General Information

Serial #

9807

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

STEEL/ METAL PARTS/ LEATHER SEAT/ RUBBER TIRES, HANDGRIPS/ SYNTHETIC PARTS

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

180.0 cm

Width

66.1 cm

Height

96.5 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Motorized Ground Transportation

Category

Motorcycle vehicles

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

MOTO SCOOT

Country

United States of America

State/Province

Illinois

City

Chicago

Context

Country

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

Period

Unknown

Canada

Despite the small number of surviving makers, the late 1930s proved to be the Golden Era of the American motorscooter in North America.

Function

GENERAL TRANSPORTATION

Technical

E. Foster Salsbury and Austin Elmore developed the Salsbury Motor Glide, a scooter with a seat above an enclosed drivetrain, and began production in 1936 in California. In 1938, Salsbury introduced a more powerful scooter with a continuously variable transmission (CVT). This was the first use of a CVT on a scooter. It was such a success that Salsbury attempted to license the design to several European manufacturers including Piaggio. The Motor Glide set the standards for all later models. It inspired production of motor scooters by Powell, Moto-scoot, Cushman, Rock-Ola, and others. Founded in 1936, Moto-Scoot began as a small, three-man operation, constructing scooters that closely resembled those of Salsbury and Cushman. Moto-Scoot, like many competitors, advertised in the back of 'Popular Mechanis'. These ads were successfull and, as a result, the company grew quickly. By 1939, Moto-Scoot had a new factory and twenty-five workers. Sales were brisk and, in 1939, 'Time' proclaimed the company's founder Norman Siegal, to be the "Henry Ford of the Scooter Business." Accolades aside, Moto-Scoot would become a footnote in scooter history, largely because of the company's shift in focus to other types of manufacturing during the Second World War. (Ref.1)

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

BRASS PLATE ON HEADSTOCK CENTER HAS STAMPED IN: `MOTO SCOOT/ CHICAGO ILL/ SERIAL No 9807/ MODEL'/ IN CAST RAISED LETTERS ON MAGNETO ON RIGHT SIDE IS: `MADE IN/ UNITED STATES/ OF AMERICA/ EISEMANN MAGNETO/ CORPORATION/ BROOKLYN NEW YORK/ MODEL 71R SERIAL No'/ PAPER ROOT BEER STICKER ON BOTH SIDES OF REAR COMPARTMENT

Missing

N/A

Finish

BODY, HANDLE BARS, FRONT FENDER & FORKS PAINTED GREY/ BLACK TIRES & HANDGRIPS/ SEAT IS WORN, ORIGINALLY BLACK HAS WHITE PAINT STAINS

Decoration

N/A