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27-723: Roy C. Marks, formerly of Toledo, Ohio, created the first moto bicycle in the United States in 1896 in San Francisco. In 1901 the California Motor Company was created for the purpose of manufacturing the Marks design of motorcycle. Founder were Lewis Bill - President, J. W. Leavitt - Vice President, and J.F. Bill - Secretary and Treasurer. Two patents were issued to Marks. On 30 September 1902, patent 710,329 Explosive Engine for Motor-Vehicles (which had been filed on September 7, 1901)

54-481: A pantograph mechanism and is a fixed-focus camera. When closed, the camera measures (H×W×D) 12×6.3×2.7 cm (4.7×2.5×1.1 in); open, depth expands to 9.6 cm (3.8 in). The camera weighed approximately 300 g (11 oz). The image captured on the film measures 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 × 1 + 5 ⁄ 8  in (6.4×4.1 cm). It succeeded the No. 0 Folding Pocket Kodak (1902–06), which captures images of

81-476: A vest pocket, as the name suggests. The basic design of the Vest Pocket Kodak has a lens on a flat platform which extends manually from the body, sealed by a light-tight bellows . Several different lenses were offered, with cameras fitted with upgraded lenses named "Vest Pocket Kodak Special", and numerous cosmetic variations exist. The original version used a rectangular front lens standard extending on

108-480: A Duck Brake Company front roller brake , and a 1902-patent Atherton rear coaster brake . A leather belt-drive with a spring-loaded idler pulley directly connected the engine output shaft to the rear wheel. Using a standard steel bicycle frame, the California weighed approximately 70–80 pounds (32–36 kg) without rider, and was capable of approximately 25 mph (40 km/h) using the 30- octane gasoline of

135-446: A V. P. K." In 1914, Kodak introduced Autographic film after acquiring the rights to the invention from Henry Jacques Gaisman ; this film included thin carbon paper sheets which allowed the photographer to jot short notes directly on the film using a metal stylus. Autographic versions of the VPK were released in 1915 and soon became the default version; they were sold until 1926. The VPK

162-710: A diary of his journey for later publication in The Motorcycle magazine, a periodical of the time. The first part of his trip took him across the Sierra Nevada, through the Nevada desert into Wyoming , then on through Nebraska to Illinois . As the dirt trails and wagon tracks of the day were often impassable, Wyman rode the railroad tracks for over half of his journey. During the first part of his trip, he frequently slept in railroad company housing or at rooming houses located in division settlements (small municipalities founded by

189-534: A long trip, Wyman carried a remarkably small amount of gear. A set of warm clothing, money, water bottle, cans for spare oil and gasoline, a Vest Pocket Kodak camera, a cyclometer , various bicycle tools and spare parts, and a long-barreled .38 Smith & Wesson revolver constituted his total luggage. Wyman departed from Lotta's Fountain at the corner of Market and Kearny streets in San Francisco at 2:30 P.M on May 16, 1903. He had previously agreed to keep

216-641: The Boy Scouts , Boy Scouts of America , Camp Fire Girls , Girl Guides , and Girl Scouts of the USA ; the Model B also was the basis for the Kodak Petite (1929–33), Vest Pocket Hawk-Eye, and Rainbow Hawk-Eye. The VPK Series III was introduced one year after the Model B and also discontinued in 1934. VPK Series III cameras may be distinguished by the prominent "KODAK" branding on the lens support stand. Colored versions of

243-409: The 1890s. He became a leading bicycle racer and, at the turn of the century, moved to Australia to pursue his racing career. Following Australians Arthur Richardson , Alex White, and Donald Mackay , Wyman became the first American to circumnavigate the continent of Australia on a bicycle. In 1902, he returned to California as a top-ranked cyclist, and raced for various Bay Area bicycling clubs . It

270-679: The California Motor Company being purchased by Consolidated Manufacturing. Its machinery was disassembled and moved to Toledo, Ohio. It was there that Consolidated manufactured the Yale Motorcycle. The California was one of the first motorcycles to be imported into Japan Along with the Hildebrand & Wolfmüller , Thomas Auto-Bi and Mitchell it was influential in establishing the Japanese Motor Industry. George A. Wyman George Adams Wyman (July 3, 1877 – November 15, 1959)

297-618: The Duck Roller Brake in promotional advertisements and worked as a chauffeur before becoming an automobile mechanic. He eventually married and had two sons. Wyman later moved to Eureka, California , continuing to work as an auto mechanic. He died November 15, 1959, at age 82 in San Joaquin County, California . He was cremated and his remains rest with that of his wife Nellie G. Wyman in Mountain View Cemetery, Oakland, CA, in

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324-526: The Kings County Wheelmens' Club in Brooklyn ; it was reported at the time that his hands were still in bandages from the trip. Wyman later returned to San Francisco by train. His California motorbike was put on display in San Francisco at Golden Gate Park for a special exhibition commemorating the trip. Following his successful crossing of the United States, Wyman settled in San Francisco. He endorsed

351-656: The North American continent aboard a motor vehicle. His journey took a total of 51 days to cover some 3,800 miles (6,100 km). Afterwards, Wyman's motorbike was placed on display at the New York Motorcycle Club while Wyman recovered from his grueling journey. While in New York, Wyman was present for the inauguration of the very first nationwide motorcycle organization, the Federation of American Motorcyclists (FAM) at

378-530: The Series III were sold as the Vanity Kodak. A VPK was carried during the 1924 British Mount Everest expedition and may offer proof that climbers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine reached the summit, but it has never been found. The entry-level models of the VPK commonly were fitted with the achromat lens, a cemented doublet meniscus lens which may be modified for soft focus photography by removing

405-425: The basic design switched to a folding-bed camera. Cosmetically, the front lens standard is circular; focus adjustment is possible with a focusing rail built into the drop-down bed. Instead of removing a side plate and sliding the film into the body, the Model B bellows and front standard are removed from the rest of the camera to load the film. The Model B was sold in several special versions with different colors for

432-424: The day, with a range of 75 to 100 miles (121 to 161 km). Throttle control was not yet perfected, and engine revolutions were mainly controlled by means of a spark timing mechanism. The wick-type carburetor was crude, consisting of a metal box with internal baffles stuffed with cotton batting. With no float chamber, the rider had to open the gasoline tap periodically to admit fuel into the carburetor. For such

459-525: The dish-shaped lens hood , taking advantage of its uncorrected spherical aberration at wide apertures; in Japan, this lens is nicknamed Vestan ( ベス単 ) . Initially, this modification was performed to improve lens speed, but the notable soft focus effect was appreciated and the lens enjoyed another wave of popularity in the 1970s as several photographers published works using it, including Shōji Ueda . Interchangeable soft focus lenses for modern cameras inspired by

486-420: The idea of riding a motorbike across the United States. Wyman used his 1902 California machine for his crossing of the United States. The California had a 200 cc (12 cu in), 1.5 hp (1.1 kW) four-stroke engine attached to an ordinary diamond-frame bicycle. Wyman's machine was equipped with 28 x 1.5 in. tires, wooden rims, a leading-link front suspension fork, a Garford spring saddle,

513-702: The main mausoleum, Section 157, Niche 1, Tier 2. Vest Pocket Kodak The Vest Pocket Kodak (VPK), also known as the Soldier's Kodak , is a line of compact folding cameras introduced by Eastman Kodak in April 1912 and produced until 1934, when it was succeeded by the Kodak Bantam . Because the VPK uses 127 film , it is more compact than contemporary folding cameras using 120 film and larger sheet film formats offered by Kodak; measuring approximately 12×6.3×2.7 cm (4.7×2.5×1.1 in) when stowed, it could be carried in

540-515: The most closed and #1 being the most open: Contemporary advertisements focused on the cameras' compact dimensions, noting "the [VPK] may always be carried where a larger camera would sometimes be an inconvenience ... You don't know it's there till you want it and think of the picture possibilities you have missed because you didn't have a camera with you." and "If [picture opportunities] happen when you have your large Kodak with you, well and good, but they can never catch you off your guard if you carry

567-411: The railroad). His motorbike suffered several breakdowns along the way, requiring him to make improvised repairs until he could get to a larger town to obtain new parts. As he neared Aurora, Illinois , his engine's crankshaft snapped, and after pedaling his way to Chicago , Wyman was forced to wait there five days for a new crank to arrive by railway express . After leaving Illinois, Wyman traversed

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594-423: The same size on 121 film ; the No. 0 is bulkier with a wooden body compared to the metal-bodied VPK. The camera offered shutter speeds of 1 ⁄ 25 , 1 ⁄ 50  sec and "T"imer and "B"ulb settings, using Kodak's ball bearing shutter. Instead of conventional aperture f-stop settings, numbered values were given instead to control depth of field for the fixed-focus meniscus lens, with #4 being

621-475: The states of Indiana , Ohio , and Pennsylvania before entering New York state. Outside of Albany his engine lost all power, and he was required to pedal his heavy motorbike the remaining 150 miles (240 km) to New York City using a cycle path reserved for licensed cyclists. On July 6, 1903, Wyman arrived in New York City, completing his transcontinental crossing and becoming the first person to cross

648-438: Was billed as "The Soldier's Kodak" and contemporary Kodak marketing materials recommended highlighting its rugged features and direct marketing to deploying soldiers. Approximately two million VPK and VPK Autographic cameras were sold before the original line was discontinued in 1926, making it the most popular camera of its time. The VPK Model B was introduced in 1925 and sold until 1934, bringing several notable updates, as

675-534: Was during this time that he also began to ride motorized bicycles. In the summer of 1902, perhaps inspired by the epic 1884 bicycle expedition of Thomas Stevens , Wyman became the first person to cross the Sierra Nevada aboard a motor vehicle, riding his 1.5-hp California motorbike from San Francisco to Reno, Nevada , to compete in a club bicycle race at the Reno Fairgrounds. During the trip, Wyman conceived

702-524: Was granted, and patent 710,330 Carbureter for Explosive-Engines (January 2, 1902). The 1896 Marks which had an engine copied from the De Dion-Bouton design, was the first motorcycle manufactured in the USA. In May 1903 George Wyman left San Francisco on a California Moto Bicycle bound for New York City. After 50 days, hands in bandages after having pedaled the last 150 miles Wyman arrived in New York City. The fame associated with this event resulted in

729-527: Was the first person to make a transcontinental crossing of the United States by motor vehicle . In 1903, Wyman rode his 1902 California Motor Company motor bicycle from San Francisco to New York City in 51 days, finishing 20 days before Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson , the first person to cross the continent by automobile. Wyman was born on July 3, 1877, in Oakland, California . As a teen, he became interested in bicycle racing , which reached its zenith during

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