A note from Ralph…

I received a cool note and a photo from our good buddy Ralph this morning…

Checked in on the blog this morning. Looks like a “Thoroughbred” model is being considered/tested.

Looks good!

Ralph

Thanks for sending that photo to us, Ralph.   The aft end of that Mustang is interesting…it looks something like a Harley Softail (except the shocks are out in the open instead of hidden beneath the engine).   It’s cool.  I believe it to be different than a stock Mustang Thoroughbred, which you can see here in one of the bikes from Steve’s collection of vintage Mustangs…

The original Mustang Motor Products Corporation introduced the Thoroughbred in 1960.   It was a first for Mustang, as the Thoroughbred incorporated swingarm rear suspension, a dual seat, and an optional storage compartment under the seat.    Mustang’s Thoroughbred had the Stallion’s 4-speed Burman transmission.   The new Thoroughbred bumped up the engine’s output to 12.5 horsepower.

Several folks have already written to me asking about the bike you saw in the blog yesterday, noting its similarity to Mustang’s original Thoroughbred.   Here’s a better shot of our CSC prototype up on Glendora Ridge Road yesterday…

Our prototype Thoroughbred II is something we’ve been playing around with for a bit.  Steve rode it instead of his usual ride (the Sarge) on our company ride.   The boss seemed eager for me to give it a try, so I did once we were up on the ridge…I shot some video, too, while we were up there…

It was cold and a bit wet up there yesterday and the T-2 (the Thoroughbred II) didn’t have a windshield like my Baja Blaster.  It was fast (lots more power than my 150cc bike) and the rear suspension felt good.    We haven’t finished evaluating the Thoroughbred II yet, and it’s not anything we’re going to be offering soon.   It’s just one of several projects we have in the skunk works, and Steve said it was okay to share it with you here on the blog.

More to come, folks, so stay tuned and ride safe!