Letters

LETTERS

Mustang roundup

I would like to respond to an article by Jon Thompson in the August issue that praises the merits of the first real mini-bike, the Mustang. While the article was quite good as far as it went, Thompson made several statements that are not correct.

Mr. John Gladden, president of the Gladden Products Corporation, an aircraft hydraulics manufacturer during World War II, was attracted to motorcycles but knew very little about them. It was during a chance meeting with Howard Forrest of Los Angeles that John Gladden was impressed with the excellent workmanship in Forrest’s special fourcylinder, single-overhead-cam engine of 17 cubic inches fitted in a small, handmade frame.

Eventually, Forrest went to work for Gladden. I entered the picture, as well, for I had built a small motorcycle using a two-stroke racing outboard motor that also had impressed Gladden. We three made a verbal agreement to produce a motorcycle as a post-war product. John Gladden would take care of the financial end of the venture, and Forrest and I would supply the design and set up a manufacturing facility. Ultimately, Howard and I lost out on the verbal agreement and remained as employees only, but with full control of operations.

As far as Thompson’s statement that Gladden was the “brainchild” behind the small motorcycle, that is rather far from the truth. John Gladden did not contribute to the design or provide any engineering assistance to the Mustang Motor Products throughout its history. Gladden did, however, suggest we use the

name “Mustang,” and did see to it that we had approval to use it as a trademark. He was always very receptive to those models of cycles and engines we came up with for any given market.

In addition, Thompson was correct in stating that the Colt was 125cc Villiers-powered, but the bike in the picture on page 59 was not a Colt as indicated. It was one of our prototypes that used an engine larger than the 125cc Villiers. This cycle was never produced because it required the 197cc Villiers engine, which was not available from England. The wire-wheeled Thoroughbred model also pictured on page 59 was designed and produced by me in 1959 in absence of Howard Forrest, who then was employed elsewhere. I was in charge of Mustang’s manufacturing and production for a little more than 18 years. There were many fine, talented people who contributed to the sucess of what I

consider to be the first real lightweight cycle produced in the United States.

I hope that I have been kind and considerate in my remarks, and I thank you for such a great, informative magazine.

Chuck Gardner Arnold, California

Safer safercycle

I agree with Mark McMullen (CYCLE WORLD, July, 1986) that I should not make outrageous and unproven claims about my safercycle inventions. But the “Safety First” article (April issue) had some minor errors that may have led to Mr. McMullen’s opinion. In particular, the design goal for the first safercycle was for the rider to be able to ride again two days after a car hit the side or back of the bike at 35 mph, or head-on with both vehicles going 45 mph. The engineering model you rode will not now meet this design goal, and I have not claimed that it would. Your other errors concerned the 7 (not 6) inch extension to the wheelbase, my riding experience of 28 (not 26) of my 44 (not 41 ) years, the use of polyethylene foam (not styrofoam) padding on the doors, and the molded fiberglass restraint (not metal corset) around the rider’s abdomen.

Nonetheless, I liked your article very much. Since my education was in experimental science, I would like to see some safercycles crash-tested with instrumented dummies. Then everyone would know if the designs are feasible or not.

Tad Winiecki

San Diego, California 0

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