Quote: 13- The German subsidiary of Triumph, TWN, produces the world's first V-Twin in 1906, beating Harley Davidson by four years.
Heh, the Triumph branders seem as eager as Harley branders to play fast and loose with the truth while jockeying for pole position.
The first American v-twin was built and raced by Glenn Curtis in 1903.
"The love of high speeds and mechanical devices led the gifted Glenn H. Curtiss of Hammondsport, New York, to become the first U.S. competitor in international air meets and a pioneer in the development of aircraft in the early 1900s. Curtiss began his high-speed career by racing and building bicycles. His next step was to buy and improve one-cylinder bicycle engines. Then, as motorcycles started being developed, he began building and racing them. By 1902, Curtiss was manufacturing customized motorcycles under the trade name Hercules.
Curtiss entered his first motorcycle race in 1902 and although he did not win, his mechanical talents were recognized, and many motorcycle enthusiasts ordered his rugged, well performing machine. In 1903, Curtiss entered two races in two different cities on Memorial Day and won both. The two-cylinder engine that he used to power his cycles soon began to draw attention from motorcyclists and from early aircraft builders as well.
Curtiss continued improving his engines and competing in races. In 1907 at Ormond Beach, Florida, he reached the record speed of 136 miles per hour (219 kilometers per hour) on his motorcycle powered by a 40-horsepower (30-kilowatt), V-8 engine."
