The history of the motorcycle originates from the "safety bicycle" in the latter half of the 19th century, with its development being a distributed effort among numerous engineers across Europe rather than a single inventor. Early innovations primarily revolved around steam power. The Michaux-Perreaux steam velocipede, created in 1867 by Ernest Michaux in France, is often cited as the first steam-powered motorcycle. In the United States, Sylvester H. Roper developed a twin-cylinder steam velocipede in 1868, though his contributions ended tragically when he died demonstrating one of his machines. Further developments included Louis-Guillaume Perreaux's patented steam machine in France and Lucius Copeland's smaller steam boiler design, which led to the first successful three-wheeled 'Moto-Cycle' by Northrop Manufacturing Co. in 1887.

A pivotal shift occurred with the introduction of internal combustion engines. Edward Butler in England conceived the three-wheeled Butler Petrol Cycle in 1884, exhibiting plans two years before Karl Benz's automobile and building the vehicle in 1888. This machine featured advanced components like a flat twin four-stroke engine with rotary valves and a float-fed carburettor, though it ultimately wasn't a commercial success. The widely recognized first internal combustion, petroleum-fueled motorcycle was the Petroleum Reitwagen, built by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach in Germany in 1885. Daimler is often called "the father of the motorcycle" for this invention, which uniquely relied on two outrigger wheels for stability, as it was primarily designed as a testbed for their new engine.

By the late 1880s, dozens of designs emerged, leading to rapid commercialization. In 1894, Hildebrand & Wolfmüller introduced the first series production motorcycle, also notably being the first machine to be officially called a "Motorrad" (motorcycle). That same year, the term "motor cycle" appeared in English to promote prototypes by E.J. Pennington. The Excelsior Motor Company in England began selling its first motorcycle model to the public in 1896, followed by Charles Metz's Orient-Aster, the first production motorcycle in the US, in 1898. This period marked the rapid growth of the motorcycle industry, with many bicycle manufacturers adapting their designs for the new internal combustion engine.