Pope Manufacturing Company was one of the earliest motorcycle makers in America, founded in 1876 in Boston, Massachusetts,
by Albert Augustus Pope. They made a variety of things, from bicycles and automobiles to guns, but it wasn't until 1902 that the production
of motorcycles began. It was his son, Albert Linder Pope, who elevated their motorcycles to one of the most technologically advanced
of the 1910s. Under his guidance, overhead valves and full front and rear suspension were developed well ahead of most manufacturers. They
were manufactured in Westfield, Massachusetts, not far from where Indian Motorcycles got their start in Springfield,
until 1918 after manufacturing turned to the efforts of World War I. The Columbia brand of bicycles started by Pope has survived despite
many changes to company and ownership, carrying the torch for the fire that once lit the development of the early motorcycle. They are
now considered one of the most collectible of American motorcycles as such an important part of history.
The Pope Twin was the fastest production motorcycle in the world at the time and the most sought-after early American
motorcycle of that era. The 1917 and 1918 T models were Pope's best and most powerful. This is the last of Pope's overhead twins and
the model presented here is in its completely unrestored original condition.
From Mecum:
“The Pope Manufacturing Co. was founded by Albert Augustus Pope in 1876 in Boston, to build bicycles - at
that date, high-wheelers. Pope incorporated in Connecticut in 1877, with his father Charles and cousin Edward as
founders. The Pope factory is closely associated with the town of Hartford, where the large brick Pope manufactory still
stands. Bicycle manufacturer began in 1878 but the Pope name wasn’t attached to the bicycles, which were sold
primarily as the Columbia brand (which still exists). To build his ‘Columbia High-Wheeler’ bicycle, Pope
purchased Pierre Lallemont’s Original patent for the bicycle. His canny business strategy of purchasing
bicycle patents meant Pope collected royalties on the booming two-wheel market of the late 1800s, reaping huge profits.
It also meant Pope bicycles owned cutting-edge technology, which made them the largest bicycle manufacturer until 1896,
producing around 250,000 bicycles per year.
The Pope Manufacturing Co. began selling motorcycles in 1902 under a sub-company, the American Cycle
Manufacturing Co. which were badged as Columbia, Cleveland, Imperial, American, Crescent, Monarch, and Tribune -
all of which were basically identical, and used 193 cu-in. (316cc) F-head motor with automatic inlet valve, and
all-chain drive via a small primary chain. The machine weighed 130 pounds dry and would go 1,000 miles on full battery
charge with a top speed of around 35 MPH.
Pope ceased manufacture of its various motorcycles in 1906, and Albert Augustus Pope died in 1909. Two years
after his death, in 1911, the Pope factory made a completely new motorcycle under the ‘Pope’ name. Its
first design was an F-head single of 30.45 cu-in (499cc), using a Breeze carburetor, with direct belt drive and a
leaf-spring fork, the Model H. This 1912 Model H2, serial #2540, is a very rare early example of the single-cylinder Pope and
is in astoundingly complete and original condition, with period accessories like a Klaxon horn, a carrier, and even
an original tool pouch!”
