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JC Higgins Mainliner?

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Thank you, I’m now trying to find where on the internet I got the first picture of the bike with the tank like mine. They both have that distinctive protrusion on the side, and appear to be identical.
 
Thanks, that’s my intent, but has anyone ever seen a Higgins tank shaped like that? That’s the mystery.
 
Well, this explains a lot.

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I'm lucky enough to have a Monark built JC Higgins. The Monark built bikes have an embossed plated riveted to the bottom bracket.


Except for your chrome fenders, almost everything about your bike and the bike in post #7 look identical. I think it's time to give up on the JC Higgins decals and think that someone somewhere sometime in the past just added them.
 
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I typed "Huffy tank bike" into Google and came up with a few. Here's one that has the same chrome headlight bezel as yours but the tank is different. New scenario.

Some previous owner replaced the Huffy tank with a JC Higgins tank but put the Huffy headlight bezel on it.

Take a look at the tank and headlight bezel on this Huffy Silver Jet. The bezel matches yours.


 
Thank you, yep, that’s the bezel. Interesting, I wish I could find a picture of the Huffy tank that matched the Higgins tank. Interesting that the crank sprocket and rear rack tail is different, though both are 1961, though I get the tail trim part. Thanks again for providing those pictures.
 
That entire bike is Huffy. I’ve never seen a Huffy middleweight badged as a JC Higgins before but there’s a first time for everything. Your bike is a 1961.

That serial number is odd, most folks swear that a Huffy with a “W” instead of an “H”in the serial number means it is a Western Flyer. Maybe it indicates something else?
 
I think it's time to give up on the JC Higgins decals and think that someone somewhere sometime in the past just added them.
The 1965 Sears catalog cut in post #9 shows a bike that matches except for the rear rack. While the picture isn't very clear, the tank, frame, and chain guard look like matches. Also, the text mentions chrome fenders, like Goingon12's bike. While Sears had dropped the "J.C.Higgins" branding before 1965, decals certainly could have showed up that late. So, I think it may be premature to discount the decals.
 
Sears' main bike supplier was Murray, from 1938 through the '70s. But, by the early '50s, they were needing small runs of bikes to keep stores fully stocked. That's when you start to see off brand JCH's, starting with Monark, CBC/Ross, Westfield/Columbia, and Stelber. Huffy bikes begin to show up in the '60s. These bikes rarely show up in the catalogs, and were low or mid-line models. I'd bet the OP's Mainliner is one of those. I see the remnants of a V shaped decal on the head tube, likely a JCH decal. One thing I've learned over 40 years of old bike tinkering, is never say never! I've seen many bikes that 'shouldn't exist', but there they are! And the JCH name doesn't unilaterally disappear after '63. On the deluxe bikes, yes, but it took a while to use up existing parts.
 
Sears' main bike supplier was Murray, from 1938 through the '70s. But, by the early '50s, they were needing small runs of bikes to keep stores fully stocked. That's when you start to see off brand JCH's, starting with Monark, CBC/Ross, Westfield/Columbia, and Stelber. Huffy bikes begin to show up in the '60s. These bikes rarely show up in the catalogs, and were low or mid-line models. I'd bet the OP's Mainliner is one of those. I see the remnants of a V shaped decal on the head tube, likely a JCH decal. One thing I've learned over 40 years of old bike tinkering, is never say never! I've seen many bikes that 'shouldn't exist', but there they are! And the JCH name doesn't unilaterally disappear after '63. On the deluxe bikes, yes, but it took a while to use up existing parts.

Yup SEARS was a leader in the low price field on bicycles. Some companies couldn’t or refused to make bikes as cheap as SEARS demanded. Schwinn rarely got into any catalog other than a bike shop for good reason. Monark, then Huffy and Columbia got in on it and it cost them dearly.

Walmart is doing today what SEARS spear headed in the 50’s, and boy does it show.
 
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