After a full year of waiting my Wards Silver Streak finally came in. The saga of getting this bike is epic, and I don't wish it on anyone, but I will always appreciate the bike more for what I had to go through to get it. A big shout out and huge thanks to
@New Mexico Brant and
@fordmike65 along with others for making it happen!
The first two pix are how I received it yesterday, then I spent hours last night fiddling with it, and I think I like this configuration the best, it's the closest I can get to the catalog ad for now. The rack I believe is a repro, and since the Silver Streak seems to have come standard without it I had no problem taking it off. The fenders have a great deal of original paint, and are very straight; the rack only served to hide that rear fender, and took focus from the back of that frame with the "tail fins" at the axle slots. And now the teardrop tail light looks like it's floating all by itself back there. I like the paired down look quite a bit... every bit of focus should be on that frame.
I also removed the speedo/gooseneck console. It could be original, or a repro, I don't really know, but they weren't offered on any of the wing bars, nor show up in the catalog as even an accessory, so off it goes! Removing it de-cluttered the head set, and again makes the eye go to the main event, those wings molded in the aluminum (er, duralium). I also put the winged, deco stem found on the first iteration of the M137 on it, and it brings together the deco elements on the headlight and wings on the main bar too. I really like the horizontal top line of the thing, it really streamlines the bars and headset.
Even changing out the grips to correct ones lightened things up a bit up front. The wheels are original and in really fine shape, and the bike is overall very nicely preserved and original. Everything is now correct/original equipment except the seat has been redone, and the grips are repro. It even has the neat, original cast front hub with hi-lo cooling fins. I'm told these cracked and failed quite often and that few are found actually in service on bikes.
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