Iverson Yellowbird...a Holy Grail!
- Thread starter rfeagleye
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would like to hear the story on this, how you found it, previous owners history, if any, your plans...etcA local gentleman had it in a barn. Friend of a friend of a friend lead him to me, he knew I liked these type bikes. He said he bought it years ago because he thought it was cool, and he just dug it out and decided to sell because he wasn't going to mess with it.
It is raining here the next two days, will post some close ups when I can. I am thinking it might have originally been orange, but I thought these were all yellow, because of the name. Going to see what I can make of the original paint and then decide on restore or leave as is.
I never even thought I would see one. Now I have seen in person a 1937 Twin Flex and an Iverson Yellowbird. Crazy.
It is raining here the next two days, will post some close ups when I can. I am thinking it might have originally been orange, but I thought these were all yellow, because of the name. Going to see what I can make of the original paint and then decide on restore or leave as is.
I never even thought I would see one. Now I have seen in person a 1937 Twin Flex and an Iverson Yellowbird. Crazy.
Hey, I've got one of those.....................
chainrings! If it is 52 tooth.
Very cool bike that I have never seen before!!
I almost think that I could build an adult version from a mixte frame though!
chainrings! If it is 52 tooth.
Very cool bike that I have never seen before!!
I almost think that I could build an adult version from a mixte frame though!
I think that the only time I have ever seen one was online on the Musclebike Museum website. Those things are crazy cool. Have fun with your ridiculously rare ride.
Well would you look at that! The Great ones are still out there waiting to be found. The paint looks pretty good. Hope that Yamaha decal comes off easy. A really great looking bike. Well a few more should be found now that this one is out...lol
That is really interesting. I've never seen one before. What is that couch sitting on it? Is that an actual seat?
You could ride 4 on that seat! This ad I found says the Yellowbird was yellow, Bandito was green, and the three speed version (no illustration) was hugger orange. So that could be the original paint.
Wow where is that Iverson 3 speed rear mag wheel at? I don't think it was a 3 speed because there is no shifter bracket on the frame and I don't think they would have swapped out the 3 speed rear wheel for a coaster wheel. Bike looks to OG to have been messed with. Only thing missing is the sissy bar pad. A easy part to make.
I hate to say it now but when I was a stupid (and broke) kid,
I found an old English racer bike at the dump - could not figure out how to get the Stermy gears to work (stuck between gears) so i threw on an old wheel with a trusty Bendix - so it happens.
It's a good possibility it was a one speed in Orange. They didn't always stick to the advertised colors back then. I don't see a model name under the Yamaha, but that would give a clue. But you have a nearly complete bike so it's all good!
And that's a plausible explanation in most cases, but looking at the ad that Wildcat posted, it looks to me like there was a rather large tab that was welded to the multi-speed frame to allow for installation of the Shimano shifter. It's not a very large picture, but the bike that Eagleye posted does not have a tab, nor does it have any evidence that I can see that a tab was cut away....so i threw on an old wheel with a trusty Bendix - so it happens.
So my guess: It was a off-badge bike made by Iverson for someone else, hence the 'Yamaha' on the guard. And that allowed them to switch up the color.
Fv2
Don't know what I'm doing, gonna do it anyway.
Any chance the three speed was a hub and not a derailer system? It could also be possible that it's an early custom, but I doubt it. It appears original with some of the original decals.
Maybe the ad is for the first year of the design and only the three speed was orange then, but the next year the single speeds came in orange? Hugger orange was a very popular color at the time.
It would be great if bikes and dogs could talk, but unfortunately they don't. Regardless of its origin it's just a really cool bike.
Maybe the ad is for the first year of the design and only the three speed was orange then, but the next year the single speeds came in orange? Hugger orange was a very popular color at the time.
It would be great if bikes and dogs could talk, but unfortunately they don't. Regardless of its origin it's just a really cool bike.
The rims look like a matched pair so the rear wheel might not have ever been changed out. So, it seems a very good original bike, maybe with the original tires. With no damage showing on the pedal or handle grips, I'm guessing they are original. A seat repair and shining up may be all it needs.
I didn't know it was a Chuck Barris design. It's the same orange color as the Rogue, so it's probably the original paint. It should have bright orange paint on the fork tube. As mentioned above, the seat matches too. I think they took the original decal off or it didn't come with a name on the chain guard. The Yamaha decal looks added because it's not lined up perfectly. Yours may be more rare because it's an orange one.
I didn't know it was a Chuck Barris design. It's the same orange color as the Rogue, so it's probably the original paint. It should have bright orange paint on the fork tube. As mentioned above, the seat matches too. I think they took the original decal off or it didn't come with a name on the chain guard. The Yamaha decal looks added because it's not lined up perfectly. Yours may be more rare because it's an orange one.
