In 1876, German Otto invented the gasoline engine, which provided a source of power for the development of motorcycles. Daimler has made improvements on its basis.

In 1885, he installed an improved gasoline engine on a two-wheeled vehicle and made the world's first motorcycle powered by a gasoline engine, named "Single Track Number", with a speed of 12km per hour. In the same year, he obtained a patent and obtained the priority of invention.

Daimler used the German word "motora weirad" in his invention. Later, this word was gradually accepted and widely spread in Germany. The meaning of this word is: machine-driven two-wheeled vehicle.

Later, people used to say "motorcycle" as "motorrad" 　　

The British usually call motorcycles motorcycles, while Americans simply call them moto or motorbike. But invariably, the first few letters of motora weirad are widely used. "Motor" is a loanword in Chinese and is the transliteration of motor.