An unknown privateer stretched out atop a rare Pope Model L, a hardtail OHV racer equipped with the optional Bosch magneto and Schebler carb ca. 1914.
Though certainly not one of the best-known motorcycle manufacturers, Pope was a company on the cutting edge of the industry in its golden age. With roots dug deep into American history, the story of Pope motorcycles began during the Civil War. Albert Augustus Pope was a Brevet Lieutenant Colonel in the Union Army, a veteran of legendary campaigns at Fredericksburg, Vicksburg, and Antietam. Having saved the majority of his earnings while serving, Pope parlayed his modest nested into success in the northeast's business boom of reconstruction. In 1876, Pope took notice of the latest craze to have arrived in America from Great Britain, the bicycle and seized the opportunity to begin manufacturing his own brand of bicycles under the marquee of Columbia. His venture was an exceptional success, making Pope the undisputed king of the American bicycle industry. Pope Manufacturing Company held a monopolistic stake in the cycling industry, helped pioneer mass production techniques, and had also been an early player in American automobile production. Having pioneered American bicycling culture through manufacturing, racing, and lobbying for better roads, Col. Pope passed his company and legacy on to his son, Albert Jr., when he died in 1909. Though much of early American motorcycle culture owes its foothold to cycling magnates like Col. Albert Pope, the legacy of the Pope motorcycle rests with his son.
It was in 1903 that the first motorcycles became available from Pope, early single-cylinder machines similar to Indian's "camelback" design and rebranded through Pope's numerous bicycle marquees at the time. However, little investment was put into developing these early clip-on style motorcycles leaving them quickly outdated and underpowered by the exploding industry; Pope ceased motorcycle production in 1906. Once Albert Jr. took the reins of his father's empire in 1909, he soon directed his attention to redeveloping a motorcycle to compete with the growing marketplace. What was a novelty and utility back in 1903, the motorcycle had established itself as one of the best personal transportation options in America by 1909. Indian, Thor, Flying Merkel, Excelsior, and Harley-Davidson had established a thriving motorcycle industry, and the sport of racing was fast becoming the hottest ticket around. Still, Pope's first model aimed to offer a simple and inexpensive machine with a level of quality and refinement deserving of the company's legacy. Introduced in 1911, the Model H was a 3HP I.O.E. belt-driven single capable of 40 mph. Unlike its predecessors from 4 years prior, the Model H was designed and manufactured in-house and, for the first time, bore the name Pope was elegantly scripted across the tank. The practical and capable little Pope single benefited from the company's production, marketing, and distribution infrastructure, allowing Albert Jr. to double down on his efforts to steadily become one of the country's more competitive brands.
The Model H continued production in 1912, but by the end of that year, Pope had a new model to unveil in their upcoming lineup. The latest Pope motorcycles featured an innovative overhead valve configuration, much like the Perry Mack designs introduced in P.E.M. and Waverly machines the year prior. However, given Pope's early use of O.H.V. engines in their automobiles dating back to 1905, the new Pope O.H.V. engines were of their own design. The 30.50ci and 61ci O.H.V. Pope rolled onto dealership floors for the 1913 season to widespread appeal as they were the only O.H.V. motorcycles offered by a major manufacturer at that point. Indian had just introduced their own O.H.V. machines in May 1911, with a refined and raw Big Base version unveiled shortly after that, but Indian's 8-valve monsters were strictly for track use and not accessible by the public.
The new Pope machines were the complete package, style, and substance and quickly attracted enthusiasts and racers alike. Aside from the powerful and elegant new engines, glimmering in polished nickel, the new lineup came situated in a full-suspension chassis, with from leaf spring fork and rear plunger-style suspension, a novel idea at the time. The single-cylinder Models M and K were offered in either chain or belt drive, and the $250 top-of-line Model L V-twin, dropped the older breeze carburetor in favor of the industry darling Schebler. Indian's 8-Valve machines were mopping up the competition on tracks across the country, so naturally, the OHV Pope provided a wealth of possibilities for aspiring young privateers.
Strip-stock Pope racers began appearing on starting lines from new York to Los Angeles, giving soon-to-be legends like Maldwyn Jones, Shrimp Burns, Dave Kinnie, and Wells Bennett a powerful mount on which to cut their teeth. Still, without a factory program, the best riders would quickly be signed on to ride for those factories that did offer full support. Albert Jr. noticed the trend and developed an interest in the sport enough to build a handful of factory racing machines, supporting talented privateers and dealer racers, and fielding small teams at major races. Perhaps Pope's most significant attempt at landing a punch on the "Big Three" at the track came at the inaugural Dodge City 300 road race on July 4th, 1914. Five riders fielded Pope O.H.V. twins for the big event, two factory-sponsored riders, and three support riders. Of the 36 who entered, only six crossed the finish line on the 300th mile, with Indian's Glenn "Slivers" Boyd taking home the big prize, Thor's Bill Brier coming in second, and Excelsior's Carl Goudy finishing third. None of Bill Ottaway's new Harley-Davidson 11k factory racers made it across the finish line though the Motor Company would soon officially be in the factory racing game and begin to change their fates. Despite their power and capability in shorter events, the robust O.H.V. Pope machines failed to finish a single entry, most failing due to broken rocker arms or bent valves due to the grueling pace that day. Edgar Roy, one of the Pope support riders from Wichita, KS, made it 205 out of the total 300 miles, which made him the best finishing Pope that day in 19th place.
Albert Pope Jr. had hoped that the momentum gained with their production innovations would have helped the company do better against the titans of the motorcycle industry. Still, unfortunately, it was becoming near impossible to compete with Indian, Harley-Davidson, and Excelsior, both on and off the track. Discouraged, Pope soon turned away from the sport of professional racing. Though privateers like the one in this photo would continue to compete and win with the rugged and elegant Pope twin for years to come, the company spent the remainder of its days vying for market share in a dwindling industry. The Pope lineup went essentially unchanged in their final years, and by the time America involved itself in the Great War, Pope, like many other American motorcycle manufacturers, ceased production and converted their factories into manufacturing war supplies, machine guns in Pope's case. Like his father, Albert Jr. dedicated himself to innovation and manufacturing within the motorcycle industry and the lobbying effort for improved roads and motorcyclists' rights. Pope motorcycles lasted from 1911 to 1918 but, in their time, represented one of the finest machines on the market. With a heritage infused into the very D.N.A. of American motorcycling spanning two generations of dedicated entrepreneurs, the Pope motorcycle established its legacy by striking a balance between elegance and innovation that just so happened to pull like a stabbed rat on the track.