# 1917 Deluxe Flyer Motobike



## 10~18kustoms (Apr 12, 2021)

This project started about 7 or 8 years ago when a friend set me up on a lead about a couple of old and very rough Motobikes he knew of.  Well, I bought them, and they went on the back burner project list (aka. the back wall of my barn). I knew nothing about this bike or what it was, but was intrigued by 1) the real cool head badge, that still had unbelievable color for its age from what looked like a porcelain or glass on it.  And, 2) the unusual Persons long spring seat that had the seat spring stays on the outside of the springs.


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## 10~18kustoms (Apr 12, 2021)

While it spent several years hanging on the back wall of my barn I was able to track down a little info on the bike and find these old catalog pictures of a 1917 Deluxe Flyer Motobike. The unusual head badge was a match. Also found a couple of other bikes like it out there on the net, so now I knew what the bike originally looked like.. Apparently sold as a Hawthorne, but I'm still not sure who the manufacture was.


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## 10~18kustoms (Apr 12, 2021)

So once its time came to come off the back wall, it went into a tub of good old H2O to soak since the head tube/fork, and crank were both froze up. After a couple days it was all loosened up and came apart.


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## manuel rivera (Apr 13, 2021)

What A beautiful  headbadge! Awesome project .


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## SKPC (Apr 13, 2021)

Bike appears to be made by Pope/Westfield, both the frame and fork.  Could we get better pics of the rear axle forks and the front fork crown also?  Good looking survivor with the badge intact, more and more rare as time continues on.


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## 10~18kustoms (Apr 13, 2021)

Here are a few more before pictures I took pre soak and dismantle.


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## Archie Sturmer (Apr 13, 2021)

I had believed that those badges went on A&S built Hawthorne Flyers, but not sure of the years; maybe it depends on model as well.








						1923-1924 Montgomery Wards catalog/Hawthonre DeLuxe | Antique Bicycles Pre-1933
					

1923-1924 Hawthorne DeLuxe looks maybe schwinn built. Just wanted to share the reference.




					thecabe.com
				




Holy-Moley, I believe that a member has such frame for sale, and that the *oval*-*shaped *stays at the bottom brackets may be a clue.








						Sold - Schwinn? Excelsior? Motorbike frame | Archive (sold)
					

Ye  p   it  ’s   g  ot   a   h  ol  e in the chainstay. $150 plus ship




					thecabe.com


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## gkeep (Apr 13, 2021)

Nice project. Any serial number visible on the bottom bracket?


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## 10~18kustoms (Apr 13, 2021)

gkeep said:


> Nice project. Any serial number visible on the bottom bracket?



Yes.


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## barneyguey (Apr 13, 2021)

Here's a couple more ads from my 1917 & 1918 catalogs.


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## barneyguey (Apr 13, 2021)

And some photos of a Schwinn Built Deluxe Flyer from a swap meet for you.


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## 10~18kustoms (Apr 13, 2021)

barneyguey said:


> And some photos of a Schwinn Built Deluxe Flyer from a swap meet for you.



Cool. Same head badge and seems to be same seat frame with the spring stays on the outside. But slightly different frame, fork, and defiantly different chain ring.


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## Mercian (Apr 15, 2021)

Hi All,

H48970 would correspond to a 1917 produced Westfield frame.

Please could you tell us the make of the brake hub?

Thanks,

Best Regards,

Adrian


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## 10~18kustoms (Apr 15, 2021)

Mercian said:


> Please could you tell us the make of the brake hub?



I'm not sure. Unfortunately it is so rusted I cant read it. View attachment 1391710


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## manuel rivera (Apr 15, 2021)

10~18kustoms said:


> I'm not sure. Unfortunately it is so rusted I cant read it. View attachment 1391710View attachment 1391714



Atherton?


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## 10~18kustoms (Apr 15, 2021)

manuel rivera said:


> Atherton?



Yep, that's definitely it!


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## gkeep (Apr 15, 2021)

Just noticed your frame has the same forks as the Westfield frame I found.


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## 10~18kustoms (Apr 15, 2021)

Back to the build. Once the bike was apart, I was curious what the paint looked like under the rust so it went into an OA bath. Much to my disappointment when the powdery pinkish orange layer was gone there was nothing much left of the paint and I basically just had  a bare frame. So any hopes of building it as an OG paint survivor was gone. I sent the seat pan to Bob U to be recovered, and the bright work to my friend Pappy's shop Acme Plating for some new nickel. Here is the before and after of the seat.


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## 10~18kustoms (Apr 15, 2021)

The head badge also got a good cleaning with white vinegar. It really brings out the color in the cloisonné enamel work. Pretty amazing head badge considering it is over 100 years old.


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## 10~18kustoms (Apr 19, 2021)

I don't like the look of an over restored super shiny bike, or even worse an under restored rattle can paint looking bike, so I set out to try for something in the middle. I started with a dark red (burgundy) and black base coat. Had Bob Bond add some thin line pinstripe accents in yellow. Then it was all clear coated with a matte clear urethane. I then used a medium light abrasive polish to add a little shine. It takes a more work & elbow grease than shooting a gloss clear, but I think this method gives the newer urethane a little more of the old hand rubbed enamel look.


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## 10~18kustoms (Apr 23, 2021)

I'm not going for an exact clone of the 1917 catalog picture, But rather using my favorite elements from the catalog picture, and the couple of pictures of actual bike examples I could find. One of the things I did want for this build was a pair of Tiller bars like shown in the catalog picture, and the original cross brace bars were rusted through and unusable. (They are still getting used on a yard/barn light project). While I was waiting on the bright work to come back from the plating shop I was lucky enough to find a repop set of tiller bars from our fearless leader SM2501, and they were already Nickle plated.


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## 10~18kustoms (Apr 23, 2021)

Finally the Nickle plated parts came back from the plating shop, and I was able to start the re-assembly process.


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## 10~18kustoms (Apr 29, 2021)

Another feature I wanted from the catalog picture was the matching paint rims with white tires look. The original rear wood rim was beyond repair/reuse and there was no front with it. I didn't want to go with the era wood rims & single tube tires either, rather wanted something ridable so when I found a fellow CABE member offering a real nice Blunt 35 wheel set that also have super nice vintage hubs I knew these would work.  




Once they arrived the rims were de-laced, then painted to match. Re-laced and white 700C tires mounted. Now all ready for final assembly next week when I get back from the Midwest Bicycle Swap in Haysville.


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## Kato (Jun 19, 2021)

Great looking bike and resto !!!
I happened to run across a guy that found a 16 / 17 Deluxe Flyer in his Dad's barn
Any interest - also has a TOC era Featherstone - Model C I've never seen / find no info on
Thanks
Mike


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## mikecuda (Jun 19, 2021)

Tracking this build.  Keep it going.


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## The Carolina Rambler (Jun 19, 2021)

10~18kustoms said:


> Another feature I wanted from the catalog picture was the matching paint rims with white tires look. The original rear wood rim was beyond repair/reuse and there was no front with it. I didn't want to go with the era wood rims & single tube tires either, rather wanted something ridable so when I found a fellow CABE member offering a real nice Blunt 35 wheel set that also have super nice vintage hubs I knew these would work.  View attachment 1400978
> 
> 
> Once they arrived the rims were de-laced, then painted to match. Re-laced and white 700C tires mounted. Now all ready for final assembly next week when I get back from the Midwest Bicycle Swap in Haysville.
> ...



I only just now found your post on this bike.  Excellent work you are doing, it is looking fantastic!  Believe it or not, I am actually right now restoring a bike of this exact model you have right now, 1917 or 18 Montgomery Ward's deluxe flyer.  The only difference is, its taking me over a year, and looks like you've got all of that accomplished in just a few months!  Wish I could do like that.  Keep us posted once you've got er finished and stitched back up!  Thanks for Posting!


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## mikecuda (Jun 19, 2021)

The red paint name and color???         Thank you.


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## 10~18kustoms (Jun 19, 2021)

The Carolina Rambler said:


> I only just now found your post on this bike. Excellent work you are doing, it is looking fantastic! Believe it or not, I am actually right now restoring a bike of this exact model you have right now, 1917 or 18 Montgomery Ward's deluxe flyer. The only difference is, its taking me over a year, and looks like you've got all of that accomplished in just a few months! Wish I could do like that. Keep us posted once you've got er finished and stitched back up! Thanks for Posting!



Thanks for the kind words Carolina Rambler, but this build has also been in the works for years not months. Many of those years it just hung on the wall, waiting for the right time and finding the right missing parts. Then there was also a pretty good wait while the Nickel plating was getting done. It did go pretty fast once I got it all back and the wheel set was done pretty fast. But then again it has set since early May waiting for final assembly until yesterday when I started doing that. Hopefully I won't get side tracked again and will finish it up this coming week. Seat, bars, and pedals are all that's left.


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## 10~18kustoms (Jun 19, 2021)

mikecuda said:


> The red paint name and color??? Thank you.



It is Matrix Systems base coat Dark Red/Burgundy with a Satin Clear coat over it, then hand rubbed. I was just winging it off of the pictures of a couple bikes I found on the internet. (see last pictures). It is basically a special mix I had my paint guy match off of a prewar Monark color that looked real close.


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## Freqman1 (Jun 20, 2021)

Ready to see the finished product Marty! Always a sense of gratification when you bring one back. V/r Shawn


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## mikecuda (Jun 20, 2021)

10~18kustoms said:


> It is Matrix Systems base coat Dark Red/Burgundy with a Satin Clear coat over it, then hand rubbed. I was just winging it off of the pictures of a couple bikes I found on the internet. (see last pictures). It is basically a special mix I had my paint guy match off of a prewar Monark color that looked real close.
> 
> View attachment 1433043
> 
> ...



Thank you for the paint info.  Tracking your work.


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## The Carolina Rambler (Jun 21, 2021)

10~18kustoms said:


> Thanks for the kind words Carolina Rambler, but this build has also been in the works for years not months. Many of those years it just hung on the wall, waiting for the right time and finding the right missing parts. Then there was also a pretty good wait while the Nickel plating was getting done. It did go pretty fast once I got it all back and the wheel set was done pretty fast. But then again it has set since early May waiting for final assembly until yesterday when I started doing that. Hopefully I won't get side tracked again and will finish it up this coming week. Seat, bars, and pedals are all that's left.
> 
> View attachment 1433041
> 
> View attachment 1433042



Oh yeah, now we're talking.  That thing looks real slick!  And I'll tell you, I bet it is pretty fast.  Although mine's not totally done yet, it is far enough along that I was able to ride it, and compared at least to a typical balloon tire bike, it is a fast one!  You'll get a lot of looks when you ride that bike around town.


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## 10~18kustoms (Jun 21, 2021)

Well after 7 years hanging on the back wall of the barn, and at least a year and a half of reworking it, it is finally a rider again. But before I show the finished bike I want to THANK a whole lot of people on and off the CABE for their help. First a few non CABE friends Paul Kruse for finding me the bike, Bob Bond for the pinstriping, Jeff Wilson for the Urethane Matte Clear on frame & fork, and Larry Mong for the custom drop stand.  Also couldn't have done it without the help of these CABE Members. Pappy, and Acme Brass Plating for the nickel work. Bobcycles, for the seat recover. SM2501, for the tiller bars. New Mexico Brant for the skip chain. And, KevinsBikes for the wheel set. THANKS to everyone that helped and following this thread, I plan to get the white tires dirty ASAP.  Before & after pictures to follow.


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## 10~18kustoms (Jun 21, 2021)

Before:













After:


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## The Carolina Rambler (Jun 21, 2021)

10~18kustoms said:


> Before:
> View attachment 1434160
> 
> View attachment 1434161
> ...



Oh yeah, you've got a real swell ride now!  That bike turned out great!  Looks perfect


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## locomotion (Jun 25, 2021)

nice restoration
do you think the bike had a tank?


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## SKPC (Jun 25, 2021)

Looks great, I would bet it rides nice with the new wheels..  Love the colors.


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## 10~18kustoms (Jun 25, 2021)

locomotion said:


> nice restoration
> do you think the bike had a tank?



Yes, based on the ad pictures and the "Deluxe" name I'm pretty sure it had a tank when sold. At least the deluxe version, there were probably cheaper more basic versions sold also, but probably badged as a Flyer only.  I have been looking for a tank for it for the last couple years that is correct for this frame but haven't ever seen one yet. I have seen a few that look close, but the two top bars on this frame are much more narrow than most moto bike style frames/tanks ( only 1 3/4" spacing) most are 2" or more. I will keep looking, and if I ever get lucky and find one I will add it.


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## The Carolina Rambler (Jun 25, 2021)

10~18kustoms said:


> Yes, based on the ad pictures and the "Deluxe" name I'm pretty sure it had a tank when sold. At least the deluxe version, there were probably cheaper more basic versions sold also, but probably badged as a Flyer only.  I have been looking for a tank for it for the last couple years that is correct for this frame but haven't ever seen one yet. I have seen a few that look close, but the two top bars on this frame are much more narrow than most moto bike style frames/tanks ( only 1 3/4" spacing) most are 2" or more. I will keep looking, and if I ever get lucky and find one I will add it.



Hi, I've been following your post and think I might have some useful information.  I told you before about the Deluxe Flyer I was restoring but haven't finished yet, and this one still has the original factory toolbox.  Below is some pictures that you might could use for reference, and if ever you need some dimensions or details or something, I can help you out with that.  One thing I will mention, is that this is the only surviving example I've ever seen of the original toolbox tank used on these bikes in 1916-18.  Around 1920 and later, deluxe flyers were furnished with a slightly newer style toolbox tank, as seen in the last image (says elgin on it, but it is just to give you an idea of an option you could go with).  One nice thing about the later style tank, is that it is much more well built and sturdier.  The earlier style like I have, is literally soldered together at the seams, and made out of a single cut piece of sheet metal folded and soldered into shape.  It is as weak as a cookie tin, and I had to totally rebuild it for my restoration.  It might not be too difficult to fabricate a replica of the original at home even.  The later type is nice though, because it is thicker, stronger metal, has better latches and hinges, and is crimped together; it is also much easier to find one for sale, maybe around $200-$300 or so.  Hope this helps a little.


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## 10~18kustoms (Jun 26, 2021)

The Carolina Rambler said:


> Hi, I've been following your post and think I might have some useful information. I told you before about the Deluxe Flyer I was restoring but haven't finished yet, and this one still has the original factory toolbox. Below is some pictures that you might could use for reference, and if ever you need some dimensions or details or something, I can help you out with that. One thing I will mention, is that this is the only surviving example I've ever seen of the original toolbox tank used on these bikes in 1916-18. Around 1920 and later, deluxe flyers were furnished with a slightly newer style toolbox tank, as seen in the last image (says elgin on it, but it is just to give you an idea of an option you could go with). One nice thing about the later style tank, is that it is much more well built and sturdier. The earlier style like I have, is literally soldered together at the seams, and made out of a single cut piece of sheet metal folded and soldered into shape. It is as weak as a cookie tin, and I had to totally rebuild it for my restoration. It might not be too difficult to fabricate a replica of the original at home even. The later type is nice though, because it is thicker, stronger metal, has better latches and hinges, and is crimped together; it is also much easier to find one for sale, maybe around $200-$300 or so. Hope this helps a little.



Thanks for the info. I figured there was a reason there are so few of these tanks around, the flimsy design makes since. I'm pretty happy with the bike as is, but if I get energetic in the future and try to fabricate or even modify a newer one I'll definitely get with you for dimensions and advice.


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## piercer_99 (Jun 26, 2021)

looks great Marty.

congratulations.   your bike is great.


I think you will like the duro cordoba's also, they do well on pavement, both wet and dry, not bad on dirt also.


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## RustyHornet (Jun 27, 2021)

This bike is marvelous! Nicely done!!


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## 10~18kustoms (Jul 1, 2021)

On a side note: The rear wood rim and original handle bars were to far gone to re use in this project, but they were not simply discarded. Rather, were repurposed into lamps for my office and barn.







The half bike frame my wife brought home from a garage sale where she paid $1 for it. I added the rusted through bars from the Deluxe Flyer and a porcelain lamp shade. It still needs hung on the outside of my shop.


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## mikecuda (Jul 1, 2021)

Outstanding.  Steampunk Art reinvented.  Kudos!


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## barneyguey (Jul 1, 2021)

10~18kustoms said:


> Before:
> View attachment 1434160
> 
> View attachment 1434161
> ...



That badge turned out great! It's beautiful!


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## tacochris (Jul 2, 2021)

What a beautiful bike and a very awesome revival.  Gave me inspiration for my TOC bike I have waiting in the wings.


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## palepainter (Aug 8, 2022)

Great restoration and fantastic information that helped me figure out what I have as well.  Thanks.


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