I am a typical 7 bike owning rider, combination on/off road, a couple of vintage Italians sitting in the shop but now, another bike has come into my life.
The good guys over at bike forums say this is the group for this bike.
It appears to be a 1937 Monark Silver King "Wingbar"
Here is a link to the short thread on Bike Forums
Classic & Vintage - Monark Silver King, IGH, all aluminum frame - This just came into my life, a Monark Silver King bicycle. 3 speed IGH hub, mostly original, rides but needs a new chain. This is pretty weird but seemingly high quality, all aluminum but seems to be solid aluminum so it is a...
www.bikeforums.net
I am hoping for an accurate verification of what this is, there is a serial number stamped in the left rear drop out "056850"
The guy that dropped this at my place only said "I have an old bike"
It appears to be mostly stock but I know it is missing the front truss bars, has other fenders on it maybe newer wheels. I need someone who knows more than I do about these older bikes.
Note this, I have no desire to change this bike in any manner like cutting anything , modifications etc. I want it to be what it is. I have ridden it and it does ok
it has the new departure rear hub on it but also (I think this was added, early on though) a two speed planetary gear thing on the drive side (duh) That does work but a little rough.
Maybe I'll sell this , maybe keep it..I don't know but step one in good information.
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Hello,
Monark-Silver King, Incorporated (MSK) never referred to this bicycle as "
wingbar." Wingbar is a term I coined in the 1960s-70s. I can see the name I coined has outlasted the memory of where it came from. A friend of mine in the 1970s and I were the first to collect these. Another friend in the Carolinas had one back then.
I started collecting Silver Kings and their history in the 1950s. Today we have the full history and just about every imaginable paper item on these bicycles including the original dealer books and catalogues from the factory.
I have attached a photo of a buddy and myself riding our Silver King wingbars back in the 1970s (no the ones in the pic are not completely correct, but this was the 1970s). My buddy would drive down from Beverly Hills and we would ride the "boardwalk" (paved bicycle path) between Huntington Beach and Newport Beach on weekends. This was in the 1970s when there was no internet, no hobby on a nationwide scale and nobody other than us was actively collecting these bicycles on a wide scale. Jerry Peters of
Chestnut Hollow in Michigan was the next to follow us and began accumulating "wingbars." Yes, I've got photos.
Normally, we don't get this far into an ID but we're making an exception for you in this case.
What you have here– while a great item– is a very highly-modified Silver King Model M-137 (if 1937) or M-138 (if 1938). These bicycles were only officially manufactured for two years. Of course there is more to the story.
REgarding modifications... Somebody already beat you to it on mods. It is much more modified than it is original. Here is what has been done so far:
• fenders and braces are aftermarket replacements much newer than the bicycle. Original fenders for almost all of these (except for a few specially-ordered W-D versions) were painted metallic blue, not chrome or stainless.
• special aluminum truss rod assemblies are completely missing.
• horn button is missing.
• hornlight assembly (mounted on front fender) is missing.
• battery case housing, clamps and electrical wire conduit are missing.
• handlebar and grips are not original.
• stem is not original (which is obviously missing).
• saddle is modern replacement from 1980s. Original saddle is missing.
• rear carrier is modern 10-speed thingie... original cast aluminum carrier and chrome legs are missing.
• electric tail light assembly is completely missing (mounted on rear fender).
• it was actually possible to order the New Departure Model D rear hub with option of 2-speed but this was not typical. Also cable as presently mounted and appearance are not original.
• both rims are not original and are modern aftermarket parts. Of course the reflectors in the spokes are typical 1970s-80s bicycle shop additions and are not original. Original wheels and tires were 24-inch.
• chain guard and brackets are completely missing.
• rear frame bolts appear to have been either replaced or shortened.
• Klaxxon oohgah horn was added later.
• of course the fork cap retainer nut is missing.
• somebody has been drilling into the central portion of the frame (VERY bad idea with this brittle old aluminum).
Today, almost all of these bicycles (including those claimed "restored") pictured online are incorrect and swap parts back and forth between 1937, 1938 and non-wingbar, even non-MSK bicycles. So keep this in mind. The remainder you may see have the obligatory "resto-mod-cum-custom-cafe-racer-boy-racer thing done to them. OR modern bazillion gear derailleur shifter things, proudly displayed with huge wheels. Or other things that folks today THINK are accurate often are not... like the 1938 horn button mounted on a 1937 model. This is repeatedly claimed to be accurate when it is not. Etc. etc. etc.
Hope this helps in your Silver King wingbar journey.
Leon Dixon
National Bicycle History Archive of America
(NBHAA.com)