Help Determining Murray Jetfire Year Model

[OLDTIMER]

Hi,
I bought a 26" Murray Jetfire a while back and I was getting around to some disassembly & clean-up and was attempting to determine the year of the bike.
I used the Murray serial number decoding site, but I have to say honestly, I am a little confused.
The serial number is stamped on the left rear dropout. The digit size is small and unfortunately lightly stamped making it hard to read. What I can read looks to be: M5020X70...and a series of maybe 5-7 numbers
I have looked through the Murray Catalogs in an attempt to make a pictoral determination and I believe it is a 1971 year model. It is your typical black frame, chrome fenders with a red rear rack, chain guard and tank.
What leads me to think it is a 1971, is that it has a tank without a headlight. Once the tank is installed, there are no provisions for headlight mounting...plus their is a large rectangular "Murray" name badge on the front of the fork tube with a white and gold checkered background. I don't think Murray would cover a large, full-length fork tube badge with a headlight, and pictorally I can only find this tank (-) minus headlamp set-up in the 1971 catalog.
I am newer to this stuff so any help with this is greatly appreciated.
Thanks.....

 

[rhenning]

The 502 means it was a Murray built bike but sold by Sears. It would not of had the Murray name on it not been a Murray color. Roger

 

[OLDTIMER]

Surpisingly, there is nothing on the bike to visually signify/distinguish it as a Sears bicycle. I own/have owned a few Sears bike both with Huffy frames (mid 60s Sears Spyder series musclebike) and another late 60s Murray-built Sears bike.
In both of the above cases, these bikes were clearly badged with the typical Sears head badges and had specific "Sears" decals on the chain guard(s).
In what I could determine on this bike we speak of, I considered a breakdown of the serial # (at least the beginning.....) as:
M = Murray
5020 = (model number) Boy's 26" Jetfire (as depicted in the 1971catalog)
After this is where my confusion lies......as I can't seem to locate a corresponding year model designation.
So now...more confusion.....

 

[rhenning]

502 is the Sears number for a Murray bike. 917 is the Roper later AYP number for a garden tractor. There are lists of who made what for Sears on the net. All are 3 digit numbers. You can believe it or not that is up to you. Roger

 

[Adamtinkerer]

Post a pic! '71-9 models will have a BMA/6 certification decal just below the seat clamp.

 

[OLDTIMER]

 

[OLDTIMER]

Here are two photos if helpful. The bike does not posses a BMA/6 seat post decal.
Roger,
Am I correct in understanding that Sears would sell a bike with a Murray head badge....?????
Please guys, I am not being contradictory/confrontational.... I am new to this and have a narrow band of knowledge.
Two "department store" bikes I owned ( a Huffy Dragster III from Grant's Department stores and a Huffy Rail from Sears) each were "dressed" with head badges and chain guard decals from the respective stores, not Huffy...
By looking at the serial number given, is their a possibility that a number and/orletter may be missing....???
As said before, the stamping is light then painted making the reading very difficult.
Thanks to all.

 

[rhenning]

Normally Sears would not have sold a Murray named bike. If it is a bike from the bike years 1970 to 1974 it could have happened. It could also be a frame made for Sears but Sears didn't buy as many bikes so it got used on Murray's assembly line instead. Waste not want not. I wouldn't worry about it as the manufacturing records for most bikes were not very accurate. It is not like it is a K engine Mustang or a L88 Corvette. The serial number for bikes were really for logistics more than anything else. Even Schwinn records with the exception of Paramounts really tell you almost nothing about the bike and the numbers in the 1950s for example were reused 2 or sometimes 3 times. Again I wouldn't worry to much about the number. Roger

 

[wrongway]

Other than the head badge it's the spittin' image of a '66 that I restored. Great bikes with plenty of style!

 

[Adamtinkerer]

Looks like a metal headbadge, so I'd say the "M5" is '65. They did have some mid - grade bikes without a headlight.