The Antiques Rode Show
By Pete Gagan

Wild Horses, One Hot Mustang
1959 Mustang Thoroughbred

Where I grew up in eastern Canada, we didn’t see Mustangs- not even the four legged variety. It was therefore a treat and an honor to ride John Bowman’s little blue example. The bike is a bit nonstandard, John admits, but certainly is a dependable one, and it’s his favorite for AMCA road runs. John can usually be seen at Eustis, Florida, each year leading the annual ride at their national meet.

The Mustang was the brainchild of John Gladden, a Glendale, California, manufacturer of aircraft parts who was looking for a new venture following World War II. He decided on his prewar passion of motorcycles, and developed a machine to jump the gap between scooters and full sized motorcycles. The first Mustang was planned with the aid of fellow enthusiast, Howard Forest. It was offered for sale in 1945 and was to be powered by a British Villiers two stroke, and was known as the Colt. The postwar British motorcycle industry was filling demand for these engines however, and after a handful were built, it was decided to use a side-valve engine designed by Gladden and coupled to a British three-speed Burman gearbox. This Model 2 had a tubular fork, solid rear suspension, and 400x12 tires. Overall weight was 215 pounds. An updated Model 4 followed in 1950, also known as the Standard. A high performance model known as the Special appeared and a prototype was ridden by Walt Fulton to 100 mph on the Rosemond Dry Lakes in Southern California. He entered the Big Bear Race and finished in the top 10 the following year. Mustangs were also raced in the Catalina Island Grand Prix by Fulton, Jim Phillips, Ed Bazzari and Ed Kretz Jr., all placing well. By 1960, models included the solid rear suspension, solid wheel Pony, with no front brake, the Bronco and Stallion sporting front brakes and wire wheels, and the Thoroughbred, with rear suspension and a four-speed Burman. The short supply of these Burman gearboxes, coupled with the strong toehold Honda was making in the U.S. market, put a finish to Mustang production in 1963.



John’s bike seems tiny, with its seat height of 27.5 inches. Kicking the engine over reminds one of a big British Single, though, as it has lots of compression, and takes a good swing. The four-speed Burman gearbox is a familiar device to your tester, though, and it’s one of the finest in the industry. Up for first, and I was off down the road in sunny Florida. I was amazed at the acceleration provided by the little 320cc side-valve. It also has the bark of something bigger than it is. The brakes were surprisingly affective, perhaps due to the small wheels and light weight. Handling seemed a bit strange to me, but then I’m not used to small wheeled bikes such as Mustangs and scooters. Although strange, it would be easy to get used to and it certainly attracts attention. As I rode it, I realized that you could cover long distances in comfort aboard a Mustang, as John has proven many a time.
Thanks for the ride, John!

Price, $380 est.

Four Stroke
Number cycl. - One
B & S - 2.857” x 3”
HP - 5
Battery/coil
Displ. - 320 cc side-valve
Mikuni (Amal stock)
Kick
Four-speed
Wheel base: 27.5”
Disc front (not stock) drum rear
215 lbs.
80 mpg

© 2006 AMCA