12. Sylvester H. Roper felt the need for speed – and ended up dying after crashing the steam-powered bicycle he invented
While he may not be a household name, among bikers, Sylvester H. Roper is something of a legend. Not only did the American engineer invent what’s widely regarded as the world’s first motorbike, he was also brave (or maybe foolish) enough to get in the saddle and test it out himself. Roper worked out of his workshop in Boston. In 1868, the unveiled the ‘steam velocipede, which was essentially a normal pushbike with a steam engine attached to it. Keen to show off his new machine, the inventor was a regular at the bike track down by the Charles River. And it was here he met his end.
One summer’s day in 1896, Roper took his early motorbike down to the river. He rode the course for three laps, speeding past some of the best young cyclists from nearby Harvard University. According to observers, he reached speeds of up to 40kmph. Then, on the fourth lap, he wobbled and fell, smashing his head on the hard track. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Even though a later autopsy revealed that he died of heart failure, Roper is widely seen as a victim of his own love of speed. The inventor was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2002.
