Industry | Motor vehicle |
---|---|
Founded | 1915 |
Defunct | 1929 |
Headquarters |
Cleveland, Ohio , USA |
Products | Motorcycles |
The Cleveland Motorcycle Manufacturing Company, sometimes called Cleveland Motorcycle, was a motorcycle manufacturer in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1902 to 1905 and again from 1915 to 1929. [1] [2]
The first Cleveland of 1915 had a 221 cc (13.5 cu in) [3] displacement two-stroke single-cylinder engine with a longitudinal crankshaft orientation, necessitating a worm drive to turn the axis of rotation of the drive to the transmission by 90°. [1] The transmission was a two speed with a sprocket turning a chain final drive. Besides driving the transmission, the engine's countershaft extended back to drive a magneto that hung in front of the rear wheel. [1] In 1920, the motorcycle's weight increased from the addition of fenders, a larger fuel/oil tank, and in 1921 the seat was enlarged, along with a still larger fuel/oil tank, and a battery was added. The displacement was increased to 269 cc (16.4 cu in) to handle the increased weight of 195 lb (88 kg) from these changes. [1] [3] During World War I, US forces used the Cleveland as a base courier. [4]
In 1924, two years after buying out Reading-Standard, Cleveland replaced their two-stroke engine with a 21.5 cubic inches (352 cc) four-stroke single-cylinder engine. [5] In 1925 they released a motorcycle with a 36.5 cubic inches (598 cc) T-head four-cylinder engine designed by L. E. Fowler. [6] [7] With a smaller engine than rival four-cylinder motorcycles by Henderson and Ace, Cleveland's first four-cylinder motorcycle did not sell well. [5] [6] In 1926, Cleveland replaced the Fowler engine with a new design by E. H. DeLong. [6] [8] The new engine had an inlet-over-exhaust valve configuration [6] [9] and a displacement of forty-five cubic inches. [5] [8] The displacement was increased to sixty-one cubic inches the following year. [5] [6] [8]
By 1928 Cleveland had financial problems. That year, the company offered itself for sale to Harley-Davidson. Harley-Davidson considered the offer, as Cleveland's new four-cylinder motorcycles offered a ready-made competitor to Indian's Ace-based fours, but rejected it in favor of developing their own four. [10]
In 1929 Cleveland announced their Tornado model, with a lowered frame and seat height, lightweight pistons, larger valves, and a higher compression ratio. [6] [8] [9] A Century model, with a guaranteed top speed of one hundred miles per hour, was announced. [6] [8]
A few months after the Wall Street Crash of 1929, after building only a few prototypes of the Century, Cleveland went out of business. [8]
In 1926, Cleveland took a step toward that goal with the Model 4-45 (four cylinders, 45 cubic inches), designed by E. H. DeLong.
Cleveland was in financial trouble, and had offered to sell out to the Milwaukee firm.