A Brief History of Motorcycling:

1885 --- First motorcycle 1903 --- Harley-Davidson Motor Company founded 1912 --- First white lines on roads 1914 --- First stop signal 1928 --- First front-wheel brakes on Harley-Davidson motorcycles met with skepticism 1939 --- First flashing turn signals 1940 --- First sealed-beam headlights 1945 --- 198,000 motorcycles registered in the U.S. 1949 --- Harley-Davidson fits hydraulic front suspension 1949 --- Honda builds its first motorcycle 1952 --- First hydraulic brakes on motorcycles 1953 --- Patent for protective helmet issued to University of Southern California (USC) Professor C. F. “Red” Lombard for energy-absorbing liner separate from the comfort padding 1953 --- Movie The Wild One released 1955 --- 450,000 motorcycles registered in the U.S. 1957 --- Snell Memorial Foundation established to create helmet performance standards 1958 --- California Highway Patrol motorcycle officers begin using helmets 1958 --- Harley-Davidson introduces rear suspension 1958 --- Over 500,000 motorcycles registered in the U.S. 1959 --- First Japanese motorcycle manufacturer (Yamaha), enters U.S. market 1962 --- 646,000 motorcycles registered in the U.S. 1962 --- “You meet the nicest people on a Honda” campaign launched 1965 --- 1.4 million motorcycles registered in the U.S. 1966 --- First ANSI Z90.1 performance standard for motorcycle helmets 1966 --- Law directing the issuance of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) enacted 1967 --- Bell Helmets introduces the first full facial-coverage helmet 1969 --- 660,000 motorcycles sold in the U.S. 1969 --- Stock motorcycles run quarter-mile in less than 13 seconds 1970 --- Movie Easy Rider released 1970 --- 1.1 million motorcycles sold in the U.S. 1970 --- 2.8 million motorcycles registered in the U.S. 1972 --- FMVSS 123 standardizes motorcycle controls 1973 --- MSF created 1974 --- FMVSS 218, Motorcycle Helmets promulgated 1974 --- 55-mph speed limit established nationwide 1975 --- 5 million motorcycles registered in the U.S. 1975 --- U.S. traffic fatalities: motorcycle occupants–3,265; passenger car occupants–37,897 1976 --- Harry Hurt begins study of motorcycle crashes at USC with NHTSA funding 1977 --- NHTSA funds rear-wheel-steering motorcycle project 1978 --- Stock motorcycles run quarter-mile in less than 12 seconds 1980 --- U.S. traffic fatalities peak: motorcycle occupants–5,144; passenger car occupants–27,449 1980 --- First International Motorcycle Safety Conference sponsored by MSF 1981 --- Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures, (referred to as the Hurt Report) released 1983 --- Stock motorcycles run quarter-mile in less than 11 seconds 1985 --- U.S. traffic fatalities: motorcycle occupants–4,564; passenger car occupants–23,212 1985 --- 5.4 million motorcycles registered and 700,000 sold in the United States 1986 --- Superbike ban proposed and defeated 1990 --- U.S. traffic fatalities: motorcycle occupants–3,244; passenger car occupants–24,092 1990 --- Second International Motorcycle Safety Conference sponsored by MSF 1991 --- First antilock brakes on motorcycles 1995 --- U.S. traffic fatalities: motorcycle occupants–2,227; passenger car occupants–22,423 1997 --- USC Head Protection Research Laboratory conducts feasibility study of updating FMVSS 218 1997 --- U.S. traffic fatalities: motorcycle occupants–2,116; passenger car occupants–22,199 1997 --- Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development/Road Safety Committee 9 (OECD/RS 9) Technical Experts Group formed to develop common international methodology for in-depth motorcycle crash investigation 1997 --- MSF and NHTSA sponsor development of the National Agenda for Motorcycle Safety 1998 --- Stock motorcycles run quarter-mile in less than 10 seconds 1998 --- OECD common methodology first used in Bangkok, Thailand 1999 --- U.S. traffic fatalities: motorcycle occupants–2,472; passenger car occupants–20,818

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