1917 Cleveland

1917 CLEVELAND

A Cycle World Classic

PAUL A. BIGSBY

THOUGH IT WAS MANUFACTURED for only three years, 1916, 1917 and 1918, the Cleveland boasted of fea tures that would not be seen on motorcycles for years to come. For one it had the first unit engine/gearbox; also the spring frontfork was an innovation unusual for its day. One of the most unique features of the original Cleveland in its most popular year, 1916, was the fact that it had no starter. Instead a compression release valve was used and starting was by pushing, usually strad dling the bike. In 1917 the kick starting lever was added, as seen on the left-hand side of the beautifully restored Cleveland on these pages.

A two-speed gear change with a rocker pedal on the right-hand side was featured with a brake pedal on the left. This was many, many years before any English motorcycle was imported into the United States with a similar arrangement. It created a great deal of comment at the time.

No clutch was used so when it was necessary to stop, the rider either kicked the gear shift lever into neutral and coasted to a stop, or lifted the compression release. The model shown here is equipped with a hand gear change lever and a solar carbide lamp, first seen in 1917.

The carburetor on the single cylinder engine is an Amal type with two controls, one for the throttle and the other for air. This, of course, became familiar in later years but was also an innovation at the time as most American cycles had twistgrip throttles.

Another interesting feature was the shaft driven magneto, mounted upside down at the back of the engine. The bullet-nosed tank under the gasoline tank is a tool box.

The unusual, for its day, single cylinder, two-stroke engine had a bore of IVi inches and a stroke of 3 inches, with a total displacement of 242 cubic centimeters. It was designed for economy rather than speed and delivered approximately 116 miles per gallon of oil/gas mixture and would make about 45 miles per hour. So popular was the Cleveland that many filling stations maintained special pumps delivering a specially blended mix.

The bike shown here is a part of the vast collection'of automobiles and motorcycles at the William Harrah Museum in Reno, Nevada, all of which are immaculately restored to their original condition in every detail. •