Cushman Motor Scooters

Cushman Motor Scooters were built in Lincoln, Nebraska from 1936 until 1965 by the Cushman Motor Works. Cushman had been in the engine business since 1901 and began manufacturing scooters as a way to sell more engines. Cushman Scooters and the Cushman Husky engine were used at military facilities during WW2. Cushman also made an Airborne version for the military with a channel iron frame that was designed to be dropped by parachute. The 50 Series Step Through Scooter was introduced in 1946 and the improved 60 Series in 1949. The very successful Cushman Eagle was introduced in 1950 and continued to the end in 1965.

Everett Cushman and his cousin, Clinton, to produce farm engines, founded Cushman Motor Works around 1901-1902. In order to sell more engines, Cushman installed one of the motors on a scooter, which began the scooter era for Cushman. They built two-wheel and three-wheel scooters from 1936 through 1965 for the public and the military. This lasted until the Japanese motorcycle imports began.

Cushman also sold scooters to Sears for mail-order sales from 1951 through 1961. These scooters were sold under the "Allstate" brand name and were all step-thru type scooters with some minor changes from the normal production runs. Several types of scooters were manufactured by Cushman beginning with the step-thru type, which was produced until the end of the scooter era.

Probably the most famous Cushman was the Eagle, which started production around 1950-1951 and lasted until 1965. Many different models were manufactured, including from three-wheel and four-wheel vehicles. Cushman is still in production in Lincoln, Nebraska, but they now produce industrial-type vehicles. An interesting note: In 1961 Cushman Motors and Piaggio of Genoa, Italy, the manufacturer of Vespa scooters, came to an agreement which allowed Cushman to import and sell the Vespa through Cushman dealerships.

The scooters came with a cast aluminum emblem at the top of the legshield identifying them as Cushman- Vespa. It read, "Cushman sold in the United States by Cushman Motors, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA." However, many Cushman dealers refused to sell the Vespa, but those who did had good success over the next three years. It is estimated that around 3,500 Cushman-Vespas were sold.