摩托车，通常是内燃机驱动的任何两轮或较少见的三轮摩托车。
历史
正如汽车是19世纪梦-以求的自行式马车的答案一样，摩托车的发明创造了自行式自行车。第一个商业设计是由爱德华·巴特勒（Edward Butler）在1884年在英国制造的三轮车。它采用了卧式单缸汽油发动机，该发动机安装在两个可转向的前轮之间，并通过传动链条连接到后轮。
到1900年，许多制造商都在增加自行车，或者在中央安装小型火花点火发动机，从而改变了自行车（有时也称为踏板循环）的生产方式。对可靠结构的需求导致公路摩托车的试验测试和制造商之间的竞争。最初的Tourist Trophy摩托车竞赛是1907年在马恩岛举行的可靠性或耐力竞赛。从早期的二冲程设计到安装在空气动力学的碳纤维增强车身上的增压多气门发动机，这些事件已经成为许多新想法的试验场。
组件
Motorcycles are produced with both two-stroke- and four-stroke-cycle engines and with up to four cylinders. Most are air-cooled, though a few are water-cooled. Engines are generally limited to displacements of about 1,800 cc. The smallest designs, termed mopeds (from “motor pedal”), have very small engines (50 cc) with fuel economies of as much as 2.4 litres per 100 km (100 miles per gallon). Such units are not permitted on limited-access public roads because of their low speed capability. In order of increasing power capacity and engine displacements, the other five classifications are child bikes, trail bikes, road bikes, touring bikes, and racing bikes. A subcategory of racing bikes is known as superbikes. These are motorcycles that displace more than 900 cc and in which the seat is tilted forward so that the rider is hunched over the frame, creating a more aerodynamic profile.
The motorcycle frame is often of steel, usually a combination of tubes and sheets. The wheels are generally aluminum or steel rims with spokes, although some cast wheels are used. Graphite, composite, and magnesium parts are increasingly in use because of their high strength-to-weight characteristics. Tires are similar to those used on automobiles but are smaller and rounded to permit leaning to lower the centre of gravity in a turn without losing traction. The gyroscopic effect of motorcycle wheels rotating at high speed significantly improves stability and cornering ability. Inertia and steering geometry are also significant factors. Front-wheel suspension is provided by coil springs on a telescopic fork; rear-wheel springs are often mounted on shock absorbers similar to those used in automobiles.
Transmissions on motorcycles typically have four to six speeds, although small bikes may have as few as two. Power is normally transmitted to the rear-wheel sprockets by a chain, though occasionally belts or shafts are used.
The clutch and throttle, which control engine speed, are operated by twist-type controls on the handgrips. The front-wheel brake is controlled by a lever near the handgrip; the rear-wheel brake is engaged by a foot pedal. Except on very small machines, the front brake is usually of the hydraulic disc type. The rear brake may be disc or drum. The kick starter has been mostly replaced by an electric push-button starter.
Emissions standards
Tailpipe emissions standards for motorcycles continue to be strengthened. In 1980 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) first regulated new motorcycle hydrocarbon emissions, requiring motorcycles to emit less than 5.0 grams per km (0.3 ounce per mile) of highway driving. California and the European Union (EU) imposed stricter limits on hydrocarbons and added restrictions on nitric oxides and carbon monoxide. In 2006 emissions from new motorcycles sold in the United States were limited to a combined 1.4 grams of hydrocarbons and nitric oxides and 12.0 grams of carbon monoxide per km. The EPA decreased the limit on combined emissions of hydrocarbons and nitric oxides to 0.8 gram in 2010. The EU reduced emissions from new motorcycles in 2004 to 1.0 gram of hydrocarbons, 0.3 gram of nitric oxides, and 5.5 grams of carbon monoxide per km; in 2007 these levels were further reduced to 0.3 gram of hydrocarbons, 0.15 gram of nitric oxides, and 2.0 grams of carbon monoxide per km. The EU did a further emission reduction in 2016 to 0.17 gram of hydrocarbons, 0.09 gram of nitric oxides, and 1.14 grams of carbon monoxide, with a further reduction to 0.1 gram of hydrocarbons, 0.06 gram of nitric oxides, and 1 gram of carbon monoxide planned for 2020. Although U.S. limits for carbon monoxide were not lowered by law, the required reductions in other pollutants effectively lowered carbon monoxide emissions in fact. In order to meet these “clean-air regulations,” manufacturers installed more sophisticated catalytic converters and fuel-injection systems.
