Motorcycles are 2-wheel vehicles patterned after bicycles but with engines and much heavier frames. Early motorcycles were actually bicycles fitted with small internal combustion engines. There was a gradual evolution as numerous motorcycle manufacturers entered the market and competed against each other.

Motorcycles have complex controls that are operated by both hands and feet and require coordination and skill not required to drive an automobile.

Motorcycles have been a part of transportation for a very long time. They were once much more prevalent than automobiles until such pioneers as Henry Ford found out how to mass produce cars at a price below that of motorcycles.