I like the lighting and location the seller of this 1971 Schwinn Sting-Ray Grey Ghost used when they took these photos. It looks like it’s under a street light or someone snuck into a closed mall and stopped to take a few photos – well done. It really fits the rebel feeling that Schwinn had in mind for this line of bikes. They have this rare two-wheeler listed here on eBay in Buffalo, New York, and they’re asking $3,299.99 or you can make an offer. Thanks to Tony P. for the tip!
You can see that this very rare bike has some cosmetic issues, and you may already be thinking, “$3,300 for a bike?! What in the ____ ___ is wrong with some people?!” An almost perfect Grey Ghost sold for $11,800 a year ago at a Mecum Auction, so if you’re a bike flipper, here’s your chance for a nice payoff. Mitchell G showed us one a little over five years here on Barn Finds, and it sold for $3,138 – which we know thanks to leiniedude. Thanks, Mike!
Schwinn offered a line of muscle bikes in the early 1960s with the Sting-Ray series, which went along with Detroit’s muscle cars of the era. Kicking it up a notch in 1968 came the Krate series of bikes, and most of us have heard of the unusual names associated with them. There was the Orange Krate, Cotton Picker, Pea Picker, Apple Krate, Lemon Peeler, and rarest of all is the one-year-only Grey Ghost. I’ve always wondered why it was spelled Grey Ghost rather than Gray Ghost since that’s more of a British spelling. Anyone?
I can’t help but think this would be a fun restoration project. I know, original is king, but not if it’s ghosted… er.. faded so much, chipped, and has pitted chrome, etc. If it was in nicer condition, cleaning and polishing it as much as possible while keeping it original would be great, but this bike deserves to look like a jewel again. And it deserves to have a young kid (young kid = me, other than actual age) enjoy it!
Here’s where I usually put an engine photo, and this is as engine’y as it gets for a five-speed bicycle. I don’t know if I’d pay more than $2,000 for even a rare bike that needed a full restoration, how about you? I just dumped more than $2,000 into a Mattel Stallion bike (mostly for the cost of re-chroming it) that’s probably worth $1,000 on a very good day. A restored Grey Ghost should easily bring $5,000 to $10,000 without breaking a sweat. Let’s hear those Schwinn Sting-Ray stories!
Shift lever is too cool 😎
Nice write up Scotty. Nice find Primo!
Thanks, Pat! I have a bike in the queue already, and I don’t need another one, but dang that Tony… (just kidding, Tony, keep ’em coming in!)
I knew it!!! I saw the picture and just knew it must be Scotty, and once again you don’t fail to impress. This is cool. I don’t remember the Grey Ghost Stingrays at all. But this was absolutely top of the line with the 5 speed stick and springer fork and all. I hope it gets restored. It looks like its basically all there. Nice find mr. Primo, and great write up Scotty. Thank you.
Thanks, sir! I resemble a gray (or grey) ghost now, unfortunately, so this bike would be perfect for me.
All color Krates came with the 5-speed stick shifter & springer front end!
Keep ’em coming, SG. If I may fill in the blanks, what in the SAM HILL. Rare indeed, only 1400 sold making it the rarest. Never saw one, or any of the “specialty” Sting Rays, for that matter. I’d say, 99% were either a Sears or home made. I see this is an earlier model, as it has the crotch buster shifter, later changed to handlebar shift. These, I read, by 1971 had reached $82.95, the same as all the others, when a “regular” Sting Ray was about $50, home made about $20( bars, seat, and rear tire). If I remember, these were incredibly unstable with that smaller front tire, taller tires just go over obstacles better, so this bike was all for glitz. I always wondered who rode these, certainly not in “Pressboard Estates”. There is no question, these bikes were the coolest.
My late sister did a lot of storage finds in the 90s, and found a vintage Sting Ray, but I never saw it. Most of these were $20 at a thrift store.
Ha, Pressboard Estates! I may have to borrow that one… Thanks, Howard!
Scotty we are in the same boat, especially my beard!!!
I had the second rarest model—the white Cotton Picker! Never did see another one in my city back then.
My buddy growing up had a green metalic bike with a shifter and a steering wheel. Don’t remember the brand or name but it was a bear to ride with that steering wheel instead of handle bars
I believe that was the ” Huffy Wheel” that had a steering wheel. In 1968, it cost $52.88, $3 dollars more than the handlebar version.
I remember those!!!! Kid rode one to my elementary school. Wow.
Sears sold a model with a steering wheel and 5 speeds.
Oh no! Not the Grey Ghost😱! If I was into the bike thing, this is the one I’d have to have.! Thank you for the write up.
I had a Sears or some other no name bike that looked like this, (I guess we all did) the 5 speed configuration was so great, you could go uphill, but stretch her out down hill or on flat ground, a few years later all I could find were the 10 speed racing style bikes with those tiny seats, the 10 speeds were nice, but the Banana seat and Ape hanger handlebars were so much more ergonomic, and looked cooler also.
I had an orange one in the 60s with the rams horn handle bars. Wow where did the time go?
I grew up in ritzy East GR, MI. in the 60’s but our house (15k$ in ’64) was in the old section (Bungalow w/no garage). My motorhead Dad (’63 Impala SS), a DIY’er, helped me build my own to compete with my upper-class buddies a block away. Banana seat, ape bars on an older full-size Schwinn and I was Joe cool! lol
Amazing what people pay money for! (???)
Anyone remember the TALL sissy bars?
I built my own out of a 24 inch bike. Tall sissy bar, banana seat and ape bars. I think we called them butterfly bars back in the day, may be wrong. I put it together with a set of welded over length forks that broke off on my first ride on it. Had a lot of scrapes and 14 stitches in my chin over that deal. But we rebuilt it with longer forks that did not break. Still hanging on the back wall of my machine shed. Been hanging there for about 55 years. It started out as a Huffy.
I remember making my own chopper bike by cutting the forks off my old bike and jamming them on my stingray forks. There was nothing holding them on but friction. Very dangerous and stupid but boy did I look cool! I’m still alive to tell the story.
To Tim Pearn, Yep, had a lemon peeler! Some of the Schwinn’s had solid forks if I remember correctly. Had to use a Ross or equivalent.
I’ve been playing with old bikes for years now, and the Schwinn Stingrays are at the top of the desirability list. The 1973 Krates with a disc brake, and the early 1963 Stingrays are the ultimate collector’s items. I recently added an oddball Stingray to my collection, a 3 speed Runabout. My brother had one around 1970 when the thief who took his new Apple Krate was made to buy him another, and this was all the dealer had.
I haven’t had a Grey Ghost or Cotton Picker, but have Apple and Orange Krates, as well as a Lemon Peeler and Pea Picker. For a great site for all things bicycle checkout the Classic and Antique Bicycle Exchange https://thecabe.com/forum/
Chuck,
Curious, what is the vehicle that the bike is sitting in?
Now that’s a stem! At 6′-5″ tall, I approve!
I’m with PRA4SNW, is that red vehicle a “Jolly” of some sort?
Leave the trailer at home. Fly in and ride it home. It looks ready to go. Tires hold air, brake pads look good, transmission shifts. It should cruise all day at 5-10 mph.
I like your thinking, DavidH! Just think of the YouTube gold that journey would be, not to mention the life experience gold, which is even more important.
I got a gold flake Schwinn stingray for Christmas in 1966 with 5 speed crotch buster.It never caused me any pain,but my passenger did.I had a girl on my apehangers when,all of a sudden,we were flipping over.Poor girl stuck her sandal in the spokes.She had an oil gusher out of the top of her foot.Also,she landed on her head,which,to 8 y.o. me,looked like her brain🧠s were leaking out.My ma felt so bad for her very distraught son,so she spent $5.00 at pep boys for a vroom motor,which I had to have.I gave the bike to my little neighbor when I got my license.He never used the kickstand,and left it out in the rain.That was more traumatic than my wreck Sorry for the length of my story.Thanx
Still got my Apple Krate hanging in the garage. Wasn’t able to afford the disk brake rear tire as a kid. I noticed this one doesn’t have the original pedals.
Michael, the seller talks about the pedals a bit, “The pedals are very worn down (rubber), possibly milled down so you could ride bare foot.”
Friends had an Apple and an Orange Crate around 1970. I wanted one but dad said no because the racing slick back tire was “unsafe”. I ended up with a knockoff that was a three speed but had a full size front tire and did have the crotch buster shift, which I became painfully acquainted with more than once. I can’t recall if it came that way or we added it on.
Unfortunately not all the old Schwinns have much value, I recently donated my complete but needing restoration, original owner 1973 Continental to a thrift store as there was no market for it. Got tired of storing it, waiting for the day to restore it. Made the wife happy to see it go.
Good friend of mine passed away due to Covid. He was a major Schwinn cruiser fanatic. Used Continentals and ones like it for certain parts. I have one too, and a few others. Maybe worth something in a hundred years or so.🤣
I too wanted a Sting Ray bike but couldn’t come close to affording one. A neighbor fixed old bikes and had an old chicken shed in the alley full of bike parts. I bought a 20 inch frame with wheels, and a 26 inch fork from him, probably for 3 – 4 dollars. A new slick rear tire, banana seat and rams horn handle bars from the Coast to Coast store probably set me back about 10 dollars. Not a Sting Ray but it was cool!
40 years later the parts manager at our dealership was building a “Moped” from a repro Schwinn and an eBay Chinese motor kit. I dragged my old Coast King 26 incher out of the barn and built one to match. I went to a local bike store to buy tires, not even looking at the price 2 tires, 2 tubes and 2 flaps – $125.00! I told the kid at the store I paid $3.98 each for the tires last time I replaced them. “What decade was that?” he replied.
Our painter was into flames so he painted the tank and chain guard for me. The motor smokes like crazy but it’s still fun to ride my “Hog”!
My photo went away when I corrected a typo.
I like that!!!
Ride on 🚲 Turbojet 👍 👍 👍
Did anyone ever tie an inflated ballon to the frame or front forks to make it sound like a motorbike?
That’s what baseball cards were made for.
We used to add so many cards you could hardly pedal the bike!!! At least 8 on the forks before you ran out of room for the clothes pins. Good memory!
I got a 68, one of the first Orange Krates for my 10th birthday. I always thought they started putting a front fender on them in late 69 or early 70.
Also Grape Crate!
In case anyone was wondering, fenders are still available for not much money.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/312656619726
I sold my near-mint Grey Ghost with a rear disc brake last month for $5k. Did I sell it too cheap?
Ouch. Auctions with free liquor seem to be the place to sell those things, to retired guys who just sold their construction companies.