Interesting Schwinn 1980s serial number

[dihummer]

I found these Schwinn Fair Ladies on CraigsList in Madison WI

Schwinn fair lady

This is similar to @Xlobsterman

red cruiser

For a while now I have been on the lookout for a girls frame Cruiser to ad to my collection. I have found a few, but they were either not in the condition I wanted, or the seller was unwilling to ship them.

I recently found this 1985 Murray built Cruiser that looks to be in great condition. It is in transit to me as I type this message.

Here are a few pics of the bike:

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[Robert Troub]

I found these Schwinn Fair Ladies on CraigsList in Madison WI

Schwinn fair lady

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This is similar to @Xlobsterman

red cruiser

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Red looks like an '85? Does the pink bike have a stamp on the Headbadge?

 

[dihummer]

The craigslist ad does not show the headbadge. It does show a second Fair Lady with an "AV" serial number.

 

[Xlobsterman]

The craigslist ad does not show the headbadge. It does show a second Fair Lady with an "AV" serial number.

The AV would be Jan of 84

 

[Xlobsterman]

I found these Schwinn Fair Ladies on CraigsList in Madison WI

Schwinn fair lady

View attachment 2040609


This is similar to @Xlobsterman

red cruiser

View attachment 2040610

It is very interesting that the first letter in each bike is not really legible?

 

[koolbikes]

This information is from Schwinn News Flash #13 dated 8-21-81 and was distributed by the Consumer Relations Department.
Bulletin Number 23 ... Schwinn Bicycle Identification Numbers

 

[GTs58]

This information is from Schwinn News Flash #13 dated 8-21-81 and was distributed by the Consumer Relations Department.
Bulletin Number 23 ... Schwinn Bicycle Identification Numbers

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Do you have any Schwinn documents that tell you what the S means or why it's there?

 

[dihummer]

Do you have any Schwinn documents that tell you what the S means or why it's there?

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My information about this serial number is not from a Schwinn document. I explain this serial number in this post:

OJI frame serial number

I just saw this thread for the first time yesterday.

This serial number within the context of Schwinn bicycle frames imported from Japan is unusual. It does not fit into the pre-1983 documentation of Schwinn serial numbers.
Attempts to fit the serial number into known Schwinn serial number formats are futile.

I have catalogued many bicycles from several brand names with this serial number format.

This serial number within the context of Japanese bicycle exports of all brand names is not unusual. Several brand names have imported bicycle frames with this format of serial number.

From Europe: Bianchi, Cilo, and Winora.
From Canada: CycleTech and Miele.
From Japan: Shogun (a brand name exported by the Marui Ltd., a trading company from Kobe, Japan.)
From the USA: Specialized and Takara.

So who was the Japanese frame manufacturer that used this format of serial number?

Oji Bicycle Manufacturing Co. of Oji, Kita-ku, Tokyo.
The company ended bicycle frame manufacturing in 2003 and changed its name to Ouji Co., Ltd..

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Bianchi frame tube decal.

The first letter in the serial number, A through L, is for the month of frame manufacture. The first digit in the serial number is for the year of frame manufacture.

The component dates are sometimes supplied with the bicycle serial number that I have catalogued and the component dates are consistent with the above interpretation of the serial number format.

@Xlobsterman
From the box for the original frame, can you determine which Japanese trading company handled the transaction with Schwinn?

 

[GTs58]

My information about this serial number is not from a Schwinn document. I explain this serial number in this post:

OJI frame serial number

I know why that S is there

Any Schwinn frame with the added S in the serial number is an imported frame/bike. That’s even if Schwinn did not have Schwinn approved on it and they had a Chicago head badge. that frame has a Chicago head badge and is turned upside down when it was installed. The box it came in is from Japan. That bike also has a Schwinn quality decal on the seat tube. Some people say that Schwinn was stamping their frames with serial numbers using the S. And they swear many of those came from Greenville.

 

[dihummer]

I know why that S is there

Any Schwinn frame with the added S in the serial number is an imported frame/bike. That’s even if Schwinn did not have Schwinn approved on it and they had a Chicago head badge. that frame has a Chicago head badge and is turned upside down when it was installed. The box it came in is from Japan. That bike also has a Schwinn quality decal on the seat tube. Some people say that Schwinn was stamping their frames with serial numbers using the S. And they swear many of those came from Greenville.

Those serial numbers are found on bicycle brands around the world. Schwinn is only one company that sourced bicycles from this Japanese frame manufacturer. The serial number format is not unique to this limited number of Schwinn branded bicycles.