This is the ultimate Cushman. It's a Super Silver Eagle with the aluminum OMC engine. I have one that is a 1963, with an electric starter and a 12 volt system. Mine is unrestored, but runs great. I wonder if anybody still has that FREE Silver Eagle Medallion Key Chain? Scroll down for more vintage Cushman Ads.
I think the guy in the suit belongs in the '58 Plymouth. Cushman added some new louvers for better cooling. I think it is really a cool looking scooter.
This is the model 53 Cushman Airborne scooter. The war ended and unused military vehicles of all kinds found their way into the civilian market. The only springs on this scooter were under the seat, but the big soft airplane tires gave it an acceptable ride. You can see the transmission just below the gas tank and the engine under the seat. That seat was steel covered with real leather.
This 1958 ad shows the Cushman Eagle in the foreground and a Road King in the background, followed by another Eagle. Notice the gear shift on the side of both models. (Click the picture to enlarge.)
The Cushman Eagle was for serious riders. The Husky engine sat out in the open for better cooling. It had a comfortable seat with springs. Compare the front fork with the one in the next picture.
In the fifties, a new Cushman appeared on the scene. The Eagle was sold alongside Cushman step-thru scooters, but the motorcycle-look of the Eagle made them very popular. Cushman made and sold Eagles for almost 16 years.
This ad is for a model 62 Cushman. From the left side you can see that it has no clutch pedal, and no gearshift. From the right, you can't tell it from a Road King.
At the top is an ad for the '52 Pacemaker. At the bottom, the same ad is for the '53. It's OK. They looked exactly alike. Pacemakers were called a "model 62." The two-speed version was the "model 64" and it was called a Road King.
However, the less costly Pacemaker was a tad faster.
Cushman has always been known as a manufacturer of commercial vehicles. They ranged from scooters with side cars to snazy golf carts. This one is a model 780 Truckster. Notice that it has barrel springs just like a 60-series two-wheeler. Trucksters were used on farms, golf courses, and in factories. They were excellent delivery vehicles. Earlier Trucksters had two wheels in the front and one in the back.
Application forms for the club meets can be down loaded from these sites.
Both of these sites include tons of scooter pictures. If you are restoring a scooter and want to see what someone else has done with the same model, you need to spend some time on these sites and plan to attend a meet.
Meets are the best place to get parts. You see them before you buy and you don't have to pay postage.
This blog is for aimless ramblings about vintage motor scooters, travel, and how to survive retirement. You may see other subjects here, because there are lots of stories back there in the cobwebs of my brain.