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Amf Roadmaster flying falcon

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I picked up a set of early '60's AMF Roadmaster catalogs, and they have shed new light on some details, at least for me. I thought AMF might have carried the Flying Falcon through 1966, but according to the catalogs, 1963 was the last year. In 1964 AMF seems to have pinned their hopes on the new "Amflite" line and while they continued to offer some cantilever frame bikes, they were all single speeds. Their numbering system also changed - from 1953 until 1962 the model numbers in a catalog all started with a letter that depended on the year, "C" in 1953, "D" in 1954 and on through "K" (1960), "L" (1961) and "M" (1962). But in the 1963 catalog, the model numbers start with "P", and the 1964 numbers all start with "R". Starting in 1958 the numerical part of the serial was six digits long, which would allow production of up to 999,999 bikes in a year before you needed a new letter. I can only guess that from 1962 production passed a million bikes a year, but that's just a guess.
In any case, AMF would use whatever was at hand to keep production going regardless of the catalog. I've included pictures of a 1961 Flying Falcon ("L" serial number and Sturmey-Archer hub stamped "60 4"), and while the seat, racks and chain guard decal match the catalog, the chain guard and chain wheel don't. All manufacturers do this to some extent, but AMF seems to have been more flexible than most. Maybe they weren't big enough (or too cheap) to get first priority from their suppliers.
I posted some pictures (Amflite models) from the 1964 catalog in this thread:

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From the 1961 catalog.

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Catalog from 1962.

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And the last year, 1963.

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In pursuit of the trivial....
Did you know a Falcon always craps right before taking off?

Maybe that's why this is a Flying Falcon.... unencumbered and ready to go.
A good reminder before a bike ride... :)

... I think I'll take the Falcon out today..... you know.... I'll be right back...

Animal kingdom aside, I like those.
I like another AMF frame style also.... the Amflite?
Nice bikes.
My Mom worked at AMF in DesMoines in the early 70's. I think they were making Lawn Mowers. Since then I often tried AMF stuff because of the connection but have never been struck by their products...
They nearly ruined the Harley name....
Maybe their bowling lanes, yeah, they're pretty good.
 
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In pursuit of the trivial....
Did you know a Falcon always craps right before taking off?

Maybe that's why this is a Flying Falcon.... unencumbered and ready to go.
A good reminder before a bike ride... :)

... I think I'll take the Falcon out today..... you know.... I'll be right back...

Animal kingdom aside, I like those.
I like another AMF frame style also.... the Amflite?
Nice bikes.
My Mom worked at AMF in DesMoines in the early 70's. I think they were making Lawn Mowers. Since then I often tried AMF stuff because of the connection but have never been struck by their products...
They nearly ruined the Harley name....
Maybe their bowling lanes, yeah, they're pretty good.
Looking at their bikes, there's a reason they're out of business. I think they bought CWC and Shelby with the intention of being a real competitor - the 1953 Flying Falcon was the first balloon tire bike to get a three speed hub as far as I can tell - but to sell higher-end bikes you need people who can explain the advantages to customers. I think they realized pretty quick that Schwinn's dealer network gave Schwinn the upper hand in that market so then they shifted focus to department store bikes. By the '60's they seemed to be putting all their efforts into styling and they were satisfied to copy technical innovations when somebody else did the ground work and proved it would sell. In the mean time, their quality was subject to meeting the competition's prices and when bicycles started coming in from the far east it went down hill fast. Comparing AMF to Schwinn, Schwinn was a bicycle company and AMF was a big conglomerate with a sideline in bicycles. You can concentrate on being really good at one thing or you can be a jack of all trades and master of none. That last part should have been the AMF motto.
 
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Here's some pictures of another Flying Falcon that was on Ebay a while back. It was for sale by the original owner, who said it was a 1963 model, which looks right. Notice the change in the front rack. Except for the 1957 models which had Wald front racks (at least mine do), all the later F.F.'s used Persons racks as far as I can tell. The chain guard on this one has no trace of paint or a decal, but I've seen one chain guard with the white decal applied directly over chrome, no red paint to be seen, and it didn't look like it would take much to take the decal off completely so that may have been what was originally on this one.

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I have a 1955 CWC AMF Roadmaster but I don't know the exact model it is, seems like they made many versions of Roadmasters. Looks to be pretty much original I did grease everything and had to weld the seat tube back to the lower bracket and clean it up and put new tires on it, Still have to do something with the seat. Plan to ride it and enjoy it unless someone makes me a good offer to buy it.

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I have a 1955 CWC AMF Roadmaster but I don't know the exact model it is, seems like they made many versions of Roadmasters. Looks to be pretty much original I did grease everything and had to weld the seat tube back to the lower bracket and clean it up and put new tires on it, Still have to do something with the seat. Plan to ride it and enjoy it unless someone makes me a good offer to buy it.

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List it in the for sale section or DOND if you are looking for a buyer.
 
I have a 1955 CWC AMF Roadmaster but I don't know the exact model it is, seems like they made many versions of Roadmasters. Looks to be pretty much original I did grease everything and had to weld the seat tube back to the lower bracket and clean it up and put new tires on it, Still have to do something with the seat. Plan to ride it and enjoy it unless someone makes me a good offer to buy it.

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I'm going to guess that yours would have been called a Flying Falcon also. In the 1955 catalog there are three versions, the Deluxe (two-speed Bendix and caliper front brake), the Special (two speeds but no front brake) and the Standard (coaster brake). Your chainguard isn't the same as the one shown in the catalog, but that's not unknown for AMF. I'd guess the chainguard on your bike is original in spite of the catalog.
And I think only the Deluxe had "Flying Falcon" on the chainguard. The catalog called the others "Flying Falcon" but that name probably wasn't on the actual bikes, I've got a 1957 Special and the the chainguard just says "Roadmaster" like yours.
1955 was the first year for AMF's middleweights, and they don't seem to show up as often as the '56 and '57 versions. Interesting bike, thanks for posting!

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I'm going to guess that yours would have been called a Flying Falcon also. In the 1955 catalog there are three versions, the Deluxe (two-speed Bendix and caliper front brake), the Special (two speeds but no front brake) and the Standard (coaster brake). Your chainguard isn't the same as the one shown in the catalog, but that's not unknown for AMF. I'd guess the chainguard on your bike is original in spite of the catalog.
And I think only the Deluxe had "Flying Falcon" on the chainguard. The catalog called the others "Flying Falcon" but that name probably wasn't on the actual bikes, I've got a 1957 Special and the the chainguard just says "Roadmaster" like yours.
1955 was the first year for AMF's middleweights, and they don't seem to show up as often as the '56 and '57 versions. Interesting bike, thanks for posting!

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Thanks for the info! I have been looking on the internet but haven't seen one like mine with just the pinstripes on the fenders, most have the white tips but the one in the ad is just like mine except for the chainguard. The one in the ad might have been a prototype or they might have run out of one style and used another.
 
Thanks for the info! I have been looking on the internet but haven't seen one like mine with just the pinstripes on the fenders, most have the white tips but the one in the ad is just like mine except for the chainguard. The one in the ad might have been a prototype or they might have run out of one style and used another.
Either one sounds likely for AMF. Your chainguard was originally made by Shelby, but after AMF bought Shelby it showed up on a lot of AMF middleweights. The Shelby version had a clip mounting at the back to the seatstay but the earliest I've seen the long tab to the rear drop-out is 1954. And in another couple of years they changed the front mount, so your version was only made for a couple of years right when your bike was made, so it's probably original.
 
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I picked up another Flying Falcon this weekend, the first middleweight I've seen with this head badge. The others with this badge were 1954 balloon tire bikes, but this one is clearly marked "55Cw" on the bottom bracket. This is also the first middleweight Falcon I've seen with the straight bar measuring the same diameter as the top bar, so this must have been an early version. The condition isn't great, but it looks straight and original except for a headlight. And the rear hub is single speed, which is curious - I'd have expected a two speed hub to go with the front brake. But just because AMF slipped up doesn't mean it can't be fixed!

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