FN was a Belgian

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 company established in 1899 to make arms and ammunition, and from 1901 to 1967 was also a motorcycle manufacturer. FN manufactured the world's first four-cylinder motorcycle, was famous for the use of shaft drive in all models from 1903 to 1923, achieved success in sprint and long distance motorcycle racing, and after 1945, also in motocross.
In 1899 FN made shaft- and chain-driven bicycles, and in 1900 experimented with a clip-on engine.
In December 1901 the first 133 cc single-cylinder motorcycle was built, followed in 1903 by a shaft-driven 188 cc single-cylinder motorcycle.
In 1904 a 300 cc single-cylinder motorcycle was produced.