Redding.com: Cushman scooter fans take to the road

Sun, Sep 14, 2008

News


(Image Souce:  mitchellclassics.com)
A reprint from Redding.com
By Constance Dillon (Contact)
Sunday, September 14, 2008

At least 60 vintage scooters, some built half a century ago, will buzz the asphalt at the Shasta District Fair grounds Tuesday through next Sunday.

Red Bluff resident Don Kuss and The California Cushman Club will undertake their 12th annual ride to Anderson for nearly a week of scooter-centered celebration.

Kuss originated the ride to Anderson 12 years ago. Now in his 60s, Kuss bought his first Cushman scooter at 13.

The California Cushman Club event includes scooter games, a parts swap meet and a barbecue. The festivities conclude on Sunday as a squadron of scooters makes its way from the fairgrounds to breakfast at Hometown Buffet in Redding.

“People just love to see the scooters all lined up in the parking lot,” club member Phyllis Burritt said.

The Cushman scooter was manufactured between 1936 and 1966 in Lincoln, Neb. The U.S. military got hip to the inexpensive versatile machines and hired Cushman to manufacture 15,000 scooters during World War II.

7 Responses to “Redding.com: Cushman scooter fans take to the road”

  1. Motor Scooter Blog Says:

    Wow…I would have love to have been there!

    Reply

  2. Go motor scooter Says:

    Thats a sweet looking scooter. When did they start making these? Its cool how it looks like a classic car, but it a new motor scooter.

    Reply

  3. Steve Says:

    Well… it’s actually a 1947 Cushman… It just looks new. If someone made them again, I’d be tempted to buy one new.

    Reply

  4. Dave Says:

    I had a cushman, in about 1956…it was a 1949 model, shorter than the green one, sloped back from the back of the seat….great scooters! Centrifugal clutch, kick start, brake and gas, all you needed lol. about as dependable as any motor vehicle can be! Had to clean the spark plug once in a great while…or maybe I did because a kid of 15 thought he should ha ha…..wish I had it now!!

    Reply

  5. larryhol Says:

    What a surprise to see this! I rode a Cushman Pacemaker in the fifties. It was red and had a problem blowing head gaskets. So my uncle and I made gaskets from sheets of asbestos–a practice that would be horrifying today but one which we thought was pretty practical in those more innocent and uninformed times. One morning as I rode to school a salesman from Cushman in Nebraska flagged me down and offerred to buy the Pacemaker. At first I was excited but became crestfallen which I learned he wanted to put it on display because it was so old he wanted to show for its historical value. So, I kept it and continued to make head gaskets until I stepped up to a second-hand black Cushman Eagle. That move seemed like a step from flying a Piper Cub to piloting a jet.

    Reply

  6. Linda Regli Says:

    Looking for a 1949 Cushman Scooter for sale.

    Do you know of any? Thank you.

    Reply

  7. gary Says:

    i have a 1949 cushman red for sale 949 3075894

    Reply

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