# Western Flyer Cosmic Flyer age?



## decotriumph (May 28, 2013)

Hey guys, I picked this up at a garage sale a couple weeks ago. I think it may have combined parts off two different years bikes. The paint in both colors looks like factory paint but I don't think they belong on the same bike. Any insights? I guessed 1960. Thanks


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## Adamtinkerer (May 28, 2013)

Interesting. You're right, wouldn't expect to see red and blue on the same bike, besides the two tone 1940s Shelby models. Yours is a Murray built bike, the frame design was introduced in 1958, and made into the later 60s at least, possibly very early 70s. It may be a combination of two similar models. Maybe brother wrecked his red bike, and gave the parts for sister's bike. I don't know if the boy's model tank would actually fit a girl's frame though. The chainring has the holes for the decorative "hubcap" used on these mid 60s Space themed bikes, could be original, or from the boy's bike. If only it could talk...


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## jd56 (May 29, 2013)

*interesting*

Appears to be a pieced together combination. However there is really no way of telling on these. Without looking up the Western Auto catalogs.

Serial Number?
It is a girls tank, no doubt. Should be blue or teal I would think, though. 
The boys tanks are a straight tank unlike these girls angled tanks.

All the combined parts are Western Flyer styled, chainguard, rack, grips, bezel and lenses.
This is just an opinion and without seeing the inside of the tank to examine the paint color, there is no way to know for sure.

Different look though.

here is a cousin to the Cosmic Fyler, a Strato Flyer boys tanklight I just picked up this past weekend. As you can see the tanklight assy is a different shape and the bezel is angled different than the girls. Not interchangeable between the genders.


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## decotriumph (May 29, 2013)

*2-tone*

jd56,
Is that red and teal on your bike?


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## partsguy (May 29, 2013)

John, that headlight reminds me of a Klingon!


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## jd56 (May 29, 2013)

I love these bezels....In fact I think I'll start a thread on just tanklight variations (photo album reference).

There are so many slightly different styles of bezels for the same tanklight. But they can be an identifier.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2


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## jd56 (May 30, 2013)

*boys colors vs girls colors*



decotriumph said:


> jd56,
> Is that red and teal on your bike?




Allan....This Strato Flyer is a chromed framed bike with red (flamboyant red).
No teal, blue or green.
The teal/ blue/ green colors were for the girls models. But in the case of the Strato Flyer or the Strato Flite the color for the girls model was a purple I believe.

Here is a purple girls Strato Flite. Not the Western Flyer Strato Flyer (however both were made by Murray) but, it's possible the two badged similar bikes used the same colors. I have never seen a girls chromed frame W/F Strato Flyer...or at least don't recall one. So I'm not sure which color the W/F was, if there was one.


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## decotriumph (May 30, 2013)

*Reflections*

Got it, jd56. The first pic you posted in this thread looked like a blue frame. It was the chrome reflecting surrounding colors.


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## jd56 (May 30, 2013)

The bike is filthy, and what we see is years of grime and a foxed clearcoat.


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