20'' Tornado

[Onewheelsqueel]

Picked this up today off Craigslist to build for a Xmas present for my youngest son. Odd tubes are welded onto the frame. :? Already stipped down, still gotta cut those goofy tubes off. Sn# on it is A011671. Had a cool little license tag on the head tube. Its gonna end up being metalic blue with Apes and bananna seat. Got a long laundry list of parts to collect.

 

[user 135]

Re: 20'' Torpedo

I see so many old Schwinns with that reflective tape on the forks.

 

[B607]

Re: 20'' Torpedo

That's a Tornado, not a Torpedo. :roll: Good name though.
In small towns during the summer, the fire dept. used to put on bike safety clinics. The kids showed up Sat. morning in some parking lot with their bikes and the first thing the fireman did was plaster the bikes with that stupid tape. When I went to the local bike clinic in about 1964, I had a brand new Flightliner. I wouldn't let them put tape on my bike because my dad would have skinned me. No tape, no clinic! So, I went home and to this day I never use a helmet or reflective tape. Na na na na Naa naa! 8) :mrgreen: Gary

 

[Onewheelsqueel]

Re: 20'' Torpedo

Hehe guess that's what happens when I work late go out to the garage till 10:30 then go on the puter when I should be in bed. yes its a Tornado, not the ultra rare Torpedo, although I like Torpedo better. lol

 

[Onewheelsqueel]

No the tubes on the back. I can only imagine some little boy ridding around with his guns in them playing army. lol

 

[CRASH]

I've been scratching my head trying to figure out those tubes. Do they have a bottom on the lower end? Maybe a form of carrying device?

Regardless, cool find!

 

[ifitsfreeitsforme]

fishing pole tubes no?

 

[Onewheelsqueel]

No bottoms to em. Grandpa or dad musta put em on to carry stuff.

And yes he will love it. He's my car show / vintage bike buddy. He loves this stuff. I only wish it wasn't a secret cause he's been wanting to do something like this with me.

 

[ratina]

Here's my 20" 1959 Tornado I made into a custom stingray

Fork and rear slik are from a BFK walmart stingray.

 

[kingfish254]

Keep the rear "twin tubes" and do a military themed bike with mortar launchers.

 

[Crassly]

I have a unused box of those reflective tapes that were evidently sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. They are in sets with red tapes for the fenders and white for the handlebars.

 

[CCR]

fishing pole tubes no?

That's what I was thinking, at least that's what is common around here anyway.

Cool bike :mrgreen:

 

[Onewheelsqueel]

Rat, that's the look I'm going for, minus the Springer mostlikely (got plenty of other parts to buy to get it done)

 

[Onewheelsqueel]

So Im not gonna restore this bike now, picked up a super sweet Schwinn Bantam that just needs to be cleaned up. Instead I intend to leave it ratty and ride it. Got a seat, pedals, sissy bar, and some chrome wheels from Ratina today and put it together as far as I can. Still need to get some tires and a kickstand, gonna recover the seat eventually, and get some taller apes, and move the seat up also.

 

[iven]

did you ask the owner what the heck those tubes were welded on for?
:?

 

[Onewheelsqueel]

No, Ill shoot a email to them and see what they see.

 

[80sbikedude]

Those back tubes are crazy.........picked up a Tornado myself a few weeks ago off CL.

Can't wait to see it done.

 

[Onewheelsqueel]

Considering the way I went with it, I would have left em on if I could have fit the sissy bar and them on it, and put two old bb guns in them.