An unusual tricycle built in France in 1875, the Cynosphere was driven by two caged dogs.
The Society for the Protection of Animals thought the idea inappropriate and further
development was abandoned, just as the world's first superbike, driven by great danes,
came off the drawing board. A ladies version driven by poodles actually went into
production but suffered from several flat spots in the power curve. What's this got to do
with motorcycles, well it is clearly where the term "a dog to start," so much
used by Velocette owners, derived from!
Murray Barnard, Perth, Western Australia
© 1996 mbarnard
