1901 De Dion Button Racer

[brillson]

Just some photos from an 1901 DeDion Button Racer sold on a swap meet in Germany a few years ago.

[c.o.]

Thanks for posting that Martin...... super cool early machine!!!

[HarleyCreation]

Nice!

Notice the very low engine position and thus low center of gravity on that machine. We sure owe a lot to the German Daimler motor and the French de Dion-Bouton who made it smaller, lighter, and higher revving so that it was suitable for motor bicycle use.

Just yesterday working on Pennington #3 I noted that de Dion-Bouton announced in 1896 their intention to put a motor bicycle on the market (they were already building trikes). That same year Pennington raced his Torpedo against de Dion on a trike in Paris. He was angry because de Dion had laughed at his flying motorcycle ad!

It's like: Whose path didn't Pennington's cross?