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1978 Huffy Thunder Road 56

"Huffy's got a bike in-style".. like the TV commercial sang in its jingle. More of a show-bike marketed to kids and parents who didn't know better. Had a label on the frame saying something like, "n

When Huffy Corporation of Dayton, Ohio rolled out it's Thunder Road series of bikes in the 1970s, I had to have one like the other kids on the block. The ride and feel was different than my first clunker from the Salvation Army. Rode this right out the Gold Circle store on Salem Avenue in Dayton, Ohio. Test rode it in the parking lot before taking it home..
"Huffy's got a bike in-style".. like the TV commercial sang in its jingle. More of a show-bike marketed to kids and parents who didn't know better. Had a label on the frame saying something like, "not for trail use or stunt riding". Not as substantial of a frame as the Schwinn Stingray, but it looked cool enough that you didn't want to park it at the Seven Eleven and risk getting it stolen.. Got the side number plate kicked out at the school bike rack one day... all down hill from there.. no pun intended, ur, uh, maybe.
Datacreed 6/5/07

cdawg · 2007-06-06 8:45pm

Wow, I had that EXACT same bike when I was six. It was my first 'big' bike... I loved that thing until I saw real BMX bikes... that's a great picture... thanks!

Icculus · 2007-06-07 7:47pm

Hey, great bike. I had one like it too. Mine had a fake gas tank on the top tube and number plates like yours. Man, I loved the knobby tires and was hooked. Thanks for the memories! Ride on!

Tonioseven · 2007-06-21 11:29pm

Oh yes!! That's the one that started it all for me!! Thanks for the memories!!

crowe-t · 2007-11-23 3:59pm

I have a 'White' Huffy Thuder Star '76'. It's basically a White Thunder Road with chrome bars and stem. Unfortunately I don't have the number plates(#76) or the pads. I'm trying to find some white plastic fenders for it. I'll attach some pictures soon. I will be sending it to Chip at C4 labs for new white powder and to have the bars , stem, and the other chrome parts re-chromed. They weren't the best built bikes but I still have nice memories of them. I now collect Redline RL20's/RL20II's but would still like to get a mint Thunder Road.

I recently won an NOS Huffy seat on E-Bay. The seat is made in the US by a company called Troxel. I'll attach some pictures of the seat. My Thunder Star originally had a White seat but I will put the black one on since I don't think I will ever find a white seat.

Last edited by crowe-t (2007-11-23 4:02pm)

Jmoser · 2008-08-05 9:28pm

Thanks for these photos....that was the first 20" bike i ever had. Alot of good times on that bike.

8587GN · 2008-08-05 9:35pm

I`m digging it.I had a #4 Huffy,while the neighbor kids had the same bike as yours

mt trickfox · 2008-10-20 6:53pm

if you ever want to sell it i want first dibs........

68l89 · 2009-03-02 7:46pm

ym finding my pics of me and this bike....

Cb Lee · 2009-05-20 8:32am

Looks exactly like my first bike. Great memories. What a neat thing to see.

jjs340 · 2009-05-20 6:43pm

Sweet bike. My first 20" bike was a Ross banana seat bike. My second was a Huffy Thunder Road that I got off of my cousin. He had modified it with a set of red Araya 7C's and he ditched the Huffy seat, (as well as the fenders and chain guard) for a Messinger seat. This was around 1979. Recently he and I were talking about the bike and he confessed that he gave the bike to, "get rid of the evidence". It was put together with parts that he had gotten from a few neighborhood bikes that he had ripped off. At the time, I thought it was the baddest a$$ bike in the world. That is until I saw my first "real" bmx bike. Ahh the good old days.

Roboprop · 2009-11-08 7:55am

This was my first bike too only mine had orange fenders and a big orange safety flag on the back wheel. I rode the crap out of that thing until I got bit by the BMX bug in the early 80's and wanted to build a new bike from scratch. My parents got me a Schwinn Scrambler frame/fork for Christmas around '82 and I pulled parts off my Huffy to build that up. Unfortunately my newly assembled ride got boosted out of my parent's garage just as I got it all dialed-in so my dad got me a brand spankin' new '83 Diamond Back Silver Streak, which I still have.

My goal (although not anytime soon) is to put together a Schwinn Scrambler AND a Huffy Thunder Road, just like I had back in the day.

All warm and fuzzy memories for me and it all started with the Huffy!

dfly68ky · 2009-11-08 8:23am

had the same as you Roboprop, but mine had a gas tank on it as well. wish i still had that thing.

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