for once, Guzzi wasn't first

First rear suspension on production bikes, yes.

First fairings in GP racing, yes.

but not the first V8 motorcycle it seems.

Although I dunno this

http://www.canadiandriver.com/2007/03/30/motoring-memories-scripps-booth-bi-autogo-1913.htm

is quite what I think of when thinking "motorcycle".

(And as The Classic Motorcycle would say, it's a NAIT, Not Appearing
In Tragatsch.)

"With a bore and stroke of 82.5 by 127 mm (3.25 by 5.0 in.),
Scripps-Booth's engine displaced 5.4 litres (332 cu in.) and produced
45 horsepower. Said to be the first V8 built in Detroit, it was a
huge powerplant for what was essentially a motorcycle.

This was just before the appearance of the first electric starter on
the 1912 Cadillac, so the big Scripps-Booth V8 was started by
compressed air contained in two tanks pressurized by an engine-mounted
compressor. If this failed, a crank on the side of the engine turned
the crankshaft through a bevel gear."

Bet that was a bastard when it kicked back....

And for those who reckon Goldwings are trucks "The Scripps-Booth
two-wheeler weighed an estimated 1450 kg (3200 lb), and this was
carried on large 37 by 5-1/2 inch wheels. "

Wooden wheels by the way, saves on Autosol I guess.

Zebee

 

This motorcycle has been called one of the 50 worst vehicles built

 

forgot to add the comment:
A 3,200-lb. motorcycle with training wheels, a V8 engine and enough copper
tubing to provide every hillbilly in the Ozarks with a still, the
Scripps-Booth Bi-Autogo was the daft experiment of James Scripps-Booth, an
heir of the Scripps publishing fortune and a self-taught - or untaught -
auto engineer. The Bi-Autogo was essentially a two-wheeled vehicle, carrying
its considerable heft on 37-in. wooden wheels. At slow speeds, the driver
could lower small wheels on outriggers to stabilize the vehicle so it
wouldn't plop over. This is not a case of the advantage of hindsight; this
was obviously a crazy idea, even in 1913. The Bi-Autogo does enjoy the
historical distinction of being the first V8-powered vehicle ever built in
Detroit, so you could argue it is the beginning of an even greater folly.

 

First motorcycle oil leak would likely be Triumph.