Today, I started getting ready for the big one. The season opener starts March 17, and I have a lot of preparations to make. This meet is the beginning of the scooter show season and even though I don't plan to put any of my scooters in competition this year, I still want them looking good and ready to ride. I've been changing oil and airing tires.

This year, for the first time, there will be rides for "step-thru" scooters. These are the older, slower scooters. The distance covered will be less, and speeds will be much slower than the usual rides. In the past, most Cushman collectors have been riding their Eagles. That's because Eagles can keep up 40 mph plus and go distances of 80 to 100 miles.

But spectators were beginning to think Cushmans were all like the Eagles with the gas tank up front, and a motorcycle type frame. The most historic motor scooters are the step-thru designs that were originally intended to let ladies wearing dresses get on and off from either side. So there will be a "step-thru only" ride.

Yes, I will be taking my Eagle, but I only plan to ride it around the meet site. I also plan to take my award winning 1953 Allstate which was made by Cushman, but sold by Sears. And my 1961 Highlander is running well and looking good, so I might as well take that one. That leaves room for the "barn fresh" Cushman Pacmaker that I recently acquired. I don't even know the model year. It looks shabby, but it runs, and there is a lot of interest in unrestored scooters. If I can find a matching trunk lid with fading paint, I might be inclined to put it in the unrestored class, but I wouldn't expect to win.

One of my goals for this meet is to find someone who can cure a persistant hard-starting problem that has plagued my Allstate. I have a friend who says he might be able to fix the speedometer on my Eagle. It is made so that it takes special tools to open it.

Just for fun, I might take my 1932 Maytag washing machine engine. It's a beautiful old engine, much larger than you expect for something that only produces 5/8 horsepower. But it's a good attention getter.

So I'm looking forward to this one. It's a lot more fun than a car show.
Howard