Mustang (motorcycle)

[6] historical shop photos The minibike was assisted by local engineer, Council Tucker, of Glendale, CA.

Prototypes built during the war used pre-war Villiers 191 cubic centimetres (11.7 cu in) "Double Century" engines.

[2] Gladden bought the Busy Bee Company, a manufacturer of small engines, to ensure supply for later Mustang motorcycles.

[2][5] He then had Forrest and Gardner rework the Mustang design around a Busy Bee 320 cc side-valve single-cylinder engine.

The resulting Model 2 formed the basic design for most later Mustangs, with the Busy Bee engine, a three speed Burman transmission, and 12-inch (300 mm) wheels.

Initial problems like noisy timing gears were remedied with special quality control measures, which included having the production foreman test and personally approve each engine that left the plant.

This second Colt model was a stripped-down version of the Pony, with an undamped leading link fork, a centrifugal clutch, and no transmission.

Unlike earlier Mustangs, it was powered by an upright Briggs & Stratton 5.75 hp engine; this was coupled to the usual 3-speed Burman motorcycle transmission and a rear tyre with a tractor tread.

[12] Forrest built several custom motorcycles based on Mustang frames, including one powered by an Ariel Square Four engine.