Need help with AMF Roadmaster ID

[AstraGal]

Hi everyone!

I picked this fun guy up at an antique mall Saturday - it called to me for some reason and I had to have it, lol! I love that it is a full-size bike and not a kid's bike. I am pretty sure the seat and bars are not original, but am trying to find out more about the bike. I have searched and cannot find anything on a Hawk model. It is a Little Rock bike, so from between 1953 and 1962? It does not have a serial number stamped under the crank. Love the crank sprocket!

My questions are:
1) Is there another place to find a serial number?
2) What would the seat have come from? It is black with a silver edging around it.
3) What was on the bracket over the front fender? A headlight?
4) Is the crank sprocket original to this model?
5) I hope to clean it up and "restore" it as found but the wheel rims are rusty. Any good source for 26" x 1.75 replacement wheels before I look into rechroming?
6) Is there anywhere to find what it would have looked like originally? Ads, catalogs, etc.?

Thanks so much for any help you can give! I am having fun learning more about this stuff.

 

[Oilit]

1) In 1958 they moved the serial number from the bottom bracket to the left drop-out, just above the rear wheel axle nut. Yours will likely start with a letter followed by a six digit number, the letter tells the year, as given on Phil Marshall's list in this thread: https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/cleveland-welding-s-n-project.2705/page-22
From the style, I'm guessing early '60's.
2) I don't know what the seat came from, but it matches the bike and if it's comfortable I would ride it. If you're taller, that style seat gives you more room.
3) The bracket over the front fender may have been just for decoration, or it may have been for carrying something. Bikes in the early days had truss rods that actually braced the front fork, but they eventually became more about style than anything else. I haven't seen an example of this particular type first hand, so I can't say for sure if it had a function or not.
4) The crank sprocket and the pedals look original, I'd guess the whole bike is original except the seat and handlebars.
5) Re-chroming the wheels would probably cost more than the bike is worth, but AMF built a lot of bikes. They owned the "Roadmaster" and "Shelby" brands, but also built bikes under retailer's brand names for a lot of chain stores, so you should be able to pick up a decent used set somewhere pretty reasonable. AMF used a few different rims, so just make sure to check and get the ones you want. Also check the diameter, 26" rims are the most common, but there are 24" rims too.
6) I've seen "Hawk" bicycles for sale on Craigslist, but I don't know who sold them new. I'm sure the information is out there somewhere, but it may take some research, or another CABE member might know. Good luck and have fun!

 

[AstraGal]

Oh my gosh, Oilit, thank you so much for the info! You have been so very helpful!

One note about 6 I seem to remember seeing something on my initial search that said AMF was selling bikes to/through Hawk (hardware?) stores (apparently defunct now) - I wonder if they badged the bikes for the stores, like Disston did with "grey-label" hand saws. I tried searching for Hawk stores and didn't find anything that looked right. Anyone have any knowledge of this? I will try to go back through all my old searches and try to find where I saw it. The bike looks just like a Skyrider to my uneducated eye, so maybe they sold Hawk-badged Skyriders to the chain?

 

[66Dragster3.]

That seat is from a early muscle bike. I had a huffy with the same seat.

 

[AstraGal]

Thanks, Dragster! It appears to be of interest to a few folks but I didn't know why.

 

[Schwinndemonium]

The bike probably originally had a headlight tank on it when it was new, as well. That would prove to be the most difficult item to find for the bike, if you wanted to restore it.

Jim.

 

[AstraGal]

Thanks, Jim! I will probably keep it "as found," as that is what attracted me to it in the first place. But there's nothing wrong with collecting all the bits to make it original if I want to sell it in the future...

 

[Oilit]

Thanks, Dragster! It appears to be of interest to a few folks but I didn't know why.

"Muscle bikes" like the one that seat probably came from are a big item with some collectors. Go to EBay and check the asking prices on Schwinn Sting-Rays if you're curious.
You've got the idea on AMF bikes built for the chain stores. They were usually based pretty closely on a standard model, but badges, names and paint schemes were often changed around. It was common practice for all the manufacturers before the mid-'50's, and only Schwinn ever established a real dealer network.

 

[fat tire trader]

I like it the way it is. I'd take it apart, soak the chrome parts and the rims in oxalic acid to remove the rust, wax everything and put it back together. And, maybe add a headlight.

 

[piercer_99]

The carrier is an add on also.

Your bike would have looked very similar to my former, 1963 AMF Texas Ranger.

The stock saddle is rather uncomfortable.