louis-Guillaume Perreaux was an inventor. Born on February 19, 1816 in Almenêches, Orne, he had the idea of fitting a steam engine to a bicycle frame. On December 26, 1868, he filed patent number 83691 for "a high-speed velocipede". With the idea gaining ground, he decided to add a steam engine to his machine (the supplement to the original patent is dated June 15, 1871). Thus, the world's first motorcycle was born.
in June 2016, a statue celebrating the 200th anniversary of the inventor's birth was unveiled in his native village. Participatory financing raised the funds to create the sculpture. Motoplanete was present at the event