Allstate Scrambler (ISDT)

The photo at right is of the rarest Allstate tiddler, the 250 Scrambler. This model was imported by Sears in very small numbers in the very early '60's. I don't even know the exact years. I lost my catalog photos of this model decades ago, but I have one ad from my very first issue of Cycle Magazine of August '63. That ad indicates that Sears was clearout their last Scramblers for $488. The original price was $699, as you can see from the 1959 catalog page in the photo gallery. The Scrambler may have been called the ISDT by Puch, and it was equipped for that sort of competition, what we now call an enduro, a motocrosser with lights for night racing through the boonies. It was a souped up Twingle with twin carbs, upswept pipes, high, chrome fenders, a 2.7-gallon teardrop tank, and crossbrace bars. I cannot remember what sort of gearing it had. The 1959 model was offered with lights, extra sprockets, and even a sprocket puller! The 1963 closeout special ad does not mention the extra sprockets, but the lighting kit (battery not included) was a $25 option.

The Tiddlerosis photo gallery of Allstate models imported by Sears can be found here. Please note that there are currently no titles or captions identifying the models in the gallery. This gallery was enough of a monster to create; I'll add the identifying remarks later. This is a photo array of some of the better photos from my collection. Some of the photos are from the catalogs, some are from actual Sears Allstate brochures, and the rest are owners' machines, a few of which being particularly nice restored machines. Most were found on a website by Troyce Walls of Titusville, Florida. His website has more useful information on Allstates than I have found anywhere! I hope he enjoys Tiddlerosis as I much as I have enjoyed the experience of discovering his site. I have copied a detailed explantation and description of all the Sears models and their histories from his site, and I plan to post that document at Tiddlerosis soon. Due to a computer crash a while back, I am sorry that I cannot provide a link to Troyce's site, or even verify that it is still available.

Sears began selling motorcycles and scooters in the '50's and continued into the latter '60's. The earlier models were built by Cushman, but the Eagle was never sold as an Allstate, Vespa (the basic 125 model only), and Steyr-Daimler-Puch. I believe the later machines sold by the catalog company were badged as Sears models instead of as Allstates. Probably many more were sold directly from the mall stores and less from the mail-order catalog business during the later years. The Cushman models were deleted from the lineup early on, and the Vespa followed suit a few years later. Cushman and Vespa were linked as companies back then, so it is no surprise that Sears sold these two brands as Allstates. In the latter years, after the Cushmans and Vespas were gone, Sears began importing a pair of Italian Gileras, the 106SS and 124. You can spot these a mile away if you have a general idea what all Italian motorcycles looked like back then. The much homelier Puchs received updated styling about the same time, along with a few model changes in the lineup. This made for two basic series of Sears machines that we could call "early" and "late". You can easily spot the differences between the two groups in the photos.

Some of these photos are scans of actual brochures distributed by Sears, Roebuck, & Company. The exact model years of some models are uncertain; however, the earlier photos are from the early Sixties when all the Allstate models were built by Puch of Austria or Vespa of Italy. During the Fifties, Sears also sold some of the Cushman models built in the U.S. These were shown in the Sears catalogs of the Fifties, prior to the time these particular brochures were printed. The Cushman sales may have literally stopped with the production of the U.S.-built Cushman models. Cushman was associated with the Italian firm that built Vespas at the same time, so it is reasonable that Sears simply contracted to sell some of their product. As far as I know, Sears never sold any Vespa models except the 125cc scooter, and the company may never have sold Cushman Eagles, either. I simply cannot remember that detail. Sears did market the Cushman Highlander, the company's basic, cheaper scooter. I suspect that Sears never sold the larger Vespas for the same reason. The later photos are obviously from the mid-Sixties when Sears was still importing the Puch models, but you can see some of the obvious styling updates of these. At this same time, Sears added a few Italian Gilera models to the Allstate lineup. I am uncertain if the Allstate label was used on these, or if the Sears name was applied, but for simplicity here, I am calling all of them Allstates.

The Sears Allstate Photo Gallery
Allstate Compact