English
English
In 1903, eight years after the invention of Dai's car, Mayer riding motorcycle appeared in Holland. Different from traditional motorcycles, Mayer bikes pay more attention to people's pursuit of comfort. The riding posture has been changed from straddling style to being able to be placed on the pedal like a car, and the steering wheel design of the car has been adopted for steering. In terms of form and power, this Mayer riding motorcycle is very different from modern scooters, but the mode of thinking it provides has injected tremendous energy into the later development of motorcycles -- the original motorcycle can ride like this.
Later, the United States appeared the Aautolet riding motorcycle. With a small wheel diameter (only 0.38m), the center of gravity of the seat and the whole vehicle has been greatly reduced, which has changed the disadvantage of the high center of gravity of Mayer riding motorcycles in the past, and the car is designed without a top beam, which is more suitable for women to ride. Because of its simple structure and strong practicability, it was not only produced in the United States, but also in Germany in 1920. Compared with straddle type motorcycles, scooters have the characteristics of flexibility, convenience, comfort and strong applicability, which make them rapidly popularized. The market demand for riding motorcycles is increasing. By the 1930s, Dekov in Germany, Monigo in France, Norman in Britain, Altoyaijier and other factories had begun to produce such scooters, and a new industry had begun.
It was Italy that brought the scooter to a climax. During the Second World War, folding motorcycles were designed for pilots to use after parachute landing. The design concept of a riding motorcycle that is easy to drive and has small wheels was established and promoted. After the Second World War, Italy's Puyerveen Aircraft Manufacturing Company gave up the Wilbeck Korgi motorcycle, which was used by British airborne troops in the Second World War and had been finalized for production, and redesigned a scooter called Vespa. Vespa uses an engine with a displacement of 98ml and a power of 2.35kW. Its body is made of full sheet steel by stamping and welding. It is compact in structure and cheap in price, which fully meets the needs of people who need cheap transportation tools after the war. In 1946, the company began to mass produce this kind of Vespa, and thus developed into a larger scooter manufacturer in the world. Vespa became synonymous with the classic scooter. The technological revolution has accelerated the pace of scooter development. Vespa motorcycle takes the lead in adopting electronic ignition system; In 1955, Dekov Habib motorcycle first adopted wedge belt transmission automatic transmission device. Scooters have become one of the popular vehicles in motorcycle families.
There is no doubt that scooters with various displacement are a transportation tool for small and medium-sized cities. By the middle of the 20th century, Italy, the United States, Germany, Britain and France in Europe had produced a large number of such cars, and the production reached its peak in 1952-1954. Twenty years later, with the recovery and revitalization of the European economy, people are more interested in cars. In this context, the production of scooters in Europe has declined sharply. Just as everything moves forward like waves, scooters have declined in Europe, but gained comprehensive development in Asia. In the 1970s, Japan, India and other countries began to produce scooters, opening up a new era of modern scooters, in addition to the old manufacturers such as Biagio in Europe and Italy.
Modern scooters use 50~200ml engines, which can be divided into two typical styles: Italian style and Japanese style. Italy is represented by Vespa, which is characterized by its front and rear suspension are supported by a single arm, the front fender is independent of the car body, and the front cover of the car body is designed as a wide wind deflector to reduce the blowing of the headwind on the human body. The bottom pedal and the center car body form a ladder type; The rear body covering is a three section design with high middle and low sides; The contour line of the overall shape is obvious, the seat cushion is like wearing a hat, and the tail is in a big arc downward; The front fender, the front cover of the car body, the rear body and the tail are all connected by large arcs, forming a lovely round shape. In the 1980s, Vespa's shape was more smooth and smooth, like a small sheep. Therefore, in Taiwan, China, the scooter with small displacement is also called "Little Sheep" or "Sheep Baby". Italy still holds the dominant position of scooters, and its annual output accounts for more than 50% of the total output of scooters in the world.
The development of Japan's motorcycle industry is amazing, including in the scooter field. Several large car factories are all interested in scooters. In 1977, the Passol car launched by Yamaha Corporation was equipped with a 49ml, 1.69kw engine; In the following year, SA50 scooter was launched on the basis of the scooter, and its appearance was greatly improved, forming the characteristics of modern Japanese riding cars.
In the early 1980s, Suzuki launched the Gemma 50 sedan, and Honda also produced its own representative model. By 1982, the annual production of riding motorcycles had reached a peak.
In terms of model development, Yamaha has derived Superz Super, Sports and other genres on the basis of JOG model. In terms of production design, the company adopts universal car body design from 50ml to 100ml. On the one hand, it is convenient for mass production, which is conducive to reducing costs; on the other hand, it is conducive to the deformation of multiple varieties, which is easy to adapt to changes in market demand.
The 1980s was a golden age for the development of Japanese scooters. Especially after 1988, the scooters developed in the direction of large displacement, which made them enter people's lives. The Chinese are no strangers to Japanese scooters. The Jaws and LEAD series running all over the street are some classic works of Japanese scooters. In the 1990s, in order to meet the needs of consumption, leisure and environmental protection, Japanese scooters began to develop in the direction of four stroke, water-cooling, electric starting, large displacement, luxury and tourism. Scooters become larger, more luxurious, more dynamic and more comfortable.
Besides Japan, another representative of Asian scooters is Taiwan of China. Taiwan has a relatively high motorcycle ownership rate in the world, reaching 50%. The scooter accounts for more than 85% of the population, and its output accounts for about 60% of the total output of several major factories, reaching 600000-800000 vehicles/year. The main models are the big Louis, leaders and Dijue of Sanyang Company; Guangyang's heroic series.
In Chinese Mainland, scooters began in the 1980s and flourished in the 1990s. Moreover, its convenience and applicability are increasingly loved by people, and even riding scooters has become a trend and fashion. It can be predicted that China, as a vast market, will surely bring about the overall prosperity of China's scooter production and become another hot spot after Italy and Japan.
