Clean Machine ID

[Bicycle Museum of America]

Good morning/afternoon/evening.

I'm trying to ID this Huffy Clean Machine. I can't find a chart or guide like there is for Schwinn, at least not one that will give me a solid answer.

All I can deduce from this serial number is that it is a 1973 (the first 3 being the last digit of the year, and Clean Machines were not produced in 1963). I'm not sure what the rest of the digits represent. According to our records from Huffy themselves, the model number of a boys Clean Machine was H020, which doesn't line up with this serial number either. Any help or advice would be appreciated.

 

[fordmike65]

No pic

 

[Bicycle Museum of America]

We've been having that issue a lot - let me see if I can fix it.

 

[Freqman1]

A pic of the entire bike would help but based on what I'm seeing '73 is probably correct. The serial number would have nothing to do with the model number.

 

[Bicycle Museum of America]

A pic of the entire bike would help but based on what I'm seeing '73 is probably correct. The serial number would have nothing to do with the model number.

Interesting. I assumed with the H0XXX it would correspond with the model number since that is how the models were labeled. Everything has to be as confusing as possible!

Do you know how to decipher the rest of the serial number then?

 

[GTs58]

The rest are just numbers. Sears is the only bike I know of that had a model number stamping.

 

[rfeagleye]

3H is a 1973 bike. The rest of the numbers aren't relevant. That one was made in Ohio, I believe the H is for the plant that was in Celina, OH.

Going one step further, Murray bicycles are stamped with the date, model number, and company that sold the bike. So, for example, a Murray Eliminator coaster brake bike, sold through Federals Department Store in Cleveland, would have been stamped with the year, model number of a Coaster Brake bike, and have the code for Federals Department Store. There is a nice thread on this on The Cabe, under Murray Serial Number Project, or something like that.

 

[Bicycle Museum of America]

Thanks folks, I always appreciate your help!