# Motorbike Tank Decal Use



## Freqman1 (Jul 3, 2019)

Ok for you Schwinn aficianados out there. I'm curious when the non "AS" tank decals were used. Were these used starting in '35? Only certain years? Only through certain distributors e.g. Chicago Cycle Supply? V/r Shawn


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## Brutuskend (Jul 3, 2019)

Good question.

WE ARE WAITING!


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## mr.cycleplane (Jul 3, 2019)

A very good question. The only thing I can add to this is what I have seen(forty years). most were Chicago Cycle Supply bikes and most were diamond framed. One had a Chicago Tribune Special head plate. Two had the Chicago cycle supply tires(forget how they were marked). Have seen at least three times as many on restored bikes-most of these were also diamond framed bikes. I doubt these were originally decaled w/o the a.s. wheel-but look cool anyway!


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## GTs58 (Jul 3, 2019)

mr.cycleplane said:


> A very good question. The only thing I can add to this is what I have seen(forty years). most were Chicago Cycle Supply bikes and were all diamond framed. One had a Chicago Tribune Special head plate. Two had the Chicago cycle supply tires(forget how they were marked). Have seen at least three times as many on restored bikes-most of these were also diamond framed bikes. I doubt these were originally decaled w/o the a.s. wheel-but look cool anyway!




So these were a possible counterfeit decal where they left out the AS to keep the lawyers away from their door?


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## mr.cycleplane (Jul 3, 2019)

Hahaha-well not exactly! Chicago Cycle Supply was Schwinn's biggest distributor/dealer. Schwinn was in the business of building bikes-they stayed away from the day-to-day dealing with the public(there have been exceptions to this we know of). Its very unlikely that Schwinn wouldn't have minded if C.C.S. was to 'create' or design their own decals(in all actuality the decal(in question above) were probably put on in the Schwinn factory!). I am sure Barry's book sheds light on how many plates C.C.S. can claim as theirs! I would think its a little more of a deception of sorts-to throw people off to think that the bike was made by them(C.C.S.)! Much like most of the Mead Ranger line or to a degree Schwinn built B.F. Goodrich bikes that Schwinn built from the git-go. Mead always bragged it was their bike this or our own bike that.....even a kid  could spot the similarities between his Ranger and his buddy's Schwinn! The decals are legit...maybe a little harder to come across. Things like truth in advertising wasn't addressed then like it is nowadays-there are enforceable laws in place. Someone must have a Chicago Cycle Supply catalog showing 'our own special' or something to that effect with a 'period-type-photoshop' of a motorbike with the decal 'in question'!


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## Dave K (Jul 3, 2019)

...


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## mr.cycleplane (Jul 4, 2019)

whoa! Gilled tank versions-awesome! never seen these-nice! and the head plates say?


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## Dave K (Jul 4, 2019)

mr.cycleplane said:


> whoa! Gilled tank versions-awesome! never seen these-nice! and the head plates say?




Top one is a Chicogo cycles bike the other two I don't know.


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## Autocycleplane (Jul 5, 2019)

No rhyme or reason I can discern, kinda like the steel fender ornaments these non AS decals seem to come and go on all years 35-39. ChiCyCo came both ways, as did Schwinn badged rides.


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## Freqman1 (Jul 5, 2019)

The second bike


Dave K said:


> ...
> 
> View attachment 1025224
> 
> ...



The second one would look to be a ‘36 which would nullify the DD only for the


Autocycleplane said:


> No rhyme or reason I can discern, kinda like the steel fender ornaments these non AS decals seem to come and go on all years 35-39. ChiCyCo came both ways, as did Schwinn badged rides.



Along the same lines I've noticed ChiCyCo bikes devoid of both seat tube and guard Schwinn decals sometimes as well. V/r Shawn


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## bobcycles (Jul 5, 2019)

I've seen them from 36-39
possibly 35  not positive


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## mr.cycleplane (Jul 6, 2019)

to sort of clarify what I have seen-i'll take the restored off the table and most were b107-narrow fender bikes without the 'guarantee' on the seat tube. these all seemed to have chi-cyc-co plates(except the Chicago tribune special I saw and that was an easy plate change back then even). maybe have seen one bike with wide fenders. as I recall most were the diamond frame-most likely-1936. happy to see pictures of originals with wide fenders/curved down tube above. overall I would classify as rare/htf with the decal in question. seen maybe half a dozen to hundreds of regular a.s. decal tanks. again-someone must have a piece of paper showing the chi-cyc-co(if this is the only distributor that offered them) advertisement as a 'our own special' sort of thing. please share.


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## Kramai88 (Jul 6, 2019)

The top tank is my bike. Chicago cycle company Cadillac badge believe it to be a 39. 








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## mr.cycleplane (Jul 6, 2019)

and its awesome! love the patina!


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## Autocycleplane (Jul 6, 2019)




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## bobcycles (Jul 6, 2019)

mr.cycleplane said:


> to sort of clarify what I have seen-i'll take the restored off the table and most were b107-narrow fender bikes without the 'guarantee' on the seat tube. these all seemed to have chi-cyc-co plates(except the Chicago tribune special I saw and that was an easy plate change back then even). maybe have seen one bike with wide fenders. as I recall most were the diamond frame-most likely-1936. happy to see pictures of originals with wide fenders/curved down tube above. overall I would classify as rare/htf with the decal in question. seen maybe half a dozen to hundreds of regular a.s. decal tanks. again-someone must have a piece of paper showing the chi-cyc-co(if this is the only distributor that offered them) advertisement as a 'our own special' sort of thing. please share.





I've seen a good number of them over the years and with the whole gamut of head badges... Not strictly jobber bikes or Chicyco....
No idea why some had the wheel and some didn't 
Buddy has a primo Majestic badged bike with the wheel decal...not a jobber


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## mr.cycleplane (Jul 6, 2019)

love it-the more we talk-the more stuff comes out-awesome! but why? is there any issue pattern to the no a.s. wheeled bikes?


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## Freqman1 (Jul 6, 2019)

Looks to me like it was just sort of random. Good for me because I have a set of AS waterslides and have a set of non AS waterslide on the way for my two Motorbike projects! Thanks to all who contributed to this thread. I think a lot of us learned something. V/r Shawn


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