The Original Salsbury Motor Glides 1935 to 1937

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The Original Motor Glides - 1935 to 1937

Watching Amelia Earhart ride a scooter at the Oakland CA airport in 1935 inspired Foster to create a commercial version of Amelia's scooter. Foster evolved and commercialized scooters to such an extent that Foster is generally credited with creating the first modern era scooter - a design that to this day is still used by Vespa.

After seeing Amelia at the airport, Foster enlisted the help of an Oakland-based inventor, Austin Elmore, to bring Foster's vision of a scooter to life. Working with Austin, Foster created a very practical prototype of his motor scooter by late 1935. Foster had this prototype with him when Foster ran into his friend Roscoe Turner, a famous aviator, at the National Airplane and Boat Show in LA in February 1936. Foster, who often flew to out of the way airports, immediately spotted the utility of the little scooter. Roscoe grabbed the scooter and used it in his display at the Show. The scooter generated a real buzz at the show, which motivated Foster and Roscoe to team up and commercialize the scooter.

The Pre-Production Motor Glides - Late 1935 to Early 1936

Foster gave the first Motor Glide produced to Roscoe Turner, who displayed the scooter at the National Airplane and Boat Show in LA in Feb 1936 as shown by the picture to the right (click on the pic for a full size view). The scooter was an instant hit.

The scooter weighed 65 pounds. You would start the scooter with a push start - push the scooter and then hop on when the engine fired up!

The scooter had an Evinrude 2 cycle 5/8 hp engine, 5" wheels and General Jumbo Junior 3.5 x 12 tires. Rigid Suspension - no springs or shocks. Rear brake only - with the brake applied by a foot pedal

The first small run of prototype Motor Glides had folding handlebars and a friction roller drive system rather than a chain drive system. The roller system worked great, especially on dry days. Foster quickly went to a chain drive system after discovering the wet weather problem with the roller system.

The roller system had a major advantage over the chain system, however. When a chain based scooter came to a stop at a stop sign or a red light, the engine would stop turning and die. The rider would have to push start the scooter to get it going again.

With the roller system, the rider would press the back pedal in the picture, and the roller would lift up off the tire. Importantly, the roller could keep turning so the engine could continue to turn as well. When the rider wanted to move forward, the rider would reengage the roller and off he or she would go. No need to restart

Some additional pics and marketing materials showing the Pre-Production Motor Glide Scooter

A very dapper pic of Roscoe - he was rarely photographed without his uniform.
The first marketing piece for the Motor Glide. No mention of Salsbury whatsoever. Note the Corporate Name - The Motor Glide Company. Roscoe Turner was the main focus - people thought Roscoe was the driving force behind the company.
Another pic of Roscoe and the first Motor Glide at the National Airplane and Boat Show in LA Feb 1936
The photo used for the Motor Glide Marketing piece.
A very nice pic from Foster's Scrapbook showing the prototype
Same Pics as above but with handlebar extended into riding position
Pic of the Original Motor Glide from Foster's Scrapbook

The 1936 & 1937 Motor Glide DeLuxe with Chain Drive - The First Retail Version

Foster Salsbury on a circa 1936-1937 Motor Glide with the chain drive. This was the first production version of the scooter.

Since the chain was connected to both the engine and wheel, when the wheel stopped turning, the engine would stop turning as well (i.e., die). So the scooter would have to be restarted whenever the rider came to a stop (stop sign, light, etc). The rider would then have to push the scooter and hop on to restart the scooter. The compression in the engine made this somewhat difficult, so Foster installed a compression release apparatus. This apparatus, controlled by a lever on the handlebars, allowed the rider to release the compression in the engine before starting the scooter.

The major features of the production scooter: Evinrude 2 cycle engine, 5/8hp. No pedals. Back brake operated by fingertip lever on the left side. Gravity fed gas tank. Cruising speeds of 15 to 20mph. Top speeds of 25 to 35mph depending on weight of rider. Headlight and horn with juice provided by dry cell batteries.

Folding handlebars were discontinued in June 1936, but could be ordered as a special option.

The standard color was "high gloss jade green and Chinese red with attractive cream trim." Exposed metal was chrome plated.

Priced at $155

Click here to see some beautiful pics of a 1936 Motor Glide restored and owned by Jerry Perkins

How Many Original Motor Glides Did Foster Sell?

In an interview published by the Salsbury Restorer's Society (SRS) in Vol 62 (2018), Foster said he probably made 300 or so original Motor Glides.

A balance sheet and income state for a fiscal year ending on May 31, 1937 supports this estimate. The income statement reflects about $65,000 of receipts for June 1936 thru May 1937. These receipts would reflect sales of original Motor Glides, Aero's and parts. $65,000 of receipts would make sense if Foster sold 300 or so original Motor Glides and 300 or so Aero's during this period based on retail selling of $155 for the original Motor Glides and $119 for the Aero's, less dealer discounts.

The SRS only lists 3 original Motor Glides, and perhaps one more (a '37 that could be either an original or Aero).

Some Brochures, Advertisements, and Pictures Showing the1936 DeLuxe Motor Glide and 1937 DeLuxe Highspeed Motor Glide

The picture of Roscoe still shows the pre-production version of the Motor Glide with a roller drive. But the brochure describes the 1936 DeLuxe chain drive production version.
A great listing of the features of the 1936 DeLuxe Motor Glide. Includes directions on how to start the scooter.
The 1937 DeLuxe Motor Glide bumped the horsepower up to 3/4. Cruising speed of 25mph and a top end of 35mph. This neat pdf brochure includes a pic of the assembly line and a good listing of the features of the 1937 Motor Glide.
July 1936 ad offering the 1937 DeLuxe Motor Glide for sale in San Diego.
October 1936 ad in Arizona offering the Motor Glide for sale at $155.
Roscoe ad for the 1937 Motor Glide. Ad claims that "Ladies find the MOTOR GLIDE is a great convenience and easy to ride."
A very nice pic of the famous child actor Freddie Bartholomew and his early Motor Glide - apparently the first one sold to the public
Roscoe at the San Diego dealer store to introduce Motor Glides to the public in early 1936
A parade preceded Roscoe on his way to the San Diego dealer store - note the Motor Glide wings wore by the riders.
Gal Wearing a Fur Coat - Probably Olivia de Havilland,
Freddie Bartholomew purchased the first Motor Glide sold to the public. Freddie was a major child actor star, starring in Captains Courageous and Little Lord Fauntleroy, among numerous other movies. Foster is with Freddie in the above pic.
Cool Pic of Roscoe while he was in Denver in August 1936. Getty Pic. Click on the pic and you go to a Getty website showing the pic.

Articles for the Original Motor Glide Found in Foster's Scrapbook

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Russ and Scott are always looking for Salsbury Scooters - Motor Glides and Model 85s
We are also looking for Salsbury Scooter historical items - brochures, pictures, service manuals and other memorabilia