Huffy-built Monarks???

[handyandy1100]

Picked up an early '60's Monark Thunderbird this past weekend. I know it was built by Huffy and is basically a Monark in name only.

I was wondering if Huffy used specific serial numbers for Monark production and specific numbers for Huffy, or were they all lumped together and it was the luck of the draw if the frame was badged Monark or Huffy?
In other words, If I took off the tank with the Monark nameplate would there be any other way to tell the bike was a Monark?

Thanks,
Andy

 

[Wildcat]

Unless the chain guard has a specific name that belonged to Monark, then it's the same bike as a named Huffy of that year. I see you have a Thunderbird, they named bikes after popular cars. That may be a Monark name as I haven't seen it on any other bikes. The white trim may be specific to a Monark model. Huffy had the Camaro and Galaxie, and Eldorado. It should have a Huffy serial number also which will ID the year of the bike. 8H at the beginning would be a 1968 bike, 7H a 1967 bike.

I found a couple quotes while researching Monark:

"Monark Bicycle Co. was purchased by Huffman Mfg in late 1957. Huffman continued to produce Huffy bicycles, and near identical models under the "Monark" name until the late 60s / early 70s. It was an attempt to gain more ground in the dept stores, without directly sacrificing the "Huffy" brand. It did not work out long term, especially since many Monark bikes had the wrong trim or color put on. The models were too similar, and confused production workers. It is not uncommon to see a Huffy-badged bike with Monark emblems or model names."

" The Monark Thunderbird is the cousin to the Huffy Eldorado."

Here's a 67 Huffy Camaro:

 

[handyandy1100]

As near as I can make it out, the serial is 4H138160. Making it a '64 model, one year newer than me.
So it sounds like if I took off the busted tank and repainted the bike, I would obliterate any sign of it ever being a Monark. It would be just another old Huffy, not that there's anything wrong with that. [emoji6]


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[handyandy1100]

Some more looking at the bike after work this evening. I see a faint outline of a crown on the head tube little crowns in the stripe on the rear rack. Finally got the grips off. I don't think they are regulation Huffy grips though. Not sure if those are M's for Monark or maybe W's? Western Flyer? The seat says Western Flyer on it.

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[Wildcat]

I found a pic of a 65 Monark, looks pretty close to yours.

Yours looks original except for the handlebars and grips, and seat and tires. I would tear it completely apart and clean up everything as much as I could. The paint doesn't look too bad, it might shine up nicely with a coat or two of wax. I would keep it a Monark just because they weren't as common as Huffys. JMO, anyway you do it will work great, it's a 1964 American made bike.

 

[handyandy1100]

Thanks Wildcat. I'm not sure exactly how I want to do this bike, except, I do want to keep its Monark identity intact somehow. Kinda like owning a "Packardbaker."

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[handyandy1100]

Spent a few minutes with some WD-40 and steel wool and the bike tonight. Swapped out the apes for some cruiser bars I had. Not the right style, but closer to stock than the ape hangers.
Got the painted over AAA sticker off the rack, but the white spray paint has some tenacity. Left a decorative design. LOL
The bit of red spray paint on the guard cleaned up nicely. The chrome sticker above the crank shines again.
I think what I might just do is get it rideable and save it for next year's build-off.

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[handyandy1100]

Cheap and easy replacement for a missing headlight assembly on a light tank...

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[handyandy1100]

Been messing with the wheels on this bike today.
The rear tire is an Allstate white wall with a date code that seems to be saying 3rd quarter of 1965. The bike's frame date on the serial number is 1964. Possibly the owner had to replace a year old tire due to road damage, or would there have been the possibility that the frame was made in '64 but the bike wasn't built until '65, just in time for Christmas? Did Sears sell Monarks?

The front tire is also an Allstate, but with a narrow white wall and a date code of 1st quarter of 1969. That had to be a replacement!

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[Wildcat]

Schwinn made about 850,000 bikes in 64, and Huffy was more common, so there were probably more than a million of them made in 64. 138,000 sequence number on the frame would have been built in the first few months of the year 1964. 3rd quarter 65 on the tire would have been a full year later when the tire was made, so it was probably a replacement.

 

[handyandy1100]

Schwinn made about 850,000 bikes in 64, and Huffy was more common, so there were probably more than a million of them made in 64. 138,000 sequence number on the frame would have been built in the first few months of the year 1964. 3rd quarter 65 on the tire would have been a full year later when the tire was made, so it was probably a replacement.

Thanks Wildcat.

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[HerrOtto]

So if I am following this thread correctly, and I have a Monark, with a serial number beginning with 9H, that makes it being made by Huffy and either a 1959 or 1969?

 

[Wildcat]

So if I am following this thread correctly, and I have a Monark, with a serial number beginning with 9H, that makes it being made by Huffy and either a 1959 or 1969?

That's right. Post a pic and we'll see what decade it matches up with.

 

[HerrOtto]

I'm saying 1969

 

[us56456712]

I have a beautiful blue woman’s Monark. It’s got a 1968 city tag on it. I put a smaller chainring from a Huffy kids bike on it so she could climb our hills. Same chainring pattern on both. I also have an 1890s Monarch, but that was a different company that ceased to exist in early 1900s.