Schwinn Stingray, muscle bike.
 

Most everyone that likes the 60’s-70’s Muscle Cars is aware of the muscle bike Schwinn created for the younger crowd of that era.

The real, “real” ones were built from around May 1963 through 1973.

Two speed kick back hubs, Three speed trigger, or shifter and the “Krate” series with their famous 5 speed shifters.

Just like the Survivor Muscle cars, I also follow and collect Survivor Stingrays.

The Krate series bikes were offered in various colors with unique names on their chain guards.

The “kool” Orange Krate was built from 1968 through 1972 and in the last year of 1973 Schwinn changed the color to a darker Orange called “Sunset”
Consequently the seat is a darker orange to match the paint (one year only).

Below is a one year only 1973 “Sunset” Orange Krate Survivor that is 100% Original.
The head tube code is CJ = March ‘73.

The rear disc brake came out in very late 1971 and continued through ‘73.

This bike is like factory new!
Paint, screen on guard, seat, all the chrome and it’s factory dated tires.

Chris.

Neat! There was an all original blue Stingray for sale just this past weekend at a Swap. It was a survivor-complete with its owners manuals too.

As an aside I grew up riding an Apollo 5 identical to this one.

That looks more like an Apple Crate, it looks Red? a guy at auto Rama a few years back had 1 of each of the crate bikes.

It is an Orange Krate, which uses a Sting-Ray frame and springer fork.

Originals were so popular they are now reproduced.

https://www.schwinnbikes.com/products/orange-krate

Paint looks off, that’s all.

I still have my Original Orange Crate that my dad bought me in August 1968 from the local Firestone Store. But my politically incorrect "Cotton Picker" is the one that gets all the dirty looks when i ride it around

Love the old Stingrays, and love the Schwinn brazing on the frames. The early Schwinn Sting had brazing on their frames as well and are some of the nicest BMX frames ever made. They're really like artwork.

You are right. Like the difference between Hugger O vs Sunset O

I got mine about a year later, in August of 1969.

You and me both had cool dads.

K

One of the projects dad worked on when he was in CPC Advanced Manufacturing Engineering was the second generation Fiero frame (aka "P2" chassis).

It was to be a space frame construction, and one of the options was a welded tube build - or - tubes with cast connectors at the nodes. As a result he traveled to Schwinn, Hitchner Casting (they make Crane rocker arms, among other recognizable castings) and Mr Gasket to review their various manufacturing processes.

K

(The ended up going with a combination of stamped aluminum and hydroformed aluminum tube, and built and tested a couple parts, before the program was canceled).