When it comes to vintage motorscooters, what often comes to mind is the sleak, graceful body of a sexy Italian whizzing Marcello Mastroianni down the Via Veneto, the streamlined machine attracting admiring glances from onlookers.
But thousands of vintage scooter aficionados on this side of the Atlantic aren’t lusting after any sexy Italian.
They prefer its more solid American cousin, the one with the stout backside, a sweet old beauty that goes by the name of Cushman.
Much of the allure of the Cushman scooter is the fact that the last one rolled off the production line 35 years ago, and like most antiques, they’re not particularly easy to come by. Those who fell in love with a Cushman when she was in her prime wouldn’t dream of trading the old gal in for a newer model.
Tom Fleetwood of Oswego owns three Cushmans (all Silver Eagle models) and also rebuilds the scooters.
“The attraction for most of us who own Cushman scooters is the fact that this was the transportation many of us had when we were teenagers,” said Fleetwood.
Cushman Motor Scooters were a product of Cushman Motors (now OMC-Lincoln, a division of Outboard Marine Corp.). The Lincoln, Neb., company produced engines.
The prototype for the scooter was unwittingly ridden into the Cushman plant by a youngster who had rigged his scooter with a washing-machine motor and had come looking for parts.
The company’s owners, John and Charles Ammon, seized on the idea of developing an engine-powered scooter.
The result was the Autoglide, a 1.5-horsepower, 1-cylinder, four-cycle air-cooled engine powered scooter built in 1936. Riders pushed the Autoglide to get it started, then hopped on. The vehicle became an overnight success with young people.
Cushman scooters went to war during World War II, with the light Airborne model being dropped by parachutes to provide ground transportation to landing paratroopers. After the war, the Airborne shed its military garb and became civilian versions, the Highlander and Pacemaker. By 1950, the company was producing 10,000 scooters a year.
In the early ’50s, Cushman turned out its most popular scooter, the Eagle. Later that decade, the scooters, now rated at nearly 8 h.p., could roll along at 55 miles per hour. Production was at its height at more than 15,000 scooters per year. However, by the early ’60s, scooter production tapered off because of foreign competition, and it stopped in 1965.
“I never heard of a Cushman until I met my husband, Don, in 1969. He is one of those who loves to reminisce about his first Cushman,” said Anita Revelle of Lexington, Ill.
“In 1960, Don bought a used Cushman Road King as transportation,” said Revelle.
“He and his brother used it to get around while they were working for local farmers. He sold it to buy a car and has regretted it ever since.”
However, eight years ago, the Revelles found a Cushman Eagle in Missouri, and after Anita’s first ride, she was hooked.
She is the secretary/treasurer of the Mid-America Cushman Club (and can be reached at midamerica@kozmail.com).
“I own a bright blue 1959 Super Eagle, and it’s all mine. Don has since found a Road King to replace the one from his younger years, and he has fully restored both of these machines,” said Revelle.
For most, often the pleasure of owning a scooter comes not so much from riding it as from restoring it.
George Kukla, of Wheaton, owns 14 Cushmans (seven Eagles, six Pacemakers and a Road King), 10 of which he has restored to working condition.
“Most of us got hooked on Cushman scooters when we were young,” he said.
“For a while, in many states, there was a short time period when you could be 14 years old, not have a driver’s license and still legally operate a scooter, and that’s when I got my first one. Time passed, I got drafted, got cars, got married and I didn’t get another scooter till 1988.”
Fleetwood, another avid rebuilder, said he finds parts at swap meets for Cushman owners and through the Cushman Club of America publications.
“People put a lot into restoring these machines,” he said.
“Depending on how they’re restored, they can go anywhere from $5,000 to $7,000 or more. I’ve got one where I’ve had everything chromed and graphics painted on, and I wouldn’t let mine go for less than $10,000.”
Models that are not restored or not running can be found for $1,500 to $3,000.
The largest full-time commercial distributor for Cushman parts and vintage scooters in the area is Arcadia Cushman Co., about four hours from Chicago in Arcadia, Ind. (317-984-2874). The business is owned by Steve Lorenz, whose friend, a retiree, is such a fan of Cushmans that he helps at Lorenz’s business for the love of his hobby.
“I hang out here because I enjoy it,” said Steve Tansy. “I’m an old guy. We do nothing but sell vintage and antique parts for Cushman scooters, as well as buying and selling old Cushmans.”
Though Tansy guesses that there may be as many as 20,000 Cushmans in the country today, “you don’t see many of them on the road,” he said.
“They’re more of a collector’s piece. They’re so much of an investment that you don’t want people messing with them in the parking lot at work or anything. That’s why you don’t often see people out riding them.”
Tansy owns four.
“I’m an old-timer, so I’ve got one of the real old-time models, the Autoglide,” he said. He also has a Pacemaker and two Road Kings.
“You see people of all ages coming in here,” Tansy said. “You see the old guys who had these as youngsters, and you see the youngsters coming in here, too.
“A Cushman is just a good, solid bike. It probably weighs five times as much as, say, a Vespa.”
Fleetwood added: “Cushmans are not a little hum-thing, like a moped. It’s more like a small Harley.”
And gas mileage is extremely good.
“I’m going to guess that they get around 50 miles per gallon,” said Fleetwood.
“Even so, most of us just don’t pay too much attention to that because fuel economy isn’t the reason we buy them.”
“It’s the memories,” said Kukla. “Owning a Cushman brings back good memories and good feelings.”
In downtown Morris, there’s a barbershop, The Clip Joint, owned by Gary Bedson.
In the front window of the homey-looking establishment sits a red-and-chrome 1947 Cushman Pacemaker.
“It belongs to a good friend of mine, Billy Moore,” said Bedson. “We also put out some of the trophies he’s won for it in the past. We just decided to put it in the window after Christmas this past year after we took the Christmas decorations out, for no particular reason. But we always see everybody stopping and looking at it, you can see people out there pointing at it, and smiling.”
A visitor to The Clip Joint recently paid Moore’s Cushman the ultimate compliment:
“She looks great for her age.”
For information about the Cushman Club of America, visit www.hobbytech.com/CushmanClub.htm.
CUSHMANS ON TAP
Joe Salemi of Union, Ill., invites Cushman lovers to the annual Cushman Meet Aug. 19 at Siems Memorial Park in Union.
The meet begins at 9 a.m., “and lasts till everyone decides to go home,” said Salemi.
“It’s just a day in the park with our Cushmans,” Salemi said. “Last year we had around 65 to 70 bikes participating, and there’s no telling how many will be turning out this year. We have people coming from not only different parts of Illinois, but also Iowa, Indiana and Wisconsin. There’s no charge, there’s going to be a small flea market, and most of the bikes should be here, all lined up, by 10 a.m.” Call Sam Kerley at 815-874-2522 or Joe Salemi at 815-923-4300.
The Mid-America Cushman Club is hosting a meet in conjunction with the Taste of Country Fair Sept. 9, 10 and 11 in Lexington in Central Illinois. Contact John or Joan Anderson at 309-365-8740.
