1937 Westfield built Elgin Oriole.....I Think ???

[Kato]

Picked this up over the weekend. Based on my research I think it's a 1937 Westfield built Elgin Oriole. It's supposed to be a 1 family owner bike and based on what I can tell it looks to be all original except for maybe the tires and probably grips? It has some pretty krusty surface rust so I'll be doing the naval jelly / WD40 and steel wool clean-up on it. I think I may try the oxalic acid bath on the wheels.
There are a couple things that confuse me though. I read about Westfield and Murray built Orioles but that there were some Snyder built bikes. This bike has the grease zerks on both the crank and head tube. It also has black on the tips of the front fender but not the rear. They are painted perfectly but I'm thinking the owner may have done it for some reason. I think it's a pretty kool bike but still have some things to figure out on it. I'd like to find a rack and chain guard for it if they were actually options / available.
Appreciate any info on it !!!

 

[Krakatoa]

Yes '37 Westfield built. Probably the last year for this Motobike style frame. Snyder shamelessly copied everything that Columbia Westfield did but their product was of lesser quality. So yes in at least outside appearances they made a bike very similar in format to yours.

 

[Archie Sturmer]

I think it's a 1937 Westfield built Elgin Oriole.
There are a couple things that confuse me though. I read about Westfield and Murray built Orioles but that there were some Snyder built bikes.

Sears was a big company that did not have to always do things the same way, from year to year, or from order to order. And what design or model that Sears chose to call their “Oriole” may have changed with the times.

Sears, like Wards, requested price quotes from various manufacturers and made contracts based on low-bidders, but also made orders to competing manufacturers, just to keep their options open, and not bankrupting its suppliers out of business, (too quickly).

We have recently seen an Emblem-built Elgin. Although motorbikes already look very much alike, manufacturers may have accommodated detailed design requests from a big customer like Sears or Wards. https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/1934-35-elgin.199933/

 

[GTs58]

Is that shell all beat in from sledge hammering the serial number?

 

[Mercian]

Hi @Kato

B9854, D1, is, as @Krakatoa confirmed, a1937 bike. Actually, the frame was made in January 1937, and the bike built up very soon after.

Here is a period advert from the catalogue for it. You can see no rack or chainguard (but that leaves you free to fit period aftermarket bits),

This one is the same colour and model, the frame also from Jan 1937, but built up a couple of weeks after yours.

Elgin Oriole serial number help...what year? | General Discussion About Old Bicycles

Can anyone guide me to a Elgin Serial Number Listing? I believe this bike to be 1933-1937...but want to narrow down... Any help is appreciated Yea I’m pretty sure there the wrong bars and seat...and missing Badge and Truss Bars...:-)

thecabe.com

Best Regards,

Adrian