This Old Gal Is Still Sparky!

The recent story in American Motorcycle Dealer magazine describes Steve Seidner’s fascination with the Mustang mystique, and it mentions the ’53 Pony Steve bought.   Steve’s original intent was to restore the bike, but he decided to leave the Mustang in its original condition.  I think I like it better than if it had been restored.  I’ve seen the bike around the shop a few times and it makes for a fantastic photo, especially next to the current crop of CSC cycles.    What I hadn’t realized is that the old girl is a real runner.  

When I visited the factory earlier in the week, Steve mentioned to me that he had just fired up the old Mustang and took it for a ride.  I had missed it by maybe an hour or two.  Steve’s a busy guy and I wasn’t about to ask him to fire it up again, but I guess he saw my disappointment in missing that photo op.

Sandy, Tony, and Steve  (you can see Sandy and Tony a few blogs down) told me about the Mustang when Steve first got it.   The bike had stale gas, a varnished-up carb, and all the symptoms normally associated with a bike that hasn’t been run in who knows how long.   Steve said when he first got the bike back to the shop, he took out the spark plug, pumped the kick starter a cycle or two, and confirmed that this nearly 60-year-old gal still had a spark or two left in her.  Then he cleaned the tank, used a rod to get the gummed up gas line flowing again, and cleaned the carb.  After putting it back together, the Mustang came to life on the first kick!  Wow!

So, when Steve saw me playing with my Nikon camera a couple of days ago, he disappeared into the assembly area and, whaddaya know, in a heartbeat that old Mustang was singing its song again.  I could hear it all the way in the office!   The old Mustang’s big single-cylinder engine has a great sound – it reminded me a lot of my ’66 Triumph Bonneville.   It had that deep, rich, throaty bark that only a long-stroke motor with a mostly-open pipe makes.   It was very cool, and this time, my Nikon and I were there.   So, here you go…a great shot of Steve on his ’53 Mustang!

Here’s a tighter shot of Steve’s ’53 Mustang.   Take a look at the right-side shifter, the kickstarter (the pedal doesn’t pivot out of the way!), and the big exposed flywheel on the right side of the engine.

We recently sent around a special invitation to members of the Mustang Motorcycle Club of America, and the response has been amazing.  The feedback from the folks who like the revival of this iconic style is wonderful.   We’ve received nice letters from a lot of people, and we really appreciate your kind words.   If you own an original Mustang and you’re not in the Mustang club, you might want to check them out.   And if you want to know more about that special invitation to own a new CSC motorcycle, well, just give us a call or shoot us an e-mail, and we’ll get a package to you!