1928 Cleveland Motorcycle, on Exhibit in Henry Ford Museum, February 1996

The Cleveland Motorcycle Company, founded in 1915 in Cleveland, Ohio, built lightweight one-cylinder bikes for its first decade. As competing motorcycles grew larger, Cleveland introduced a four-cylinder engine in 1925. This 1928 Model 4-61 also featured a front-wheel brake -- an industry first for Cleveland. The company produced one more model year before closing after the stock market crash of 1929.