Murray Fleetline Year Help Serial #109748 mos 28

[NBHAA]

Serial # 109748. MOS 28
YEAR HELP? Thanks. Kirby
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What you have there was once a 1953 Murray Fleet Line. Absolutely, positively. No guessing necessary.

• The fenders were originally chrome.

• The seat, pedals, grips and sprocket have been changed. The tank, rear reflector, headlight and reflectorized chain guard are missing.

• The "S" in your model number has absolutely nothing to do with Sears, Roebuck & Co. This is an internet myth– regardless of how many believe it.

• While some parts do interchange between Murray Fleet Line (two words) and Western Flyer X-53 (all years), these two different bicycles were not the same, despite similar looks. The chrome carrier tubes do not interchange. The frames are different. The rear fenders are not the same and will not interchange. And there are other differences.

• Mercury and Murray Fleet Lines were different again. And not all Mercury bicycles in this design were designated "Fleet Line."

• Murray Fleet Line bicycles changed from year to year, even though for some years those changes were very slight.

• Also, Murray-Ohio's copywriters didn't always pay attention and got confused. If you look on the photocopy literature shown earlier in this thread you will see where the logo on the chain guard clearly says "FLEET LINE" in two words, but the copy above it on the same page says "Fleetline." It would have cost a lot to fix the mistake so the company let it slide. So sometimes they wrote "Fleetline" in the literature and catalogues, but this was a mistake. They meant "Fleet Line." The mistake was made so many times that the company finally gave up later and combined the two words into one– even though they never wanted it that way.

Records for every classic-era Mercury and Murray bicycle (and every Western Flyer X-53) ever made still exist at National Bicycle History Archive of America (NBHAA.com).

 

[kshimp41]

What you have there was once a 1953 Murray Fleet Line. Absolutely, positively. No guessing necessary.

• The fenders were originally chrome.

• The seat, pedals, grips and sprocket have been changed. The tank, rear reflector, headlight and reflectorized chain guard are missing.

• The "S" in your model number has absolutely nothing to do with Sears, Roebuck & Co. This is an internet myth– regardless of how many believe it.

• While some parts do interchange between Murray Fleet Line (two words) and Western Flyer X-53 (all years), these two different bicycles were not the same, despite similar looks. The chrome carrier tubes do not interchange. The frames are different. The rear fenders are not the same and will not interchange. And there are other differences.

• Mercury and Murray Fleet Lines were different again. And not all Mercury bicycles in this design were designated "Fleet Line."

• Murray Fleet Line bicycles changed from year to year, even though for some years those changes were very slight.

• Also, Murray-Ohio's copywriters didn't always pay attention and got confused. If you look on the photocopy literature shown earlier in this thread you will see where the logo on the chain guard clearly says "FLEET LINE" in two words, but the copy above it on the same page says "Fleetline." It would have cost a lot to fix the mistake so the company let it slide. So sometimes they wrote "Fleetline" in the literature and catalogues, but this was a mistake. They meant "Fleet Line." The mistake was made so many times that the company finally gave up later and combined the two words into one– even though they never wanted it that way.

Records for every classic-era Mercury and Murray bicycle (and every Western Flyer X-53) ever made still exist at National Bicycle

Archive of America (NBHAA.com).

 

[kshimp41]

Thank you. Great information.

 

[Nashman]

What you have there was once a 1953 Murray Fleet Line. Absolutely, positively. No guessing necessary.

• The fenders were originally chrome.

• The seat, pedals, grips and sprocket have been changed. The tank, rear reflector, headlight and reflectorized chain guard are missing.

• The "S" in your model number has absolutely nothing to do with Sears, Roebuck & Co. This is an internet myth– regardless of how many believe it.

• While some parts do interchange between Murray Fleet Line (two words) and Western Flyer X-53 (all years), these two different bicycles were not the same, despite similar looks. The chrome carrier tubes do not interchange. The frames are different. The rear fenders are not the same and will not interchange. And there are other differences.

• Mercury and Murray Fleet Lines were different again. And not all Mercury bicycles in this design were designated "Fleet Line."

• Murray Fleet Line bicycles changed from year to year, even though for some years those changes were very slight.

• Also, Murray-Ohio's copywriters didn't always pay attention and got confused. If you look on the photocopy literature shown earlier in this thread you will see where the logo on the chain guard clearly says "FLEET LINE" in two words, but the copy above it on the same page says "Fleetline." It would have cost a lot to fix the mistake so the company let it slide. So sometimes they wrote "Fleetline" in the literature and catalogues, but this was a mistake. They meant "Fleet Line." The mistake was made so many times that the company finally gave up later and combined the two words into one– even though they never wanted it that way.

Records for every classic-era Mercury and Murray bicycle (and every Western Flyer X-53) ever made still exist at National Bicycle History Archive of America (NBHAA.com).

Now that's solid information you can take to the BANK!! I have owned all 3 bikes mentioned ( sold the Murray Fleet Line), and still own two ( 3 including the boys and gals X-53's) of them, one for over 35 years. The above highly esteemed author helped me with the details of the Mercury restoration some 30+ years ago. He even sold me ( he never sells literature/musta felt sorry/kinship to his Canadian pal having fond roots in Canada) 2 valued pieces of Mercury Literature that UPS kindly stacked a parcel with a bolt that punctured said items shipped in a heavy cardboard folder. I spent more time than I wanted with a UPS representative making a damage claim. I digress.

I still didn't get the paint and logo details correct. ( some in error, some due to budget and choice!) The bike came from the late Larry Busch at M/L in need of a total resto. Admittedly it's "shocko bogus" if I dare attemp to quote the author...ha!!... I went with painted fenders on the bike and the 2 tone lines are off, wrong seat, pedals, light ( should be a Delta Roadlighter/I opted for the cooler Super Rocket Ray!) and so on. It's still a nice bike and the solid gateway ( 1st real "man's" ballooner/I had a gals Hiawatha as my 1st, and still have that/gave to my Daughter) to a hobby that's off the rails at over 35 bikes. I'm proud to say that the Father of ballooners fed the fire with that initial kind gesture of helping a lowely Canuck get his teeth cut, crooked as they may have been/still are!

 

[Archie Sturmer]

The six-spokes chain ring front sprocket kind of looks like a Manton and Smith Chicago part, but not too sure about that.

 

[Nashman]

Now that's solid information you can take to the BANK!! I have owned all 3 bikes mentioned ( sold the Murray Fleet Line), and still own two ( 3 including the boys and gals X-53's) of them, one for over 35 years. The above highly esteemed author helped me with the details of the Mercury restoration some 30+ years ago. He even sold me ( he never sells literature/musta felt sorry/kinship to his Canadian pal having fond roots in Canada) 2 valued pieces of Mercury Literature that UPS kindly stacked a parcel with a bolt that punctured said items shipped in a heavy cardboard folder. I spent more time than I wanted with a UPS representative making a damage claim. I digress.

I still didn't get the paint and logo details correct. ( some in error, some due to budget and choice!) The bike came from the late Larry Busch at M/L in need of a total resto. Admittedly it's "shocko bogus" if I dare attemp to quote the author...ha!!... I went with painted fenders on the bike and the 2 tone lines are off, wrong seat, pedals, light ( should be a Delta Roadlighter/I opted for the cooler Super Rocket Ray!) and so on. It's still a nice bike and the solid gateway ( 1st real "man's" ballooner/I had a gals Hiawatha as my 1st, and still have that/gave to my Daughter) to a hobby that's off the rails at over 35 bikes. I'm proud to say that the Father of ballooners fed the fire with that initial kind gesture of helping a lowely Canuck get his teeth cut, crooked as they may have been/still are!

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See now boys and girls? Too many hours in a solvent tank detailing bicycle parts. Look what it does to your brain cells? I never even looked back from Leon's comment to see I had in fact responded similar in content only months before. It all looked familiar, knew I had posted Merc pics before, but not so soon. Oh well. It's fun to be baked. No alcohol Corona even.