Early motorcycles which were essentially a bicycle with a motor attached and did not have any braking system beyond slowing the motorcycle down and putting a foot out. One of the first motorcycles to have any sort of braking mechanism was made by Steffey Motorcycles of Philadelphia in 1902. This used a spoon brake operating on the front wheel only. Around 1909 band brakes were introduced, these used a band contracting round the outside of a drum.
