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Hawthorne Lite Wate

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99 bikes

Look Ma, No Hands!
Hello. Just excited to share a really interesting and original Wards "Lite Wate" bike I recently acquired. This is a CWC made bike.

Overall the bike is in amazing original condition, though I think it originally had a 2sp ND rear hub, different grips, and the saddle is just there until I find a correct one. Tires and tubes seem to be original as well.

I'm not sure if it's early 40's or post war. My gut tells me it's pre, but i've been wrong before.

Any info would be great!

Cheers.

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Nice bike! These CWC light-weights don't turn up that often, but I know they were offered pre-war as well as post-war up until about 1954, when AMF evidently dropped them in favor of imported "Royal Master" light-weights built by Hercules in England. Just from the style of serial number, it's either pre-war or early post-war, but an early post-war bike might still carry some leftover black-out parts. My gut agrees with your gut.
 
I just checked Phil Marshall's list and it shows the first two series (serial numbers centered on the bottom bracket with no other markings) used "J" twice, in 1941 and again in late 1946 / early 1947, so that leaves you right where you started.

@Freqman1 has some good tips on his personal web page for telling the pre-war bikes from post-war, but I don't know if all these features were the same on the lightweights.
 
Thank you for the excellent information. I'm still scratching my head about pre vs post war, either way it is a very nice original bike and I plan to start a gentle rebuild very soon, which I will post photos of.
 
If you haven't already, you might want to post it in the CWC serial number thread, some people might see it that wouldn't think to look here.
 
Thanks Oilit, I just posted on the CWC serial number page.

I spent a few minutes dusting the bike last night and noticed shiny metal under the a spot of flaking paint on the rear fender. Magnet confirmed steel, but it looks like it could have been chromed before paint?

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