Cleveland Motorcycle Manufacturing Company

Not to be confused with the Cleveland Motorcycle Manufacturing Company, a low-volume custom chopper builder (Since 1986). See Cleveland motorcycle (disambiguation) for other uses.

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]

Cleveland Motorcycle Manufacturing Company

Industry	Motor vehicle
Founded	1915 (1915)
Defunct	1929 (1929)
Headquarters	Cleveland, Ohio , USA
Products	Motorcycles

Two-stroke singles

In 1915 Cleveland introduced 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]

Sales, Advertising and Administration staff at a conference in March 1917.

1920 Cleveland Lightweight A2 de Luxe 221 cc.

1919 cutaway diagram of the longitudinal-crankshaft, two-stroke, single-cylinder engine. The worm drive to the two-speed transmission is above the countershaft, which extends back to drive the magneto.

Four-strokes, four cylinders, and failure

1927 Cleveland Model 4-45 1927.

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]