Originally Posted by
zukahn1
These were imported to the US and contracted by West Coast Cycles which at the time owned the American Flyer brand this one is rare 71/72 frame set they changed to American Eagle for 73/74 and then Nishiki 1974 . I really like the hand detailed nickel plate head badge. Pretty sure the components you do have are original except for the cyclone FD.
American Flyer and American Eagle were separate brands that existed concurrently in the late 1960s and very early 1970s but were related though business contacts. American Flyer was owned by Pettee Cycles, while American Eagle was owned by West Coast Cycle Supply. However, the owners of the two companies often travelled together to Japan, acted as regional distributors for each others product and even licensed their brands to each other, so it's easy to confuse the ownership.
West Coast Cycle Supply changed the American Eagle brand to Nishiki for the 1972 model year but Pettee continued to use American Flyer. The subject bicycle has a June 1975 serial number, proving that the brand was not the direct predecessor to Nishiki and American Eagle.