Elgin / Westfield ID
- Thread starter Kirby Shimp
- Start date
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For a Westfield-built, the "L" serial # prefix might indicate 1933.
Most would just call it a Sears Elgin "motor bike" (two words), but they had Cardinals, Orioles, and yes, even motor bikes.
I believe Westfield might have called theirs a motobike (one-word).
Not sure about the tank and its fit (forward rake angle)
Most would just call it a Sears Elgin "motor bike" (two words), but they had Cardinals, Orioles, and yes, even motor bikes.
I believe Westfield might have called theirs a motobike (one-word).
Not sure about the tank and its fit (forward rake angle)
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Thanks Fred.
I meant the angle of the head-tube and the front-end of the tank (toolbox).
If you look at the first two pictures, both Elgin Cardinals with tanks, each has a slightly different angle, one leans forward, the other seems to have a chevron or point (both forward and backward planes). Your first picture shows the head-tube leaning backward - but with its tank front forward(?).
[Looks like a McCauley #3 tank].
(Maybe I don't know Schwinn from Westfield, or is it just a frame-size thing?)
If you look at the Mead Ranger (Schwinn?) tank above, would it better fit the frame?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-ANTIQU...RUSTSCHWINN-MOTOR-BICYCLE-STYLE-/202001635470
One could spend a lot more on the sum of the parts.
$200+ tank (est.);
$100 frame (est.);
$100 wheelset (622mm);
$50-$100 seat;
$100 rack (est.);
$100 Handlebar w/ X-brace, stem, headset;
$100 crank, bottom bracket, chain-ring.
Just estimates, but it really adds-up.
Maybe it should be mentioned that the bike is in the general category of 28" moto-bikes (less motors) or wood-wheel bikes; double bar drop frame.
When I was a kid, I remember the older ones trying to describe a tube-less bike tire, (I already knew what a tube-less car tire was). They may have been called single-tube tires, as opposed to double-tube tires. They often had wooden rims, or wood cladded with steel rims. Not sure if old rims are capable of accommodating the 1930's invention of clincher-type tires.
I see what you mean: looks like a McCauley #3. Do you think they made them for Sears, Elgin, Westfield? Thanks
On second look, the 1st picture showing the red tank is not that clear. McCauley may have been an after-market sheet-metal parts supplier (e.g. fenders); some Elgin tanks look like McCauleys - with rounded top edges instead of corner bends.
Below is a picture of a smaller-frame motorbike. The tank/toolbox may be a mismatch (gaps), but you can see that the front profile of the tank is made to fit the down-tube. The geometry is such that the lower top-tube connects to the down-tube, (not the head-tube, as on the larger frame sizes, like the one in the original post).
