NBHAA
National Bicycle History Archive of America
You are most welcome.Thank you for shedding some light on this! Proprietary coding would explain most of the confusion over the '60-'64 period. I'm thinking Western Flyers of that era were as well, with only an 'X' as a clue. We've been relying on the chart from ABC Service's reprint of a 1959 Western Auto parts manual for their Murray chart (below). One detail I've noticed is that most JC Higgins are stamped 'MOS-', and then the year letter, as opposed to other Murray built bikes being 'MO-'.
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You did not state the tire/wheel size. These came in 24-inch and 26-inch versions. And there should be no problems exchanging most parts for this Hiawatha "Speed Flite" between 1962 and 1966. As long as you go 26-inch to 26-inch and 24-inch to 24-inch. So why do you say it will not interchange with "1964"??? Let's see this "1964"????? This model was made for a long time with very few changes. Which is why they were able to sell lots of these at such a low price! The little plastic fender rocket ornament was deleted from late models and there were other minor changes along the way. But most parts should interchange– especially between what you believe is 1963 and 1964. Take a clear photo of the stampings on the frame.
Yessss... know all about the chart and where it came from. Had one of these since the 1960s. There were many others and have those too. We have all of the Western Flyer records too. Had them since the 1970s when I actually went to the corporate headquarters in Kansas City, MO and got the records in person. I have personal correspondence with Western Auto regarding Western Flyer bicycles with letters from them to me going back to the 1960s. We also have most of the Western Auto dealer books, internal publications, dealer info and store catalogues for most of the years they were selling bicycles... going back to the 1920s.
Also have a mint condition original Western Flyer X-53 (it was pictured in Cyclist magazine in the 1980s – see NBHAA.com "Historical Articles" section). And other X-53s. Started collecting them in the 1960s. Have a mint condition original Western Flyer Golden Flyer Anniversary Edition (1959) and numerous other Western Flyers.
Somebody in more recent years found this W-A dealer chart ... and it has been Xeroxed and photocopied to infinity. It has been passed to every DIY site online. It is the biggest reason why these bicycles are so very misunderstood and mis-identified. One size (numbering system) does not fit all– even if it seems that way here. And people using this chart to explain everything do not have the internal data charts that Western Auto dealers had and used to translate all this stuff.
But this chart has some mistakes and unfortunately was intended primarily for Mercury and Murray brands, but not any and every bicycle brand built by Murray-Ohio Manufacturing Company. This is a myth. The chart is not for J.C. Higgins... of which M-O Mfg. only made some, not all. Sears had their very own method of numbering and frankly M.O. Mfg. had a different system for Higgins that was separate from direct "Murray" and "Mercury" brands. And even then, DIY serial number folks today do not seem to understand that Model year and year of manufacture are not necessarily one and the same.
This chart is also not directly translatable to Hiawatha– of which M-O Mfg. made some, but obviously not all. Yesss... we also have a large amount of original Hiawatha literature including dealer info, manufacturer's info and store catalogues. Much of the Hiawatha info online that is accurate has been gleaned from NBHAA Detailed Reports made over the years. DIY-ers should please give up on the idea that Murray brand is the same numbering system as Murray-Built private-label bicycles. It doesn't work that way.
This is also why we have people going around referring to Hiawathas built by Shelby Cycle Company as "Shelby Hiawathas"...as if Hiawatha is merely another Shelby bicycle. Ginormous mistake that merely will lead to further confusion on top of confusion.
Finally, I don't agree that it would be a "waste of time and money" to restore what you have. Why do you say that? You have a very easy resto here... and no telling how decent it may still look under that rattle-can paint sprayed on it now.
• Scott Allison is selling the little ornaments NOS and reasonably priced.
• Someone else has made the repop "HIAWATHA" graphic applique for the headlight assembly.
• Someone has made graphic for the rear carrier top.
Everything else looks to be still hanging in. Why try to piece something else together when you have the whole deal here? Yank that basket and go for it...
Here below are samples of the Hiawatha Speed Flite in the original catalogues courtesy of Leon Dixon / National Bicycle History Archive of America (NBHAA.com)
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