Monster Motorcycle

摘要

"BULLETS ARE THE ONLY RIVALS of Glenn H. Curti: trumpeted the Chicago Daily News after Curtiss rode his Curtiss V-8 motorcycle a mile in 26.4 seconds - more than 136 mph -at the 1907 Florida Speed Carnival. It took him two miles to get up to speed, one mile for the actual race, and two miles to stop the contraption. There wasn't a practical use - or market - for the behemoth, which measured nearly eight feet long, weighed 275 pounds, and sported an automobile tire on its rear wheel. After the race it was never ridden again. But the V-8 engine would go on to power both lighter- and heavier-than-air aircraft. The motorcycle is currently on display at the National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall.