My 1959 Cushman Highlander Scooter
In 1961, when I was 16 and had a driver's license, I purchased a small 1959 Cushman Highlander Scooter that had a blown engine with damaged piston rings. I purchased the scooter for cheap with the engine in parts. With the advice from Clarence Bowman, our true auto expert, I was able to purchase new rings and ignore the divot in the cylinder wall and rebuild the engine. All worked out fine. This scooter had a 5 hp engine and used a centrifugal clutch therefore no gears or transmission and had a top speed of 42 mph on level ground. I enjoyed the scooter very much and was able to get to Green Lake or all over. The scooter did not have a second seat but a rider could sit on the back fiberglass cover which was often used. Not much power but it sure did get us around. On my longest trip, in about July, I headed up to Arlington to visit my childhood friend whose family had moved there on 10 acres and were growing hay. I took the brand new I5 freeway with little traffic and p...