crusty sears 26 ladies higgins - year, aks ?s

[kentercanyon]

Here is my neighbor's bike she is asking me to help her restore. Looks like the serial starts with 62 and I'd say that's a good guess on the year as well except that I can't find any examples with the bobbed rear fender like hers has.

My first guess is that this is a JC HIggins built and badged for sears - but I am curious about the year of manufacture and also what's up with the bobbed fenders.

(for the eternally curious and to save time, that's a '59 western flyer in the bg. with the side baskets - my parts runner. Used to sport a wasp engine on the nose... long story.)

Looks like it was blue/green back in the day, and her bike's wheels had a single red stripe on the rim, the head has no holes for a headbadge, and the tank has two holes for wires to come out, but no button that I can find. It's pretty crusty but her goal is just to repaint it and have it be a "rider" so I think there is hope. Hawthorne coaster brake as shown next to the serial which is on the dropout. The kickstand seems aluminum and possibly added later, it's a bolt-on that seems 70s to me.....

Sorry for the night pics, I've yet to see it in the day.

She claims to have the headlamp still, but it was plastic and seems to have broken off at the mount guessing by what's visible here.

As always, thanks in advance, any info appreciated. I heart this forum....

 

[kngtmat]

It's made by Murray for Sears although I believe after Sears dropped the Higgins name in I believe 63 so I guess it should be 64 or newer. I never seen one with the stripe on the rim or I don't remember. I don't know the coaster brake Hub by that name so hopefully someone else who knows more than I do can comment.

I'm not sure the fenders are not original but I do know that the sprocket came from an AMF bike.

The first numbers of the serial number is 502 which is the Sears number for Murray Sears bikes and I can see them in the pic except for the 2 which is blocked by the fender brace. When you can get it write down and post the numbers so someone here can look in their Sears catalogs.

 

[Wildcat]

Somehow it has an AMF sprocket. But it is a Murray frame, and the flared shortie fenders were made around the mid 60's. The Hawthorne branded hub is Montgomery Wards.