Mustang Thoroughbred - Specifications & Review

Company History

Mustang motorcycles filled a uniquely American niche from the late 1940s into the 1960s: compact, simple machines that offered carless freedom to teens, GIs back from service, and budget-minded commuters. With small but sturdy single-cylinder engines, minimal bodywork, and bicycle-like proportions, they were easy to ride, easy to fix, and—crucially—cheap to run. Models like the Colt, Stallion, and Trail Machine delivered backyard fun and neighborhood mobility long before today’s pit-bike culture existed. Mustang also dabbled in scrambles and off-pavement use, seeding a taste for light, tossable bikes that later flourished in Japanese small-displacement imports. The brand struggled as automotive access expanded and global competition intensified, but its legacy is vivid: a democratic entry point that taught clutch control, throttle finesse, and the quiet joys of mechanical self-reliance. Historically, Mustang stands as the American cousin to European mopeds—less utilitarian, more playful—proof that small motorcycles can cultivate lifelong riders and tinkerers with approachable speed and honest engineering.