General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

METAL FRAME & PARTS/ LEATHER SADDLE/ RUBBER TIRES, PEDALS, BELTS, HANDGRIPS

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

178.0 cm

Width

73.0 cm

Height

103.0 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Motorized Ground Transportation

Category

Motorcycle vehicles

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

MONARK

Country

United States of America

State/Province

Illinois

City

Chicago

Context

Country

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

Period

Unknown

Canada

Unknown

Function

GENERAL TRANSPORTATION

Technical

This bicycles, manufactured by Monark Silver King, has a Whizzer bicycle engine. Whizzer bicycle engines are a line of bicycle engines that were produced in the United States from 1939 to 1965. They were commonly sold as kits to be assembled and attached to a consumer's bicycle thus creating a motorized bicycle. The Whizzer bicycle engine was first produced in 1939 by Breene-Taylor Engineering, a Los Angeles-based manufacturer of airplane parts. By 1942, sales of the engines had not been entirely successful, having sold only about 2500 units. The Whizzer operation was then sold to Dietrich Kohlsatt and Martin Goldman. By 1943, the Second World War was well underway, and Whizzer Motors were forced to lobby the United States Government for the right to continue production of what was argued to be a great way for defense workers to travel to and from work. In 1948, Whizzer sold its first pre-assembled motorized bicycle, the "Pacemaker". Whizzer motorcycle engines would cease to be produced in 1965 due to the increasingly competitive bicycle engine market. In 1997, Whizzer motorcycles were brought back into production in the same style of the originals but with technological improvements.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

PLATE IN CENTER OF HEADSTOCK IS BLACK & SILVER ON RED & READS: `GENERAL/ MFD BY/ MONARK/ SILVER KING INC./ CHICAGO, USA'/ ON BOTH SIDES OF FUEL TANK DECAL HAS BLUE WINGED WHEEL AS BACKGROUND WITH: `WHIZZER' IN RED & `PATENT PANDING/ LOS ANGELES, CALF. AND PONTIAC, MICH., USA' IN BLUE/ IN CAST RAISED FIGURES ON LOWER CYLIND HEAD RIGHT IS: `2204 W8'/ STAMPEDINTO LOWER LEFT ENGINE CASING IS: `117288'

Missing

FRONT HEADLIGHT/ SIDE STAND

Finish

FRAME & FENDERS PAINTED RED/ WHEEL RIMS ARE CREAM WITH RED STRIPS/ REAR WHEEL STAND PANETED BLACK/ CHROMED HANDLE BARS/ FUEL TANK/ PAINTED SILVER/ BROWN SEAT

Decoration

RED STRIPING ON WHEEL RIMS/ 2 CREAM COLOURED STRIPS ON FENDERS/ FENDERS ALSO HAVE CREAM COLOURED V SECTIONS AT ENDS