Ever felt torn between wanting a Vespa Scooter for putting around town and a Harley Davidson Motorcycle for taking to the open road? You’re in luck because there is a bike out there that is a perfect combination between the two. That bike is the classic Mustang Motorcycle.
Mustangs are the ultimate vehicles for anyone looking for something to hop on and run some errands or take off to the beach, and who doesn’t need to ride a roaring beast and are content with a purr, while at the same time wanting a bit of style to their ride, that is lacking in most scooters. There is a widespread appeal in this vehicle that is unparalleled. Large powerful motorcycles have too many critics due to their noise and reputations for danger and racing. Scooters are in the same boat, with too many people who don’t like their “toy vehicle” look thus label them as wimpy and lame.
It’s hard for people to hate something that addresses all of these concerns though and almost everyone can agree that Mustang Motorcycles are just flat out cool.
Post War Horse
World War II was ending. Gladden Products was at a crossroads. After years of making parts for WWII combat aircraft, John Gladden knew that he was going to need a new product for his company to survive with the significant decrease in demand his aircraft parts would receive once the fighting was over. Fortunately Howard Forrest was there to provide the spark for what would become the Mustang Motorcycle Corporation.
One day Gladden noticed a strange looking motorcycle in the company parking lot. Upon investigation he discovered that the vehicle had been custom-built by his chief engineer, the aforementioned Howard Forrest. Forrest’s creation was a hybrid between a scooter and a motorcycle. Small but with some power and a unique look.
Gladden, a man of vision, realized that this was just the ticket and put Forrest and another Gladden engineer and motorcycle enthusiast, Chuck Gardner to work to design and build him a lightweight, affordable motorcycle with wide appeal.
It took them a few attempts but they eventually got it right and the result was the 1946 Mustang Colt. A beautiful little bike with nothing else in the market to rival it.
The Thoroughbred - True To The Name
The 1946 Mustang Colt was a great little bike, but our engineers were dissatisfied with the 125cc 2-stroke engine that they got from Villiers Engineering for use in their creation and were looking for an upgrade. Villiers wasn’t willing to provide them with an engine that had the specs they wanted. So, in order to help his boys to create the version of the vehicle they were looking for John Gladden went out and bought an aircraft engine manufacturer, with a branch that made small industrial engines.
With a new 320cc flathead single-cylinder 4-stroke engine the boys went back to work and came out with the 1947 Mustang Model 2. It was a larger bike than the Colt, moving from 8-inch wheels to 12-inch and with a completely new design that became the basis for further models.
In 1950 Mustang brought the Model 4, aka the Standard, to market. The Standard was much improved on the Model 2. Differences included Micarta timing gears, which made for a quieter ride and a new magneto and alternator, which improved ignition and lighting. The Standard split into two options. The base model was the Mustang Pony, while the factory performance upgrade was dubbed the Model 4 Special. The Model 4 Special evolved into the Bronco, with an added front brake. Mustang then released the Model 8 aka the Stallion, which moved the bike from a 3-speed to 4-speed Burman transmission and upped the horsepower from 9.5 in the Bronco to 10.5.
In 1960, fourteen years into production of Mustang Motorcycles, the Mustang Motorcycle Corporation rolled out its pinnacle bike, the Mustang Thoroughbred. The Thoroughbred was aptly named, as it is the ultimate Mustang. With swingarm rear suspension, a dual seat with optional storage compartment underneath, 4-speed Burman transmission and a higher output version of the 320cc Mustang flathead single-cylinder 4-stroke engine that pushed the horsepower up to 12.5, it is the coolest of the cool.
Oddballs And Misfits
Mustang wasn’t just all about street bikes though. In 1948, they delivered the Model 3 DeliverCycle, a low-cost trike. Many would end up being used by police departments for parking enforcement. When Mustang came out with the Standard in 1950 they also released a new DeliverCycle with the same upgrades, dubbing it the Model 5. Due to a changing market and a drop in sales for the DeliverCycle in 1956 Mustang dropped the line. The Model 5 DeliverCycle returned to production in 1963 and was then upgraded to the Model 7 a year later.
That same year Mustang introduced a lower-cost new version of the Colt. Unfortunately, the vehicle was a flop as the cuts in cost led to a poor vehicle overall that needed a lot of maintenance and that nobody wanted. After a brief 2-year run, Mustang cut their losses and dropped the line.
Going off-road in 1961 Mustang released the “Rigid Frame” Trail Machine and three years later rolled out a “Rear Suspension” model. The off-road bikes performed great, but failed to attract much of a following resulting in very low sales figures.
The Passing Of The Mantle
Sadly, the Mustang Motorcycle Corporation went under in 1965 after nineteen years of production. As we all know though, the Mustang name would continue on in the automotive world as the first in the legendary line of Ford Mustangs was released the year before. It would be a while before someone carried on the legacy of the cool scooter/lightweight motorcycle that Mustang was all about, but over 40 years after Mustang ended production the California Scooter Co. came onto the scene and for over a decade now have been putting out bikes inspired by their legendary predecessors at the Mustang Motorcycle Corporation. The spirit of Mustang lives on.