experimenting with photos

[cushman eagle]

I am trying to post photos

[Lucasind]

You have succeeded !

[trikebldr]

Oh, that is so beautiful! Would look good carried on the back of a Voyager like a spare tire! What year is that one?

[hank43]

I am trying to post photos

That color is exactly the same as the one I had, before I painted it chartreuse and written "Ill-Eagle" on the gas tank. (What can I say? I was 16 yrs old at the time) Many many hours spent on that beast before I got my first motorcycle, a Triumph......... BTW, mine did not have turn signals on it, there was as I recall, a magneto ignition and lighting system - slow down and the lights dimmed. So, how did you do it?

[Mr Jensee]

Have you been to the Birmingham Motorsport Museum in Alabama? They have several nice Cushman scoots in there. Fascinating how many different models were made. That one you have is really cute.

[cushman eagle]

Thank you for the compliments.The Cushman is a 1958.Yes the lighting is by magneto,so,I fed the current from the mag through a rectifier into an AGM 6v battery, so I have consistant power to the lights and turn signals.Useing the mag that way will keep the battery at 6.2-6.4 volts.It uses 1 mag coil for ignition and 2 for lighting.

[hank43]

Thank you for the compliments.The Cushman is a 1958.Yes the lighting is by magneto,so,I fed the current from the mag through a rectifier into an AGM 6v battery, so I have consistant power to the lights and turn signals.Useing the mag that way will keep the battery at 6.2-6.4 volts.It uses 1 mag coil for ignition and 2 for lighting.

So, when you ride it, do you shift gears? as I recall, it had a two speed tranny, no synchros, so I had to carefully get the speed just right, push in the clutch (Which pushed a type of throwout bearing in to sort of disengage the clutch, kinda weird because the the clutch was after all centrifigul) if you got it just right, you could successfully shift....sort of. But I always thought I looked cool cruising down Colorado Blvd. shifting it with that side shift and foot clutch! More often than not, you would clash gears, but those old straight cut gears were tough stuff, after a year or so, I tore down the transmission, outside of a small amount of gear sludge in the bottom of the case, all seemed to be ok. I rode my beast for a couple of years, than gave it away to a friends 14 year old neighbor. The only Cushman dealer in Pasadena, California at the time was Milne Brothers - I could get any part for the Eagle, no problem. I tore down the engine, over bored it 20 thousandths, had the head milled at a hot rod shop (Guy thought it was kinda cool, his milling machine was actually a reciprocating gizmo with a clapper block on it, and used a tool bit like that used in a lathe - finished it up with a surface grinder. Didn't even charge me for the work!)new main and conn rod bearings, new head gasket, hand lapped the valves, all of this without a clue as to what I was doing, no internet, no manual, just a library book on small engine rebuilding..... Put her back together, than proceeded to kick that thing about 200 times I think, but it wouldn't start. Friend came over on his bike and stuck a firecracker in the tail pipe without me knowing it, liked to give me a heart attack, I think I chased him about 2 blocks...... Later on after I re-applied the clip to the spark plug wire, it started right up. Mine had a Tillotson carburetor on it, rebuilt that too but it probably didn't need it. Wish I still had the thing -

[cushman eagle]

No, Mr Jensee,I have never been to the Birmingham Museum.Yes Hank,the transmission is an unsynchronized two speed.I have gotten to where I do not grind too much very often The clutch is a centrifugal unit that you release with the pedal to shift.1st will go to about 30 mph, then you shift to high which will hit 60[by the speedo,never checked] but I don't like to hold it there.It cruises nicest in the 45-50 range.This engine is .010 overbore with a thin head gasket and a 22mm mikuni carb and manifold kit,otherwise it is stock.I would like to get more breakin time ,but the weather is too cold at 31F.

[trikebldr]

Eagle,

I ran across this pic and was wondering if you knew what kind of bike this is. The only letters I can make out on the front plate are "GU...". Sure looks like a Cushman to me, though. Maybe that is really "CU..."?

The sidecar is what caught my eye. Pretty crude runnings!

[hank43]

Eagle,

I ran across this pic and was wondering if you knew what kind of bike this is. The only letters I can make out on the front plate are "GU...". Sure looks like a Cushman to me, though. Maybe that is really "CU..."?

The sidecar is what caught my eye. Pretty crude runnings!

WOW! not sure what it is, maybe CUSHMAN knows, but the picture is sure interesting, I don't see any car in this photo that is newer than 1940- something, and some older than that! Where did this picture come from? Black and white photo looks like the kind of pictures my dad's old Argus camera (620 film) took.

hank43

[trikebldr]

I was browsing "sidecars" and saw a Cushman Eagle with one, so got curious and googled "cushman eagle with sidecar", and this was in the list of images. That doesn't mean it necessarily is a Cushman. They showed lots of different bikes on that list. I'm sure you know how pics show up on google's images lists. Even some of my own pics have been found there! I never knew there were so many Cushman's with sidecars! Even the Topper had a sidecar in a few pics!

[cushman eagle]

I have been trying to determine if it is a Cushman,and do not think it is.Cushman did not come out with the fork cover until 1955,and by that time had telescopic forks.They also had floorboards,which that does not.The view of the engine is not good,but it looks,with the low exhaust port,that it is a two-stroke.

[trikebldr]

I think you're right about the 2-stroke thing. Most small 4-strokes, like on yours, have the carb and exhaust on the same side, and I only see the exhaust on the old one.

The image I have shows much more detail, but this forum limits that size.