Schwinn Excelsior when was this made? 1920s 1941 1957?

[LocanStreet]

Serial # B 46314
it says the serial number was used twice by Schwinn:
once (no date)
second - 01/18 of 1957.
Or is it 1941 Pre WWII
or was it built by Schwinn when they built the Excelsior motorcycles From 1917 to 1928?

I recovered the seat - Black leather saddle

I think this is an older bike because it's very heavy duty.

 

[1817cent]

My vote is that it is a 46 or 47. What does the kickstand look like?

 

[HEMI426]

Is it me or the picture angles or has that fork been bent back really hard.

 

[Rivnut]

Definitely postwar I would say because of the rear drop outs rather than a rear fork. If it were a 1957, the serial number would be on the left dropout. Angelfire date codes start with D for 1948, back tracking would put it in 46 or 47. IMHO
In the pinned threads in this Schwinn forum, there is one dedicated to serial numbers/date codes. There are links for 1948 and up, but there is some discussion about 46 and 47 models. Read that and see if the author’s description of 1946 models doesn’t fit your bike. Especially the Bxxxxxx serial numbers. Might be time to pull the crank and look for a date.

 

[LocanStreet]

Thank you all for your expertise. Here are some close photos Of kick stand, brake & seat bolt.
Also The kickstand, the bike falls over, because the kickstand goes back the opposite direction, it does not stop where its supposed to, do you guys know how to fix that?

 

[LocanStreet]

Is it me or the picture angles or has that fork been bent back really hard.

I think you are correct about this now that I look at it because the back of the front fender is dented from hitting the frame also.

 

[LocanStreet]

Is that an AS on the seat bolt? Arrnold Schwinn.

 

[LocanStreet]

What is the name on the brake?

 

[1817cent]

Is that Morrow hub black or just covered in grease? You can replace the kickstand and that is not an expensive part. Pretty easy to find. Early postwar bike..

 

[Rivnut]

I have a 52 Hornet on which the kickstand would not stay up. I found that the pin that engages the sprag was sheared off. A new roll pin inserted solved the problem. There are multiple "tools" you can use to remove the kickstand. Search this site or check YouTube.