Roadmaster w/tank, Hawthorne, Huffman rat...

[Toeslider]

Found the first two on Craigslist. Was told this one is a Huffman (frame and tank, I'm assuming), and maybe the truss rods. Front fork and everything else is obviously random parts:

Not sure what I'll do with it yet, aside from the red chain I'm kinda diggin' it as-is.


Next is a Roadmaster. I would like to know how much of this bike is original? Seller told me he bought the front fender for it, which is a different color. Everything else looks like it belongs to the same bike:

Mussellman hub:

Last is this ladies Hawthorne I picked up a few weeks ago. Every time I look at it, I notice something different. The first time I saw it, I was oblivious to the center stand and clip. When I was taking pictures tonight, I noticed the teardrop-shaped holes in the chain guard:

I originally picked it up to swap all the parts over to a mens frame I have, but I love the way it looks and it would be a shame to lose the patina of the womens frame (even though I think somebody just painted it on). The seat has latex paint on it, which I think I can get off. I may just leave it alone.

 

[Wildcat]

Re: Western Flyer, Hawthorne, Huffman rat...

The Western Flyer looks like a late 40's CWC. Nice!

 

[pick]

Re: Western Flyer, Hawthorne, Huffman rat...

The Western Flyer looks like a late 40's CWC. Nice!

I agree on both counts, frame looks just like my 46 CWC & it is nice! It also has the tank on it that I have been looking for forever!

 

[Toeslider]

Re: Western Flyer, Hawthorne, Huffman rat...

I was too cold and lazy to flip them over and look for serial numbers. Western Flyer has a bent fork at the steer tube, but I might have another one, minus the light bracket. Why is it every bike I get with a built-in light bracket has a bent fork? You'd think with a light, people could see where they were going!

 

[Nightrider]

Re: Western Flyer, Hawthorne, Huffman rat...

Western flyer lookes more early 50's to me with the curve of the down tube, and looks to have had a roadmaster badge on it .Looks OG except front fender. However, I am far from an expert, Ratina will be able to tell you. He is the CWC guru! I too need that tank!! Nice find. Love the prewar Hawthorne too. I like how the teardops on the chainguard match the ones on the crank.
Johnny

 

[Nightrider]

Re: Western Flyer, Hawthorne, Huffman rat...

Oops, missed the rear hub and rim on the cwc. Looks like it came off a much older bike, OG should be a drop center like the front, probably with a ND hub. IMO
Johnny

 

[scott brownsey]

Re: Western Flyer, Hawthorne, Huffman rat...

awesome score even the ladies bike is sweet

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Re: Western Flyer, Hawthorne, Huffman rat...

Cool finds!

Luke.

 

[charliechaindrive]

Re: Western Flyer, Hawthorne, Huffman rat...

The western flyer is pretty wicked! And I just wanted to share this, but the redneck way to un bend forks that I've found is to put the bent forks into another frame, turn them around backwards, then just hit them on the ground. Repeatedly. It works so far, on everything except old schwinn forged forks.

 

[ratina]

Re: Western Flyer, Hawthorne, Huffman rat...

The first frame/tank is Huffman. Truss rods look Schwinn to me.

The Western Flyer (badge looks Roadmaster?) looks to be from 46-49, the serial number will pin it down more. Is the back fender peaked? If not its not original. Rear wheel is not original, looks like an Elgin air cooled hub (which is worth some money) Can't see the front rim. Fork can be fixed. I'm not sure the seat is original either, otherwise everything else looks good.

 

[Wildcat]

Re: Western Flyer, Hawthorne, Huffman rat...

I was too cold and lazy to flip them over and look for serial numbers. Western Flyer has a bent fork at the steer tube, but I might have another one, minus the light bracket. Why is it every bike I get with a built-in light bracket has a bent fork? You'd think with a light, people could see where they were going!

Maybe that fork is heavy enough to bend back.

 

[Terry66]

Re: Western Flyer, Hawthorne, Huffman rat...

Nice man. I saw those on CL. The CWC is nice. I'd get a Roadmaster springer if it was me. I have a CWC frame tank that i built into a Military bike. The CWC frames are nice in that they'll take a 3" tire with no problem

 

[CRASH]

Re: Western Flyer, Hawthorne, Huffman rat...

Very cool! I would love to find a girls bike like that around here! What a great start to a gift project for the wife!

 

[Toeslider]

After spending the morning at Memory Lane Classics, I did some research tonight and I'm calling the Western Flyer a Roadmaster now. I called it a Western Flyer because that's what the seller represented it as, but it has a Roadmaster badge on it. As I understand it, CWC owned Roadmaster, at least at the point when this bike would have been made, and although both Roadmaster and some Western Flyer bikes were made by CWC, I don't believe Western Auto ever sold a Western Flyer bike badged as a Roadmaster. There were probably models of both that looked very similar to each other, and maybe shared parts, but I'm guessing this bike was just sold somewhere as a Roadmaster bike.

 

[Nightrider]

Yeah, Roadmasters and Western Flyers were made of the same base bike (and a few more) from CW. Each brand put thier own twist on them. Different sprockets, fenders, chain guards and acesseries. They (CW) are one of my faves!

 

[Terry66]

Yep...Raodmaster and WF both were CWC frames. WF were also Murray built like the Higgins and Murrays. My CWC was a WF originally. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I think I would get a nice Roadmaster springer for it. They are super cool looking forks and not hard to find. I just got one from Jeff (Simpleman) here locally. That would be a NICE project for RRBBO8 if have the patience to sit on it till May!