The 1918 Pope L-18 motorcycle represented the quality buyers had
come to expect from the Pope company; sadly, it was also the
last motorcycle Pope would build. Pope Manufacturing Company had
been building Pope-Tribune automobiles and Columbia bicycles for
years before it combined the two concepts and began producing
motorcycles in 1911. Those early models were single-cylinder
bikes, but a V-twin followed in 1912, and by 1918, Pope was
known for quality construction and innovative engineering. The
61-cubic-inch V-twin in the 1918 Pope L-18 motorcycle
illustrates the point well. It features overhead valves at a
time when most competitors had flathead or F-head engines.
Crankcases were cast from an aluminum alloy, and each set of
pistons and connecting rods was matched with another pair of the
exact weight. Its Armored Magneto ignition allowed use in all
types of weather. The front suspension consisted of a trailing
link actuating a leaf spring. But perhaps the most intriguing
aspect of this Pope was the presenc