{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1842091,
        "msgid": "motorcycle-order-from-east-java-shocks-european-factory-1783266711",
        "date": "2026-07-05 22:00:22",
        "title": "Motorcycle Order from East Java Shocks European Factory",
        "author": "",
        "source": "CNBC",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "History",
        "summary": "An order for a motorcycle from a British factory worker in Probolinggo, East Java, in 1893 surprised the German manufacturer Hildebrand und Wolfm\u00fcller, as it was their first order from outside Europe. The worker, John Charles Matthew Potter, became the first person to own a motorcycle in Indonesia, marking a pivotal moment in the nation's transportation history. Potter later facilitated the import of the first car and helped popularise motorised vehicles, gradually replacing horse-drawn transport across the archipelago.",
        "content": "<p>An order for a motorcycle from East Java once shocked a factory in\nEurope. This was because the order came from a factory worker in\nProbolinggo, East Java, who became the first motorcycle owner in\nIndonesia. The factory worker was named John Charles Matthew Potter.\nPotter was a British citizen who sought his fortune in Indonesia by\nworking as a factory worker in Probolinggo. In Indonesia, he initially\nworked as a machinist for a sugar factory for many years. However, he\ngradually transitioned to becoming a technician who repaired sugar\nfactory machinery. The newspaper de Indische Courant (4 August 1938)\nreported that Potter was known as a diligent and skilled figure because\nhe managed to modernise many sugar factories. From this work, he earned\na considerable amount of money. Potter then used the money to bring a\nmotorcycle from Germany to Indonesia. Potter bought the motorcycle\ndirectly from the factory, Hildebrand und Wolfm\u00fcller, for 1,000 gulden\nor the equivalent of US$500, in 1893. The motorcycle\u2019s specifications\nincluded a 1,500 cc capacity and the ability to reach speeds of up to 45\nkm\/h. Abdul Hakim in Jakarta Tempo Doeloe (2001) stated that Potter\u2019s\nmotorcycle order surprised the Hildebrand und Wolfm\u00fcller factory because\nit was the first time they had received an order from outside Europe.\nMoreover, the delivery location in East Java was completely unknown to\nthe factory. Even so, the factory still sent the motorcycle to Potter.\nWhen it arrived in Indonesia, the motorcycle made history as the first\nmotorised vehicle in the country besides trains. \u2018Mr Potter, technical\nadvisor to the Noll firm, was the first person to introduce motorcycle\nand car technology,\u2019 wrote De Locomotief (12 July 1901). The existence\nof Potter\u2019s motorcycle became a major attraction for people who, for\nhundreds of years, had only seen horse-drawn carriages and trains.\nEspecially after obtaining permission from the government, Potter\nfrequently rode his two-wheeled vehicle on public roads. The presence of\nthe first motorcycle attracted the interest of the richest person in\nJava, Pakubuwana X, to own a similar item. However, history records that\nthe Javanese king did not buy a motorcycle, but rather a car, which\nbecame the first four-wheeled vehicle in Indonesia. The arrival of the\nfirst car in 1894 occurred thanks to Potter\u2019s efforts as an\nintermediary. He is recorded as having helped bring cars and motorcycles\nfrom Europe to Indonesia that were purchased by many wealthy\nindividuals. Thanks to Potter\u2019s efforts, cars and motorcycles gradually\nreplaced animal-powered transportation in Indonesia. The symbol of\nwealth also shifted from horse-drawn carriage ownership to motorcycles\nor cars. It did not take long for the popularity of motorcycles and cars\nto soar. Both proved to be very important modes of transport because\nthey could reach areas not served by railway lines. J. Stroomberg in\nHindia Belanda 1930 (2017) recorded that by 1928 there were already\n40,154 cars and 10,505 motorcycles throughout the archipelago.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/motorcycle-order-from-east-java-shocks-european-factory-1783266711",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}