My first of many bikes was a Cushman. In VA in the late 50’s you could ride one at 15 years old, which I did. Don’t remember the model, but it had a centrifugal clutch, and not a lot of power, and did get me from point A to point B. One morning I attempted to start it up on a very cold wet morning. Stomped on the starter, my foot fell to the side, and I did a face plant on the handlebar. At 82 years of age, I still sport my broken tooth from that day. Ah, the memories.
Yeah, that’s my story too. On one occasion I had a friend on the back. His right foot got caught in the chain, and went all the way around the rear sprocket. Of course it threw him off the scooter. When I stopped and got back to him, the toe section of his right shoe was cut completely off, just the way a can opener opens a can. But there wasn’t even a red mark on his foot!
My best friend had a red Cushman Eagle, and then a year later a black Super Eagle, starting in 1961 when we turned 14. (In those days a 14 year old could ride something with less than 5 hp on the street.) He kinda hated it because all the others guys had Honda 50s and such (real motorcycles), but his dad wanted nothing to do with anything that wasn't made in the USA. I didn't have a 'bike' as I was saving for a car when I turned 16, but he let me use it when ever I wanted, we logged a lot of local miles on that thing. Riding over to Longmont CO, in the evening and 'dragging Main' was was always great fun (Longmont was just like 'American Graffiti') Our biggest adventure was riding double from Boulder up over Trail Ridge Road in RMNP at the age of 14, my first 'motorcycle trip', of which there have been many more over the decades... Beautiful scooter you have there, brings back great memories...
What a great description of the good old days, when you could leave your garage door open all day long, sleep with all the windows open all night long, take off with your friends in the morning and not come home till lunch or dinner and your parents never worried, gawd damn I miss those fine summer days…growing up here in So. Cal. we too had nice folks in the neighborhood who had Cushman’s, Honda’s & Vespa’s as well as the numerous mini bikes with the old Briggs & Stratton lawnmower engines on them, good times in deed, thanks for bringing back the great memories!
Dad’s first Cushman had a platform where your feet sat. In 1961 he bought a used Cushman, same as pictured in this video. It was red color with the twin chrome pipes, a buddy seat and a pedal start. At 14 years old with my buddies we rode all over east central Indiana. What I wouldn’t give for that very bike today. He died st 82 and had Red Honda scooter that would run over 70mph. Thanks for the memories.
I had a friend in Fremont Nebraska that had one of these and I had a 1970 BSA Thunderbolt and we would ride all over the area. 15 years later I worked with a couple of guys in Lincoln Nebraska that used to work for Cushman in the Lincoln factory. Pretty well made machines.
At 16 I had a job as an ice cream man riding a Cushman 3 wheeler with the cold box on the back. It was hell to drive down a hill with it, tank slapper deluxe!
In 1964, when I was fourteen, my father bought me on it was an Eagle but I couldn't tell you what year. Compare to this beautiful scooter, mine was a bobber. Nothing on it to slow it down. My uncle had a machine shop and milled the head down boosting compression. Two years later I traded it off for a Honda 305 Super hawk. That was a good bike. I loved looking you scooter over. Wondering what brand bags are those. My Mom use to work for Buco back in the day. Fine scooter ya got
I had a souped-up 1950 Cushman Eagle (Springer) that had been stripped and used racing on Texas "Scrambles" events (yeah dirt motocross tracks). I rode it through Jr. High and High School. It was "de-tuned," and "re-streeted" licensed, and off I went. I Joined Marines and gone from home in 1964--1971. Dad asked in a letter to me if he should keep it and I told him probably not. He sold it for $100. DAMN I was stupid ! I stayed in for 8 years, served in the Vietnam War, and then my body told me that I should decide to get out. Worked as a design artist for another 30 something years before I was forced into retirement. During the seventies, I rode a 1972 Honda 360 instead of my car (during the early "gas-shortage" crisis (?) Sold it for $600. bucks. DAMN I was stupid ! Somewhere in the Y2K Era I bought a (Red) 1962 Cast Iron Eagle (3 speed transmission) from a guy in Georgia and turned it into a show bike. After I restored it, it was popular at the local spring and summertime Hot Rod & Custom Car shows. Later, I sold it for $5500. back in the early 2000"s. DAMN I was stupid ! Just bought my third Cushman from Ken's Kaplancycles. I think, at 78 years, this will stay with me as long as I'm able to ride. This one is a Shriners 1965 Silver Super Eagle that need some TLC to make it show-ready and streetable. Inflation sure has inflated so this one stays put. I'm betting by the time this one gets resold I will be thinking "DAMN I was stupid !"
Back in the 60's when I was 5, 6 year old my pappy introduced me to cushman our neighborhood ice cream man made his rounds on a cushman three wheeled servy car or cushman's equivalent. Cushman was really big back then.🙏🙋♂️🙏now that I think about it our mailman drove one and downtown the meter reader did their rounds on/in one aswell. This was Shreveport,LA. Back in the early 60's. Boy I long for those days! 🙏🙋♂️🙏 we even had trolly cars that ran on electricity looked like any trolly except there was a long pole at the ends that skidded along the power line at the top of telephone poles dude that trolly would be trowing sparks as it ran down the street. Occasionally would start a fire, in August when the leaves were really dry, probably why they stopped using them they were really cool though. Stand at the trolly/buss stop watching it coming towards you really got you excited to travel by buss/trolly.👋🤠👍🙏
Sounds to me like the valve rockers could stand a little adjustment, not much but i can here them, i know they are supposed to have a little play but that sounds a tad bet excessive.🤠👍🙏
I had a 1965 Super Silver Eagle in Black and it had the 11 hp side kickstart motor LOVED IT! My first 2 wheeler. And as for rolling up into the h.s. parking lot, I got hassled to much cause it wasnt a MOTORCYCLE.
Why NOT keep it for the museum? It is cooler and rarer than lots of other bikes and sentimental for some people. Electric start… same years as first Harley electric on Electra glide!
My first of many bikes was a Cushman. In VA in the late 50’s you could ride one at 15 years old, which I did. Don’t remember the model, but it had a centrifugal clutch, and not a lot of power, and did get me from point A to point B. One morning I attempted to start it up on a very cold wet morning. Stomped on the starter, my foot fell to the side, and I did a face plant on the handlebar. At 82 years of age, I still sport my broken tooth from that day. Ah, the memories.
Yeah, that’s my story too. On one occasion I had a friend on the back. His right foot got caught in the chain, and went all the way around the rear sprocket. Of course it threw him off the scooter. When I stopped and got back to him, the toe section of his right shoe was cut completely off, just the way a can opener opens a can. But there wasn’t even a red mark on his foot!
Had a paper route saved money and bought a new 1962 cushman silver eagle rode it to high school and enjoyed it for many years thanks for the video
My best friend had a red Cushman Eagle, and then a year later a black Super Eagle, starting in 1961 when we turned 14. (In those days a 14 year old could ride something with less than 5 hp on the street.) He kinda hated it because all the others guys had Honda 50s and such (real motorcycles), but his dad wanted nothing to do with anything that wasn't made in the USA. I didn't have a 'bike' as I was saving for a car when I turned 16, but he let me use it when ever I wanted, we logged a lot of local miles on that thing. Riding over to Longmont CO, in the evening and 'dragging Main' was was always great fun (Longmont was just like 'American Graffiti') Our biggest adventure was riding double from Boulder up over Trail Ridge Road in RMNP at the age of 14, my first 'motorcycle trip', of which there have been many more over the decades... Beautiful scooter you have there, brings back great memories...
What a great description of the good old days, when you could leave your garage door open all day long, sleep with all the windows open all night long, take off with your friends in the morning and not come home till lunch or dinner and your parents never worried, gawd damn I miss those fine summer days…growing up here in So. Cal. we too had nice folks in the neighborhood who had Cushman’s, Honda’s & Vespa’s as well as the numerous mini bikes with the old Briggs & Stratton lawnmower engines on them, good times in deed, thanks for bringing back the great memories!
I don’t remember Honda 50s and 1961⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@Scotty2hotty-xc6gi google them, Honda 50 from the early 1960’s. They were real dandy’s, loved the old step thru model. Lol.
@@countermoonmani think you should read again scottys comment😂
@@darryllspalding9680 lol I suppose he was born in the late 80’s or 90’s? I get it
The "Mods vs. Rockers" took place in England, and the Mods typically rode Italian Vespas and Lambrettas.
Mr. Kaplan, you said it, you do have the best job in the world….gotta love the big saddle seat on the Cushman, what a great little ride that is.
Born in 1951 and remember Cushmans well.
Dad’s first Cushman had a platform where your feet sat. In 1961 he bought a used Cushman, same as pictured in this video. It was red color with the twin chrome pipes, a buddy seat and a pedal start. At 14 years old with my buddies we rode all over east central Indiana. What I wouldn’t give for that very bike today. He died st 82 and had Red Honda scooter that would run over 70mph. Thanks for the memories.
Imagine rollin’ into high school with that beauty? Never be late for the Yearbook Club again . . .
...maybe....I rolled into HS on a 42 WLA....
I graduated from high school in 1962. Some few of the guys had these things, so they were the cool ones. I never had one. Sad.
I had a friend in Fremont Nebraska that had one of these and I had a 1970 BSA Thunderbolt and we would ride all over the area. 15 years later I worked with a couple of guys in Lincoln Nebraska that used to work for Cushman in the Lincoln factory. Pretty well made machines.
Some things have instant class. This has it in large amounts. Thank you .
My dad had a Cushman, rode it to work, it was a sweet ride!
beautiful vehicle. Back in the late 60s my next door neighbor had 2 cushman's and I used to ride one of them...really fun for a 10 year old kid.
Just hearing the name Cushman jog’s memory cells! I grew up in St Louis and one of my friends dad was a Shriner.
At 16 I had a job as an ice cream man riding a Cushman 3 wheeler with the cold box on the back. It was hell to drive down a hill with it, tank slapper deluxe!
NOTHING HERE BUT AWSOMENESS...😎👍
I remember a red one when I was a kid in our town . AWESOME
Zohner had a great eye for classics.
Correction Zahner not Zohner !
Sweet ! My oldest brother had a similar scooter a 1959 red one . Unfortunately he lost his life in Vietnam may 6th 1969 . ☮️❤️
That thing is 100% bad ass!
Fairly bad But not as bad as that hundred precent that you say,No Not even close.
Cushman was THE golf cart company of that era.
@@KL-nj7vi your so right, every golf course across country had them, that old 3-wheel model with that big metal steering thing 😆
I got my first bike when I was 12 a 1949 Cushman and man that I love that little scooter
I remember Shriners in the Houston/Galveston area riding Cushmans.
What a brilliant thing !!!! love that . Only in America 😎
Budget version of a HD Duoglide
Finally! An adult sized mini-bike.
In 1964, when I was fourteen, my father bought me on it was an Eagle but I couldn't tell you what year. Compare to this beautiful scooter, mine was a bobber. Nothing on it to slow it down. My uncle had a machine shop and milled the head down boosting compression. Two years later I traded it off for a Honda 305 Super hawk. That was a good bike. I loved looking you scooter over. Wondering what brand bags are those. My Mom use to work for Buco back in the day. Fine scooter ya got
I'm thinking Bates. Because they look like the old Bates bags I've seen on old harleys
@@royfrye2871Looking them over I think you are right. And period correct for a 65.
My ded was a production manager at Ford Motor in Kansas City. He used to tool around on a cushman cart that ran on natural gas.
I had a souped-up 1950 Cushman Eagle (Springer) that had been stripped and used racing on Texas "Scrambles" events (yeah dirt motocross tracks). I rode it through Jr. High and High School. It was "de-tuned," and "re-streeted" licensed, and off I went.
I Joined Marines and gone from home in 1964--1971. Dad asked in a letter to me if he should keep it and I told him probably not. He sold it for $100. DAMN I was stupid !
I stayed in for 8 years, served in the Vietnam War, and then my body told me that I should decide to get out. Worked as a design artist for another 30 something years before I was forced into retirement.
During the seventies, I rode a 1972 Honda 360 instead of my car (during the early "gas-shortage" crisis (?) Sold it for $600. bucks. DAMN I was stupid !
Somewhere in the Y2K Era I bought a (Red) 1962 Cast Iron Eagle (3 speed transmission) from a guy in Georgia and turned it into a show bike. After I restored it, it was popular at the local spring and summertime Hot Rod & Custom Car shows. Later, I sold it for $5500. back in the early 2000"s. DAMN I was stupid !
Just bought my third Cushman from Ken's Kaplancycles. I think, at 78 years, this will stay with me as long as I'm able to ride. This one is a Shriners 1965 Silver Super Eagle that need some TLC to make it show-ready and streetable. Inflation sure has inflated so this one stays put. I'm betting by the time this one gets resold I will be thinking
"DAMN I was stupid !"
Never knew they made motorcycles 😮
Cushman are the shit man! I remember growing up with these. Ice cream companies bought and used the trike version. Very cool!
Lmao, your so right about the ice cream trikes…classic good ol days man!
I think it’s cool this guy just like motorcycles of all kinds.
Back in the 60's when I was 5, 6 year old my pappy introduced me to cushman our neighborhood ice cream man made his rounds on a cushman three wheeled servy car or cushman's equivalent. Cushman was really big back then.🙏🙋♂️🙏now that I think about it our mailman drove one and downtown the meter reader did their rounds on/in one aswell. This was Shreveport,LA. Back in the early 60's. Boy I long for those days! 🙏🙋♂️🙏 we even had trolly cars that ran on electricity looked like any trolly except there was a long pole at the ends that skidded along the power line at the top of telephone poles dude that trolly would be trowing sparks as it ran down the street. Occasionally would start a fire, in August when the leaves were really dry, probably why they stopped using them they were really cool though. Stand at the trolly/buss stop watching it coming towards you really got you excited to travel by buss/trolly.👋🤠👍🙏
I heard that back in the day, these lil Cushman's could be hotrodded & would kick ass on most everything stop light to stop light!
I would LOVE to see a Mod who rode a Cushman! (Or a "little Honda") 🤣🤣🤣
Mustang was another ---" wanna have bike" Thanks for showing
Wow beautiful little bike, first time I've ever seen one. Would love to scoot my kids to school one at a time on that little bad boy.
Love the cushman❤❤❤ had one in 1960 😊
That OHV motor just never looked as good as the old flatheads
Back in 1958 I would have loved to own one a red Cushman Eagle.
Looks like the scooter Liberace would have ridden.
@@northerniltree lmao, now that was funny! 😂
When I was 10 years old a Cushman Eagle was like a Harley hog to me.
🎶 Get yer Motor runnin ! 🎶🏆🇺🇸
It’s you dude. You look 👀 good on that one 😂
My aunt had a red Cushman Eagle.....60 years ago.
Wow! I've never seen an Eagle all tricked out like that.
Dig the Quadrophenia reference. Gordon Sumner (Sting) was in the movie.
If you couldnt afford a indian or harley, this the next best thing!😎👍 beautiful cushman cap.
Stripped super eagle was my very first bike.
The ones I remember in my neighborhood always had the Wisconsin side valve engines.
Looks like a miniature Harley Electra Glide! So yeah, cute bike. Not sure about that engine though.
That guy gets to ride some cool bikes
I love the Cushman design and always will 👍🇺🇸🇺🇸
Mine has 1957 miles on it, Cadillac Escalade Pearl White. Btw, new Cushman tires are available, no tubes needed on this model.
I was going to say it looked like a old Shriner bike, but u confirmed it
Currently own a 59 Highlander!
Love it...I had 1962 super eagle
My brother had a 65 cushman eagle red very cool 😎
Every day's a school day 😮
We always called them pushmans
Sounds to me like the valve rockers could stand a little adjustment, not much but i can here them, i know they are supposed to have a little play but that sounds a tad bet excessive.🤠👍🙏
What? No wheelies? Come on, man!
I would love to see a Cushman, Pop a wheelie 😂
They don't do wheelies... just chug away...
I wanted to see how it handles on the motocross track.
@@MichaelArsenault-s4s - LOL! they are not motocrossable... we had a couple of them... they feel like they are bolted down to the earth...
They are not motocrossable... we had a couple of them... they feel like they are bolted down to the earth...
The Mods rode Vespas and Lambrettas.
Absolutely! I don’t think the Mods were ever in America. This side of the the pond we had the Beatniks 😅
God, PLEASE bless AMERICA!
Another zauner machine I'll be happy all day with this bike in my mind.
I had a 1965 Super Silver Eagle in Black and it had the 11 hp side kickstart motor LOVED IT! My first 2 wheeler. And as for rolling up into the h.s. parking lot, I got hassled to much cause it wasnt a MOTORCYCLE.
Cool little thing! 👍
Sweet bike, I'm green.
Nice 👍👍
Lolololol Ken your the man bro wow that reminded me of zeds bike on police academy movie in the late 80s early 90s lol
any Mustangs in that museum?
Why NOT keep it for the museum? It is cooler and rarer than lots of other bikes and sentimental for some people. Electric start… same years as first Harley electric on Electra glide!
Wait, those are the original tires? Hmmmmmmm....
Front tire original but the rear tire was a new one,probably because it was the drive tire & most of the weight was on that rear tire.
Very cool Bike👍
I AM SO JEALOUS AIN'T EVEN FUNNY. You rocking they cool as all get out. Ride with pride BOSS
actually..... the british mods rode vespas and lambretas 😉👍
A fine example !!!
K❄❄L !! 👍
I think this might be the most mild-mannered I have ever seen Kappy ride on this channel, LOL. Cool bike!
my first vehicle was a paper route earned new 1957 eagle 5 hp version.
That is so cool
16yesr old cushmanhighlander first powered 2wheeler 60years later I quit riding poor health fun memories even with broken leg
You should call that bike funny money! It is funny looking it's like a mini roadkind police bike. Definitely goofy looking!
That guy said no wheelie lmao below Lolol with Ken you never know what he will make these bikes do
Price?
Thanks enjoyed.
That thing is cool, as shit 👍
If the rider was 3 foot tall it would look like he was riding a Harley.....LOL
Midgets can look cool riding on a Cushman. 🤭
Beautiful. 🫡👍🏻
what an eye catcher. don't ever sell it have fun
This guy needs to clean himself up. The 60's are long gone.
pretty bike, too bad it isn't safe anywhere on the roads of the USA that I know of.
Is that Dog the Bounty Hunter?
No, we have Harley FLH at home son....
Bagger Beginnings
That’s cool ❤ all that old stuff
needs to grow up
Suicide shift, crazy
I can get 100 miles per gallon on this hog. Traded it for the van straight up.
Looks like a mobility scooter 😢