Both sets of photos are of my two 1963 Schwinn American Deluxe step through or "lady's models. The The blue bike was my first. At the time I was crippled with Guillane Barre Syndrome (like polio) and had gotten myself to the point of walking, but could not swing my leg over the seat due to the paralysis. I figured I could get aboard if it was a step through, so I started researching older bikes on ebay. When I saw this very bike I decided that it was the one. I liked the lines a lot and thought it had a different and classy look, not too feminine. It's first engine was an antique 26cc Tanaka front wheel friction drive, grossly underpowered for someone with weak legs. I've had this bike for years and about four years ago it got it's first HT motor, an 80cc from Dax. I put over a thousand miles on that engine and it is still running strong, but is going on a different bike. The new engine pictured is an 80cc slant head automatic which I like very much. I've made some changes to the bike along the way, but nothing drastic. Headlight, tail light and brake light all operate off of the motor. I changed the innards to LED 6 volt lights and it works very well for my purposes (mostly to be seen by drivers). The seats on both the blue and white Americans are from Worksman and were purchased used on eBay. High rise handlebars came from bikeworldusa. I found NOS front brake adapters so that I could add a long reach caliper brake to each bike. Wheels were originally for a middleweight and I have changed them to heavy duty 2.125 rims. This made mounting the middleweight fenders a chore and you may notice the rear fender look funny due to little extensions I made for the fender braces so that the tire did not hit the fender. I have new balloon tire cruiser fenders for both bikes and am not looking forward to making them fit, clear the drive chain, etc. It will be slow going, bending as I need to, but I'll get them on solidly and they're going to look really good. The white one and maybe both will get reproduction Indian front fender lights... the one with the white Indian face and chrome feathers. The shape should merge with the other curving lines of the bike. In the two photos you see of the blue bike there is a fender light in place from a Kawasaki Motorcycle. The eagle eyes light up when the engine is going along with head and tail light. This Kawasaki fender light will probably become part of the new winter Worksman/Elgin project of some of this and some of that .Cool. The little boy in my likes fender lights a whole lot. These bikes are solid rides and are much improved with the fatter tires. I leave the front one a little on the soft side for comfort. The lake in the background is Eagles Nest Four at it's outlet to Eagles Nest Three where I live. I am poor in money, but have a **** of a backyard. The close up photo of the white bike shows how beat up the paint is on both bikes. Up close they look like they are 46 years old, yet step back a bit and they still turn heads. The head badge is a replacement of the original and says American Flyer which was something a Kentucky dealer put on his most expensive Schwinns. Mine's an American and with the motor it flies, so I think it qualifies. I believe the absence of upper cross bars helps to emphasize the engine, making it look more like a motorcycle of some sort, like being motorized is what that bike is all about.
Silverbear
Silverbear
