Bikernet Discovers Rare Engine

Cushman

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Something strange happened at the Bikernet Headquarters about a year ago. We got a call from a odd homeless San Pedro bird. He was one of those guys who drifted in and out of our lives. As a young man his life went to shit behind drugs and alcohol, until he had a son and became the sole parent. From that point on he straightened out and attempted to do his level best for his son.

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Frankie called one day and we took the conversation with a weary ear. He excitedly told us about a partially burnt garage that needed to be unloaded of all it’s contents immediately. Escrow closed and the owner was asked to leave. We half-heartedly investigated, expecting the worse, only to find 90 years of buried treasure. Including this engine from the ’50s. It’s a Cushman Husky, and I may have discovered a complete bike to bring you a more comprehensive feature in the near future. We immediately searched on line for Cushman Husky info, but didn’t stumble onto much. I went to the Bikernet Motorcycle Library and found the following info:

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The Cushman company started operations in 1903 manufacturing engines. They started production of motor scooters in 1936. ??The Cushman was used by the military in World War II. From 1951 to 1961, Sears sold them as Allstates. Cushman ended production of their scooters in 1965. ?

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According to Tod Rafferty’s book the The Complete Illustrated Guide to American Motorcycles, after Cushman manufactured small motors for decades E. Foster Salsbury introduced a scooter designed by Austin Elmore in California. The Moto-Glide, from which the Cushman Auto-Glide was copied appeared in 1935. The Cushman engine was their venerable single horse Husky flathead, sold mostly as a water-pump motor.

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By 1940 the horsepower doubled and a two-speed transmission was available. Then Cushman introduced its floating Drive Clutch, in response to Salsbury’s Self-Shifting Transmission. The latter’s centrifugal clutch featured a spring-loaded, two-piece drive that varied the drive ratio according to engine speed. This fundamental torque converter came to be called the Salsbury Clutch and was a widely used form of power transmission in all manner of engines from then on.

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During World War II, Cushman built several military models for non-compat use. Since scooters were considered energy savers for civilian transport, the company was permitted to continue domestic production during the war.

Cushman Eagle Specs:

spark plug
Note the H-D Champion plug.

Engine: Side-valve single
Displacement: 318cc
Horsepower: 8
Motorcycle wheelbase: 54 inches
Weight: 22 pounds
Top Speed: 55 mph
Price: $375 (1949)

The Cushman Eagle Appeared in 1949, when scooter styling began to emulate that of full-scale motorcycles. The Eagle stayed in production for 17 years.

Cartoon

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