# Original Roadmaster CWC pic's/ser#'s Please!



## BWbiker (Nov 22, 2009)

I am asking for help collecting Roadmaster & CWC data from as unmolested of bikes as possible. I have a couple prewar and postwar Roadmaster & CWC project bikes and it is near impossible without seeing documented bikes to know if you are replacing missing parts with correct parts. There are several guys in this predicament I have spoken with recently and even with Phil to help us there is still not enough documentation available to cover them all. With your help maybe a few more Roadmasters & CWC's can go back together without becoming frankenbikes! This would also be a great opportunity to see some of the nice Roadmasters that are in collections we have not seen. I am asking for as many shots as you want to post that show the most detail of a bike and the serial number as well. If you are uncomfortable listing the serial number for any reason just the first letter and a couple of the first numbers would do! Of course this would also be of great help to Phil who is working very hard at documenting this line of great bicycles! 
Thank you, Brad


----------



## BWbiker (Nov 22, 2009)

*A first post....*



BWbiker said:


> I am asking for help collecting Roadmaster & CWC data from as unmolested of bikes as possible. I have a couple prewar and postwar Roadmaster & CWC project bikes and it is near impossible without seeing documented bikes to know if you are replacing missing parts with correct parts. There are several guys in this predicament I have spoken with recently and even with Phil to help us there is still not enough documentation available to cover them all. With your help maybe a few more Roadmasters & CWC's can go back together without becoming frankenbikes! This would also be a great opportunity to see some of the nice Roadmasters that are in collections we have not seen. I am asking for as many shots as you want to post that show the most detail of a bike and the serial number as well. If you are uncomfortable listing the serial number for any reason just the first letter and a couple of the first numbers would do! Of course this would also be of great help to Phil who is working very hard at documenting this line of great bicycles!
> Thank you, Brad



 To possibly help another Cabe member who has been inquiring about a "K" ser# Roadmaster bike I am posting a pic of a prewar "K" with ser#20300 which was an eBay bike of interest. It is a late 1941 deluxe model bike with factory 1/2" pitch chain. It appears to be an unmolested example. I hope this is helpful. Brad


----------



## ram.1950 (Nov 22, 2009)

Unfortunately the only thing I have that is even close to what you are looking for is this 1941 Western Flyer (Serial Number 45455). Obviously the grips didn't make it through the war but I believe the rest of it is original. I've seen both a catalog illustration and a pic on a collectors site that match this. This is my favorite rider. Hope you like it - I do.


----------



## BWbiker (Nov 22, 2009)

*Western Flyer..*

Nice bike, thank you for the post! I love that two tone paint! Was there a letter in front of the numbers?  Brad


----------



## RMS37 (Nov 22, 2009)

That bike is one of the original Western Flyers that is a Huffman bike with a Shockmaster fork. Western Autos offered this unusual combination through their stores for a short time. This is the second survivor I have seen.


----------



## BWbiker (Nov 22, 2009)

*Huffman & CWC*



RMS37 said:


> That bike is one of the original Western Flyers that is a Huffman bike with a Shockmaster fork. Western Autos offered this unusual combination through their stores for a short time. This is the second survivor I have seen.



I wouldn't have guessed that one! That is great information Phil. Thank you, Brad


----------



## Flat Tire (Nov 23, 2009)

Heres a Roadmaster I picked up at the last MLC show. Serial #F 64747...and under that its also stamped - 25. Rear Eclipse hub stamped J 1. Front hub is ND WL. The person I got it from said he put the light on it, with 3 ribs on top I believe its an EA. Also has a very nice EA bakelite horn button, which is on the top of the tank instead of the side. Not sure about the Persons seat, handlebars neck and grips. The seat and neck are the same as were used on Huffmans, but whether CWC used these I dont know..Don


----------



## BWbiker (Nov 23, 2009)

*Roadmaster F 64747*



Flat Tire said:


> Heres a Roadmaster I picked up at the last MLC show. Serial #F 64747...and under that its also stamped - 25. Rear Eclipse hub stamped J 1. Front hub is ND WL. The person I got it from said he put the light on it, with 3 ribs on top I believe its an EA. Also has a very nice EA bakelite horn button, which is on the top of the tank instead of the side. Not sure about the Persons seat, handlebars neck and grips. The seat and neck are the same as were used on Huffmans, but whether CWC used these I dont know..Don



 Wow, another nice bike! Thank you for posting!
 I just picked up this unfortunately older re-paint Hawthorne very much like your Roadmaster. Mine is E 36690, a 1939 production bike per Phil. From the standpoint of hardware it seems to be all there but the stem has been replaced. I have the correct one. The long horn bars were a factory option, I have the copy that states it. I don't know if it had a comet tank or not. It was missing the fender light and drop stand which I have since added. The ads I have don't show this frame style without a tank in that year. Maybe someone has the '39 catalog that would answer that question. Keep 'em coming! Thank you! Brad


----------



## RMS37 (Nov 23, 2009)

Brad, thanks and? thanks for bringing this topic back to the forefront. These are excellent results for only two days up on the site. 

Also, big thanks to the posters who are offering up examples. Don?s bike is a beautiful example and it is also the first ?F? serial number recorded to add to the prewar list I have been compiling. 

I had been holding a spot for ?F? on the chart but was questioning if it had been used in pre-war serial numbers since it had not yet surfaced (it was used repeatedly postwar.)

Excepting ?I? which is rarely used as a letter in serial number strings, I have now recorded prewar CWC bikes with each of the letters from ?A? through ?K? and pre 1937 pattern bikes with ?X?, ?XX? and ?Z? serial numbers.

By my estimates, pre-war ?F? serial number bikes would fall between late 1939 and mid 1940. This would appear to agree with the general configuration of Don?s bike and agree with the date stamping on the Morrow hub (J-1 = the first quarter of 1940). One of the things I particularly like is the Two-Tone blue paint. Two-Tone Green was a staple for CWC beginning in 1937 but Two-Tone Blue and Two-Tone Red were not mentioned as an option until the 1941 catalog. To that end my interpretation is that the 41 colors were introduced after the catalog printing for 1940 but well before the beginning of calendar 1941. 

Back to the bike, I would expect a Delta PT light may have been originally used instead of the EA unit but CWC did use similar components from various suppliers. The other components including the seat post and the Wald No. 3 stem are all typical for a CWC bike of that vintage. The tank and frame are what I refer to as the ?Bent-Tank.?  The earliest Bent-Tank models were produced in 1936 and version of the tank with the removable side panel and battery tray was patented by Cleveland Welding that year. The Bent Tank frame style was in production until the end of prewar production in 1942. The tank lost the removable panel by the time the 1940 catalog was printed and was replaced with the solid-side configuration as on Don?s bike for 1940-42.


----------



## BWbiker (Nov 23, 2009)

*'39 Hawthorne Hubs..*



RMS37 said:


> Brad, thanks and? thanks for bringing this topic back to the forefront. These are excellent results for only two days up on the site.
> 
> Also, big thanks to the posters who are offering up examples. Don?s bike is a beautiful example and it is also the first ?F? serial number recorded to add to the prewar list I have been compiling.
> 
> ...



  I forgot to add the hub info. as Don did - Rear is a prewar style New Departure Model D and the brake arm is stamped that. The front hub could be a WL (skinny) but it is buried in silver paint! Thank you for the run down Phil. What is a Delta PT? Like a front loader? Brad


----------



## SimpleMan (Nov 23, 2009)

Here are mine. I'll have to edit my post tomorrow and add the serial #'s

non-original front rim....Roadmaster






Speed King badged








Hawthorne badged





Roadmaster badged.....my daily rider!


----------



## BWbiker (Nov 23, 2009)

*Roadmaster collection!*

Damn Jeff, I love to see that many CWC's in one take. Great bikes! This is exciting! Adding the serial numbers will only make it that much better. Thank you. Brad


----------



## BWbiker (Nov 25, 2009)

*Roadmaster CWC Pics & Ser#'s - Please Post!*

Bump this one up - KEEP 'EM COMING GUYS & GALS! Thank you, Brad


----------



## sbc63trls250 (Dec 2, 2009)

i have a j48602





[/IMG]





[/IMG]
its pretty beat up, but was found in the garbage.
so to me its a great find
could any one tell me what year this was made?


----------



## partsguy (Dec 2, 2009)

Mine is a project and is stored in my mom's attic. No pics for now. Unless if you want some pics of it in house paint.


----------



## RMS37 (Dec 2, 2009)

Is there a Cw, ACw, or a number followed by Cw after the serial number?


----------



## partsguy (Dec 2, 2009)

Or a "C" with a little "w" in the middle after the number. My '47 is that way.


----------



## BWbiker (Dec 5, 2009)

*More CWC bikes please! Keep 'em coming!*



BWbiker said:


> I am asking for help collecting Roadmaster & CWC data from as unmolested of bikes as possible. I have a couple prewar and postwar Roadmaster & CWC project bikes and it is near impossible without seeing documented bikes to know if you are replacing missing parts with correct parts. There are several guys in this predicament I have spoken with recently and even with Phil to help us there is still not enough documentation available to cover them all. With your help maybe a few more Roadmasters & CWC's can go back together without becoming frankenbikes! This would also be a great opportunity to see some of the nice Roadmasters that are in collections we have not seen. I am asking for as many shots as you want to post that show the most detail of a bike and the serial number as well. If you are uncomfortable listing the serial number for any reason just the first letter and a couple of the first numbers would do! Of course this would also be of great help to Phil who is working very hard at documenting this line of great bicycles!
> Thank you, Brad



 Please continue posting, it is great to see all the CWC's out there in any shape. I am working on a couple I have taken apart put back in one piece to post. Thank you, Brad


----------



## STRAIGHT UP (Dec 6, 2009)

*Pair of roadmasters*

Pair of his and hers roadmasters


----------



## BWbiker (Dec 6, 2009)

*Pair of Roadmasters...*



STRAIGHT UP said:


> Pair of his and hers roadmasters



 Thank you for the post, Nice pair of bikes! If you added the Ser#'s or part of it would be a great addtion to the post war study Phil is doing. Thank you, Brad


----------



## STRAIGHT UP (Dec 6, 2009)

OK, I'll get it 2morrow, God willing, Thanks


----------



## BWbiker (Dec 11, 2009)

*Roadmaster pic's and Ser#'s requested!*



BWbiker said:


> I am asking for help collecting Roadmaster & CWC data from as unmolested of bikes as possible. I have a couple prewar and postwar Roadmaster & CWC project bikes and it is near impossible without seeing documented bikes to know if you are replacing missing parts with correct parts. There are several guys in this predicament I have spoken with recently and even with Phil to help us there is still not enough documentation available to cover them all. With your help maybe a few more Roadmasters & CWC's can go back together without becoming frankenbikes! This would also be a great opportunity to see some of the nice Roadmasters that are in collections we have not seen. I am asking for as many shots as you want to post that show the most detail of a bike and the serial number as well. If you are uncomfortable listing the serial number for any reason just the first letter and a couple of the first numbers would do! Of course this would also be of great help to Phil who is working very hard at documenting this line of great bicycles!
> Thank you, Brad



Keep 'em coming please!


----------



## ChadB (Dec 11, 2009)

I wish I knew what my Roadmaster looked like when new, but there's no way..It was painted orange, no trace of the original paint underneath (except under the fenders and inside the crank shell, where it was red) and had Schwinn S-2 wheels on it, Schwinn crank and sprocket, Schwinn stem and handlebars, repop Schwinn springer fork, and a generic Wald chain guard. I think the only part that may have been original was the chain guard, but it had rusted too bad to be salvaged. 

I know my '49 Roadmaster isn't totally CORRECT, for instance I think the chain guard is Roadmaster from the early 50's, and of course the tank came from a '51 Hawthorne, and the rear hub is a Morrow that's actually pre-war, but it's as close to correct as I could make it. I decided on red powder coat since the only thing I knew about the original paint, was that it was red. 

I think I actually took what was originally a bare-bones bike, and made it into a deluxe cruiser. Regardless, IMO, it's better than a bike built up from modern repop parts, like a total reproduction part Schwinn Phantom, or for that matter a '98 repop Luxury Liner. At least my parts didn't come from China!


----------



## BWbiker (Dec 11, 2009)

*'49 Roadmaster*



ChadB said:


> I wish I knew what my Roadmaster looked like when new, but there's no way..It was painted orange, no trace of the original paint underneath (except under the fenders and inside the crank shell, where it was red) and had Schwinn S-2 wheels on it, Schwinn crank and sprocket, Schwinn stem and handlebars, repop Schwinn springer fork, and a generic Wald chain guard. I think the only part that may have been original was the chain guard, but it had rusted too bad to be salvaged.
> 
> I know my '49 Roadmaster isn't totally CORRECT, for instance I think the chain guard is Roadmaster from the early 50's, and of course the tank came from a '51 Hawthorne, and the rear hub is a Morrow that's actually pre-war, but it's as close to correct as I could make it. I decided on red powder coat since the only thing I knew about the original paint, was that it was red.
> 
> I think I actually took what was originally a bare-bones bike, and made it into a deluxe cruiser. Regardless, IMO, it's better than a bike built up from modern repop parts, like a total reproduction part Schwinn Phantom, or for that matter a '98 repop Luxury Liner. At least my parts didn't come from China!



 Please post a pic and the ser# Chad and thanks for breaking it down! Brad


----------



## ChadB (Dec 11, 2009)

BWbiker said:


> Please post a pic and the ser# Chad and thanks for breaking it down! Brad




I already have pics of it, if you look at my thread "My finished bikes" you can see it there.

Frame # is J47422 Cw, which Phil told me makes it likely a '49.


----------



## ram.1950 (Dec 13, 2010)

I came across this thread about 20 pages back and thought I'd throw a pic in the pile. Phil already has this logged.

1936 CWC Unknown Badge      Serial Number# A90810


----------



## BWbiker (Dec 13, 2010)

Thank you for posting even if Phil has it! Brad


----------



## cece32 (Sep 8, 2011)

*Pre War Roadmaster by Cleveland Welding*

I cannot seem to upload a pic of my bike but here is the serial number J35618 AC, let me know if you know what model it is. thx
If you send an email I can send a picture
cece32@gmail.com


----------



## slv63 (Sep 21, 2011)

*My CWC Roadmaster*







I don't know if this thread is still active, but here is my incomplete, albeit original roadmaster. I recently picked it up at an estate sale. Needless to say, I am now looking for wheels. Based on the serial number H01372, what year is it? I have been trying to do some research but it is hard to find accurate info.


----------



## slv63 (Sep 30, 2011)

anyone? btt


----------



## RMS37 (Sep 30, 2011)

Hi, your bike is one of the early pattern, postwar CWC 3-Gill frames. These bikes were produced in large numbers probably beginning in 1944 and ending in late 1946 or early 1947. They were generally built without accessories and twin rear fender braces mean the bike was not originally equipped with a rack or tank. Your serial number is in the upper range for these bikes so I believe it dates to about mid-late 1946.


----------



## slv63 (Sep 30, 2011)

Thanks Phil! I appreciate the information. I've noticed you seem to be the resident CWC expert here. I've noticed a lot of CWC bikes with the curved fender braces and the truss spring rods (not sure if that is correct terminology....). Are those bikes older or newer, or were those items only on more expensive models? Did they also use different chain gears for more expensive models? There seems to be many different kinds on similar aged bikes.

I got a set of skip tooth wheels the other day, but I am still looking for a chain, chainguard and handlebars. Would you happen to have a picture of the correct chain guard? I have an idea of where it mounts, because both brackets were still attached to the frame, but not any other information.

thanks,
shawn


----------



## hoss (Dec 17, 2011)

Hello,

I have a Luxury Liner... Serial number is D85211.  What year does this make it?


----------



## elginkid (Dec 17, 2011)

Serial Number X5036, but there is a 12 faintly stamped perpendicular to the serial number, along the outside edge of the bottom bracket.  Can you tell me where during the 1936 production run that falls?

Wes


----------



## rideon66 (Dec 19, 2011)

I finally got this 1941 CWC roadmaster in the mail over the weekend. Serial# H29130 I just got her together so I only have the pic from the ebay listing still. I do have some of the crazy horn in the tank I am trying to figure out, but I will put that in its own post.


----------



## twjensen (Dec 19, 2011)

Nice bike, I was watching that bike, good deal, looks very clean...great price..


----------

