Louis-Guillaume Perreaux (19 February 1816 – 5 April 1889[1]) was a French inventor and engineer who submitted one of the first patents for a working motorcycle in 1869.

[2] Perreaux moved to Paris, where he began working on and patenting a range of inventions including a multi-chambered gun, a lock mechanism in 1841, a circular power saw in 1843[3] and scientific instruments such as the Perreaux Dividing Machine, invented in 1846, which could precisely calibrate the divisions on a glass thermometer using a screw driven micrometer with a chisel attachment or accurately measure the distance between two points to within a micron (one thousandth of a millimeter).

[4] Perreaux experimented with a small steam engine in a bicycle frame, contributing to the invention of the first motorcycle.

[6] The design featured a brass-plated single-cylinder steam engine with an alcohol fuel burner under the saddle[3] of a French-made Michaux velocipede bicycle.

As well as being much more rigid than conventional tents, Perreaux's design claimed to be simpler, lighter and therefore transportable for military use.