# just when you think you know it all....you dont what is it



## kccomet (Feb 15, 2010)

im fairly new to the cabe but not to being a slobbering frothing bike junkie. ive had the good the bad and the ugly. mostly i collect 30s balloon bikes although the last couple of years im in love with 20s 30s track bikes. went to an auction today no advertised bikes and there she was accross the room i saw shelby green closer closer colson bullnose with the coolest delicate rack. quick look dont want to appear to interested i knew we would be going home together. ok ive had my creative writing fun. i thought i knew it all enjoyed reading the cabes questions but i knew everything... driving home with my new colson and my 50s schwinn tandem didnt want her lonely on the way home, something was nagging me i thought it was a colson but... i get home closer inspection wording on the seat tube years of grime wet cloth....huffman. ok forgive me i dont know every thing now ive had several twin flexes a couple of streamliners and yea that tank the way it went back did remind me of dayton, huffman. what im trying to say is what is it a mainliner a what  im so confused i dont know everything. missing truss rods missing....


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## 37fleetwood (Feb 15, 2010)

1940 Dayton Top Flite


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## 37fleetwood (Feb 15, 2010)

P.S. it's worth quite a bit, if you are interested in selling or trading, I'm interested


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## sm2501 (Feb 15, 2010)

Can't wait to see it cleaned up!


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## kccomet (Feb 15, 2010)

kccomet here thanks scott for the ad pic i know your the dayton guy to talk to. after looking at the ad my bike has no hole in front fender for a light and the rack doesnt look the same. i was still unsure until my good buddy tom, quite a bike legend right here in backwater mo. told me to look at a bike eazywind has for sale. .... huffman champion i believe this is the bike correct me if im wrong thanks


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## Flat Tire (Feb 15, 2010)

What a great find! I think it may be a 41 as the 40's had a welded on kickstand as I recall. My avatar is the front view of my 41 huffman....its the only pic I have since my old computer quit working. Yours should clean up real nice!


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## 37fleetwood (Feb 15, 2010)

well here's the problem, marc's bike is a 1941 Top Flite. here is the 1941 Top Flite catalog page:




I plan on writing a full article on these as soon as I get the confidence up.
let's see, your bike is a Dayton because it has 1/2" pitch chain, the Huffmans never did as far as I know.
your bike has the 1940 rack, it was carried over in 1941 on limited  upper end models.
your bike has the lower end front fork.
your bike has a bolt on kick stand which indicates 1941, in 1940 they were welded on.
Huffman Mfg. made bikes that didn't fit the catalog images.
the best fit for your bike is 1941 based only on the kick stand, the best fit as far as it's parts and trim is 1940. the top lines had the fender ornament, the lower lines may or may not have had them. the top 1941 bikes had the new "Gliding Ride" springer.
the last and possibly biggest problem is that I have the Huffman catalogs, we need the 1940 and 1941 Dayton catalogs.
so what is your bike? good question, it isn't a Champion for several reasons. first it has 1/2" pitch chain which is exclusively Dayton, not Huffman, second Champion is the Huffman top bike, Dayton used the name Mainliner.
next your bike may very well be a late 1940 or a 1941 based on the kick stand, I don't think anyone knows exactly when they went to the welded one and when they went back to the bolted on one.
next your bike has either the typical rack for 1940, or the top of the line for 1941, since your bike isn't the top of the line for 1941 that leaves us in the middle line in 1940.
if a 1940 the non lighted tank would be in the middle line bikes, the top bikes had lights in the tank, if your bike is a 1941 mainly the top bikes used the big tank the regular line bikes used the smaller tank, and in 1941 they used a fork mounted light even on the top line.

in finishing I guessed 1940 and mid line based on the trim level of the bike, it may be a 1941 the kickstand argues that. it isn't the top of the line in either year or either badge. so I'll concede mid line 1941, there you go, take it or leave it


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## kccomet (Feb 15, 2010)

wow scott youve got my head really spinning. let me get this straight if its a dayton its called a mainliner if its a huffman its a champion.  the bike says huffman on the seat tube. its been quite a while since ive had a bike that got me this excited and i appreciate any info like i said if its not a twinflex or a streamliner im lost in this maker thanks for the info


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## 37fleetwood (Feb 15, 2010)

I could fix you up with a streamliner, seriously
the Huffman decal was put on all of them regardless of badging


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## ZOOK (Apr 1, 2010)

did anyone ever figure out what this bike really was? says huffman and someone saidit was a dayton? if so why does it say huffman are they the same?


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