So we accidentally bought a Cushman today!

huckersteve

huckersteve

Member
#1
#1
My future Father in Law has caught the minibike/motorbike bug from me, and we drove down to PDX today on a CL mission and picked him up a sweet 2005 Whizzer NE-5 today with 5 miles on it. As a bonus, we managed to finagle The seller out of his 1958 Cushman model 721 "Highlander" Scooter! We kicked his butt on price on both bikes because despite being a "motorcycle rider", he made no effort to get either one running! Well, since we got up early and made this deal happen before 11am all loaded up and headed north, we decided to stop in Toledo WA at a Vintage tractor show and antique agricultural equipment fair that my cousin and her husband were at, to see their Trail King and show them our new aquisitions.

Jerry, my cousins hubby, turns out to be something of a crack mechanic, and immediately had us unload both bikes so we could see what we could do to get them running. Good old Jerry had the Cushman purring like a kitten in UNDER five minutes. The Whizzer took about five minutes more, as the carb needed a bit of adjustment before it would also consent to run perfectly.

Phil (Pops in Law) and I then proceeded to run amok all over the Tractor fair on the Motorbikes while Jerry went back to fiddling around with a friend's Model T Ford.

The very happiest part about this amazing adventure for me today was that Phil has left the Cushman with me on extended loan/foster home status, with instructions to ride it at will and "Take good care of 'er"!

Pictured Below: Phil taking the Whizzer for it's first spin, the Cushman in all it's orange glory, and last but not least, Jerry's Sweet Homelite Trail King, with OG Maytag kickstarter twin motor riding on back for display.

All I can say is Wow, what a day.

PS- The Cushman flippin' BLAZES!
 
G

GTO

#3
#3
Very cool, where the hell have you been? Did you chance the oil in that cushy? Probably old and icky.

So did you "get your mind right" or is it back to bicycles?:thefinger:
 
huckersteve

huckersteve

Member
#4
#4
Thankg GTO- I'm around, posted a hello a few weeks back, but haven't been on the forums too much lately. It's mainly because the weather's been awesome, and I've been riding my motorbike and motorcycle a lot!

I'm going outside to take a look at that oil level and condition now- I'm sure you're right it would probably love an oil change.

I'll post some decent pics in a bit, those were phone shots, obviously.
 
Yellowhand

Yellowhand

#6
#6
Nice Highlander...but I think it's a bit newer than 1958.

There were several major changes for the 1959 model year, and the differences between a 1958 Highlander and newer models are night/day.

If your title says 1958, you probably have an early '59 with an incorrect dealer registration.

But, you lucked out...the '59 is much more stylish than the '58.
 
huckersteve

huckersteve

Member
#9
#9
Good looking out Yellowhand! I meant 1959, and it might indeed be later.. We are of course without title, and are going off Jim's Cushman Scooter page (Jim's Cushman Scooter Site Home Page)

Now what I'd love to know is can we date the bike more precisely through it's engine serial number? Anyone know where I can find a registry of the Cushman Husky motors?

Now Scooterboy's Cushman looks a lot like that cool 1958- Short lived Highlander with the naked frame and all- That's a sweet looking and rare old bike! I like the bare bones styling, though I am certainly not complaining about the style of ours, both are fun in their own way..
 
J

junkcollector

Member
#10
#10
CUSHMAN CLUB OF AMERICA HAS SITE LIKE OldMiniBikes FOR CUSHMANS JUST SEARCH CUSHMAN CLUB OF AMERICA sorry had cap lock on nice bikes all Like to have same accident myself first daily transport was 1960 5 hp eagle :thumbsup::scooter:
 
huckersteve

huckersteve

Member
#11
#11
Thanks Junkcollector- I checked out the Cushman Club Of America and haven't found any definitive resources on there to help identify the year of the bike any closer. So far, I have pulled a few numbers off the bike and have learned a little bit about the engine type.

Here's what I've got:

Front lower part of the Cylinder head has a Riveted on plate with an engine number on it. It says Cushman Utility Vehicles 721-87822

Frame number from left side of the bike frame: 072829

Stamped or forged on engine number from lower right side of engine block: 865332 "M9"

The M9 motor is apparently the larger motor commonly spec'd on the Highlander model, and I believe it is rated at 8hp.

Anyone able to provide any more info for me based on these numbers? I already know the model and range of years it was made in, I just would like to know WHICH year ours is from, if possible..

Thanks guys.
 
huckersteve

huckersteve

Member
#14
#14
Thanks Tom S! It's fun finding these old treasures, I just love the work/utility/commute bikes, they're my absolute favorite. Minibikes of all kinds are cool, but I love ones that were really meant for us to take on the roads, or on epic trail rides, hunting trips, all that good stuff. I think me collection reflects that to a large extent.

@ Steven Durham- Thanks Steve, that's a great website too! I'll have to dig deeper on there, there's a lot of stuff! My girl got lost looking at parts for her 52' Ford Customline today for an hour or so at least.. :smile:
 
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