# Hawthorne Comet Reference Thread



## scrubbinrims (Aug 26, 2012)

In doing some research, the Hawthorne "Comet" model had a long run of manufacture beginning prewar (1938?) and into the 40's post war and was built both by Cleveland Welding and HP Snyder.
Cleveland Welding built a Comet in both the bent tank and 3-gill frame variations...possibly in the same year.
Many different paint detail and options appeared over over time in addition to the frame/tank variations I would like to captuer in this thread, so please post literature or your Comet here.

This Comet according to the orginal owner was purchased in 39, the first year for the shockmaster fork and also consistent in the chainring before the torque-star ring transition in 1940.
Rarely, do I find a bicycle in original and complete condition as this (right down to the Riverside Mate tires), so I thought it would be a good idea to group this models together for a future reference.
Maybe not a high end offering by Montgomery Ward, but a solid one and I personally love the embossed comet in the tank and without the headtube color contrast, it is different than how most other bicycles were painted at the time.

So, a 1939 3-gill CWC variation:
















Chris


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## dfa242 (Aug 26, 2012)

Very nice bike, Chris.  You've probably seen this link but here it is for reference just in case - page 2 is a little more interesting than the first page, asuming the story is true that is.

_http://scottbuchanan.freeservers.com/1941hawthorne.html_


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## aasmitty757 (Aug 26, 2012)

*My Hawthorne Comet*

I could be mistaken but I have always been under the impression that my Hawthorne Comet is a 1936 model.


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## scrubbinrims (Aug 26, 2012)

I think the comet first appeared in the catalogue in 38...certainly possible it was made before and one of the reasons for starting this thread to get more information.
Really nice bike and I like the speedo, which is very unique!
Chris


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## bentwoody66 (Aug 26, 2012)

I'm glad you got this bike while everyone was chasing that gill-nose Colson, It looks way better than the pictures on auctionzip.


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## silvercreek (Aug 27, 2012)

dfa242 said:


> Very nice bike, Chris.  You've probably seen this link but here it is for reference just in case - page 2 is a little more interesting than the first page, asuming the story is true that is.
> 
> _http://scottbuchanan.freeservers.com/1941hawthorne.html_




That was an interesting story.


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## videoranger (Aug 27, 2012)

Here's my Synder built '39 Comet. I bought from Gip Barnell the boy who got it from Santa. All original with original type red pointy grips, pedals and tires as the only items changed from Christmas 1939.


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## scrubbinrims (Aug 27, 2012)

Thanks for posting...that's a great bike!
Interesting we have 2 different Comets offered the same year in 39 from separate makers and yours has the CWC shockmaster fork does it not?
Also curious if that tank has the comet embossed?
Chris


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## dfa242 (Aug 27, 2012)

videoranger said:


> Here's my Synder built '39 Comet. I bought from Gip Barnell the boy who got it from Santa. All original with original type red pointy grips, pedals and tires as the only items changed from Christmas 1939.




And how cool is that to have the original photo as well?


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## videoranger (Aug 28, 2012)

Originally posted by Phil Marshall, and a great run down of Synder vs. CWC built Hawthornes:

"I think it is interesting how different the 1939, 1940 and 1941 Snyder bikes are.

The 1939 has upswept stays, a curved down tube a la CWC, and a seat binder that pinches the stays. It uses a smooth sided no-door/no groove “bent-tank” which may or may not (I’d like to know) be the same pressing as the one on BW’s CWC bike.


The 1940 has un-curved chain stays and a straight down tube. (An entirely different and marginally larger frame than the 39) It retains the seat stay pinch design for seat post retention but the tank is based on a version of the Snyder/Harris crescent tank, (probably McCauley stamped) it mirrors the general shape of a CWC 3-gill tank with no kink toward the rear.


The 1941 is very similar to the 40 (and I believe will use the same tank) but the curved down tube has returned. The new feature is the return to a more common (for the period) use of a welded on seat post binder clamp.


I won’t go into the rest of the sheet metal save for the fact that the Snyder bikes all use essentially the same fender and stay stampings while the CWC bikes have their own, proprietary units.

The CWC Shockmaster springer was standard on some Hawthorne models and could be ordered as an option on many more. It was used all sprung Hawthornes, both CWC and Snyder, before Hawthornes began also using the Snyder designed/built plunger type springer. The evidence so far suggests that the Snyder unit was only used on Snyder built bikes and the contemporary Hawthornes from CWC continued to use Shockmasters.

I’ll dig up a picture, from LeMay of one other prewar “Comet” variant, the CWC 3-Gill Comet and post it for comparison later. "

My Synder frame '39 Hawthorne Comet does have the CWC springer fork (nice ride) and it has a smooth 3 gill tank. The bike is well built and kinda heavy so the ND 2 speed hub is a very welcome option.


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## chitown (Aug 28, 2012)

This beaut was at the Arlington Heights show. Amazing, original paint.

View attachment 62911 View attachment 62910

No other info, just pics.


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## dfa242 (Aug 30, 2012)

Here's another one - a rat, but maybe useful for additional reference.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-194...295?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19d450e757


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## aasmitty757 (Aug 30, 2012)

*Thank you Phil Marshall*

Phil Marshall has been kind enough to inform me that my comet that I posted pictures of earlier is probably a late production 1937 or early 1938 based on some of the features that it has.

Thank you Phil!


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## fuzzyktu (Sep 1, 2012)

One of my all time favorite bikes.  Still looking for mine!


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## skoda (Sep 6, 2012)

*Comets - 1939*

I was told these are 1939's.  I currently own these, used to have a navy blue one also.  Looked just like the maroon one.


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## traveler11 (Sep 10, 2012)

*my comet ????*

i was told that this was 41 or 42 . great fun bike to ride


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## Machine Age Victim (Aug 16, 2013)

I just picked up a '41, non-embosed tank model. This is a great thread of reference as I refinish the bike. Did all of the frames with drop stand tabs actually come with drop stands or was a side kick optional?


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## Machine Age Victim (Aug 16, 2013)

Just found the answer to my question, my rear fender doesn't have holes but it fits my rack...which may not be original lol


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## dragnusa (Aug 19, 2013)

Not sure of the year yet but heres the link to my comet, I havent found any other comets yet with with the hawthorne badge with the holes on top and bottom http://thecabe.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?44821-hawthorne-find


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## Machine Age Victim (Aug 20, 2013)

dragnusa said:


> Not sure of the year yet but heres the link to my comet, I havent found any other comets yet with with the hawthorne badge with the holes on top and bottom http://thecabe.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?44821-hawthorne-find




This site states this Hawthorne is a 1950 and it has the vertical mounts
http://www.barthworks.com/cars/forneycycles/1950wardshawthorne.htm


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## Machine Age Victim (Aug 20, 2013)

scrubbinrims said:


> In doing some research, the Hawthorne "Comet" model had a long run of manufacture beginning prewar (1938?) and into the 40's post war and was built both by Cleveland Welding and HP Snyder.
> 
> Chris




Just wanted to share a catalog page from 1937 that shows the name "Comet" being used, although it appears to be a Zep frame without a tank or guard, also different rack, not the later Comet frame.


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## jeep44 (Aug 20, 2013)

Here's a page from the Fall-Winter 1939-1940 MW catalog:


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## JohnnyB.Nutty (Jan 8, 2014)

Here is my 39.  No springer but is all original down to the riverside mate tires.


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## eddie bravo (Jan 8, 2014)

I been told that i have a 1936 due to the "one year only" seat post hex nut, "Indian Red and white trim"
It appears that at some time it may of had a tank and rear rack.  I love to ride this bike - definitely a favorite
I've included a 1938 Comet advertisement for reference












Eddie


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## JohnnyB.Nutty (Jan 10, 2014)

*Girl's Comet*




Here's my wife's comet.  Tony Da Hat is detailing it now.


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## Larmo63 (Jan 13, 2014)

What I've bee told is a '40 Ward's Hawthorne, Snyder built, CWC Shockmaster...great bike.
probably the best riding springer I have, wonderfully smooth. The rack and tank are from 
another bike, exact same model. This bike had a blue rack that was thrashed, but the same.


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## videoranger (Jan 15, 2014)

Great thread. I have to agree that the shock master fork rides very nice, one of the best riding forks made. It's really interesting how many variations of the "Comet" were available from Wards and made by CWC and Synder. Must of had them built up from suppliers that could offer the lowest prices at any given time to keep the bike prices as low as they could and still meet quality standards. Not the fanciest paint jobs, but very sturdy bikes with quality components and construction that could be had with lots of desirable features.


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## Squiggle Dog (May 24, 2014)

Nice Hawthorne Comet thread! I owned the yellow 1941 Cleveland Welding Company-built Hawthorne Comet on that website. It was rusty, and I ended up selling it to Dave at nostalgic.net, where it was restored, which was nice. I've been following its location in hopes I might one day buy it back, but I think it's just a dream. I am glad it got restored. It was really rusty when I had it and in dire need.






I missed the bicycle, and after working for a summer at an airport doing janitorial work and fueling airplanes (yes, I was driving a fuel tanker truck at 13 years old--that's small towns for you), I saw another 1941 Hawthorne Comet for sale by a guy named Zack on musclebike.net. I bought it for $600. It had the shockmaster fork and was slightly different. Everything was original, down to the paint, pedals, and Wards Riverside Mate whitewall tires and heavy duty tubes. The seat was missing and the handlebars, stem, and grips were from a women's bicycle. When the bicycle arrived, the tank was missing, but that showed up a week later. I bought a seat from Jerry Peters and installed some men's handlebars. I rode the bicycle daily and have lots of great memories of it. 














The shockmaster fork worked so well and the headlight was extremely bright. I took great care of it and don't think I put a scratch on it the whole time. I also didn't let people ride it, except for one time I let a friend use it. He immediately rode it through a puddle, and I told him to get off. 

I spotted a 1958 Cadillac Fleetwood 75 limousine in someone's back yard, and wanted to have it as my first car (I already had a 1923 Model T Ford that the farmer next door gave me, but it was far from being drivable). So, I asked about buying it, and the old lady at the door said I could take it and all of the other cars on the property for free. Then an old gentleman came to the door and said, "No, no, she is just joking. I think I would take $2,000 for it." I told him that I had an old bicycle that was probably worth about $1,200, so I would sell it to try to come up with the money, but the man accepted the Hawthorne Comet as a trade. The man ended up owning most of the city, with his family's name of dealerships, gas stations, and hotels in the town. He wanted the bicycle for the front window of the auto dealership that had been in his family since 1903, which was now full of vintage cars and memorabilia from the 1930s and 1940s. So, I got the Cadillac, and he got the Hawthorne. 

My father wasn't too happy about the Cadillac, and ultimately talked me into selling it, saying it would never run without a full engine rebuild. The person who bought the Cadillac put a battery in it and drove it away. The power divider window still worked, and the rear seat still had the plastic over it. As for the Hawthorne, the last I know it was still in the window of that dealership, but the owner passed away in 2004 and it looks like the place was boarded up for a while and then renovated (with tinted windows, so I can't see inside on Google Maps). I've been wanting to see the bicycle again and hopefully someday buy it back because it has great sentimental value. 

The bicycle was in Utah, and I moved to Washington, and then to Arizona. But sadly, I don't know if it's still around or if I could afford to buy it back. That's one bicycle I wish I still had. That and a Monark Hi-Lo collapsible bicycle with 16" wheels that I never should have sold. One day I would like to buy another Comet just like it, only with the taillights on the side of the rear rack, possibly coupled with a New Departure 2-speed rear hub and front brake. I loved, loved that maroon color with the white pinstriping. I am considering painting one up in brown and tan with red pinstriping sometime in the future. The 1941 Cleveland Welding Company-built Hawthorne Comet is my favorite bicycle, though other bicycles of the era are fascinating to me as well.


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## bikeyard (May 24, 2014)

*1940 Hawthorne*

Not quite a Comet without the tank but nice.


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## 2jakes (Jul 27, 2016)

A young James Dean and his Hawthorne bike.


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## Handle Bar Hoarder (Jul 27, 2016)

JohnnyB.Nutty said:


> *Girl's Comet*
> 
> View attachment 131829
> Here's my wife's comet.  Tony Da Hat is detailing it now.
> ...



I like that bike that,s nice that thing is cool way cool


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## Barto (Jul 28, 2016)

I'm told mine is a late 30's but I'm unsure of the exact year, I'm sure someone on the site would know better.  Bars are not original but I do have them.


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