On 29 August 1885, Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach applied for a patent covering their Reitwagen, or “Riding Car”—a landmark in the history of powered two-wheelers. Patent DRP No. 36,423 was subsequently granted on 11 August 1886. Mercedes-Benz describes the Reitwagen as the world's first motorcycle and the first functioning road vehicle powered by an internal-combustion engine.
The machine was essentially a wooden-framed two-wheeler fitted with Daimler and Maybach's compact, high-speed single-cylinder four-stroke engine, nicknamed the “Grandfather Clock” because of its shape. Producing about 0.5 horsepower, it could reach roughly 12 km/h. Small outrigger wheels helped keep the unconventional machine upright.
Daimler's son Adolf made the Reitwagen's most significant documented journey in November 1885, travelling around three kilometres from Cannstatt to Untertürkheim and back. The experiment demonstrated that a lightweight internal-combustion engine could provide practical road mobility. The following year, Daimler transferred the technology to a four-wheeled carriage, helping open another chapter in automobile history.
The original Reitwagen was destroyed in a 1903 factory fire; today's examples are faithful reconstructions.
