>At the classic motorcycle exhibit at the Guggenheim - Las Vegas, I was
>surprised to see early motorcycles by Bianchi and Schwinn. Are there any
>other bicycle makers who also made motorcycles?
>
>Ray Salomon
Aside from all those already mentioned, Motobecane of France made millions of mopeds, and they also made a 50cc F3 Gran Prix race bike in the late '60s.
Interestingly, the 250cc and 350cc race bikes made by Bianchi in the '20s and '30s were painted Celeste (with the ubiquitous gold and black eagle on the tank and the Bianchi logo in red).
In the late '60s to early '70s, Protar of Italy made a 1:8 scale model of the 350cc Bianchi motorcycle as well as a 1:8 scale model of Fausto Coppi's Bianchi bicycle. They would make a nice set, but they are extremely hard to find.
At the turn of the century until the Depression, there were over 100 manufacturers of motorcycles in the U.S. alone, and most of them made bicycles as well. Early motorcycles were essentially heavy diamond-framed bicycles with a motor attached to the seat tube running a secondary leather belt drive to the rear wheel. They also had regular cranksets/pedals to aid in starting the engine, to help the underpowered engines on uphill runs, and to pedal home when when you ran out of gas (and there wasn't a pharmacy around, which is where you bought gas in the really old days).
Don't get me started on motorcycles, though... Dale will get mad at me.
Herb Langston Evanston, IL 1977 Motobecane 1979 Benotto 1956 BMW (and now BMW has designed and badged a high-zoot mountain bike, though I don't know who really manufactures it... maybe Bianchi!)