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Lets see your Chromed Spaceliner style bike

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In your post you said you thought the "rat trap" was missing. What were you referring to, as they never came with rat traps?

I'm sure he's talking about the springer fork, my jalopie has one as most if not all Spaceliners I've seen do. The spring has an unusual shape and instead of being a traditional coil it quite closely resembles the kind used on a mouse or rat trap.
 
I'm sure he's talking about the springer fork, my jalopie has one as most if not all Spaceliners I've seen do. The spring has an unusual shape and instead of being a traditional coil it quite closely resembles the kind used on a mouse or rat trap.

Either that, or he means the chrome front rack that came on some of the non-springer versions. The chrome frame bikes came with either a springer fork (deluxe), or no springer but with a chrome front rack, or no springer and no front rack (as his is equipped). There were 20 different Spaceliner configurations that year.
 
Aye, but speaking for myself (and the voices) when I always think of the fork when I hear the term rat trap.
 
rat trap

What I discovered as I was compiling a list of all Spaceliner models during all the years of production is that there is an awful lot of incorrect information about them floating around on the internet, and most people don't know the correct year of their bike unless they're the original owner.

Now that I have finished my database of Spaceliner models and years, I can confirm that there is no such thing as a 1963 Spaceliner. They were built for Sears between 1964 and 1968, and the original style was updated for the final three years of the product run (the horizontal tank was eliminated and the cowling and light became more streamlined, among other changes). During any given year of production, there were between 20 and 30 different versions of the Spaceliner, each identified by a unique product number. Pretty crazy, huh?

In your post you said you thought the "rat trap" was missing. What were you referring to, as they never came with rat traps?

brentP this is what I would refer to as the rat trap
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-196...130?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cc6043492

I also see you need my complete serial number as I may have omitted a digit.
I will get the bike pulled out from the workshop tomorrow and will shoot you a picture.

Also seeing that you have done a great job getting and compiling the Spaceliner and other linber style bikes together in a list of possible options, can you publish this so we don't blowup youre pm messages asking for ident info.

then again we can just ask you but, it would be great to have that at my fingertips as well.

Thanks
John
 
Also seeing that you have done a great job getting and compiling the Spaceliner and other linber style bikes together in a list of possible options, can you publish this so we don't blowup youre pm messages asking for ident info.

Hi John. I'd like to add the info I've compiled to The CABE as a permanent reference resource, but I have a couple of final pieces of info I still need to confirm, as well as find a few additional reference pictures. I want to have reference pictures of everything to go along with the table of serial numbers and build configurations, and I'm about 80% there as far as the pictures go.

As far as rat traps go, I've always termed a rat trap as the long spring loaded clamp that you used to find on some rear or front racks (just like a rat or mouse trap) that would hold books or other items in place on the rack. Here's an example.

Brent
 
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That does make more sense when the rat trap term is used...I had always just called that a book rack.

So what I've been calling the rat trap is actually just a front springer??
What is the term used to describe the non rat trap front "7" shaped chromed dual rail attached to the headtube?
Sounds like a stupid question but, I don't want to keep calling an accessory the wrong description.

Finally, this reseach that you have spent undaunting hours compiling, will it include all "Spaceliner" style forward thrust tanklight Murray bikes...chromed and painted?

When I first started on this quest to accumilate every "Spaceliner" styled bike I could get my hands on, there was very little information here on the cabe. I'm amazed how many collectors that have one. I'm not surprised that these are a popular bike as the space age chromed bike is a real head turner. The painted version too.
I am surprised there are so many variations.

Thanks for your willingness to enlighten us on these and I will double check the serial# today.

JD
 
That does make more sense when the rat trap term is used...I had always just called that a book rack.

So what I've been calling the rat trap is actually just a front springer??
What is the term used to describe the non rat trap front "7" shaped chromed dual rail attached to the headtube?
Sounds like a stupid question but, I don't want to keep calling an accessory the wrong description.

Finally, this reseach that you have spent undaunting hours compiling, will it include all "Spaceliner" style forward thrust tanklight Murray bikes...chromed and painted?

When I first started on this quest to accumilate every "Spaceliner" styled bike I could get my hands on, there was very little information here on the cabe. I'm amazed how many collectors that have one. I'm not surprised that these are a popular bike as the space age chromed bike is a real head turner. The painted version too.
I am surprised there are so many variations.

Thanks for your willingness to enlighten us on these and I will double check the serial# today.

JD

K I have a question for those out there,

Vacuume plating plastic known as chrome plating plastic, if anyone has any contacts send me a p.m. I got a price here in Ca. and it was 250.00 per piece plus 8 weeks out, these guys must think the economy is rocking @ that price.

Hell I can get a whole bike for the price of 1 piece.:eek:
 
Locate a copy of Hemmings Motor News, this is the old car restorer's bible for restoration parts and services. Cars have been using chrome plated plastic parts since at least the 50's.
 
What is the term used to describe the non rat trap front "7" shaped chromed dual rail attached to the headtube?
Sounds like a stupid question but, I don't want to keep calling an accessory the wrong description.

I just call it a chrome front rack. On bikes that didn't come with the springer fork, you could get it either with or without the front rack.

Finally, this reseach that you have spent undaunting hours compiling, will it include all "Spaceliner" style forward thrust tanklight Murray bikes...chromed and painted?

Yes, it includes everything.... both the chrome and painted frame versions (and all their variations) and both the original style (with straight, horizontal tanks) built in 1964-65 and the "forward-thrust" tank versions (often referred to as the "7" style) built in 1966-68. Interestingly, the bottom of the Spaceliner line (original style with painted frame and no options) was built for the entire five years of the Spaceliner run, so it overlapped the "7" bikes in 66 through 68. All the other versions of the original style bike stopped being produced after the introduction of the "7" style.

When I first started on this quest to accumilate every "Spaceliner" styled bike I could get my hands on, there was very little information here on the cabe. I'm amazed how many collectors that have one. I'm not surprised that these are a popular bike as the space age chromed bike is a real head turner. The painted version too.
I am surprised there are so many variations.

I was surprised too at how little information was available online about them, and how many variations there were (between 20 and 30 depending on the model year) even though it is an iconic bike that seems to owned by a lot of collectors. I got a Deluxe Spaceliner for my birthday in either '64 or '65 (24" boys version) and it's the one bike I have always regretted not holding onto. In the mid to late 60's we were living in Marin Co. California, and I used to ride that Spaceliner on the mountain fire roads all over Marin (in the days before the invention of the mountain bike and before anyone even thought of the idea of riding bikes on mountain trails). It was a special time in my life. I recently decided I wanted another Spaceliner of my own, to relive the memories so to speak, so I found one of the same vintage and started my quest to learn all I could about them... thus my serial number/model variation/photo project. At the moment, mine is completely stripped down and well on its way to being rejuvenated into a 'factory fresh' bike. When I'm done I'm hoping to have it looking like it just came out of the box.

Brent
 
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