1968 Huffy "The Wheel" Muscle Bike...

This is a 1968 Huffy "The Wheel" Bike...These bikes were only available in '68 and '69 and are VERY HTF today...I remember when I lived in Middletown NJ from '68-'70 there was an older kid up the street who had one of these Huffy's and I thought it was the coolest thing I had ever seen. From the late 60's thru the early 70's the Muscle Bike craze was in Full swing.....Bicycle manufacturer's were building bike's more and more like the Muscle cars of the day to appeal to the kid's back then.......I had some cool Sting Rays back then and just like Hot Wheels, I am after them again.

This bike is an unrestored Original and has seen Very limited use. I've had it a little while now but wanted to show it here.

If anyone has one ar had one back in the day please post and LMK...Thanks!

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Had a dream about one of those a while back! Couldnt remember if it was real or not. Very nice!

C'mon Drew, how about a youtube clip of you doing a demo????lol

Sweet ride, never seen one before:-)

Cool bike! Plus it's got redlines!!

Cool bike!!!!! Wish I would have had one of those back in the day!!!!

[B]DREW, almost got one of those in '69, but my parents got a better deal on a Schwinn Orange Krate, since my Dad had a very good friend whose Dad owned a Schwinn Bike Store in Chicago, hence, i wound up with the Orange Krate, which i thought was cooler anyways, lol![/B]

[QUOTE=redlinejohnny6872;464147][B]DREW, almost got one of those in '69, but my parents got a better deal on a Schwinn Orange Krate, since my Dad had a very good friend whose Dad owned a Schwinn Bike Store in Chicago, hence, i wound up with the Orange Krate, which i thought was cooler anyways, lol![/B][/QUOTE]

I hear you Johnny......I wanted an Orange Krate when they came out in '68 really bad. I must have looked at it in the Schwinn catalog 50 times a day LOL! I saved and saved for one, mowed lawns etc.....Finally in 1970 I was ready. I went to the Schwinn shop and they were out of Orange Krates so I ended up getting a Lemon Peeler instead, nothing like the front and rear shocks, 5 speed "stik shift" and the front atom brake....Really cool Bikes!

That is one of the coolest Muscle Bikes I've ever seen Drew. Congrats on a great find~
So the shifter is a the rear brake? Be great for those tail out skid slides!

F.

[QUOTE=rdln66;464162]That is one of the coolest Muscle Bikes I've ever seen Drew. Congrats on a great find~
So the shifter is a the rear brake? Be great for those tail out skid slides!

F.[/QUOTE]

Thanks alot Frank......Looked a long time for this one. These rarely come up for sale and if they do they are usually in "worn out" condition,
especially the steering wheels. They are usually either cracked, scuffed or scraped up really bad.
These bikes were only made for 2 years, I think because they are kind of dangerous. The Wheel is so sensitive when turning if you are not careful
you could really bust your A$$! LOL!
Yes, the Drag Brake is your rear brake, but there is also a coaster brake for added saftey.
I have a few other bikes but nothing as radical as the Huffy.......
I always imagine in '68 or '69 riding one of these bikes to the store to pick up a few Hot Wheels! :)

Drew,

That bike is off the hook...the drag brake, chain gaurd fake exhaust, redline tires and of course the steering wheel.

That thing is killer clean!

I wonder how many kids went to the emergency room because of those bikes LOL!

C'mon Drew post your Schwinn Sting Rays...I know ya got em!

[QUOTE=Johnnyredline;464172]Drew,

That bike is off the hook...the drag brake, chain gaurd fake exhaust, redline tires and of course the steering wheel.

That thing is killer clean!

I wonder how many kids went to the emergency room because of those bikes LOL!

C'mon Drew post your Schwinn Sting Rays...I know ya got em![/QUOTE]


Thanks Johnny.......Yeah, I am sure there were more than a few injury's, OUCH!
My Schwinn's are in my storage unit, I will shoot over ther in a day or so and snap a few pics.....Thanks!

[QUOTE=DREW;464181]Thanks Johnny.......Yeah, I am sure there were more than a few injury's, OUCH!
My Schwinn's are in my storage unit, I will shoot over ther in a day or so and snap a few pics.....Thanks![/QUOTE]

And what do you know? NO LAW SUITS FOR IT! LMAO!

There was also a Western Flyer version too. Nice bike!

[QUOTE=classicfan1;464185]And what do you know? NO LAW SUITS FOR IT! LMAO!

There was also a Western Flyer version too. Nice bike![/QUOTE]

Thanks! and you are correct. The bikes were still made by Huffy for the Western Auto Stores and they were called Western Flyer.
There were also "Firestone" versions, also made by Huffy, that Firestone sold in their Automotive/Tire Stores back in the day...

I remember those bikes Drew. I was more into MX back then though and thought they were the craziest things going. Sure wish I had one today though. Congrats on a great bike. I bet there aren't many of those around anymore especially in that condition.

Jeff

WOW Drew .......nice find for sure........the kid down the block had an original one and then we were all on the hunt for a steering wheel to put on our own bikes and "make our own"......well after the first kid took a bad tumble and split his face open....that ended the "steering wheel" thing. YOu are right bout the "clean" factor on those ......the steering wheel is always cracked and broken.......NICE FIND and to have the "bolt protectors" too......wow

Now, Drew, you have THE chick magnet!

Thanks Jeff.....This is the nicest bike I have ever found....

Thanks John, Yes those steering wheels can get squirrley in a second, very sensative. I have ridden this bike and it's CRAZY!!

You are so right Michael! LOL!!

Those are super cool. I have a few muscle bikes but not one of those. They are hard to find in that condition.

I remember riding a bike with a steering wheel way back when, don't recall if it was the Huffy, but I definitely recall the 'squirrelly'
aspect mentioned before. It shouldn't be, in theory, but in fact it sure is.

[QUOTE=DREW;464191]Thanks! and you are correct. The bikes were still made by Huffy for the Western Auto Stores and they were called Western Flyer.
There were also "Firestone" versions, also made by Huffy, that Firestone sold in their Automotive/Tire Stores back in the day...[/QUOTE]


Oh yea, If forgot about Firestone! I almost bought a cool Firestone muscle bike. But the seller left me hanging. I never seem to find ANY old school banana seat bikes in my area. At least ones that don't cost you an arm, a leg, and sometimes your head!

I'm finishing up a light restoration of a 1961 Huffy-built Monark Spartan myself.

I remember those. A friend had one. We were into jumping and stuff LOL He Nerffed it all the time lmao. They look cool as hell though. Thanks for posting that. Mine was pretty much the same. But mine had the Handlebars and was root beer Brown. Exact same frame though.

[QUOTE=Johnnyredline;464172]Drew,

That bike is off the hook...the drag brake, chain gaurd fake exhaust, redline tires and of course the steering wheel.

That thing is killer clean!

I wonder how many kids went to the emergency room because of those bikes LOL!

C'mon Drew post your Schwinn Sting Rays...I know ya got em![/QUOTE]


Yes By all means Please post a Schwinn Scrambler. My favorite bike of all time. Used to go nuts on that one. Made my first 20 ft jump on that one. lol No I didn't eat $h"t either lmao.

[QUOTE=wlwillie;464330]I remember those. A friend had one. We were into jumping and stuff LOL He Nerffed it all the time lmao. They look cool as hell though. Thanks for posting that. Mine was pretty much the same. But mine had the Handlebars and was root beer Brown. Exact same frame though.[/QUOTE]

Hey Bob........Thats cool that you never wrecked, glad to hear that.
Yes, The Huffy "Rail" frames are Great, hence the name "The Rail" as in Rail Dragsters.
They are stretched out and are longer than most other Brands of Sting Ray bikes, which is cool.
If I put the seat all the way up and raise the Wheel I can ride this bike very comfortably.
Sorry, I don't have a Scrambler, they are cool though, I have four Schwinn "Krate's", which were available from '68-'73....
Thanks everyone for the Great comments.....

Drew,

Got this bike when I turned 9 in 1972, notice almost identical paint and the 'drag brake'...it was made of plastic chrome and had cheap ass clips that held it onto the bi-tubular frame...this is a pic of one I found...in near mt condition. Way cool, all my buds had 5 speed Sting-Rays but I had the only known..."GREEN DRAGGIN!"

Colin

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[QUOTE=beauzoe;464360]Drew,

Got this bike when I turned 9 in 1972, notice almost identical paint and the 'drag brake'...it was made of plastic chrome and had cheap ass clips that held it onto the bi-tubular frame...this is a pic of one I found...in near mt condition. Way cool, all my buds had 5 speed Sting-Rays but I had the only known..."GREEN DRAGGIN!"

Colin

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Hey Colin.......Thats a cool bike for sure..
What name is on the head badge? I am sure that bike was made by Huffy for someone else. Huffy made lots of bikes for other company's
back in the day.
Schwinn was the Top Dog no doubt about it but were expensive for the time but the quality was unmatched.
The Schwinn Orange Krate came out in '68 and cost $86.95, and that was alot of money in '68.
You could easily have gone to a retail store and bought a bike for half that price.

My Huffy in the pics probably cost about $60 when it was new, if that.......
Needless to say, I paid a little more...LOL!!

Drew,

Memory serves me the store was WT Grants and it was badged by Huffy for sure. It was like 49.99, the Schwinns were over $100 and I recall my newly divorced mother saying..."Not anytime soon..."

[QUOTE=beauzoe;464388]Drew,

Memory serves me the store was WT Grants and it was badged by Huffy for sure. It was like 49.99, the Schwinns were over $100 and I recall my newly divorced mother saying..."Not anytime soon..."[/QUOTE]

Colin.......That makes sense......Grants sold Huffy's, but they usually had a Grants Badge on them. Sears and Penny's sold Huffy's as well.
We had Grants down here in FL at that time and I remember seeing Huffy's. By '71 or '72 Grants was building some pretty big stores.
I remember going to a newly built Grants in Boynton Beach, FL around '71 that was almost like a K Mart, bought a Light Green SC, Green Weevil and a Blue Mongoose, that was a Good Day! Still have those cars too...

[QUOTE=beauzoe;464388]Drew,

Memory serves me the store was WT Grants and it was badged by Huffy for sure. It was like 49.99, the Schwinns were over $100 and I recall my newly divorced mother saying..."Not anytime soon..."[/QUOTE]


Hey Collin,

Don't feel bad ...my parents said "NO" to a Schwinn Orange Crate and my mom yelled at me for asking for for a $250 mini bike one Christmas LOL!

That's a clean bike. I've always had an extreme passion for Muscle Bikes ever since my dad showed me a picture of himself riding around on his Orange Krate. I remember seeing one of these Huffys at a bicycle show here in Indy once, pretty different looking bike to say the least. This is only one of my five Schwinn Krates but it's probably my favorite. I wasn't lucky enough to be around in their hayday but I didn't let that stop me from acquiring a fair share of the Muscle lol

[IMG]http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll301/Mustanger82/The%201971%20Schwinn%20Pea%20Picker/DSC00852.jpg[/IMG]

About 6 years ago a big bike store closed and they had workers just throwing stuff away, I was notified and salvaged what I knew was good, schwinn tool box, nos schwinn stingray windshields, grips, tires, etc among the salvage I found two schwinn plaques from 1970 and 1971 (might have been 69 or 70 I am too lazy right now to look) from schwinn to the store celebration 500 and 1000 bikes sold, cool pieces of American history, lmk if you are interested, eventually they will end up on the bay

very cool, and weird, looking bike

Oh I crashed plenty LMAO But I couldn't get the hang of that steering wheel thing. I did see a metallic green Schwinn at the pawn shop the other day it wasn't for sale damit. Still had the banana seat. cool memories.


[QUOTE=DREW;464334]Hey Bob........Thats cool that you never wrecked, glad to hear that.
Yes, The Huffy "Rail" frames are Great, hence the name "The Rail" as in Rail Dragsters.
They are stretched out and are longer than most other Brands of Sting Ray bikes, which is cool.
If I put the seat all the way up and raise the Wheel I can ride this bike very comfortably.
Sorry, I don't have a Scrambler, they are cool though, I have four Schwinn "Krate's", which were available from '68-'73....
Thanks everyone for the Great comments.....[/QUOTE]

Who ever invented that dam 2 speed kick back rear hub? They really! REALLY! [B]REALLY! SUCKED. [/B]Anyone who had one on the hills will relate. lol

damn! why coudn't have been born before 1984? you guys had the coolest toys! was born when the last few good toys were coming out before all the parent and safety groups shut every thing down! i bet they would have a fit if they tried to come out with them bikes today. they would be "AHHHHHH A STEERING WHEEL IN PLACE OF HANDLE BARS?!?!?! YOU WANT KIDS TO DO STUNTS ON THEM WERE THEY COULD GET HURT?!?!?!! NOOOOOOO BURN THE BLUE PRINTS NOW!!!!!!!!!" lol now if a wheel falls off a toy car the size of an orange they throw the red flags and choking hazardous warnings lol.

you guys grew up in the era of "oh what harm can a wood burning kit bring?" and "well did you hurt your self? i guess you won't throw that lawn dart so short it will hit your foot now again?" the old pick your self up off the ground and try again.

LOL, we were allowed to make Chinese throwing stars (at least that is what we called them) in shop class. I remember in elementary school, one kids dad was into hunting real big. One day for show and tell he brought a steel leg trap to school. Another day, a live bullet.

But on the other hand, teachers were allowed to hit us. LOL

Cool bike!! Looks like fun. My brother had a yellow bike..I think it was called a banana swivel bike? I don't know, but there was a spring loaded pin underneath the seat post and you could dis-engage it, and the bikes back wheel could swing from side to side. I loved riding that one....fun stuff back in the day, thats for sure.

[QUOTE=1Perry;467122]But on the other hand, teachers were allowed to hit us. LOL[/QUOTE] Back in the day, I lived in FL. In elementary school we had this B$&^$ of a music teacher. Just because I didn't want to sing her(religion) songs, she use the paddle (with air holes) every damn time, after class

[QUOTE=hotwheelscrazz;467244]Cool bike!! Looks like fun. My brother had a yellow bike..I think it was called a banana swivel bike? I don't know, but there was a spring loaded pin underneath the seat post and you could dis-engage it, and the bikes back wheel could swing from side to side. I loved riding that one....fun stuff back in the day, thats for sure.[/QUOTE]

A Swing bike.

[img]http://swingbike.byethost24.com/bobhufford/yellow1.jpg[/img]

[B]Hey Drew, I remember those Huffy Wheel bikes back then, we all thought they were goofy looking, this kid had one and lost control smashing his face into the steering wheel....LOAO. Here's a trip down memory lane and not to segway off of your cool find, we use to go to the swap meet in the 60s to pick up as many bike forks as we could, then use Dad's hack saw, cut the forks off and smack them together with a hammer creating long a$$ forks, the Chopper craze was in then too and we had to have the long forks, high boy handle bars, banana seat and long sissy bars, you were the kind on the block, if you had a chopper set-up, just don't try pulling a wheelie...LOL. Jack-JK[/B]