{{Infobox Motorcycle |name = |image = 1900 Thomas (1) - The Art of the Motorcycle - Memphis.jpg |caption = 1900 Thomas Auto-Bi |aka = |manufacturer = Thomas Motor Company |parent_company = |production = 1900–1912 |assembly = |predecessor = |successor = |class = Motorized bicycle |engine = Air-cooled, four-stroke cycle, 200 cc gasoline De Dion-Bouton |bore_stroke = |compression = |top_speed = |power = {{convert|2.25|hp|kW|abbr=on}} |torque = |ignition = |transmission = |frame = |suspension = |brakes = |tires = |rake_trail = |wheelbase = |length = |width = |height = |seat_height = |dry_weight = {{convert|115|lb|kg}} |fuel_capacity = |oil_capacity = |fuel_consumption = |turning_radius = |related = |sp = }} right|thumb|Auto-Bi Model 3 (1902) right|thumb|Auto-Bi Model 4 (1902) right|thumb|Auto-Bi Engine Model 21 (1902) right|thumb|Auto-Tri (1902) right|thumb|Auto-Quad. Auto-Two Tri (1902) The '''Auto-Bi''' was an early motorcycle made by the Thomas Motor Company in Buffalo, New York. According to many sources, it was the first motorcycle widely available for sale in the United States.<ref name=ferrar>{{cite book|last=Ferrar|first=Ann|publisher=Crown Trade Paperbacks|location=New York|year=1996|title=Hear Me Roar: Women, Motorcycles, and the Rapture of the Road|isbn=0-517-88172-1|quote=Though the motorcycle had been invented in Germany in 1885, it wasn't until 1901 that E.R. Thomas sold the first ones in the United States, followed soon after by Indian, Harley-Davidson, Henderson, Excelsior, and many others.|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/hearmeroarwomenm0000ferr}}</ref><ref name=rafferty>{{cite book|last=Rafferty|first=Tod|title=The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Motorcycles|location=Philadelphia, PA|publisher=Courage Books|year=1999|page=16|isbn=0760313989}}</ref>
==Production history== Thomas had been manufacturing a De Dion-Bouton tricycle since 1898. An early model of the Auto-Bi was created in 1900, and public availability began in 1901.<ref name=ferrar/><ref name=rafferty/> On September 17, 1901, a Thomas Auto-Bi was mentioned in a Japanese newspaper article and went on sale 11 days later, advertised in the same newspaper.<ref name="Thomas">{{cite web|author=Kikuo Iwatate |date=July 7, 1995|url=http://www.st.rim.or.jp/~iwat/meiji-7/meiji-7.html|title=Thomas Auto-Bi in Japan 1901 Text and Photographs|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090502005124/http://www.st.rim.or.jp/~iwat/meiji-7/meiji-7.html|archivedate=May 2, 2009|language=Japanese}}</ref>
By 1903, the company was the largest manufacturer of single-cylinder, air-cooled engines.<ref name="Rafferty, p. 16">Rafferty, p. 16</ref> The 1904 ''Auto-Bi'' had a 2.5-horsepower four-stroke 442 cc single-cylinder engine, a belt-driven transmission, and could reach speeds of 35 mph (59 km/h). The Thomas ''Auto-Bi'' was later joined by the ''Auto-Tri'', a three-wheeled motorcycle, and the ''Auto-Two Tri'', a motorcycle that could hold three riders.
In 1905, Thomas' motorcycle business was spun off as The Thomas Auto-Bi Company of Buffalo.<ref>{{citation|journal=The Bicycling World and Motorcycle Review|date=March 11, 1905|volume=L|number=24|page=1|location=New York|url=https://archive.org/details/bicyclingwo5019041905newy|title=The Bicycling world and motorcycle review|publisher=New York : [Bicycling World Co.]}}</ref> The company credited Clarence Becker for having invented the Auto-Bi.<ref>{{citation|journal=The Bicycling World and Motorcycle Review|date=March 18, 1905|volume=L|number=25|page=2|location=New York|url=https://archive.org/details/bicyclingwo5019041905newy|title=The Bicycling world and motorcycle review|publisher=New York : [Bicycling World Co.]}}</ref> The same year, one of the company directors, William C. Chadeayne, established a new record for a transcontinental crossing of the United States in 48 days.<ref name="Rafferty, p. 16"/><ref>{{citation|title=Chadeayne reaches 'Frisco|journal=The Bicycling World and Motorcycle Review|date=November 4, 1905|volume=LII|number=6|pages=1–3|location=New York|url=https://archive.org/details/bicycli52301905241906newy}}</ref> By 1912, the demand for motorcycles had dropped significantly, and the Thomas Motor company discontinued all production of two-wheeled machines.<ref name="Rafferty, p. 16"/>
==Features and specifications== The Auto-Bi was in all respects a standard bicycle with 28 inch wheels. It used a 200 cc capacity engine which produced 2.25 hp. This was an air-cooled, four-stroke cycle, with automatic intake valve, an engine weight of {{convert|11.3|kg|abbr=on}}, and body weight of {{convert|41|kg|abbr=on}}.
==Historical recognition== The Auto-Bi was shown at the Guggenheim Museum's exhibit, ''The Art of the Motorcycle''.
==See also== *List of motorcycles of 1900 to 1909
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{Commons category inline|Thomas Auto-Bi}}
Category:Motorcycles introduced in the 1900s Category:19th-century motorcycles Category:Motorized bicycles Category:Vehicles introduced in 1900