|
|
Cushman II
by: oldchopperguy - Sept 15, 2014 1:30:36 GMT -5
Post by oldchopperguy on Sept 15, 2014 1:30:36 GMT -5
While the stationary engine design is archaic by today's standards, it's WAY ahead of the original Cushman flathead... This DEFINITELY is NOT for everyone... Only old geezers like me... LOL!
I'm an incurable Cushman fan, and this one is probably as modern as it can get and still be truly nostalgic. The OHV engine, CVT tranny, REAL suspension, brakes and turn-signals, etc. DO bring it into the modern era. But it still emulates the original Cushman, as much as possible.
I saw a release on these last year, featuring the original Cushman "turtledeck" scooter. THAT was FAR more attractive. And they speak of resurrecting the old Eagle too. These appeal only to those who would gladly pay $50K for a NEW Ford Model-A done up the same way... Modern (1980's Pinto 4-banger, hydraulic brakes and modern electrics, etc.) but still a stone-age design with a half-horsepower per cubic-inch and everything else 30 years outdated.
It has to be as antique as possible to appeal to the guy or gal who wants the look and feel of 1950, but with some sense of reliability, and safety. It's a VERY narrow market. Of course, ANY modern scooter from ANYWHERE would be far more efficient, faster, give better mileage and be cheaper... But it WOULDN'T be a Cushman then!
This one is simply where the Cushman would be TODAY, if it was still in production... And THAT is the reason it's NOT still in production... LOL! But it's JUST the kind of thing an old fossil like me (or maybe Doug...?) would build for himself, should he have a lot of cash, and a lot of free time... HeHeHe...
Will it perform like a modern ride? NOPE... Is it a bargain for the money? NOPE... Would I ride one? YUP! But it's gotta be the turtledeck, or the Eagle. This version which is like the old Cushman "Highlander" utility model doesn't do it cosmetically for me.
You'll either LOVE or HATE these... I'm just old enough to LOVE 'em... Around here, there are a growing number of vintage Cushmans being resurrected with power from modern utility engines like these, and CVT trannies. Add juice brakes and you have a truly useable scoot that smacks of nostalgia.
These engines ARE made to last under hard use. They are not designed as road-power, but they should hold up well, and be easy to repair. The hourly maintenance is scheduled for heavy use on construction sites... With regular oil-changes, and just normal care, I'd expect one to outlast a Chinese GY6.
Leo (waxing nostalgic) in Texas |
|
|
|
Cushman II
by: rockynv - Sept 15, 2014 4:30:10 GMT -5
Post by rockynv on Sept 15, 2014 4:30:10 GMT -5
Since I was a welder I would buy a wire feed unit from Harbor Freight and a more appropriately sized engine for less and make one myself that would be more appropriately powered while still being nostalgic. A few upgrades like 12 inch wheels, an engine with an oil pump and filter with some real serviceability built into it not just the basic consumer yard equipment engine. They could have put a much better engine in that and presented a much better value for what they are giving you considering the price tags. 5 to 6 thousand for a nostalgic looking scooter that is not really 100% true having just a splash lubricated engine is a bit much. If it was a 100% true reproduction that would be different however its just similar.
|
|
|
|
Cushman II
by: oldchopperguy - Sept 23, 2014 22:12:56 GMT -5
Post by oldchopperguy on Sept 23, 2014 22:12:56 GMT -5
Since I was a welder I would buy a wire feed unit from Harbor Freight and a more appropriately sized engine for less and make one myself that would be more appropriately powered while still being nostalgic. A few upgrades like 12 inch wheels, an engine with an oil pump and filter with some real serviceability built into it not just the basic consumer yard equipment engine. They could have put a much better engine in that and presented a much better value for what they are giving you considering the price tags. 5 to 6 thousand for a nostalgic looking scooter that is not really 100% true having just a splash lubricated engine is a bit much. If it was a 100% true reproduction that would be different however its just similar. Rockynv,
You are definitely right. And, to make your own, you can even find plenty of straight, vintage Cushman frames on eBay! A good, simple starting point. If you're handy with a welder, making a frame and fork would not be hard either... In fact, with the "turtledeck" version, a modern GY6 or similar entire drive-train could easily be installed under the sheet-metal! Original Cushmans were only slightly advanced over the Model-T Ford. They seemed to be made more by blacksmiths than engineers. But then, that's their appeal!
I too would like to see an engine with a real, pressure-oiling system today... But, even my first old Chevy when I was 16 used a semi-splash oil system on the lower end... Cheesh! Plain Babbitt-rods and mains with "paddles" on the rod-caps to dip n' splash oil... And they were nearly indestructible.
But, that was on a 1950 car... Same era as the original Cushman! Times HAVE changed! for the better!
Ride safe, even if you ride "old-school"...
Leo in Texas
|
|
Sophomore Rider
Currently Offline
2008 Roketa MC54B 257 (10,000 miles and climbing)
Posts: 103
Likes: 1
Joined: Feb 26, 2013 19:32:19 GMT -5
|
Cushman II
by: bhinch - Sept 24, 2014 11:00:05 GMT -5
Post by bhinch on Sept 24, 2014 11:00:05 GMT -5
I would love to have a Cushman Eagle or even a clone. Maybe they will come through. I am 66 yrs old and I remember them. I even had a Simplex...and love the Mustang. Great times....
|
|
|
|
Cushman II
by: rockynv - Sept 24, 2014 11:54:37 GMT -5
Post by rockynv on Sept 24, 2014 11:54:37 GMT -5
I would love to have a Cushman Eagle or even a clone. Maybe they will come through. I am 66 yrs old and I remember them. I even had a Simplex...and love the Mustang. Great times.... I would not mind a $2,000 clone for $2,000 either however not for $6,000 with a $350 consumer lawn mower engine in it. |
|
|
|
Cushman II
by: oldchopperguy - Sept 24, 2014 14:21:26 GMT -5
Post by oldchopperguy on Sept 24, 2014 14:21:26 GMT -5
I would love to have a Cushman Eagle or even a clone. Maybe they will come through. I am 66 yrs old and I remember them. I even had a Simplex...and love the Mustang. Great times.... Bhinch,
If you check eBay, there are often minty, restored Eagles available for around $3,000 to $4,000. Fixer-uppers from less than $2,000. Not exactly cheap, but by today's dollar, not bad either! A new Eagle in the fifties ran around $600 to $800 if I recall, and that would equate to $6,000 to $8,000 Obama-dollars today.
The unique Cushman "centrifugal/manual" clutch and 2-speed tranny were ingenious! Foot-clutch and hand-shift like an old Harley, but full clutch disengagement at idle. That was a REAL selling point!
The Simplex LOOKED cooler, and the Mustang... WOW! The Mustang WAS really something else! VERY fast in the premium versions with their wild flathead motor, and Albion 3-speed tranny... They could actually BEAT the Harley flathead "45" flat-track bikes on a quarter-mile dirt oval, and were finally BANNED from competition (from pressure by Harley Davidson!)
You really stirred some great memories! If you REALLY "have a Jones" for a Cushman Eagle, I'd go for it! They are around, not too rare, and somewhat affordable! They ride pretty poorly compared to a modern scoot, but they are SO cool, and their archaic construction is easy to fix/rebuild and lasts forever!
And nothing... ABSOLUTELY NOTHING sounds as cool as a vintage Eagle flatmotor with the optional Cushman dual megaphone straight-pipes!!! Betty, break out my propeller-beanie... I'm goin' back to the fifties!!! LOL!
Whatever you ride, RIDE SAFE!
Leo in Texas
|
|
|
|
Cushman II
by: shalomdawg - Sept 24, 2014 20:26:57 GMT -5
Post by shalomdawg on Sept 24, 2014 20:26:57 GMT -5
howdy, yup back to the old babbit beaters and splash oilers. dad said if i kept it under 50 mph it would run forever. that was a "49 model. thanks for the nostalgia mr chopperguy.
lotsa miles and smiles to ya
ken
|
|
|
|
Cushman II
by: rockynv - Sept 24, 2014 23:19:46 GMT -5
Post by rockynv on Sept 24, 2014 23:19:46 GMT -5
Those were also the days of straight grade oils and heavy cast iron heads/blocks with 3,000 RPM Redlines along with oil bath air filters.
Pull starters were just open pulleys with a notch to hook a rope with a knot tied in the end of it that you wrapped the rope around the pulley (watch out that you wind it in the right direction) before giving it a pull. You had to be sure to pull all the rope out of the pulley or it would wind it back in and whip the wooden t-handle on the rope around leaving your fingers numb from when it ripped it out of your grip and potentially knocking a few of your teeth out when it also knocked you senseless or at least on your backside. Unfortunately some never regained consciousness after such an event. Then you had to store the rope somewhere or at your next stop you would potentially be raiding someones clothes line to get you started again if there was not a hardware store or other source handy to get a replacement from. At least many people back then had a starter rope or two hanging in their garage so it was possible to borrow one.
After dark out in the rural's (sometimes in the middle of the day) generally you'd be greeted by an nice gent with a shotgun when you knocked on the door and depending on how you looked and spoke would get invited in or hear the action of a shell being chambered. It was most often rock salt and rice which they would be aiming at your backside as you left since they only wanted to hasten your departure. Thats how it was done in the kinder gentler days.
|
|
|
|
Cushman II
by: oldchopperguy - Sept 25, 2014 11:21:21 GMT -5
Post by oldchopperguy on Sept 25, 2014 11:21:21 GMT -5
Those were also the days of straight grade oils and heavy cast iron heads/blocks with 3,000 RPM Redlines along with oil bath air filters. Pull starters were just open pulleys with a notch to hook a rope with a knot tied in the end of it that you wrapped the rope around the pulley (watch out that you wind it in the right direction) before giving it a pull. You had to be sure to pull all the rope out of the pulley or it would wind it back in and whip the wooden t-handle on the rope around leaving your fingers numb from when it ripped it out of your grip and potentially knocking a few of your teeth out when it also knocked you senseless or at least on your backside. Unfortunately some never regained consciousness after such an event. Then you had to store the rope somewhere or at your next stop you would potentially be raiding someones clothes line to get you started again if there was not a hardware store or other source handy to get a replacement from. At least many people back then had a starter rope or two hanging in their garage so it was possible to borrow one. After dark out in the rural's (sometimes in the middle of the day) generally you'd be greeted by an nice gent with a shotgun when you knocked on the door and depending on how you looked and spoke would get invited in or hear the action of a shell being chambered. It was most often rock salt and rice which they would be aiming at your backside as you left since they only wanted to hasten your departure. Thats how it was done in the kinder gentler days. Rockynv,
Sounds like you've been there, and got the T-shirt! Join the club... LOL!
The rope-starter brings back PARTICULARLY vivid memories... My first licensed ride was a mini-bike (Big Bear Scrambler) with a NASTY McCulloch kart motor. That motor was designed for starting by a donkey-engine, or electric motor, pulley to pulley. So... I notched the starter-cup pulley so a rope could be used... Oh, yeah...
When leaving the house, I'd start the little beast with a Briggs donkey-engine, but later starts away from home required the rope-starter. That little 10 cid chainsaw-sized Mac put out around 40hp at 20,000 rpm and unless you gave it all you had on the pull, it would fire backwards a few revs and pull your fist right into the engine block.
I broke several fingers that way... The thing had no choke, and the starting process involved putting the front wheel against the curb, pulling the engine through numerous times (switch off) to prime, then hold the throttle wide-open, hold the bike between your knees (keeping away from the spinning parts) and pull like mad... Maybe 20 times...
When it finally came to life, it was "Katy bar the door"... Hellfire and thunder... But what a ride! Oh yeah, back then, 2-strokes DID rule the horsepower world... Even today's crotch-rockets don't match the pure, INSANE power-per-inch of the 1960's kart engines. They were a breed all to themselves.
Ain't life grand?
Great old memories...
Leo
PS: I do recall the 12 gauge loads of rock-salt... I avoided that little "blessing" by not having a taste for watermelon... But some of my pals spent a summer riding their choppers, sitting on pillows...
|
|
|
|
Cushman II
by: rockynv - Sept 25, 2014 12:10:37 GMT -5
Post by rockynv on Sept 25, 2014 12:10:37 GMT -5
I didn't avoid the watermelon stopping in the daylight and offeing to pay for the privilege of picking one. Clean cut 6 foot tall 250 lb 14 year old freshly shaved and talking polite usually got good results. Usually they'd ask you to pick a few more and load their truck for them letting you have the one for yourself for your trouble. Once you got a rapport going you'd be welcome after dark as long as you played it straight with em. Ended up being the hero who went down the bottom of a few of their wells and extended them during a few droughts so I was in a better place than some of the other riders.
Only time I got in a tight spot was when a local deputy I didn't know wanted to see my drivers license or social security card. The "I am only 14 and don't have any" didn't sit well with the officer seeing that it was evening which made my need for a shave more obvious. He was going to arrest me for failing to comply with a lawful request from an officer of the law when one of the farmers wives vouched for me.
|
|
Sophomore Rider
Currently Offline
Posts: 186
Likes: 37
Joined: Jun 13, 2013 15:39:09 GMT -5
|
Cushman II
by: novaraptor - Oct 1, 2014 13:46:37 GMT -5
Post by novaraptor on Oct 1, 2014 13:46:37 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Cushman II
by: oldchopperguy - Oct 1, 2014 14:09:58 GMT -5
Post by oldchopperguy on Oct 1, 2014 14:09:58 GMT -5
Novaraptor,
Yup! Those are what I'm talking about... If you want a real Cushman, vintage ones are out there in good shape, and somewhat "affordable". Not cheap, but still affordable.
What great memories these rides bring back!
Thanks for posting,
Leo in Texas
|
|
New Rider
Currently Offline
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Joined: Jun 13, 2021 16:52:32 GMT -5
|
Cushman II
by: dougrodrigues - Jun 13, 2021 17:02:02 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by dougrodrigues on Jun 13, 2021 17:02:02 GMT -5
Kat, yes it's a 400cc motor that puts out 14hp, while your motor has 198cc and puts out 21hp, I think I know which one I'd rather have.  This is a tough 14 hp industrial engine, unlike motorcycle engines which would be designed to put out twice the hp. Unlike air cooled motorcycle engines, this one has a built in fan to cool the cylinder. You could idle all day without damage. Wish they had installed the 2 cylinder engine instead of this one that vibrates. Maybe I'll do the conversion myself some day. |
|
New Rider
Currently Offline
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Joined: Jun 13, 2021 16:52:32 GMT -5
|
Cushman II
by: dougrodrigues - Jun 13, 2021 17:21:20 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by dougrodrigues on Jun 13, 2021 17:21:20 GMT -5
Novaraptor,
Yup! Those are what I'm talking about... If you want a real Cushman, vintage ones are out there in good shape, and somewhat "affordable". Not cheap, but still affordable.
What great memories these rides bring back!
Thanks for posting,
Leo in Texas
I sold my award winning 1959 Cushman Super Eagle for $5,500 last year. Never thought I'd go back to motorscooters until I crashed my Goldwing, suffering two broken arms and a broken pelvis. Got the itch for Cushman scooters again. Bought a 2016 Eagle model with 400 miles on it for $5,000. I thought it was overpriced, but considering the modernization, and the cost to modernize an old flathead Cushman scooter, it's all relative. The thing I don't like about this modern version is that the drive belt squeals when accelerating from a dead stop. However, I do like the 14 hp instead of 7, the disc brakes instead of drum brakes, the halogen headlight instead of incandescent (halogen won't function with a magneto system), the turn signals, the electric starter with pull cord back up, and not having to shift a two speed crash box. I think a much more fair price for the 2016 Cushman would have been in the neighborhood of about $3,000, but you can't find one for that price. Maybe one day I'll put a motorcycle engine into this frame if I can find one in good shape. |
|
New Rider
Currently Offline
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Joined: Jun 13, 2021 16:52:32 GMT -5
|
Cushman II
by: dougrodrigues - Jun 13, 2021 17:37:26 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by dougrodrigues on Jun 13, 2021 17:37:26 GMT -5
I would love to have a Cushman Eagle or even a clone. Maybe they will come through. I am 66 yrs old and I remember them. I even had a Simplex...and love the Mustang. Great times.... I would not mind a $2,000 clone for $2,000 either however not for $6,000 with a $350 consumer lawn mower engine in it. I'm a member of the California Cushman Club. All of us old guys (I'm 77) have basically the same story which is, "When I was a kid I couldn't afford to buy a Cushman scooter." I remember that in 1960, a brand new Cushman Super Eagle sold for $425, and that included shipping to the new State of Hawaii! At the time, minimum pay wage for a kid working in a gas station was only 50 cents per hour! There was nothing left to buy a Cushman Eagle with. I always dreamed about getting that Cushman Scooter which is why I bought one a few years ago. |
|
