Cushman Scooter Fans Found Across U.S.

Reader Gary Dee sent a link for the site of Not a Cushman Scooter, simply titled notacushman.com. It followed a short history of the Cushman scooter published last spring.

It is the site of a man who has done his own version of the Cushman, not only for himself, but for other fans. It shows that even with a modest bit of money, someone can keep alive a brand legacy, even if the name is changed.

Does Cushman have enough of a brand to sustain relaunching America’s Motobecane or Vespa? Not sure. That’s a question that needs to be researched. But one thing it does show us is that even if the market collapses for your product, and you have to discontinue it, you can keep the momentum and idea of the brand alive.

In the case of these scooters, a volunteer has done it on his own time; what would be the harm in the company continuing to test new ideas for Cushman scooters, or at least contracting with some of the collectors who keep old versions of the brand alive. These Cushman ambassadors would help to promote the whole Cushman name.

This is also a possibility for brands like GMC, Oldsmobile and Pontiac. If GM does not wish to sell these brands (and we wonder about that if it can sell Hummer and Saturn), GM should turn to the collectors and mechanics who love these brands and rebuild the brand through them. GM can sell them parts, and anything that advertises the viability of these three dead brands helps keep the whole idea of GM alive.

This can be done with modest part-time staff, perhaps reporting to the company’s intellectual property department. It might seem strange to have there only be one employee of the Pontiac division of GM, but if that’s what it takes to keep the value in the franchise, then do it.

Author

  • Garland Pollard

    J. Garland Pollard IV is editor/publisher of BrandlandUSA. Since 2006, the website BrandlandUSA.com has chronicled the history and business of America’s great brands.

5 Comments

  1. Nottacushman is my effort to build my brother (10 years younger) a chance to have a Cushman Eagle. At the time I started that project, I had no idea that Cushman had a fateful following. I got my Sears Hilander used at 12 yoa. never had to walk after that. The freedom I had to travel will not be forgotten. I rode it so much about every 4 months I had to rebuild it. Bro said he would buy the tubing and plate if i would build us two. Well, his wife wanted one and my wife wanted one and a neighbor had to have one, then every one wanted one.

    Being retired building that miny scooters got old fast (repetition). The ones we built were better than the originals (closer tolerences, better tubing a bit lighter). I used a good grade of mild steel, bell steal called it 8383 with 1.”od and .083 wall. My brother bought 2 16 hp vtwin vangards for his 2. I used an 8 hp Kohler for my wife’s. I found enough parts to build a 1955 tube shock eagle with lots of improvements that cant be seen. It was a labor of love for the first 6. Every part had a fixture or master pattern or die to bend parts on.

    My oldest son set up the website for notta cushman. he wonted to show what we did. i got my satisfaction watching my brother ride the first one. It was 20 mph faster than the original. All in all it was a good experience and I am glad i was able to do it . not long after i suffered a hart attack; that slowed me to a crawl. Still haven’t finished the ultra light i was working on when i stopped to build Cushmans.

    Never put off til tomorrow what you can do today. tomorrow comes too quick. E. WARD

  2. Hair trigger much, Ward? I know neither you, your father or the author; I’m just a reader reasonably literate in the English language. Reading the entry cold, my takeaway was that your father’s work, whatever his motivation, had the unintended consequence of keeping alive a spark of interest in a defunct brand. If this much could happen incidentally, it might be neither difficult nor expensive for brandholders to maintain their brand equity against a future revival. Nowhere did I find the implication that your father’s efforts are intended to capitalize on anything, save perhaps his own dedication and ingenuity. I’m sorry if you were offended by the free publicity. If this condition persists, may I kindly suggest breathing into a paper bag until it passes? Warm personal regards…

  3. Nothing disappoints me more than an author who tries to write about something they have no first-hand knowledge of as if they do. You sir have no idea what you are talking about. I build the website NottaCushman.com and it was my father who built the scooters. You obviously haven’t spoken to either one of us, and therefore fall short of understanding his real motivation for doing what he does. Next time try following our own suggestion and do a little research before you waste time writing something that people are going to waste their time reading. There are far too many sources of digital dribble to be found on the internet already, so stop being a contributor!

  4. I just ran across two scooters that look a lot like the Cushman Eagle in a garage. They do not have the Cushman logo on them but look very similar. Without digging too deep into them I was not able to determine a manufacturer. Any idea what they might be?

  5. I have a 1952 Highlander Cushman Scooter. It is not running at this time but I plan on getting back on the road. Love to ride it as it creates a stir when i ride it. Kids want to know if i made it as they never heard of a Cushman.
    Dick, Spokane, Wa

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