Rare Davis built bicycle

[37fleetwood]

I'm not sure what some of the replies are getting at. if I'm not mistaken Davis made the Harleys. starting in 1916 Davis made bicycles for Harley Davidson and continued to be the sole supplier of bikes to Harley until 1922 when Davis closed their doors and Horace Huffman liquidated the assets and shortly thereafter started Huffman manufacturing.
I'm curious what it is that would indicate that the bike is Davis made. to me it doesn't look at all like any of the Davis stuff I've seen and Nonpareil isn't a name I'm aware of Davis using. the badge is attached at the sides of the head tube but there are clear indications that the original badge was attached with two vertical holes in the front of the head tube. the Nonpareil badge also overlaps the head set cups and this would have never been built like this. I have also never seen a Davis bike use this chain ring.
I'm going to guess your bike is a re-badged bike by another manufacturer.
another question, goes to the rarity, Davis was one of the largest manufacturers of bicycles, I would expect them to be more common than most. I'm not saying the bike isn't rare, all of these early bikes are rare but being Davis made would make them less rare than other manufacturers. I may be wrong in all this but I don't think so.

 

[dave the wave]

oh....... I didn't know that.thanks

 

[redline1968]

american pickers would know......

 

[dave the wave]

you know I never thought of that,American Pickers would know.they are now the foremost authority of bicycle history.

 

[redline1968]

thats right.. who ya gonna call...................... american picker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! mark

 

[pelletman]

American Pickers are NOT the foremost authority on bicycle history. My God...

 

[redline1968]

strange maybe, but not bad. mark

 

[georgedelk]

I also have a girls bicycle with a Harley headbadge that states Pinnell's, Richmond, Va., which was a Harley Davidson Dealer many years ago. The frame appears the same as one of the Davis models. The rims are metal but appear to be porcelin and white in color. The crank does not have the HD in the design. The words "Sport Tourist" are painted on the frame. Any idea how old this is? I can email a picture but am having trouble with this site.

 

[lmw626]

Another Nonpareil Bicycle Works...

I also have a Nonpareil Bicycle Works St. Louis bike. I happen to live in St. Louis so mine didn't travel far. It shares some characteristics with the original poster's bike but does have a different head badge. It looks suspiciously like some late 40s-early 50s Schwinn's. Mine is missing the head lamp and key for the lock, the seat needs remounting and it has the wrong type of new tires. The paint is very good condition, almost no rust. The serial number is E7700. The seat is embossed "Made in USA Troxel" and the hub and brake are stamped "New Departure Made in USA."

Photos are here...Nonpareil Bicycle

 

[RMS37]

Nonpareil is a name and badge used on bikes distributed out of St. Louis. Bikes sold under that brand were produced by several different companies. This girl's bike was made by Manton and Smith of Chicago.