I just got back from that scooter meet in Georgia. We had a lot of fun. Weather was perfect.

My Cushman Eagle that has never been any trouble started giving me trouble, so I rode my 1953 Allstate, which was manufactured by Cushman. It tends to leak oil and gas, but I have finally figured out the right combiniation to get it started and it is really fun to ride. Picture a 50 year-old all metal scooter with modern wet-look bright red paint. It weight about 270 pounds and has a single cylinder 4 hp engine.

It would probably go about 40 if I wanted to be reckless, but let's face it; this thing only has brakes on the back wheel. Besides, there is no speedometer, so it's enough fun at about 20 or 25. Even at a scooter meet, it attracts a lot of attention.

My old scooters were designed to be used in a time when there was much less traffic and it moved at much lower speeds. They get 50 to 75 miles per gallon and that gave someone, probably a kid, a lot of freedom to get around. I didn't own one then, but one of my friends did, and we thought nothing of riding down U.S. 1 along the east coast of Florida. Somehow we survived.

These days, Cushmans are usually seen on back roads with low speed limits, more often traveling in groups. Or some get ridden around a subdivision. I live on a dead end road and that's where I do most of my riding. I've never had to dodge a speeding car out here in the sticks.

And just in case some of you are wondering, I have scooters that are faster than the old Allstate, but I don't ride them any faster. If I had too, I could run off and leave your moped.

Sometimes people ask how fast a Cushman will go and I usually tell them that I get passed by bicycles all the time.

Well, I guess I better head out to the shop and pump up the front tire on my Vespa.
Howard