# Farm Fresh Hawthorne- I need help identifying! Thank You!



## Mybike1986 (Jul 29, 2013)

I'm new to the ballon tire bikes, I build and restore bmx usually. 

I picked this bike out of my wife's great grand parents barn this last weekend and woud love to know more about it. 

Bottom bracket serial # looks like D1482


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## Nickinator (Jul 29, 2013)

cool bike! pretty sure its a 1939 roadster model made by cwc.

Nick.


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## militarymonark (Jul 29, 2013)

I'd ride it just like that and not change a thing, looks like some good history with that one


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## Rust_Trader (Jul 29, 2013)

That's a cool bike, reminded me of the Marx Jalopy cars.


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## Mybike1986 (Jul 30, 2013)

militarymonark said:


> I'd ride it just like that and not change a thing, looks like some good history with that one





Yeah I plan on just clear coating so I can preserve the history in this bike. I'd still really would love to know a exact year and model this Hawthorne is. I don't really think its a 39.


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## willswares1220 (Jul 30, 2013)

*~~ keep on rollin ~~*

A great piece of FOLK ART just the way it is!


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## GiovanniLiCalsi (Jul 30, 2013)

Better off to clean, polish and wax the finish.


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## tailhole (Jul 30, 2013)

*Nice Ride!*

Love it!  Lots of nice parts, cool saddle. I use boiled Linseed oil on my paint and metal to keep it shiny & protected.  Gives it a wet look too.  After a good cleaning, rub the oil in with an old white t-shirt, repeat, wipe off excess.  
Nice score, you should do something nice for the grandparents, take them a big sack of prunes or something.


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## sbusiello (Jul 30, 2013)

*price on similar bike*

i was doing research on Hawthornes and i found one exactly like this one, even condition wise [ minus the "hubba hubba" scratches  ] even the SAME exact paint

what does everyone think a fair price would be to purchase it? i was able to get the guy to $130. sounds like too much?


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## BlueTarp (Jul 30, 2013)

Based on the serial number (D14824) I would date this bike to late summer/fall 1938. It was manufactured by Cleveland Welding (CWC) and this pattern frame (Double Bar Roadster) was produced by them beginning in about mid 1937 and until at least as late as 1940.

The badging shows this bike was originally supplied to Montgomery Ward and sold as part of their Hawthorne line of bicycles. 

Montgomery Ward (MW) sold versions of this bike through their catalog and their retail outlets for most of the time the design was in production but only one version of this pattern bike was ever actually illustrated in the big consumer MW catalog (Spring/Summer 1938) where it was offered with a tank as the “Comet” model.  

With only one clear illustrative connection to the original specification of these bikes it is hard to be certain how earlier and later models were equipped. From the versions extant today I believe most of these CWC built, Hawthorne double bar roadster models were base models and not tank equipped bikes. Your bike has a later style of truss rods compared to the tanked catalog bike and I have not seen one of these Hawthorne badged bikes, from that period, with a tank but serial number wise, it does falls into the period when the tank was in production. 

I think it is a good choice to enjoy the bike as-is rather than consider a restoration. As it stands it uniquely represents your wife’s grand parent’s personal history whereas a restoration would be expensive beyond return in dollars and obliterate those family ties.


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## rickyd (Aug 1, 2013)

*imho*

no clearcoat, clean gently, polish, lube, then ride! it seems to me this type of bike talks to me, "look at us this is who we were"  oh well enough caffeinated rambling enjoy rick


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## mitchellpierre (Aug 1, 2013)

I have always thought my Double Bar Wards Hawthorne S/N E138949 was a 1938 model, but I may be mistaken. The truss bars were on the bike in the late 80's when I got it and they have a different curvature than your bike. The color scheme, whitehighlites and black striping were copied from the original bike. The front fender is not original to the bike.


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## eddie bravo (Aug 1, 2013)

mitchellpierre said:


> View attachment 107228 I have always thought my Double Bar Wards Hawthorne S/N E138949 was a 1938 model, but I may be mistaken. The truss bars were on the bike in the late 80's when I got it and they have a different curvature than your bike. The color scheme, whitehighlites and black striping were copied from the original bike. The front fender is not original to the bike.




I got this '36??? comet??? Hawthorne that i just left alone , it rides great once i lubed the wheels


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## gman (Jun 14, 2014)

*i have one just like it*

i have had one just like it for 3 or four years


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## Adamtinkerer (Jun 14, 2014)

Gman, your 'thorne is actually fairly rare, having the 'triple bar' frame! The blue & red badge dates it to 1950 or later, And, welcome to the forum!


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