prize, Chicago Nov 28 1895". Reverse side says "Presented to Charles B. King, Umpire by H. Mueller Mfg. Co. Decatur, Ill."

Motocycle was a word used in the United States in the latter part of the 19th century for a horseless carriage, the type of vehicle now known as a car or automobile. The word caught on initially as it was short and easier to understand than other possibilities, such as "automobile carriage", "motor carriage", "motor vehicle", or "auto carriage".[4] It is now archaic and rarely used. The term "motor vehicle" is currently used in legal, transportation planning and academic terminology.

  1. ^ Horseless Age: the automobile trade magazine, Volume 1, p. 34
  2. ^ The Motocycle magazine, November 1895, pp. 37-38
  3. ^ Treasury of early American automobiles, 1877-1925 by Floyd Clymer, p. 8
  4. ^ Sturmey, p. 67