Pictured below are two bikes with the same frame. The one with black tires belongs to a friend and is a 1949 Schwinn straight-bar. The one with cream tires is mine and was made in 1950. They share many of the same parts, yet look a lot different. I thought it was interesting how a few different things can change the look of a bike so much.
Same frame, engine & tranny, same rear rack, same Wald fenders (but one set in chrome and the other in black) same headlight, center stand and same color paint.
Butch's bike inherited my in frame gas tank (sportscarpat's tank #1, the prototype) and I still have the peanut tank until I make an electroplate tin in-frame tank, modeled after Pat's. So the tanks are different.
His suspension fork is from a newer Whizzer with a normal bicycle type of goose neck and handlebars. My fork is Suzuki, is of the moped type with no goose neck and cut off ape hanger handlebars.... big difference in appearance. (Butch's front end sits level with someone on the bike in case you're wondering.) I like mine better, but his has a more vintage, classic look.
Both headlights are the same, an off road light from Harbor Freight, but they look different since mine is tucked in to the headlight ears on the fork while his mounts to the fork frame. Choosing one fork over another can make a huge difference in what your bike will look like, so choose carefully.
Both rear racks are stock. His has a set of folding baskets and a has a clean, spartan, utilitarian look. Mine is more busy with a V8 tool box, tail and brake light and raven feather (which makes it go like the wind).
Engine shrouds make a difference, too. His are stock. My engine shrouds are removed and the flywheel has a small protective shroud made from a coffee can. My transmission cover is electroplate tin and fits snugly over the molded plastic one. This gives a very different look, one not necessarily better than the other... just a matter of preference.
As I look at the two, one looks more conservative and kind of vintage, a nice old cruiser. The other looks more like a racer with more flash. But at the core they are the same bike.
One of the things I find so interesting on this forum is how bikes take on some of the character of their owners. Butch is much more conservative than I am and it shows in his bike. He's all grown up into a responsible type adult and I'm still twelve. Ha!
I finally have a riding buddy up here in the north woods. Sunday afternoon we'll meet up in Ely, Minnesota for the first mini-rally. We're expecting two bikes. Festivities will include a subway sandwich and can of Lost Lake beer. When Fasteddy gets here from Vancouver in a couple weeks there will be three bikes for the Sunday afternoon at the park ride. Can't wait to see his 50's Monark Silver King Deluxe with the sidecar. These old bikes should turn some heads. Here come the Geezermen Motorbicycle Gang... woohoo!
(Aaniimoosh the Wonder Dog is our official gang biker babe. She rides in the trailer until my sidecar frame is up and running.) God, I hope I never grow up.
SB
Same frame, engine & tranny, same rear rack, same Wald fenders (but one set in chrome and the other in black) same headlight, center stand and same color paint.
Butch's bike inherited my in frame gas tank (sportscarpat's tank #1, the prototype) and I still have the peanut tank until I make an electroplate tin in-frame tank, modeled after Pat's. So the tanks are different.
His suspension fork is from a newer Whizzer with a normal bicycle type of goose neck and handlebars. My fork is Suzuki, is of the moped type with no goose neck and cut off ape hanger handlebars.... big difference in appearance. (Butch's front end sits level with someone on the bike in case you're wondering.) I like mine better, but his has a more vintage, classic look.
Both headlights are the same, an off road light from Harbor Freight, but they look different since mine is tucked in to the headlight ears on the fork while his mounts to the fork frame. Choosing one fork over another can make a huge difference in what your bike will look like, so choose carefully.
Both rear racks are stock. His has a set of folding baskets and a has a clean, spartan, utilitarian look. Mine is more busy with a V8 tool box, tail and brake light and raven feather (which makes it go like the wind).
Engine shrouds make a difference, too. His are stock. My engine shrouds are removed and the flywheel has a small protective shroud made from a coffee can. My transmission cover is electroplate tin and fits snugly over the molded plastic one. This gives a very different look, one not necessarily better than the other... just a matter of preference.
As I look at the two, one looks more conservative and kind of vintage, a nice old cruiser. The other looks more like a racer with more flash. But at the core they are the same bike.
One of the things I find so interesting on this forum is how bikes take on some of the character of their owners. Butch is much more conservative than I am and it shows in his bike. He's all grown up into a responsible type adult and I'm still twelve. Ha!
I finally have a riding buddy up here in the north woods. Sunday afternoon we'll meet up in Ely, Minnesota for the first mini-rally. We're expecting two bikes. Festivities will include a subway sandwich and can of Lost Lake beer. When Fasteddy gets here from Vancouver in a couple weeks there will be three bikes for the Sunday afternoon at the park ride. Can't wait to see his 50's Monark Silver King Deluxe with the sidecar. These old bikes should turn some heads. Here come the Geezermen Motorbicycle Gang... woohoo!
(Aaniimoosh the Wonder Dog is our official gang biker babe. She rides in the trailer until my sidecar frame is up and running.) God, I hope I never grow up.
SB
