The history of American motorcycle manufacturing is a lot more complicated than the eagle-and-skull-obsessed marketeers would have you believe. Harley-Davidson and Indian are foremost for multiple reasons, but a lot of other motorcycles have been built in the States. Honda and Kawasaki built some of their finest motorcycles in plants in the Midwest. And if you go wayyyy back in history, companies like Cushman were creating sensible people-movers to suit the budget-minded buyer—machines like the Autoglide 34.
A sensible approach
Founded in 1903, Cushman was never, strictly speaking, a motorcycle company. In its early years, the company focused on building engines, and then building vehicles and other equipment to install those engines into. The Autoglide scooter lineup didn’t debut until the mid-1930s. Cushman wanted a new venue to sell its four-stroke Husky engine, and in the middle of the Great Depression, people need cheap wheels. An affordable scooter made a lot of sense. And if you look at the scooter in the photo above, you can see there really isn’t much to it.
If the figures I’ve found online are correct, this bike came with a magneto ignition and kickstarter—no battery needed, which was common in the days before e-start. The single-cylinder 244cc engine made about 4 horsepower, and the rider had a two-speed gearbox to get all the way up to… a scintillating 35 mph top speed.
Hardly the stuff of thrills and excitement when judged by 21st century standards. But on the bad roads of the 1930s and 1940s, this would have probably made for quite the attention-grabbing ride, considering how those tiny wheels would have been easily swallowed up in the bumps, potholes and puddles. Remember, a lot of the roads weren’t even paved back then. Many of these bikes saw a lot more gravel than the Starbucks-touring ADVs of today.
The Cushman lineup was always about practicality. It was first designed as an added venue to sell Cushman’s four-stroke Husky engines. This is a later model, the Eagle, at a show in Florida. Collector clubs and websites keep these bikes alive today, and there’s still plenty of technical know-how saved online, if you wish to restore one. Photo: Gestalt Imagery/Shutterstock.com
Also remember that when these scooters debuted in the 1930s, the automobile had displaced the horse across North America, but that was very much an “in-progress” affair. Many buyers of these scoots would have grown up using a horse and buggy, or might have even still been using one. A scooter would have been a game-changing vehicle for many buyers, even if it was a bit on the slow and gutless side.
Production goes on
As the 1940s turned into the 1950s, the company continued to update its lineup. The Model 53, a super-cool military-issue scooter that served in World War II, became the Model 53A, offering a rugged back-country vehicle that foreshadowed the ubiquitous minibikes of a generation later.
A Model 53, as seen in a museum in France. The US military used these in World War II, and Cushman built a civilian version afterwards, with headlight and suspension added. Photo: adolf martinez soler/Shutterstock.com
The Model 52 and Model 54 came along, offering a small-bore twist-and-go take on the same mid-century design that Harley-Davidson was using. New models came along until the 1960s, continuously improving mechanically and in my opinion, showing off beautiful styling that mashed up utilitarianism with art deco lines.
No, they weren’t Vespas (well, some were, thanks to a rebadging deal), but I think it is a shame that the gutsy look of the open-frame models and the oddly futuristic-yet-retro paneling of the other Cushmans is not better appreciated. These really are an important piece of American moto history, and they are not well-remembered by many riders.
As far as I can tell, the last Cushman scooter in production was the Road King of the early 1960s, commonly nicknamed the Alligator. It actually looks a lot like Dan Gurney’s Alligator concept bike, and I wonder if that’s where he got the inspiration for the styling.
But as Japanese manufacturers invaded the western market in the 1960s, Cushman saw the writing on the wall. Cushman’s machines were heavier than their Euro counterparts and no faster; when better Japanese machines started showing up and winning on price point, it was time to pack it in. Cushman is still around, still making vehicles like golf carts, but the scooter lineup is just moto-history.
Photo: Courtesy of Mecum Auctions, Inc.
This scooter here
The scooter in the title image and seen above is for sale at Mecum Auctions’ upcoming auction in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 7-8. Here’s the information they share:
HIGHLIGHTS
- The AutoGlide was the first model of the Cushman scooters
- 4-stroke side-valve single engine
- Kick start
- Centrifugal clutch
- Step through frame
- Klaxon type horn
- Trailing link girder fork
- Package compartment
- White pinstriping
- Blue paint
- Sold on a Bill of Sale
This particular scoot has been on the auction block a few times now, but maybe this will be the auction it sells at. For more info, check out Mecum’s website here.
