But it followed me home from work, what is it?

[gkeep]

Update on the Westfield Motobike frame. Patric and Archie Sturmer found two badges that fit the shadow. Interesting that the Stutz badge has a similar design to the Stormer but the detail of three lines sweeping to a dot/ball look much less like a fertility symbol on the Stutz, but it is a design for a Minnesota company so maybe they toned it down a bit?...
The white/cream paint behind it on this bike matches whats still on my frame.

The frame was originally red, that Indian red that's on so many motorbikes. I pulled out the crank and took the forks apart yesterday, plenty of red paint flakes and residual red paint inside the tubes. So far there seems to be almost nothing of the red left on the frame, just heavy black house paint.

More cleaning revealed that the serial number may start with F or E. If "L" was 1920 for Westfield frames and they skipped "I" ( couple references to this on other CABE posts) that would put this frame at 1914 or 1915?

Can anyone confirm this fork/truss setup was used by Westfield in the teens era?

The cone was installed upside down when I took it apart, but I guess it worked and gave the caged bearings a hard surface to roll on.
And a shot of the crank for good measure .

 

[TR6SC]

Gary, such a lovely bike. Are you going to get it up and running? And if so, are there rules and regulations that you need to follow in regards to vintage/modern?
I want to know specifically about the stand to be used.

 

[gkeep]

So many questions master. I have to say I've been day dreaming about stripping the house paint and if there is nothing original doing a rattle can or just polishing it as is. Maybe patina steel or polished steel "Silver Streak " with white Schwalbe Delta cruisers and modern rims. It would be cool to find some original paint.

And what about the forks, is that old nickel plating under the brush strokes? Maybe try some goof off on a small area in a few minutes for lunch.

 

[TR6SC]

I know a guy that can straighten those truss rods.

 

[rusty_apache]

Cheap generic oven cleaner is great at removing rattle can paint work.

 

[dnc1]

Cheap generic oven cleaner is great at removing rattle can paint work.

What are the active ingredients of said 'oven cleaners'?
Might try to find something similar over here.

 

[gkeep]

typically sodium hydroxide (lye) with butane for propellent.
this frame had oil based housepaint troweled on like bottom paint on a wooden hull.

 

[Archie Sturmer]

The bike has some features that also look later, or perhaps just unchanged, about time of Torrington reorganization, (and super-balloons).
http://www.nostalgic.net/bicycle222 (1934 Columbia Catalog).
The larger gap between the top tube and the truss bar, make me guess later; I have seen old Westfield bikes with tighter spacing.

Earlier (pre-Torrington?) forks may have had 26 threads per inch; the adjustable cone (pictured), without a cap, looks Snyder (24-tpi only), that was used with a separate sheet-metal dust cover; they work great for parts that require reduced stacking height. I have seen examples and advertisements of "Pope" headsets, versus the "new-Columbia" headsets. Some older Westfield headsets may have had 17 x 5/32 ball bearings, and cups with peculiar dimensions (1-1/4"?). I have seen an early Westfield motobike fork with a duplicate letter stamped under the crown. Westfield was once proud of its milled bearing cups; milling is expensive enough, such nice curved outer profile even more so.

 

[gkeep]

Great information! I love seeing the old catalogs, packed with the history. I'll have to check the count on those caged bearings. I should borrow my nieghbors thread gauge and check the count. (or just get a ruler ...)

Were these welded truss rods used throughout the motorbike era? The serial numbers look like a TOC font and are so crudely done it leads me to think teens but maybe it was just stamped after a 3 beer lunch at the local tavern.

 

[gkeep]

Wondering again if this frame is a collection of random parts.

Stumbled onto a fork that matches the fork on this Westfield frame. The matching fork is on a bike for sale by LuxLow that is badged as a 1919 Excelsior by Excelsior Manufacturing or Michigan City Indiana. The truss struts, fork blades and truss ends are a good match. Maybe more than one bike donated scrap parts to this beast?
Maybe its a moto-mongrel bike...

We'll, here todays findings for posterity. Maybe somebody else will be researching a Westfield frame/Elgin Chainring/Excelsior truss fork motobike back shed creation someday and it will help them.

And then there is the question brought up of the fork caged bearings:
"Earlier (pre-Torrington?) forks may have had 26 threads per inch; the adjustable cone (pictured), without a cap, looks Snyder (24-tpi only), that was used with a separate sheet-metal dust cover; they work great for parts that require reduced stacking height. I have seen examples and advertisements of "Pope" headsets, versus the "new-Columbia" headsets. Some older Westfield headsets may have had 17 x 5/32 ball bearings, and cups with peculiar dimensions (1-1/4"?)"

Pulled it apart today and the headset has two 20x1/16 (?) cages. I eyeballed the bearings against a steel rule and they seemed a hair larger than 1/16 but that might be my 60 year old peepers. The thread count looks 24 and I think I'm missing the threaded dust cover.