# Western Flyer X53



## SteveF (Dec 17, 2019)

This has been a bike I've dreamed about owning for years. When one came up for sale on Ebay and it was within a few hours of me, I knew I had to make it mine. 
I bought it from the original owner. He and his brother each got one as a Christmas present. His brother was hit by a car while riding his so this is the one that survived. He's owned it for 60 years. The past 55 years it has been quietly sitting in a garage. 
He crashed it and the headlight was damaged, along with the fender, so he took it off and threw it away. The pedals were replaced with the western flyer set that is currently on it. He did have some nos fenders that he included with the bike. When I got home I replaced the front fender. The only difference is the original brace is black and riveted on. Tires were replaced at some point with the Uniroyal chain tires that are on it now. Front wheel is missing some spokes so it will need a rebuild. 
I plan to clean it up and enjoy this bike for as many years as I can. I'm super excited to have the chance to enjoy such a beautiful, nearly original X53.


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## JLF (Dec 17, 2019)

That looks amazing!


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## Nashman (Dec 17, 2019)

SteveF said:


> This has been a bike I've dreamed about owning for years. When one came up for sale on Ebay and it was within a few hours of me, I knew I had to make it mine.
> I bought it from the original owner. He and his brother each got one as a Christmas present. His brother was hit by a car while riding his so this is the one that survived. He's owned it for 60 years. The past 55 years it has been quietly sitting in a garage.
> He crashed it and the headlight was damaged, along with the fender, so he took it off and threw it away. The pedals were replaced with the western flyer set that is currently on it. He did have some nos fenders that he included with the bike. When I got home I replaced the front fender. The only difference is the original brace is black and riveted on. Tires were replaced at some point with the Uniroyal chain tires that are on it now. Front wheel is missing some spokes so it will need a rebuild.
> I plan to clean it up and enjoy this bike for as many years as I can. I'm super excited to have the chance to enjoy such a beautiful, nearly original X53.View attachment 1111696
> ...



 Great bike, cool story, enjoy!


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## SteveF (Dec 17, 2019)

Nashman said:


> Great bike, cool story, enjoy!



Thank you. I'm working on getting some pictures of him as a kid with his Christmas bike.


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## Mr. Monkeyarms (Dec 17, 2019)

Awesome!    
What a great way to make the season cheery and bright!
Congrats


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## littleman (Dec 25, 2019)

nice story now it’s your turn to finish the rest of the story enjoy


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## SteveF (Jan 3, 2020)

I've been disassembling and cleaning my x53. Thanks to information here on the cabe, I was able to nail it down to 1957.
MOT-W


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## Marc's Classic Chrome (Jan 6, 2020)

Nice ride!!!

I have a few partial Xs— yours makes me want to start one of mine!!


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## SteveF (Jan 6, 2020)

Marc's Classic Chrome said:


> Nice ride!!!
> 
> I have a few partial Xs— yours makes me want to start one of mine!!



I've been having a really good time cleaning up this bike. I've soaked a good bit of the chrome parts in citric acid and gotten some really good results. I'm removing oxidation from the paint. Replaced a few spokes in the front wheel. I absolutely love my x53! I can't wait to pick up his older brother in February.


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## Marc's Classic Chrome (Jan 7, 2020)

Thing thing that drives me crazy about these bicycles is the “chrome” fenders. I just have a lot of trouble with them. I will shoot some pics of my fenders and see if yours looked similar before you tried the citrus. I have never tried citrus for chrome, maybe it would work?


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## SteveF (Jan 7, 2020)

Please do post pictures of yours! I love seeing other people's x53. The thing I've discovered about the fenders on them is the chrome on the fenders seems fragile. Even the lightest scrubbing will leave small scratches in the finish. 
The citric acid does a great job at softening up the rust so that you barely have to do more than wipe them. Just be patient and let the parts sit in the solution and every hour or so give them a little wipe while the parts are submerged in the solution. An important part of the process is getting the parts as free of grease and dirt as possible before soaking. 
Of course if there's chrome loss it won't fix that but it will really surprise you with the results. I bought the citric acid at hobby lobby in 1 lb. bags. A little more expensive that way but locally available so I went with it. A use an appropriate tub and fill it with warm water, add the citric acid, and stir it around so it dissolves before I add my parts.


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## Marc's Classic Chrome (Jan 7, 2020)

The last time I tried citric was with a muscle bike project. It was for the frame
And fork.

Do you just use a couple
Of tablespoons? Or quite a bit more?


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## SteveF (Jan 7, 2020)

I use quite a bit more depending on the amount of rust. It seems to be a fairly gentle cleaner. I used almost a pound for the fenders, seat crash bar, and all the springer parts.


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## Marc's Classic Chrome (Jan 7, 2020)

I will drag it out and see what it looks like. The one that is easy to get to is a rider but will be fun to see what it can do!


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## SteveF (Jan 7, 2020)

Marc's Classic Chrome said:


> I will drag it out and see what it looks like. The one that is easy to get to is a rider but will be fun to see what it can do!



Do it!


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## Freqman1 (Jan 7, 2020)

If you like X53s maybe @Colby john can post up his pics. V/r Shawn


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## Marc's Classic Chrome (Jan 7, 2020)

I think the reason they sit in the project line, at least for me, is that I get frustrated with the crappy chrome on the rims and how terrible the fenders look and feel and I just move on to something else and they just wait patiently. Maybe someone will have some words of encouragement.


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## Marc's Classic Chrome (Jan 7, 2020)

Freqman1 said:


> If you like X53s maybe @Colby john can post up his pics. V/r Shawn




That would be cool!


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## SteveF (Jan 7, 2020)

Freqman1 said:


> If you like X53s maybe @Colby john can post up his pics. V/r Shawn



Especially original paint bikes


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## Freqman1 (Jan 7, 2020)

Here ya go... https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/x53-collection.107288/


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## SteveF (Jan 7, 2020)

Freqman1 said:


> Here ya go... https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/x53-collection.107288/



Beautiful collection! Thanks for the link


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## Marc's Classic Chrome (Jan 10, 2020)

Man — the one I found is the higgins version. Here are some pics.


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## SteveF (Jan 10, 2020)

Marc's Classic Chrome said:


> Man — the one I found is the higgins version. Here are some pics.
> 
> View attachment 1121836
> 
> ...



That is pretty sweet! I love the jet flow. The chrome does look rough on that one. I'd probably just service all the bearings, fix anything needing attention, give it a good cleaning, and ride it like it is. I definitely have a place in my heart for the crusty bikes.


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## Superman1984 (Jan 13, 2020)

1 of my favorite bikes due to the looks of the tanks ; will me a project like that somebody !!!


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## unregistered (Jan 13, 2020)

Marc's Classic Chrome said:


> I think the reason they sit in the project line, at least for me, is that I get frustrated with the crappy chrome on the rims and how terrible the fenders look and feel and I just move on to something else and they just wait patiently. Maybe someone will have some words of encouragement.




Man, that's me anytime I'm not working on a Schwinn. Night and day quality differences...


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## SteveF (Jan 13, 2020)

My wheels turned out pretty nicely for being 60+years old


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## SteveF (Jan 16, 2020)

I cleaned up my last batch of parts last night. If all goes well I'll be reassembling him on Saturday. I'm excited to see all the parts back together.


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## SteveF (Jan 18, 2020)

I got him back together today. I did the best I could and I'm happy with the results.


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## Rides4Fun (Jan 18, 2020)

SteveF-

That really looks nice!  You did a great job on bring back the luster and look of that bike!


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## Superman1984 (Jan 18, 2020)

SteveF said:


> I got him back together today. I did the best I could and I'm happy with the results. View attachment 1125582



He's a handsome fella ! Good job & well done   let us know how the ol'boy rides


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## SteveF (Jan 18, 2020)

Rides4Fun said:


> SteveF-
> 
> That really looks nice!  You did a great job on bring back the luster and look of that bike!



Thank you. I put a lot of effort into cleaning him up and saving the paint.


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## SteveF (Jan 18, 2020)

Superman1984 said:


> He's a handsome fella ! Good job & well done   let us know how the ol'boy rides



Thank you. I'm going to adjust the bearings in the wheels a little more and I'll be taking him for a ride soon. Right now I'm just enjoying him back together.


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## Superman1984 (Jan 18, 2020)

SteveF said:


> Thank you. I'm going to adjust the bearings in the wheels a little more and I'll be taking him for a ride soon. Right now I'm just enjoying him back together.



I know that feeling .... most of mine are apart & undergoing stripping/waiting for me to decide on how much rusty original stuff I want to reuse or replace + make the $ for  Sucks not riding them


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