This is a replica of the Roper Steam Velocipede from 1867, an invention that some consider to be the first motorcycle ever made. This example was built by Bill Eggers, a leading expert on early vehicles of this kind, and it’s exacting down to the smallest detail.
When inventor Sylvester Roper of Boston, Massachusetts came up with this invention the word motorcycle didn’t yet exist, and so it was called the Steam Velocipede, with “velocipede” being an early (and vastly superior) name for a bicycle.
Fast Facts – A Roper Steam Velocipede Replica
- This replica of the 1867 Roper Steam Velocipede is an exact reproduction of one of the earliest motorized bicycles, regarded by some as the first motorcycle. Built by master craftsman William Eggers in Goshen, Connecticut, it replicates the fine details of Sylvester Roper’s original design.
- When Roper first devised the Steam Velocipede in 1867, he invented a motorized bicycle before the term “motorcycle” existed. Using a custom steel and hickory wood frame, a unique throttle system, and dual steam pistons driving the rear wheel, his innovative design set the stage for future two-wheeled motorized vehicles.
- Roper later developed a more advanced version in 1884 for Colonel Albert Pope, using his Steam Velocipede as a pace car in bicycle racing. Roper famously demonstrated its performance, reaching speeds of 40 mph before suffering a fatal heart attack during a high‐speed trial at the Charles River velodrome.
- This meticulously built replica is now available for sale on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $29,001 USD. Built by master craftsman William Eggers, it is a meticulously accurate reproduction of the original, offering collectors a unique opportunity to own a piece of early motorcycle history.
What Was The First Motorcycle?
There is no small amount of debate about exactly what the first motorcycle was, and who built it. We know for a fact that the Roper Steam Velocipede in the United States and the Michaux-Perreaux Steam Velocipede in France were built in 1867, with some historians arguing that they may have appeared later, in 1868 or 1869.
Early news paper reports, from days long before the term “motorcycle” had even been coined, were breathless in their praise of the Roper Steam Velocipede.
The problem is that some don’t classify these steam powered bicycles as motorcycles, instead insisting that a motorcycle must have an internal combustion engine providing motive power. Others believe that any motorized propulsion system should classify a vehicle as a motorcycle. This definition seems to make the most sense, as there is an entire class of motorcycles with electric motors that would otherwise not be classified as a motorcycle if people insisted on using the internal combustion argument.
Wherever you might fall on the motorcycle-definition-spectrum, it’s hard to argue that the Roper Steam Velocipede and the Michaux-Perreaux Steam Velocipede didn’t kick the whole thing off back in the 1860s.
Sylvester Roper And His Steam Velocipede
American inventor Sylvester H. Roper of Massachusetts would acquire a number of patents in his life for things like firearms, industrial machinery, and other creations, but interestingly he never patented his Steam Velocipede.
Roper had a new steel and hickory wood backbone frame built for his invention, rather than using a pre-existing bicycle frame. The concept of the motorcycle twist-grip throttle was arguably invented by Roper, though on his first Steam Velocipede the entire handlebar rotated forward to increase power, and backwards to reduce power and apply the brake.
The seat was mounted in a forward position close to the handlebars, and it doubled as a water tank for the steam engine. A simple hand pump would move water from the tank into the boiler, the boiler was mounted low between the front and rear wheels, and the chimney extended up and back, behind the rider.
Here we see Sylvester Roper with his second generation Steam Velocipede. Tragically he would die at the age of 72 while demonstrating it at 40 mph.
The vehicle had two steam pistons located behind the boiler attached to the frame, driving the rear wheel directly via a pair of cranks. Exhaust steam was routed to the chimney and dispatched with the smoke. Roper attracted a great deal of attention riding his Steam Velocipede, and he was featured heavily in period newspapers and in various exhibitions and shows.
The Second Generation Steam Velocipede
He would develop a more advanced second version in 1884 on commission from Colonel Albert Pope, the owner of Pope Columbia bicycles, to use as a “pacer” for his bicycle racing team. The Pope Manufacturing Company would later go on to be a leading manufacturer of early motorcycles, including board track racing motorcycles – the superbikes of their day.
Roper would extensively demonstrate and even race his inventions, competing against the best cyclists of the time to show how much quicker his Steam Velocipedes were than any human powered bicycle.
Tragically this would lead to his death, he died of a suspected heart attack while demonstrating the maximum speed of his Steam Velocipede at the Charles River velodrome in 1896. He apparently reached a top speed of 40 mph, a heady pace for the time, when “a sudden pallor was seen on his face” and he fell off the bike.
He would die by the side of the track at age 72 with his son Charles caring for him. Before he fell from the bike he shut off the steam, rendering the vehicle safe so that no one else would be hurt.
A Roper Steam Velocipede from 1869 is now on permanent display at the Smithsonian Institution. One earlier model from 1868 is known to still exist, it was offered at auction in 2012, and a later model from 1894 was exhibited in the Guggenheim Museum’s “The Art of the Motorcycle” show in Las Vegas.
The Roper Steam Velocipede Replica Shown Here
The vehicle you see here is a replica of the Roper Steam Velocipede built by the talented Master Craftsman William Eggers of Goshen, Connecticut.
Here you can see the two steam pistons, one on either side of the rear wheel, powering the rear wheel via direct cranks.
Eggers had built a wide variety of exacting replicas of some of the most historically significant vehicles ever made. His work is so highly-regarded that many of his builds end up being bought by museums across the country and put on permanent display – particularly when the original vehicle no longer exists.
This 1867 Roper Steam Velocipede replica is now being offered for sale on eBay with an unusual Buy It Now price of $29,001 USD. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Classic Auto Mall
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
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