1894 ROPER STEAM ENGINE

Sylvester Rope built this steam propelled bicycle at the dawn of the 20th century. He is also said to have used the bike to make the seven-mile trip from his home to the Boston Yacht Club where he would take the burning coals out of the motorcycle’s burner and use them in his steamboat. Upon returning from a voyage, he’d transfer some coal back into the bike and head home again.

According to an account in a June 1896 edition of the Boston Daily Globe, Roper died racing his steam propelled bicycle against a cyclist named Nat Butler at the Charles River track in Boston.

text and pictures from here: http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/category/motorcycles/