Of course, there had also been a number of minor mechanical revolutions. Layered together, they had created the heights the Austrian Navy now found impossible to reach.
For a genius like Josef Ressel, mounting an internal-combustion engine onto a bicycle was no problem—but he soon discovered a problem.
The thing was too big, and it easily scorched one's backside.
No matter how Josef Ressel and his team thought about it, they all felt that scorching Archduke Franz Karl's noble backside would be a very terrifying matter.
Moreover, early internal-combustion engines were far too large and heavy. Mounting one on a two-wheeled bicycle was not only inconvenient, but extremely dangerous.
More than that, due to the backward state of materials science, even parking a two-wheeled motorcycle was a problem.
Even using compact internal-combustion engines designed for aircraft still presented safety hazards, and their cost was so high that they had no potential to become commercial products.
But three-wheeled motorcycles could perfectly solve these problems. They could add heat insulation around the internal-combustion engine, or simply mount it off to one side.
Furthermore, Josef Ressel and his team believed that three-wheeled motorcycles did not require someone to steady them while mounting, making them rather elegant, whereas two-wheeled motorcycles were much more troublesome.
Three-wheeled motorcycles were also easier to repair. At the very least, if something went wrong, they could be directly towed by horses, unlike two-wheeled motorcycles, which had to be loaded up entirely.
"Your Majesty, this Fire-Spitting Tricycle is simply a gift God has bestowed upon the Austrian Empire.
"It can carry passengers, it can carry goods, and it is perfectly compatible with the Empire's other two great inventions—the backward-riding donkey and the three-bouncer.
"We unanimously believe that it will completely replace carriages and create a brand-new era.
"One important reason