Classic & Vintage - My first bike-My memory needs your help!

Note sure if this is the right place for this question, but here goes...

OK, I remember everything about my first bike except the model name, and it's driving me nuts. I hope you fellas can help out!

It was probably 1970 (I was 7), and my Mom bought me a Huffy for Christmas. It was an orange 3 speed (similar in style to the 'musclebikes'), but the weirdest part were the handlebars. It had 2. One on each side, and they went into separate posts. So getting them lined up right was a hassle for a 7-year old. But it was cool to spin them both together for a tiller-style steering experience (and subsequent crash). It also had a traditional (?) banana seat, black with silver piping, and a kick-a$$ speedo. Any ideas about what I may have been riding would be great. My next visit back home to NY will give me an oppurtunity to find a picture of me on it.

Thanks for any help. :) :)

I think it was an Iverson Roadrunner, not sure, because it wasnt a 3 speed but it did have the funky 2 piece handlebars you described. I had one of these in the early seventies as well. I think my Mom bought it at Montgomery Wards. Picture was found in the picture database at oldroads.com. If the Roadrunner isn't it, maybe you can find a picture there. Good luck!

I think it was an Iverson Roadrunner, not sure, because it wasnt a 3 speed but it did have the funky 2 piece handlebars you described. I had one of these in the early seventies as well. I think my Mom bought it at Montgomery Wards. Picture was found in the picture database at oldroads.com. If the Roadrunner isn't it, maybe you can find a picture there. Good luck!
Thanks so much for doing the legwork! That must be the bike, same fork and same seat. Maybe there was a similar model that had the 3-speed shifter (I think mine was thumb-operated).Now I'm just wondering about Iverson. Did they build bikes for Huffy? I'm positive mine was a Huffy, and I've never heard of Iverson (can you tell I'm new to this?) I'm sure finding one of these will be difficult, but I'm going to try. Thanks again for the help.

I did not get my first bike until I was like 10..guess I was cheated..It was an English racer, 10 speed..but, that is not a brand name.. thought it was hot stuff.

Here's basically the same thing with a shifter. 3 spd maybe?http://mywilson.homestead.com/barrisfiles.html

Here's basically the same thing with a shifter. 3 spd maybe?http://mywilson.homestead.com/barrisfiles.html
That's very close, but my shifter was white with a big "3" on the side. I felt like I got ripped when my brother rode his Ross Apollo 5-speed with the big "5" on the shifter. Jerk. ;)
Thanks again for searching. When I get that photo I'll post it here.....somewhere. :D

cyclezealot, I was lucky to get a new bike at that age. I had 2 older brothers, and we would usually find bikes in the garbage and get em sorta-half-a$$ed road ready and ride those. The year I got my bike, my oldest brother was riding a year-old Ross, and my middle brother got a new New York Jets football helmet and jersey(he didn't like bikes). And I do remember calling anything with 'ram' handlebars ( :rolleyes: ) an 'English Racer'. I still love that term. :D After I outgrew this Huffy/Iverson, I found an old Rollfast (it didn't), and then I got some sort of english bike made of "Sheffield Steel" (I thought that was the coolest decal in the world, at the time). Too bad I don't remember what make of bike it was. :(