Bird find.

[Iron Honky]

Add one more to the mini bike garden. Pick this one up off a new contact who deals in antiques. Called me up this morning. Not sure what I'm doing with it yet. :shrug:

 

[jimh]

Is it 1" or 7/8" frame. It looks like it has the wrap around gusset at the neck. If so, it's a Roper. looks like an ARCO,Powerdyne,etc seat there too.:thumbsup:

 

[trinik7597]

foremost golden pinto I think :thumbsup: you find more stuff in one week than I come across in a year :doah:

 

[jimh]

It looks more like the Roper version of a Bird Duck/Drover. Pinto's have a level backbone vs the sloped ones on Duck/Drovers. The Ropers weren't really named, but had model #s for ID.

 

[trinik7597]

It looks more like the Roper version of a Bird Duck/Drover. Pinto's have a level backbone vs the sloped ones on Duck/Drovers. The Ropers weren't really named, but had model #s for ID.

I see what you are talking about :thumbsup: that's what I get for thinking I know something:laugh:

 

[jimh]

Just look for the wrap around gusset at the neck. That will make them Ropers. The front seat mount on the frame is 2 bent tabs on Ropers vs the stud and piece of tubing on the Birds. All of the Ropers were copies of the Bird models with slight changes. One year some of the Ropers were 7/8" frames with 1" forks.

 

[Iron Honky]

Thought the ropers were different in the back on frame. They bend inwards towards the front under the seat like this one.

 

[jimh]

Roper was the company who made Sears minis after about '70. They copied all of Birds models. The bike above is a Bird. Roper Built the later ones that were copies of that.

 

[Iron Honky]

Ah cool. Thanks. I didn't know that. Always learning

 

[dobber]

Looks just like my Drover. I use to think mine was a Duck, but it was not.

http://www.oldminibikes.com/forum/general-minibike-talk/61988-bird-duck.html
:thumbsup:

 

[oldfatguy]

nice find especially with that seat because they are nearly impossible to find . If that is the original seat from the bike it would mean that it's from about 1970. My 70 arco has the same seat on it. :thumbsup:

 

[chipper]

Flip it a little time and some $$$ , the extra braces to the rear fender give it away , the Duck or Sears Drover didn't have those if I'm correct ?

 

[chipper]

Sorry for double pics

 

[chipper]

 

[Iron Honky]

Took a look at my other frame that is similar and looked at the seat. The seat has only two sets of screw mounts but the frame has four bolts to mount the seat. And from your responses to this thread I'm pretty sure the seat is an Arco and not part of the frame. What do you guys think :shrug:

 

[jimh]

The purple one above is a Duck/Drover. If the one you just got has the wrap around gusset at the neck, it's a Roper built one. I'm pretty sure it does, and the front mount on the frame for the seat should be 2 bent tabs.

Edit: The brackets that actually bolt to the seat to attach it to the frame and shocks were the same on the Duck and the Roper built frames that I've had. I'd almost bet that seat didn't come on that bike. it matches the engine on your last one though:thumbsup:

 

[Iron Honky]

The purple one above is a Duck/Drover. If the one you just got has the wrap around gusset at the neck, it's a Roper built one. I'm pretty sure it does, and the front mount on the frame for the seat should be 2 bent tabs.

Edit: The brackets that actually bolt to the seat to attach it to the frame and shocks were the same on the Duck and the Roper built frames that I've had. I'd almost bet that seat didn't come on that bike. it matches the engine on your last one though:thumbsup:

Thanks Jimh. yeah the seat doesnt match at all. Only got this frame for parts mostly anyway so its a score regardless :2guns:

 

[jimh]

They are nice comfortable rides for as as small as they look. Kind of a semi chopper with ape hangers with plenty of knee room. Those seats must have been made from some serious rubber??vinyl?/ I have a couple, and it seems like a lot of them survived.

 

[Iron Honky]

I love my duckenstein ( Frankenstein bike) bought it for barely anything with engine and just painted it and put new tires on it. Rides so smooth. Its my go to beater.

 

[creia]

The Bird Engineering Bikes, (especially the Sears Roper) are some of the most comfortable bikes ever made to ride. (FYI: I'm 6', 280 lbs.):doah:
Michael