My '51 Cushman Eagle

This scooter WAS for sale, but was sold on June 3rd, 2021. You can still click on this line of text to see a page I put together with a lot more information about the scooter, for those that were interested in purchasing it.
Click on images for a full screen image.

This 1951 Cushman Eagle was originally bought by my dad's cousin in 1951. My dad, Jack (Please notice the licence plate) bought it from him in 1953, when he was 16 years old. A year later, he joined the Air Force. The scooter was passed down through his brothers and sisters, and some of their spouses, until about 1958, when it was eventually parked in the barn, on the farm in Stevens Point, WI. In 1984, while I was serving 4 years in the USMC, my dad, along with my next youngest brother, Jim, went to Stevens Point, dug it out of the barn, and brought it home, which at the time, was Random Lake WI. They quickly got it running, and took


it for a few short trips up and down the road. Afterwards, Jim, who was learning paint and body work from my dad, started the restoration. He disassembled it, sandblasted the frame, fenders, tank, etc... and sprayed it all with primer. Unfortunately, that was as far as the restoration got, and it was all boxed up and put in the basement, where it sat for another 10 years. When I came home from the service in April 1986,


not only did I know nothing about the above story, I also never heard of a Cushman, and never saw one fully assembled. It just looked like a pile of junk in the corner of the basement. One of those projects that never gets done. I even pointed to it occasionally and said, "why don't you just throw that thing away?" No, he said. "We're going to restore it some day." "Sure you are" I thought to myself. It wasn't until 1995, while working

My dad in 1953, 16 years old
at a Harley-Davidson dealership in Thiensville WI, that I took an interest in it. Every so often, a mechanic would bring in an old motorcycle that he had just restored. I thought to myself, "Wow, that's neat." I eventually called my dad, and told him that I wanted to restore the scooter. On October 8th, 1995, while visiting my parents on their wedding anniversary, I brought the scooter home. Being disassembled, it all fit in


my trunk, except for the frame, which I put in the back seat. When I spread the word around work that I was restoring my dad's cushman, someone told me, "Check with Wayne (the owner), he's got some Cushman literature you might want to see." It turned out that he was a member of the Cushman Club of America. He loaned me three of the club's bi-monthly magazines, the current club directory, and a parts catalog from "Dennis Carpenter Cushman Reproductions" Wow! I couldn't wait to get home and go through all this stuff. I remember not getting a lot of sleep that night. After joining the club, I eventually assembled the scooter the best I could with what I had, and with the catalog I had, I totaled all the parts I thought I needed. After adding a few cans of spray paint, I figured the restoration would cost about $300.00. Three and a half thousand dollars later, I look back and realize I was a little off. I owe a lot to all the mechanics, who yelled at me every time I was going to cut corners.

Back to the PHOTO GALLERY

Back to Jeff's HOME PAGE