Michaux-Perreaux Steam Vélocipède (1867–1869)

 

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🚲💨 Michaux-Perreaux Steam Vélocipède (1867–1869)
The First Steam-Powered Motorcycle — Born in Paris

When Louis-Guillaume Perreaux's alcohol-fueled steam engine met Pierre Michaux's iron-framed boneshaker bicycle, the result was one of the world's first motorcycles — a machine so revolutionary it entered the Guggenheim Museum a century later as the opening exhibit of "The Art of the Motorcycle."

📅 Published: February 18, 2026 ✏️ By: Motorcycle History Editorial Team 📖 9,500+ words · 26 images ⏱️ 35 min read

MH

Motorcycle History Editorial Team

Our editorial team comprises motorcycle historians, former racing journalists, and mechanical engineers with over 50 combined years of expertise in motorcycle heritage documentation and restoration.

📚 Primary Sources: Wikipedia — Michaux-Perreaux steam velocipede & Pierre Michaux; Encyclopaedia Britannica — Ernest Michaux; L.J.K. Setright (1979) Guinness Book of Motorcycling; Hugo Wilson — Classic Bike; QAGOMA; Digest of United States Automobile Patents 1789–1899; Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain & CC images)

✅ Fact-checked by independent motorcycle historians & cross-referenced with museum archives

Michaux-Perreaux Steam Vélocipède (c. 1867–1869) — the only surviving original, on display at "The Art of the Motorcycle" exhibition, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York (1998–1999). On loan from the Musée de l'Île-de-France, Sceaux. It was the first machine viewers saw upon entering the museum rotunda. 3344×1976 px.
📷 Wikimedia Commons · License: CC BY-SA 3.0

📑 Table of Contents

1. Overview & Identification Card
2. Gallery: Ernest Michaux & the Michaudine (1861–1868)
3. The Michaux Family — Inventors of the Bicycle
4. The Michaudine Velocipede — The Base Machine
5. Gallery: Advertisements & Price Lists (1869)
6. Louis-Guillaume Perreaux — The Engine Builder
7. Development of the Steam Vélocipède
8. Technical Specifications
9. Gallery: The Michaux-Perreaux Steam Vélocipède (4 Images)
10. The "First Motorcycle" Debate
11. Gallery: Michaux Boneshaker & Patent Documents
12. Gallery: Museum Specimens Worldwide
13. Gallery: Vélocipède Michaux Photo Series (7 Views)
14. Gallery: Badge, Memorial & Reproductions
15. Timeline: Key Dates (1813–1894)
16. Primary Scientific References
17. Frequently Asked Questions

📋 Overview & Identification Card

The Michaux-Perreaux steam vélocipède was a steam-powered motorcycle made in Paris, France sometime between 1867 and 1871. It combined a small commercial steam engine designed by Louis-Guillaume Perreaux (1816–1889) with an iron-framed pedal bicycle manufactured by Pierre Michaux's company, Michaux et Cie. It is one of three machines claimed to be the world's first motorcycle, along with the Roper steam velocipede (USA, c. 1867–1869) and the Daimler Reitwagen (Germany, 1885).

Ernest Michaux (c. 1842–1882), Pierre's son, is credited by historians L.J.K. Setright and David Burgess-Wise as having first fitted the Perreaux engine to the velocipede. Only one example was ever built. The surviving original is preserved at the Musée de l'Île-de-France, Sceaux, near Paris.

🗂️ Michaux-Perreaux Steam Vélocipède — Identification Card

Full Name	Michaux-Perreaux Steam Vélocipède
Also Known As	Vélocipède à Vapeur Perreaux; "La Perreaux"
Year Built	c. 1867–1871 (debated)
Engine Designer	Louis-Guillaume Perreaux (1816–1889), French inventor & engineer
Base Vehicle	Michaux boneshaker bicycle (iron serpentine frame)
Vehicle Builder	Pierre Michaux (1813–1883) / Michaux et Cie, Paris
Integration Credit	Ernest Michaux (c. 1842–1882) — per Setright & Burgess-Wise
Patent	26 December 1869 — Perreaux steam velocipede patent (France)
Patent Addendum	14 June 1871 — removal of cranks/pedals; arched downtube
US Patent	12 March 1872 — improved steam velocipede (US patent digest)
Engine	Single-cylinder, alcohol-fueled steam engine
Engine Weight	62 kg (137 lb)
Total Weight	87–88 kg (192–194 lb)
Drive	Twin flexible leather belt drives to rear wheel
Brakes	None (base Michaux had spoon brake, removed on steam version)
Steering	Handlebars (direct)
Wheels	Wooden spoked wheels with iron tires
Controls	Steam pressure gauge (above front wheel); hand control (steam regulation)
Units Built	1 (unique prototype)
Original Location	Musée de l'Île-de-France, Sceaux, near Paris
Major Exhibitions	Guggenheim Museum, New York (1998); Guggenheim Las Vegas (2001); QAGOMA, Brisbane (2021)
Later Development	Perreaux exhibited a tricycle version by 1884 at the Champs-Élysées Industrial Exhibition
Significance	One of the world's first motorcycles; strongest patent-backed claim for first steam motorcycle

📸 1861–1868: Ernest Michaux & the Michaudine Velocipede

Inventor & Invention Photography

Image 1: Ernest Michaux and his Michaudine Velocipede (c. 1868). Photograph showing Ernest Michaux posing with the Michaudine velocipede that he and his father Pierre invented. Origin unknown — assumed to be a Michaux publicity shot. 597×596 px.
📷 Wikimedia Commons · Public Domain (pre-1931 publication)

Image 2: Ernest Michaux in 1868 — Portrait from Le Cyclisme théorique et pratique by L. Baudry de Saunier. Shows Ernest Michaux standing beside a Michaudine velocipede. 485×709 px.
📷 Wikimedia Commons · Public Domain

👨‍👦 The Michaux Family — Inventors of the Bicycle

"The simplest way to define a motorcycle is as a bicycle propelled by a heat engine; and if we accept this we must go on to admit that its prototype is unidentifiable, shrouded in the mists of industrial antiquity."— L.J.K. Setright, The Guinness Book of Motorcycling Facts and Feats (1979)

Pierre Michaux (1813–1883)

Born	25 June 1813, Bar-le-Duc, Meuse, France
Died	10 January 1883, France
Occupation	Blacksmith (serrurier / locksmith) — furnished parts for the carriage trade in Paris
Known For	Adding pedals to a draisine to create the Michaudine velocipede — the forerunner of the modern bicycle
Company	Michaux et Cie (founded 7 May 1868 with the Olivier brothers)
Address	19 Rue Jean-Goujon, Paris (later extended to No. 27)

Ernest Michaux (c. 1842–1882)

Born	c. 1842 (some sources say 1849), France
Died	c. 1882, France
Occupation	Mechanic, bicycle builder, son of Pierre Michaux
Known For	Possibly the true inventor of the pedal bicycle; credited with first fitting the Perreaux steam engine to a Michaux vélocipède
Legacy	Henri Michaux (brother) claimed Pierre conceived the idea, but Ernest executed it

The Invention Controversy

Pierre Michaux was born in Bar-le-Duc and worked as a blacksmith making parts for the carriage trade in Paris during the 1850s and 1860s. He, or his son Ernest, adapted cranks and pedals to the front wheel of a draisine (a two-wheeled vehicle pushed by feet), creating the Michaudine velocipede — the forerunner of every bicycle in the world today.

The Encyclopaedia Britannica states the best evidence places the invention in Paris in early 1864, not 1861 or 1855 as stated in many older histories. However, the famous photograph (Image 1) caption states 1861. Henri Michaux, another son, claimed that Pierre conceived the idea but Ernest executed it. A competing claim exists from Pierre Lallement, a carriage maker from Nancy who emigrated to America and filed the only patent for the pedal bicycle.

🚲 The Michaudine Velocipede — The Base Machine

The Michaudine was the common name for the pedal-driven velocipede (also called the "boneshaker") mass-produced by Michaux et Cie in Paris from the 1860s. It was the first commercially mass-produced pedal bicycle in history — with over 400 units built annually by 1863.

Company History: Michaux et Cie

In 1868, Pierre Michaux formed a partnership with the Olivier brothers (René and Aimé) under his own name: Michaux et Cie. The Oliviers held a 69% share. The company moved from Avenue Montaigne 29 to a new factory at 19 Rue Jean-Goujon, near the Arc de Triomphe, which was later extended to No. 27 and 10/12 Avenue Bugeaud. Machines were advertised at prices from Fr. 200–400, with juvenile machines from Fr. 120.

Following a trading dispute with the Olivier brothers in 1869, Michaux sold his share and the partnership was dissolved on 17 April 1869. The Oliviers then formed Compagnie Parisienne des Vélocipèdes. Pierre Michaux and his company faded into obscurity as the first bicycle craze ended in France.

Design Evolution

• Early design (1861–1864): Wooden frame adapted from a draisine; cranks and pedals on the front wheel
• Serpentine frame (1865–1867): Two pieces of cast iron bolted together (45 kg); more elegant but fragile
• Diagonal frame (1867+): Single diagonal piece of wrought iron (designed by Gabert of Lyon, 1865); much stronger
• Improvements (1868): Cord-operated brake and acorn pedals (patent 80637, 24 April 1868)
• Wheels: Wood with iron tires (like horse-drawn carriages)

📍 Michaux et Cie Factory Location — Paris

📍 Michaux et Cie, 2è (later 19) Rue Jean-Goujon, Paris 8e, France — Factory where the world's first mass-produced bicycles were built, and where the Michaux-Perreaux steam vélocipède originated (1868–1869).

📰 Gallery: Advertisements & Price Lists (1869)

From Almanach des Vélocipèdes Illustré, 1869

Image 3: ⭐ Vélocipèdes-Michaux Advertisement — "2è Rue Jean-Goujon, Paris" from Almanach des vélocipèdes illustré (1869). Original period advertisement for Michaux et Cie bicycles. 323×357 px.
📷 Wikimedia Commons · Public Domain

Image 4: Michaux & Cie — Price List from Almanach des vélocipèdes illustré (1869). Shows prices ranging from Fr. 200 for basic models. The first commercial bicycle price catalogue in history. 664×436 px.
📷 Wikimedia Commons · Public Domain

🔧 Louis-Guillaume Perreaux — The Engine Builder

Louis-Guillaume Perreaux (1816–1889)

Born	19 February 1816, Almenêches, Orne, France
Died	5 April 1889, Paris, France
Occupation	Inventor, engineer
Known For	Building the steam engine for the Michaux-Perreaux steam vélocipède — one of the world's first motorcycles
Patent (France)	26 December 1869 — Steam velocipede
Patent Addendum	14 June 1871 — Removal of cranks/pedals; arched downtube
Later Work	Exhibited a steam tricycle at the 1884 Industrial Exhibition, Champs-Élysées, Paris

Louis-Guillaume Perreaux showed early interest in mechanical engineering and devoted his career to developing compact steam engines for personal transport. He built a small, remarkably compact single-cylinder alcohol-fueled steam engine that he attached to a Michaux iron-framed boneshaker bicycle sometime between 1867 and 1871. He patented the design on 26 December 1869.

Classic Bike editor Hugo Wilson argues that because the Michaux-Perreaux has patents to verify its date, it has a stronger claim on being the first motorcycle than the Roper steam velocipede, which was never patented. Perreaux continued development and by 1884 exhibited a tricycle version at the Industrial Exhibition on the Champs-Élysées, Paris, with a speed of 15–18 mph (24–29 km/h) and a range of 30–54 miles (48–87 km).

🛠️ Development of the Steam Vélocipède

The Michaux-Perreaux steam vélocipède was constructed using the first commercially successful pedal bicycle — a Michaux boneshaker which Michaux had been building over 400 of annually since 1863 — and the single-cylinder alcohol-fueled Perreaux engine, which used twin flexible leather belt drives to the rear wheel.

Key Design Features

• Steam pressure gauge mounted in the rider's view above the front wheel
• Hand control to engage and regulate steam to the cylinder
• No brakes — the base Michaux vélocipède came with a spoon brake, but the steam version had none
• Engine weight: 62 kg (137 lb); total vehicle: 87–88 kg (192–194 lb)
• Wooden wheels with iron tires, flimsy handlebars, and a high seat "perched precariously above the boiling steam engine"

1871 Patent Addendum

A 14 June 1871 addition to Perreaux's original patent included significant changes: the removal of cranks and pedals from the front wheel (making it a pure motor vehicle rather than a hybrid pedal/motor machine), and using an arched instead of straight downtube to allow space for the engine. Although the steam vélocipède was functional, it did not have any commercial successors.

1884 Tricycle Development

By 1884, Perreaux exhibited a tricycle version with two rear wheels and belt driving the front wheel at the Industrial Exhibition on the Champs-Élysées, Paris. The alcohol-fueled engine had similar bore and stroke to the original, developing 3½ atm (250 kPa) steam pressure in its 2.8-liter boiler, producing a speed of 15–18 mph (24–29 km/h). Water tanks were sufficient for 2–3 hours of operation, giving a range of 30–54 miles (48–87 km).

📐 Technical Specifications

📐 Michaux-Perreaux Steam Vélocipède — Complete Specifications

Vehicle Type	Steam-powered two-wheeled vélocipède (motorcycle)
Engine Type	Single-cylinder alcohol-fueled steam engine
Engine Designer	Louis-Guillaume Perreaux
Fuel	Alcohol (denatured spirits)
Boiler	Compact boiler with steam pressure gauge
Drive	Twin flexible leather belt drives to rear wheel
Engine Weight	62 kg (137 lb)
Total Weight	87–88 kg (192–194 lb)
Frame	Iron serpentine frame (Michaux boneshaker)
Wheels	Wooden spoked with iron tires
Brakes	None (base model had spoon brake, removed)
Steering	Handlebars (direct)
Controls	Steam pressure gauge (above front wheel); hand control (steam regulation)
Seat	High-mounted saddle above engine

📐 1884 Perreaux Steam Tricycle — Later Development Specs

Layout	Tricycle — two rear wheels, belt-driven front wheel
Steam Pressure	3½ atm (250 kPa)
Boiler Capacity	3 US qt (2.8 L)
Top Speed	15–18 mph (24–29 km/h)
Operating Time	2–3 hours
Range	30–54 miles (48–87 km)
Exhibition	1884 Industrial Exhibition, Champs-Élysées, Paris

🖼️ Gallery: The Michaux-Perreaux Steam Vélocipède

The Only Surviving Original — Multiple Views

Image 6: "Perreaux, 1ère moto de l'Histoire" (View 1) — "The First Motorcycle in History." Side view showing the Perreaux steam engine mounted centrally, twin leather belt drives, and wooden spoked wheels. 3872×2592 px.
📷 Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

Image 7: Perreaux Steam Vélocipède (View 2) — Shows handlebars, steam pressure gauge above front wheel, and engine mounting detail. 3872×2592 px.
📷 Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

Image 8: Perreaux — Portrait View. Front angle showing boiler, iron frame construction, and belt drive system. 2592×3872 px.
📷 Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

Image 5: At "The Art of the Motorcycle" — Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York (1998). The first machine visitors saw upon entering the rotunda. On loan from Musée de l'Île-de-France, Sceaux. 3344×1976 px.
📷 Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

📍 Home Museum: Musée de l'Île-de-France, Sceaux

📍 Musée de l'Île-de-France, Château de Sceaux, Sceaux, Hauts-de-Seine, France — Permanent home of the only surviving Michaux-Perreaux steam vélocipède.

🤔 The "First Motorcycle" Debate

"History follows things that succeed, not things that fail."— Kevin Cameron, Technical Editor, Cycle World

Three machines compete for the title of "world's first motorcycle":

🏆 Three Contenders for "First Motorcycle"

Michaux-Perreaux	France, c. 1867–1869 — Steam — Patent: 26 Dec 1869
Roper Steam Velocipede	USA, c. 1867–1869 — Steam — No patent filed
Daimler Reitwagen	Germany, 1885 — Gasoline ICE — Patent: DE 36423

Arguments for the Michaux-Perreaux

• Earliest patent: Perreaux patented his design on 26 December 1869, giving it verifiable documentation that the Roper lacks
• Hugo Wilson (Classic Bike): "Because the Perreaux-Michaux has patents to verify its date, it has a stronger claim on being first than the Roper"
• If the definition of motorcycle is "a bicycle propelled by a heat engine" (L.J.K. Setright), both steam machines qualify
• Predates the Daimler Reitwagen by 16–18 years

Arguments Against

• Kevin Cameron (Cycle World) rejects steam cycles: "A true motorcycle must use a gasoline internal combustion engine"
• The Reitwagen was "the prototype for virtually all successful designs that followed"
• Steam was a "dead end" technology — no production steam motorcycles followed
• The Oxford English Dictionary includes an internal combustion engine as a criterion for "motorcycle"

The Resolution

Glynn Kerr (Motorcycle Consumer News) offers a compromise: calling the Reitwagen "the predecessor of all gasoline-driven vehicles on land, sea, or air" — but not a true motorcycle because it used outrigger wheels and could not lean. The Michaux-Perreaux and Roper were true two-wheelers. Regardless of which side one takes, the first production motorcycle — the Hildebrand & Wolfmüller of 1894 — used an internal combustion engine, making that question settled.

📜 Gallery: Michaux Boneshaker & Patent Documents

1870: Michaux Boneshaker

Image 9: Michaux Boneshaker (c. 1870). The type of iron-framed Michaux bicycle used as the base vehicle for the steam vélocipède. Note the wooden wheels with iron tires, serpentine iron frame, and front-wheel pedal cranks. 640×480 px.
📷 Wikimedia Commons · Public Domain

1872: US Patent Documents

Image 10: Page 37 from Digest of United States Automobile Patents from 1789 to July 1, 1899. Contains entry for improved Michaux-Perreaux steam velocipede, March 12, 1872. 4000×2930 px.
📷 Wikimedia Commons · Public Domain

Image 11: Closeup — Michaux-Perreaux Patent Entry. Detail showing the patent description for the improved steam vélocipède. 2792×1908 px.
📷 Wikimedia Commons · Public Domain

1884: Technical Reference

Image 12: Steam Velocipede — Knight's New Mechanical Dictionary (1884). Technical reference page showing steam velocipede diagram with engineering description. An important contemporary source confirming the machine's existence. 1717×1251 px.
📷 Wikimedia Commons · Public Domain

🏛️ Gallery: Museum Specimens Worldwide

Musée des Arts et Métiers, Paris

Image 13: Vélocipède Michaux à corps ondulé (1865) — Musée des Arts et Métiers, Paris. A Michaux velocipede with "wavy body" (serpentine frame) on permanent display. 3456×4608 px.
📷 Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

📍 Musée des Arts et Métiers, 60 Rue Réaumur, 75003 Paris, France

Museo Napoleonico, Rome & Science Museum, London

Image 14: Vélocipède at Museo Napoleonico, Rome. Possibly owned by Napoléon Eugène, son of Napoleon III. 4000×3000 px.
📷 Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

Image 15: Michaux Velocipede — Science Museum, London. From the ObjectWiki collections. 1200×1200 px.
📷 Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

Vélo Michaux 1861

Image 16: Vélo des frères Michaux (1861). An early Michaux brothers bicycle showing the original wooden/iron construction and front-wheel pedal cranks. 1704×2272 px.
📷 Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

📸 Gallery: Vélocipède Michaux Photo Series (7 Views)

Multi-angle photographic series by photographer tetedelacourse, May 2008. A comprehensive documentation of a surviving Michaux velocipede:

Image 17: View 1 — Left profile. 1200×801 px.
📷 Source · CC BY-SA 2.0

Image 18: View 2 — Front detail. 801×1200 px.
📷 Source · CC BY-SA 2.0

Image 19: View 3 — Rear three-quarter. 1200×788 px.
📷 Source · CC BY-SA 2.0

Image 20: View 4 — Right side detail. 1200×801 px.
📷 Source · CC BY-SA 2.0

Image 21: View 6 — Handlebar & fork. 801×1200 px.
📷 Source · CC BY-SA 2.0

Image 22: View 7 — Rear wheel detail. 1200×801 px.
📷 Source · CC BY-SA 2.0

🏷️ Gallery: Badge, Memorial & Reproductions

Image 23: Michaux Badge — Manufacturer's nameplate on a Michaux velocipede. The badge of Michaux et Cie, Paris — the world's first bicycle manufacturer. 3296×2472 px.
📷 Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

Image 24: Pierre Michaux Birthplace Memorial — Plaque at 32 Rue du Roat, Bar-le-Duc, Meuse, France. Birthplace of Pierre Michaux, father of the bicycle. 3456×5184 px.
📷 Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

📍 Bar-le-Duc, Meuse, France — Birthplace of Pierre Michaux (1813–1883), inventor of the Michaudine velocipede.

Reproduction & Exhibition

Image 25: Reproduction of the Perreaux Motor Vélocipède — Sculpture by Mr. NOBILI Frédéric (2016). A modern artistic reproduction of the Michaux-Perreaux steam vélocipède. 4288×3216 px.
📷 Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Image 26: At "The Art of the Motorcycle" — Guggenheim Las Vegas (December 2002). Shows the Michaux-Perreaux alongside early wooden pedal bikes. 1024×768 px.
📷 Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

📅 Timeline: Key Dates (1813–1894)

1813Pierre Michaux born in Bar-le-Duc, Meuse, France.

1816Louis-Guillaume Perreaux born in Almenêches, Orne, France.

1817Karl Drais invents the Laufmaschine (draisine) — the running machine.

c. 1842Ernest Michaux born (some sources say 1849).

1850s–60sPierre Michaux works as a blacksmith making parts for the carriage trade in Paris.

1861–64⭐ Michaudine Velocipede Invented

Pierre and/or Ernest Michaux adapt cranks and pedals to a draisine, creating the Michaudine velocipede — the forerunner of the modern bicycle. Best evidence says early 1864 (Britannica); some sources say 1861 or 1855.

1865Gabert of Lyon designs the stronger diagonal wrought-iron frame. Pierre Lallement emigrates to America.

1866Lallement files the only patent for the pedal bicycle in the United States.

1867Michaux velocipedes exhibited at the Paris World Exhibition. Sales begin.

7 May 1868Michaux et Cie Founded

Partnership formed with the Olivier brothers (69% share). Factory at 19 Rue Jean-Goujon, Paris. The world's first bicycle mass-production company.

c. 1867–69⭐ Michaux-Perreaux Steam Vélocipède Built

Perreaux steam engine attached to a Michaux boneshaker. Ernest Michaux credited with first fitting the engine. One of the world's first motorcycles.

c. 1867–69Roper Steam Velocipede

Sylvester H. Roper builds a competing steam velocipede in Roxbury, Massachusetts, USA. No patent filed.

26 Dec 1869Perreaux Patent Filed

Louis-Guillaume Perreaux patents his steam velocipede in France — the first motorcycle patent in history.

17 Apr 1869Michaux et Cie dissolved after dispute with Oliviers. Oliviers form Compagnie Parisienne des Vélocipèdes.

14 Jun 1871Perreaux patent addendum: removal of cranks/pedals; arched downtube for engine clearance.

12 Mar 1872US patent for improved Michaux-Perreaux steam velocipede registered.

c. 1882Ernest Michaux dies (age ~40).

10 Jan 1883Pierre Michaux dies in France (age 69).

1884Perreaux exhibits a steam tricycle at the Industrial Exhibition, Champs-Élysées, Paris. 15–18 mph, 30–54 mile range.

29 Aug 1885Daimler Reitwagen Patented

Daimler & Maybach patent the first gasoline-powered motorcycle (DE 36423).

5 Apr 1889Louis-Guillaume Perreaux dies in Paris (age 73).

1894Hildebrand & Wolfmüller — the first production motorcycle — goes on commercial sale (1,489 cc four-stroke).

1998Michaux-Perreaux displayed as opening exhibit at "The Art of the Motorcycle", Guggenheim Museum, New York.

📖 Primary Scientific References

1. Wikipedia — "Michaux-Perreaux steam velocipede." en.wikipedia.org
2. Wikipedia — "Pierre Michaux." en.wikipedia.org
3. Wikipedia — "Roper steam velocipede." en.wikipedia.org
4. Encyclopaedia Britannica — "Ernest Michaux: French inventor." britannica.com
5. Setright, L.J.K. (1979). The Guinness Book of Motorcycling Facts and Feats. Guinness Superlatives. ISBN 0-85112-200-0.
6. Wilson, Hugo — Editor, Classic Bike. Analysis of first motorcycle patent claims.
7. Cameron, Kevin — Technical Editor, Cycle World. "History follows things that succeed, not things that fail."
8. Kerr, Glynn — Design Columnist, Motorcycle Consumer News. Analysis of first motorcycle definitions.
9. Falco, Charles M. — Motorcycling historian. Dating and attribution analysis.
10. Burgess-Wise, David — Motoring historian. Dating, attribution, and Reitwagen critique.
11. Baudry de Saunier, L. — Le Cyclisme théorique et pratique (source of Ernest Michaux portrait).
12. Perreaux Steam Engine Patent (26 December 1869, France). Addendum: 14 June 1871.
13. US Patent Digest — Digest of United States Automobile Patents from 1789 to July 1, 1899, p. 37.
14. Knight, Edward H. (1884). Knight's New Mechanical Dictionary. Steam velocipede entry.
15. Online Bicycle Museum — "1867 Michaux Serpentine Velocipede." onlinebicyclemuseum.co.uk
16. DMG-Lib — "Perreaux, Louis Guillaume (1816–1889)." dmg-lib.org
17. The Vintagent — "The Motorcycle is 200 Years Old Today?" (2018). thevintagent.com
18. QAGOMA — "Perreaux Steam Velocipede / 'The Motorcycle' Virtual Tour" (2021). YouTube
19. Wikimedia Commons — All images: Public Domain or Creative Commons licensed. Category: Michaux-Perreaux

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Was the Michaux-Perreaux steam vélocipède the first motorcycle?

It is one of three machines claimed to be the first motorcycle, alongside the Roper steam velocipede (USA, c. 1867–1869) and the Daimler Reitwagen (Germany, 1885). Its claim depends on the definition — if steam-powered two-wheelers count, it rivals the Roper. If only gasoline ICE qualifies, the Reitwagen takes priority. The Michaux-Perreaux has the strongest patent-backed claim (26 December 1869).

Who built the Michaux-Perreaux steam vélocipède?

Louis-Guillaume Perreaux (1816–1889) designed the steam engine, while the base vehicle was a Michaux boneshaker bicycle. Ernest Michaux, Pierre's son, is credited by historians Setright and Burgess-Wise as having first fitted the engine to the vélocipède.

Where can I see the Michaux-Perreaux today?

The only surviving original is at the Musée de l'Île-de-France, Sceaux, near Paris. It has been loaned to the Guggenheim Museum (New York, 1998) and Guggenheim Las Vegas (2001–2003).

Who invented the Michaudine velocipede?

The Michaudine (pedal bicycle) is attributed to Pierre Michaux (1813–1883) and/or his son Ernest Michaux. Britannica places the invention in Paris in early 1864, though 1855 and 1861 have also been suggested. Pierre Lallement is another competing claimant.

What engine did the Michaux-Perreaux use?

A single-cylinder alcohol-fueled Perreaux steam engine weighing 62 kg (137 lb), with twin flexible leather belt drives to the rear wheel. Total vehicle weight: 87–88 kg (192–194 lb).

What is a Michaudine?

A "Michaudine" is the common name for the pedal-driven velocipede (boneshaker bicycle) mass-produced by Michaux et Cie in Paris from the 1860s — the first commercially mass-produced pedal bicycle in history, with over 400 units built annually by 1863.

📖 Related Articles

• → Vélocipédraisiavaporianna (1818) — The World's First Motorcycle Concept
• → Daimler Reitwagen (1885) — The First Gasoline Motorcycle
• → Roper Steam Velocipede (1867–1869) — The American Competitor
• → Hildebrand & Wolfmüller (1894) — The First Production Motorcycle
• → Complete Motorcycle History Encyclopedia Timeline (1818–2025)

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Sources: Wikipedia — Michaux-Perreaux steam velocipede & Pierre Michaux; Encyclopaedia Britannica — Ernest Michaux; Setright (1979) Guinness Motorcycling; Wilson — Classic Bike; Cameron — Cycle World; Kerr — MCN; QAGOMA (2021); US Patent Digest 1789–1899; Knight's Mechanical Dictionary (1884); Online Bicycle Museum; The Vintagent (2018); DMG-Lib; Wikimedia Commons (PD & CC images).

Trust & Editorial Policy: Written and reviewed by motorcycle historians and mechanical engineers. All facts cross-referenced with museum archives, patent records, and primary sources. All images are Public Domain or Creative Commons licensed from Wikimedia Commons with full attribution. Last reviewed: February 2026. Report an error.