# 1957 Roadmaster Pleasure Liner



## Oilit (Nov 29, 2020)

I like these '50's AMFs, sometimes against my better judgement. I think 1958 was the last year for either the Pleasure Liner or the Luxury Liner, so this was getting towards the end. 1957 was the last year for the kickstand plate, I've seen it on some of the early cantilever frames, but it didn't last long before it was replaced by a generic clamp-on stand. Sometimes AMF cost cutting was reasonable but dropping this plate was just cheap and AMF didn't stop there. But this example was early enough to miss the worst and survived pretty well. I might have to see how it looks with some bigger tires.


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## kostnerave (Nov 29, 2020)

I think this bike is really cool the way it sits. The thinner tires are graceful in appearance. Higher pressure and less rolling resistance will make the bike faster, as well. The red, black and white is a classic paint scheme.


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## morton (Nov 30, 2020)

I'm not a big fan of middleweights, but that one is an exception....nice bike...lube, clean and ride.


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## Oilit (Nov 30, 2020)

Just for reference, this is a 1958 parts bike (no tank, one pedal welded to the crank and the wrong wheels) that came with the one above, with some pictures of the new kickstand arrangement. It's also got the odd serial number on the bottom bracket, with a "J" serial (off center) and no mark to the right. I'm dating this as a 1958 by the head badge. These "J" serials occasionally show up on late '50's AMF's, but I've never heard what the story was. The cantilever frames from 1958 had an "H" serial on the left drop-out.


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## Scout Evans (Dec 2, 2020)

That J number could be early 1959. I saw another bike with a higher J number a week or two ago that was verified as 1959 and jotted it down in my serial number book. The J was still being stamped on the BB in 1959.


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## Oilit (Dec 2, 2020)

Scout Evans said:


> That J number could be early 1959. I saw another bike with a higher J number a week or two ago that was verified as 1959 and jotted it down in my serial number book. The J was still being stamped on the BB in 1959.



That could be. Most AMF's from 1958 on had the serial on the left drop-out, but I've seen a couple with a "J" serial under the bottom bracket. @Oldude13
posted one  (bottom of page 23) of the Cleveland Welding Serial Number thread:








						Cleveland Welding S/N Project...See Page 58 Post 576 for chart | Classic Balloon Tire Bicycles 1933-1965
					

Again another CWC serial number decipher that I'm guessing at. Owner said this was a 1936.   Serial is J95284 ...no suffix stamping.   I've got the same exact bike/frame in a western flyer, cept my serial numbers don't even make sense. Regardless, it's based on a frame modification in 1938...




					thecabe.com
				



And the head badge on his looks like a 1959. I've only seen the "J" serials on the straight-bar frames, the cantilever frames all had the serial on the left drop out. And @Mitt25 posted a nice 1958 Luxury Liner (straight-bar frame) at the end of this thread with the serial on the left drop-out:








						1950s AMF Roadmaster Luxury Liner Help | Middleweight Bicycles
					

Hey Guys, a friend of mine had his 1950s AMF Roarmaster Luxury Liner restored locally. It seems like guy didn't really know what he was doing... The question that I'm wondering is, is it worth finishing properly? He has the original rack and seat, but it needs the tank, light, pedals, head...




					thecabe.com
				



To make it more confusing, a "J" serial with a six digit number on the left drop-out would be a 1959 (assuming that AMF skipped "I" to avoid confusion with "1") and that's correct from what I've seen, but I don't believe the 1959 catalog showed any straight-bar frames. It looks like the Sky King replaced the Luxury Liner and the Sky King had a cantilever frame. From an ad on Facebook Marketplace (Chicago) -





						Log into Facebook
					

Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.




					www.facebook.com
				



If somebody knows what was going on with these "J" serials under the bottom bracket, let me know!


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## Oilit (Dec 4, 2020)

@Scout Evans, it looks like you're right. I asked the guy selling the Sky King about his bike and he sent me a picture of the serial number, and it proves AMF built at least one cantilever frame with the serial number on the bottom bracket. My mind isn't blown, but maybe stretched a little.


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## OZ1972 (Jan 17, 2021)

Love all the variations on these old middleweight bikes , so many different racks , tanks etc. , they are very cool , i need to stop spending so much money on high dollar balloon tire bikes & go back to having fun & just enjoying the hobby like me & my dad did for years together , i really do believe less is more , i the world we live in today we all just need to enjoy the simple things in life that we have all forgotten , GREAT BIKE THANKS FOR SHARING !


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## razinhellcustomz (Jun 15, 2021)

Oilit said:


> I like these '50's AMFs, sometimes against my better judgement. I think 1958 was the last year for either the Pleasure Liner or the Luxury Liner, so this was getting towards the end. 1957 was the last year for the kickstand plate, I've seen it on some of the early cantilever frames, but it didn't last long before it was replaced by a generic clamp-on stand. Sometimes AMF cost cutting was reasonable but dropping this plate was just cheap and AMF didn't stop there. But this example was early enough to miss the worst and survived pretty well. I might have to see how it looks with some bigger tires.
> 
> View attachment 1309237
> 
> ...



Just picked up a pair of 26x2.125 Kenda white wall ribs from craigslist and these might look good on your Pleasure Liner. Looking good. Razin.


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## Oilit (Jun 17, 2021)

razinhellcustomz said:


> Just picked up a pair of 26x2.125 Kenda white wall ribs from craigslist and these might look good on your Pleasure Liner. Looking good. Razin.





razinhellcustomz said:


> I think the the CWC bikes always had nicer lines. My Roadmaster Shark bike is one of the COOLEST bikes I've seen or owned. Very rare and unusual bike. I'm not sure if they had their own styling department but they were thinking out side of the box that's for sure. Enjoy and Ride On. Razin.




Speaking of good looking bikes, when are we going to see your Shark? If it's rare and unusual, that's all the more reason to post it!


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## razinhellcustomz (Jun 17, 2021)

Oilit said:


> Speaking of good looking bikes, when are we going to see your Shark? If it's rare and unusual, that's all the more reason to post it!



Go to Roadmaster Shark as this was posted for me by Freqman1 two years ago when i first bought the bike. Sorry i can't post pix because i can't figure out my stupid smart dumb phone. Thanks for asking though. Razin.


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## Superman1984 (Jul 2, 2021)

razinhellcustomz said:


> Go to Roadmaster Shark as this was posted for me by Freqman1 two years ago when i first bought the bike. Sorry i can't post pix because i can't figure out my stupid smart dumb phone. Thanks for asking though. Razin.



Click on "Attach Files" & then use the camera selection which allows a direct upload as you take it or browse your gallery for the selected images. I started labeling all my bike folders kinda specifically for this reason. Hahaha


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