The Mustang Motorcycle is back!
New retro bikes continue to grow in popularity. Royal Enfield, Triumph, Harley and Moto Guzzi all build motorcycles geared to riders whose tastes lean to yesterday’s classics. Add one more to the list thanks to the newly incorporated California Scooter Company, which is launching a line of bikes directly inspired by the classic Mustang motorcycles built in Glendale, Calif., from 1947 to 1965.
The California Scooter represents company founder Steve Seidner’s enthusiasm for motorcycles in general and passion for Mustang motorcycles in particular. Seidner has a long history in motorcycle sales, with extensive experience designing and marketing motorcycle accessories.
Now, he’s building motorcycles, with deliveries of production machines starting in March. Like the Mustang that inspired them, the new bikes coming out of Seidner’s Pomona, Calif., facility will be almost Lilliputian compared to the average Harley-Davidson. Wheels are only 12-inchers (just like the original), while power comes from a lightweight, all-aluminum 149cc 4-stroke single. The original Mustang Colt used a 122cc Villier’s 2-stroke. [Update: Several people have written in to clarify the fact that very few Mustangs were built with the Villier's 2-stroke engine. In 1947 the company introduced the Model 2 with a 320cc side-valve single and a 3-speed Burman gear box. In theStandard Catalog of American Motorcycles, Jerry Hatfield suggests a little over 200 Mustang Colts equipped with the Villiers engine were sold.] Saddle height is a low 27 inches, and the entire bike is only some 6-feet long. But that means relatively light weight of around 240 pounds wet. That basic formula worked well for the original Mustang, which was actually a surprisingly good performer thanks to its excellent power to weight ratio and low center of gravity.
Source: The Mustang Motorcycle is back!
The California Scooter represents company founder Steve Seidner’s enthusiasm for motorcycles in general and passion for Mustang motorcycles in particular. Seidner has a long history in motorcycle sales, with extensive experience designing and marketing motorcycle accessories.
Now, he’s building motorcycles, with deliveries of production machines starting in March. Like the Mustang that inspired them, the new bikes coming out of Seidner’s Pomona, Calif., facility will be almost Lilliputian compared to the average Harley-Davidson. Wheels are only 12-inchers (just like the original), while power comes from a lightweight, all-aluminum 149cc 4-stroke single. The original Mustang Colt used a 122cc Villier’s 2-stroke. [Update: Several people have written in to clarify the fact that very few Mustangs were built with the Villier's 2-stroke engine. In 1947 the company introduced the Model 2 with a 320cc side-valve single and a 3-speed Burman gear box. In theStandard Catalog of American Motorcycles, Jerry Hatfield suggests a little over 200 Mustang Colts equipped with the Villiers engine were sold.] Saddle height is a low 27 inches, and the entire bike is only some 6-feet long. But that means relatively light weight of around 240 pounds wet. That basic formula worked well for the original Mustang, which was actually a surprisingly good performer thanks to its excellent power to weight ratio and low center of gravity.
Source: The Mustang Motorcycle is back!
