I was talking with a friend a few months ago and found out there are Cushman clubs around the country that have annual meetings with many old scooters on display.

Scooter
I remember owning a 1946 Cushman Motor scooter. My neighbor Walter owned one also and together we would work on those old war horses and ride together. They were basic, simple machines that were bullet proof. No frills like head and brake lights or horns, just basic riding machines that would get you from point A to point B, most of the time. My scooter had a formula that you had to follow in order to crank it. First I had to spray a shot of starting fluid in the throat of the carburetor then kick it over and on or about the fifth try it would start. After the initial start up in the morning there were usually no more issues during the day.

Cushman Scooter
I did graduate to a more modern scooter in 1962. I bought a 1958 Cushman Eagle. It was orange and man was I sitting on top of the world. I now had things like a headlight, tail and brake lights, a tag light and yes, a horn. You could always tell a Cushman Eagle was coming down the road just by the sound of those great pipes, low and throaty sound. The Eagle also had a two speed transmission with the gear shift on the side of the gas tank with the clutch on the left side of the floor board that you depressed with your foot in order to change gears. I sold the Eagle to purchase a BSA 650, a real motorcycle. I kept this bike until April of 1964 when I left home for the US Army. I will always remember the Cushmans; those were some great riding days.
I was talking with a friend a few months ago and found out there are Cushman clubs around the country that have annual meetings with many old scooters on display. I plan on attending one of these meets. I catch myself looking at old pictures of Cushmans on line. It was companies such as Cushman who helped make up the fabric of American industry. This was rock solid equipment that would last forever. What’s happened to the industries we once enjoyed? Most are out of business are either foreign companies have replaced them.

and videos every morning!
2 Comments
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
you should contact my friend Phillipe from Petanque America. He brought an old old Solex, engine powered bike from Holland when he moved here, which is mostly standing in his warehouse. Fun machines that work great on our Amelia Island roads.
you should contact my friend Phillipe from Petanque America. He brought an old old Solex, engine powered bike from Holland when he moved here, which is mostly standing in his warehouse. Fun machines that work great on our Amelia Island roads.