Cushman Motorcycles

About Cushman

In 1901 cousins Everett and Clinton Cushman began constructing farm machinery and two-cycle boat engines in Lincoln, Nebraska. Businessman Everett Sawyer joined the company in 1909, and production shifted to farm engines. In 1913 the company incorporated as the Cushman Motor Works and built a foundry at Twenty-first and X streets, its present location.

By World War I, farmers were using Cushman two- and four-horsepower engines to operate water pumps, cream separators, washing machines, feed grinders, concrete mixers, wood saws, and generators. In 1918 Cushman opened a plant in Canada that proved to be unsuccessful, and by 1927 Cushman Motor Works was owned by a management company.

In 1935 a youngster in search of spare parts brought a scooter to the Cushman plant. Powered by an old Cushman washing machine motor, the scooter intrigued owner Charles Ammon, who thought it might make an ideal product. The first Cushman motor scooter came out in 1936, and sales boomed.

Cushman scooters featured an automatic centrifugal clutch, which allowed the rider to twist the right grip to accelerate. Oddly, the throttle twisted forward during acceleration, opposite the usual pattern in most other motorcycles and scooters. Cushman claimed 75 miles per gallon, and advertised penny-a-mile operating cost. Cushman scooters usually weighed about 250 to 335 pounds and had as much as 9 horsepower (6.7 kW).

The Outboard Marine Corporation (OMC) acquired all of Cushman's capital stock in 1957, and made Cushman a division of the corporation in 1962. The company developed improved versions of two-wheeled scooters and three-wheeled commercial and industrial vehicles, including the Truckster, Haulster, and Turf-Truckster.

Scooter production ended in 1965, but some remaining Eagles were sold as 1966 models.

Moto blog

Bruce Willis’ 1962 Cushman Eagle Up for Auction

The fourth of five motorcycles from the personal collection of actor Bruce Willis is now up for online auction. The “Die Hard” actor’s 1962 Cushman Eagle is available now at auction site CharityBuzz.com, with proceeds benefiting the Boot Campaign, a non-profit organization that offers support to active and retired members of the U.S. military.

Bruce Willis Auctioning Motorcycles to Benefit Active and Retired Military

Actor Bruce Willis is auctioning five motorcycles from his personal collection to benefit the Boot Campaign, a Texas-based non-profit organization supporting active and retired members of the U.S. military. The motorcycles will be auctioned off every two months, starting from December 2012 to August 2013, with each auction running for up to 30 days at CharityBuzz.com.

CorsaVino

After many trips to Italy, CorsaVino founder Arun Sharma, was exposed to Italian winemakers passion and obsession for quality and the detail that goes in to creating a fine wine.  Sharma, felt this kind of dedication resonated deeply with his appreciation for Italian motorcycles and sought out acclaimed winemaker Rich Cushman who also happened to have a passion for Italian motorcycles and started the CorsaVino winery. You can order this motorcycle branded wine through the CorsaVino website, prices range from $24-$55, but if you ride don’t drink and if you drink don’t ride. Source