I don't know about "next" per se, but WWI certainly kicked things along. Mass-production of Harleys and Triumphs for the war effort went a long way to put them in the hands of the general public. I think it was the Triumph Model H that was considered the real first motorcycle...no pedals, 4 stroke motor, multiple-gear gearbox and belt drive. 

I have completely left out what people did with early-and later-bikes. Racing, endurance etc.

Hydraulically damped telescopic forks. 1935. BMW.

I might have to work backwards a bit, but off the top of my head some significant events:

In sportbike parlance the 1992 Honda CBR900RR was an earth shaker.  Very light, very powerful, and actually good handling in the open class.

The 1991 return of the Triumph marquee, under John Bloor.

Introduction of fuel injection as standard on BMWs K series in 1983.  I believe there was a Suzuki, or a Kawasaki that went FI about the same time.   But BMW really jumped into it full bore with the new "flying brick" motor.  All the models, both 1000cc(4cyl) and 750cc(3cyl), came with FI motors.

ABS on BMWs in 1988.  A first for motorcycles.  Crude, but a step forward in tech.

The late 70's to early 80's corporate wars between Honda and Yamaha.  Huge numbers of motorcycles, and many of them new models, flooded out onto the market.  It was rampant competition that left warehouses of unsold bikes all over the world.  It was the last time one of the other Japanese brands really challenged Honda as top dog.

The Japanese "invasion" in the late 50's, early 60's.  Small, but reliable, bikes for very reasonable prices.  And as a subset of this event, the Honda CB750.  A true game changer in the big bike world!  Followed later by the Kawasaki Z1.

Ernst Degner defecting in 1961, and taking MZ/Walter Kaaden's two stroke magic with him to Suzuki.  Soon after, all the Japanese brands were copying the tech, which Kaaden had worked out behind the Iron Curtain.  True power motorcycles were soon to follow, and by the late 60's into the 70's were making frighteningly high HP numbers, on overtaxed frames, suspension, and brake systems of the time.  Example: the Kawasaki MACH # series of bikes.

I don't recall who did it first, but fully enclosing the valve train in the late 1920's-1930's.  Before that, valve springs were often exposed, and lubricated by an oil mist.  What was know as constant loss oiling.  Very messy!


Significant in a bad way, especially in America, was Henry Ford introducing the Model T.  Before that, motorcycles, and motorcycle sidecars, were often considered acceptable, and cheap, transportation.  The Model T, and it's price, helped replace the motorcycle with cars as cheap transport.

It's simply known as "The Pass"

Schwantz stuffs Rainey at the 1991 German GP

http://youtu.be/idzHUe8QdWw

No love for Freidl Münch? 

I have a signed t-shirt I got about 20 years ago. 

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I might have to work backwards a bit, but off the top of my head some significant events:

In sportbike parlance the 1992 Honda CBR900RR was an earth shaker.  Very light, very powerful, and actually good handling in the open class.

The 1991 return of the Triumph marquee, under John Bloor.

Introduction of fuel injection as standard on BMWs K series in 1983.  I believe there was a Suzuki, or a Kawasaki that went FI about the same time.   But BMW really jumped into it full bore with the new "flying brick" motor.  All the models, both 1000cc(4cyl) and 750cc(3cyl), came with FI motors.

ABS on BMWs in 1988.  A first for motorcycles.  Crude, but a step forward in tech.

The late 70's to early 80's corporate wars between Honda and Yamaha.  Huge numbers of motorcycles, and many of them new models, flooded out onto the market.  It was rampant competition that left warehouses of unsold bikes all over the world.  It was the last time one of the other Japanese brands really challenged Honda as top dog.

The Japanese "invasion" in the late 50's, early 60's.  Small, but reliable, bikes for very reasonable prices.  And as a subset of this event, the Honda CB750.  A true game changer in the big bike world!  Followed later by the Kawasaki Z1.

Ernst Degner defecting in 1961, and taking MZ/Walter Kaaden's two stroke magic with him to Suzuki.  Soon after, all the Japanese brands were copying the tech, which Kaaden had worked out behind the Iron Curtain.  True power motorcycles were soon to follow, and by the late 60's into the 70's were making frighteningly high HP numbers, on overtaxed frames, suspension, and brake systems of the time.  Example: the Kawasaki MACH # series of bikes.

I don't recall who did it first, but fully enclosing the valve train in the late 1920's-1930's.  Before that, valve springs were often exposed, and lubricated by an oil mist.  What was know as constant loss oiling.  Very messy!


Significant in a bad way, especially in America, was Henry Ford introducing the Model T.  Before that, motorcycles, and motorcycle sidecars, were often considered acceptable, and cheap, transportation.  The Model T, and it's price, helped replace the motorcycle with cars as cheap transport.

This one hits home on many levels. 

Giving legions of hooligans their up-on-one-wheel start, the Yamaha RD 350..

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