Just purchased a Western Flyer Hiawatha

[porch lizard]

Hi trucked ... I've already made an in-frame tank for my Hiawatha, painted it and the frame, and am now in the process of putting it all together. Still, I'll check out Dan Taylar's build and see what he's got. After making my tank, I found out it was a little more time consuming than I thought it would be but I'm real happy with the end results. The Hiawatha's front wheel has a slightly smaller axle than the Cranbrook wheel I'll be using, so I had to grind the front fork slots a little to make it work. The Cranbrook wheel has 12 gauge 36 spoke powder coated rims, and can be purchased from Huffy directly for $23.00 Front and $29.00 rear, ($52.00 plus shipping) and the entire bike can be purchased from Walmart for $79.95 plus $0.97 shipping. For the extra money, I get alot of extra parts for any future builds that I might do. I'm thinking about making my own custom frame, and could use the tubing to do part of it, the fenders, handlebars, seat, and pedals, can all be used as well. When or if I do start that build, I think it may be time to make the 4 stroke leap and see what I can do with all the bike parts I've got laying around. I've got 15 bikes --- 2 - 66 cc MaB, 1 Curries eZip Trailz electric, 3- 1950's single speeds, and the rest in multi speed donated bikes, and a three wheeler. I've also got a desire to use some of the 6 or so Briggs engines I've got for some kind of builds. I did an electric push trailer, and would love to do a gas powered one as well. Maybe a side car, or trike would be an interesting project as well. I'm disabled because of cancer, so this hobby is what keeps me getting up and doing things to keep me going, and so far it's been alot of fun doing it all, from the thinking about it stage, to the finished product. This web site has been a real help in making that happen quickly and with success. I've used alot of tips from this site, and I'm very thankful for the time people have taken to put all this info out here. I took my Cranbrook MaB out for a quick ride today and enjoyed the sunshine and 40 degree day tremendously. I'll put up some pics of my Hiawatha build when I get it on the road. I'm kinda slow so don't hold your breath.

 

[truckd]

I'm actually thinking of making a tribute 1909 Shaw out of a Wal Mart Thruster Fixie and have Dan taylar do the necessary frame mods and tank, the only mods to frame are to make a bent(Camel back) back bone and center bar, the bike is amazingly a quality product,even has horizontal rear drop outs, 28" rims & tires(700c)the fork can be swapted out and truss rods added, the bike only cost $99.99
I too was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma and had to under go Chemotheropy but I am cancer free now( thanking! and praising! God) just had my annual 3 yr. C.A.T. Scan last Tues 2-4 12 and they haven't called back with any bad news No! news is good news! YAH! how ever I do suffer from sever perhiperial nuropathy (nerve damage to my feet) do to the Chemotheropy, so solid well planed footing is a deffinate either walking or riding,
I've only got seven bikes, 5 drivers and 2 peddler's and just picked up a sweet vintage 3-spd for the wifey
1911 Indain
1913 Flying Merkel
SportsmanFlyer Deluxe
2011 Macargi Huntington strecthed beach cruiser with a 30's theme going on
1909 Reading Standard in the making(using a real 1916 frame)
Hopefully I will sell all but one (the company car) either the Sportsman Flyer or the Dan Taylar 1911 Indian don't know yet, but will post all builds when the $$ is right.

 

[porch lizard]

Hi trucked ... Sorry about the delay in responding, but painting and assembling my Hiawatha has kept me busier than I thought it would. I know what you mean about the peripheral neuropathy, as I have it too. That chemo stuff seems to wreck the body all over the place. That's great news on your CT scan and I hope you continue to have good checkups. You listed some very interesting bikes that you have, and I'd enjoy seeing any pictures that you could post of them. I saw Ol Blue and its a great looking build. I'll bet any others you do will be just as nice, or even better.

 

[truckd]

Hey! Lizard
some of my pic's are on other threads, you can see one of my builds at
"Flying merkel anyone" the bike is currently at Dan Taylar Motorbikes getting the head tube re-worked, I bought it from a guy in Arizona but won't do business with him in the future as I paid him to get me the "Flying Merkel" decal and have not heard back from him since that was in 6-2011 you could pretty much say he ripped me off.
Yes the Chemo doesn't just attack the cancer it also attacks the healthy parts of your body as well, I got bone spers in my mouth that not only cracked my tooth in half but also the back of my jaw and the infection got so bad so rapidly that it turned into ceptisemia which spread to my heart and lungs as a result of that I had to have administered introvenious antibiotics for a week 3-times a day for a week before they could surgery to remove the tooth and a small portion of my jaw that was just about 6 months ago, Dr.'s said I would have died from that alone in 3-days time if not attended to, Yes chemo is a &^%($# but I am doing better as I hope and pray you or anyone else is
P/M (private message) me and I'll give you my e-mail add as we need to keep this thread about your build.
Then I can send you pic's of all my bikes, plus I just hooked my new Comp and still learning how to down size pic's(not to successfully either)

 

[porch lizard]

Finally, I've started riding this 1951 Hiawatha St. Croix bike, made by Cleveland Welding Co. and originally sold by Gambles Skogmoes as a "Lustr-Tex" gray frame w/ Black fake tank and red trim, that cost $57.95 back in 1951. Here's a couple of pictures. Towards the beginning of this thread, I posted before pictures of the rusty condition it used to be in. I like the way it turned out and hope you do as well. Thanks for everyones help. Its still unfinished since I want to put the Hiawatha name on the gas tank, and would like to put the model name of St. Croix on it too.

 

[truckd]

Love It! LoveIt! Love It! Glad to see the use of color, gives the bike Charactor,all you need is a Hiawatha sticker for the sides of the tank Bro, the exuast fits the bike too, Very nice indeed!!

 

[porch lizard]

Thanks for the thumbs-up ! I've got a few friends around here that I'm anxious to show it to. Hopefully, to get them into building too.

 

[silverbear]

Very nice results from all your efforts. I second the kudos for your gas tank and exhaust. When I have worked on my oldies, stripping them down to are metal and such I sometimes wonder about the original owner... was the bike a birthday present? Christmas? Hard earned from a paper route? And if that young person could look over your shoulder and see that the bike has a real motor... woohoo! No more playing cards in the spokes!
Cool stuff for sure.

Whereabouts in Iowa? I was born in Davenport, my hometown as a kid was Ottumwa and I have a brother who lives over near Missouri Valley.
SB

 

[waistofhumanspace]

I am JEALOUS! OLD STEEL RULES

 

[motorhedfred]

The Cranbrook wheel has 12 gauge 36 spoke powder coated rims, and can be purchased from Huffy directly for $23.00 Front and $29.00 rear, ($52.00 plus shipping)

I've been all over thier website trying to find a way to buy these....how did you find this out ? I suppose the old-fashioned way, i.e. calling them would work......

MHF

 

[porch lizard]

MHF ... I had to call the Huffy service center to find out the prices for wheels on the Cranbrook. They were very nice and did need the serial number and model number of the bike. There is a Huffy web site, and that's where I found out they do need the ser.# and model# in order to order parts. Also got the Ph# from there. There are different colors so you'll have to specify that too. However, the retail price of the bike is so small ($89.95 at Walmart and 97 cents shipping to home) that I bought the whole bike, instead of $52.00 plus shipping ($30.00 if I remember right) for just 2 wheels.

 

[porch lizard]

W of H Space .. thanks for the compliment.

 

[porch lizard]

SilverBear ... I'm glad you liked it, and boy did you hit my feelings exactly! I'd love to know who had this Hiawatha before me and what they would think of it now. This is my second motorized bicycle build, and all through both of them, I've kept telling my friends who are interested that I feel like a teenager again, and boy would I have loved to have a motorized bike when I was one. I had a 20" single speed and a quarter horse back then. I just got done shooting pics of 4 horses that took a cruise through Scarville today. They almost got away while I was fiddling with the camera, but did get some parting shots. Scarville is a town 23 miles west of interstate 35 (center of Iowa east/west) and 2 miles south of the Minnesota stateline. We are also 3 miles east of Vinje, IA. Scarville pop. 79---- Vinje pop. 2 (but it has a bar and grill and Scarville's burned down just before Christmas)

 

[Allen_Wrench]

SilverBear ... I'm glad you liked it, and boy did you hit my feelings exactly! I'd love to know who had this Hiawatha before me and what they would think of it now. This is my second motorized bicycle build, and all through both of them, I've kept telling my friends who are interested that I feel like a teenager again, and boy would I have loved to have a motorized bike when I was one. I had a 20" single speed and a quarter horse back then. I just got done shooting pics of 4 horses that took a cruise through Scarville today. They almost got away while I was fiddling with the camera, but did get some parting shots. Scarville is a town 23 miles west of interstate 35 (center of Iowa east/west) and 2 miles south of the Minnesota stateline. We are also 3 miles east of Vinje, IA. Scarville pop. 79---- Vinje pop. 2 (but it has a bar and grill and Scarville's burned down just before Christmas)

I miss living out in BFE sometimes. I grew up in the sticks west of Mansfield Ohio. Our end of town did a good job of looking like regular suburbs, until somebody on horseback rode by, or until the wind changed and you smelled Sites Farm down the road. There was Burggraf Orchard not far from there. But I miss the horses most.

 

[motorhedfred]

Hey porch lizard, was the Mansfield Reformatory still operating when you lived there ? I live and grew up about 90 miles northeast of there. When I was little, anyone who acted goofy was told "you belong in Mansfield", referring of course to the reformatory.

For those that don't know, most of the movie "The Shawshank Redemption" was filmed there.

MHF

 

[Allen_Wrench]

Hey porch lizard, was the Mansfield Reformatory still operating when you lived there ? I live and grew up about 90 miles northeast of there. When I was little, anyone who acted goofy was told "you belong in Mansfield", referring of course to the reformatory.

For those that don't know, most of the movie "The Shawshank Redemption" was filmed there.

MHF

Old OSR (Ohio State Reformatory) was in full operation when I was little. When they finally closed down operations later on, that structure was so imposing-looking that I can't blame anybody for thinking it'd make a great movie set.

 

[porch lizard]

MHF ... Mansfield, MN is only about 7 miles north of where I live (Sacrville, IA) and if there was a reformatory there, I guess I've never been threatened to be sent there. Ha ha! The Mansfield I go through, is a small Minnesota town known for its Mansfield Meat Market where it processes beef, hogs, lamb, goats, deer, elk, etc. There's not much there anymore, (maybe 100 people) I think it might be Mansfield, Ohio you are thinking of. I live in Iowa, where the tall corn grows.

 

[motorhedfred]

Oops....wrong Mansfield