Western Flyer Bent Fork

[AL_BUNDY]

I saw A free Western Flyer on Craigslist. It said 50's -60's so I called the guy. He said its all there so I made the 25 mile trip to see it. Looks early 70's maybe late 60's but I was already there so I brought it home. I aired up the tires and I was riding. Im thinking I will replace my Hiawatha as official go get the mail bike with this one.

The forks are bent. They appear to be bent just above the tree. My question is, do I dare attempt to straighten them? Or should I leave as is and hope to find a replacement.

Next Question. What other brands share the actual manufacturer of this bike?
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[nfmisso]

Hi Al;

If you try to straighten them, they will most like break. Don't.

For more info on your bike:
http://www.nbhaa.com/
http://www.nostalgic.net/westernflyer.htm

[Joe_W]

Also: if they are bent, replace them. I wouldn't buy them. A fork failure has catastrophic results.

[JohnV]

Ah! The good old Montgomery Ward bicycles. Nice find, especially when free. I'm not sure where to get a replacement fork for it, but if you can't, don't try straightening them on your own. You may want to try a reputable motorcycle repair/body shop that has the tools to do it correctly. They straighten out tubes for motorcycles that have crashed all the time. I think it would depend on how much tensile strength was lost at that site of the bend as to whether or not I would attempt to straighten them. Anyway, good luck finding a new fork.

[nfmisso]

Please note where it is bent - right at the top end of the tubes in the joint area - this can not be safely bent back.

You MIGHT be able to take the tubes off the crown, re-align the parts of the crown, braze them into the correct position, then braze the tubes back on. It does not look like the tubes themselves are bent to me.

[JohnV]

OK, after looking at it a bit closer a second time, I think I see where they are bent. Unless the chrome cap is crooked, it looks like it is where the steerer tube attaches to the fork. If that's not it, it's back to the optometrist for me.