In 1885, German engineer Gottlieb Daimler created a wooden bicycle, which he later equipped with a gasoline engine, becoming a prototype for modern motorcycles. Russia also kept pace with global trends, and the Werner brothers, Mikhail and Yevgeny, played an important role in this.

They were from the Podolsk province, received technical education, and for some time were involved in printing, although without much success. In the 1890s, the brothers decided to change direction and began repairing various technical equipment. This led them to the idea of modernizing old bicycles.

As an experiment, the Werners installed a small engine on the frame, resulting in the creation of the world's first moped. Mikhail and Yevgeny considered mass production and founded the company 'Werner & Co.' In 1897, they released the first 'motorcycle,' as they called it.

The engine, with a power of 0.75 hp, allowed speeds of up to 35 km/h, which was a significant achievement for that time. The motorcycle weighed only 30 kg but had one drawback: the lack of traction, which meant it had to be started by pushing while pedaling. Nevertheless, at the International Exhibition in Paris in 1900, the invention of the Russian engineers received high praise.

In the first year, the Werners produced more than a dozen mopeds, which were valued for their simplicity and ease of repair. Soon, professional racers took notice of the Werners' mopeds. Throughout the first decade of the 20th century, Russian motorcycles brought victories to athletes more than 20 times. The Werners' design was adopted by foreign companies, and similar motorcycles began to be produced in France and Germany.

Interestingly, the brothers were not the first in motorcycle manufacturing in Russia. As early as 1899, they sold a license for moped production to entrepreneur and inventor Alexander Leitner, who began mass production in Riga. After the October Revolution of 1917, the brothers permanently emigrated to France.