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My new 1983 Schwinn Cruiser

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Danny Im sorry about that bro, Ive never shipped a bike before. It sold to a good friend so its still in the circle and Im 100% sure if we lived closer it would have been yours. There will be more!

What I’m trying to do is find the same bike I saw when I was I was bitten by the Schwinn bug. It was a brand new red cruiser the neighbor kid just bought. I was 9, so that was 83. I’ve been on the hunt for a super clean red 83 so I could own the bike that first started my love for Schwinns. That’s why I’m so crazy to get one.
 
Took a closer look. Is this Murray's first and only attempt to duplicate Schwinn's EF BB's? Seat tube looks like the paint dripped down all over the BB shell. ;)
Naw, the OP's bike has a Chicago made frame but looks like Murray's rims. . Actually, it's the bent fender bracket in one photo and straight in the other, I though odd {two bikes?} but, later, on closer examination, realized the OP had straighten it back. .

Murray modified the BB and rear stay joints in 84. And nothing wrong with the paint plus, if you look close at the OP's photo taken from chain ring side, on the rear stay, It's candy coated, 'Schwinn paint'

Here's 84 Murray built; no rings around the stays for Schwinn's Bottom bracket. However, the front post would be, in 84 still, smooth curved joints like Chicago made. Murray's rims too.

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ok jeff, well..thanks for the the pic of the 84. My two pics of the fender bracket were both taken seconds apart. Compared to others here it is tipped forward 2mm. There is no paint damage to it and Im going to leave it alone. Hopefully that will help straighten out things for ya
 
Odd thing, I never noticed crooked numbers till builds shifted to Murry! or were they just in a hurry to get out of Chicago? Is there a seam on bottom of the bottom bracket?
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Odd thing, I never noticed crooked numbers till builds shifted to Murry! or were they just in a hurry to get out of Chicago? Is there a seam on bottom of the bottom bracket?

Good question on the crooked serial number..will have to take a look at others today after work

I do know for sure it does have the seam on the bottom bracket
 
Not all had problems but noticed more messed up #’s at the end of the USA run, I have seen crooked, upside down and even on the top of the wrong side numbers. I was told they sent the unassembled frame parts two different factories so who knows how they put them together ?
 
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Those rims have me stumped. The rest of the bike looks like a typical Chicago bike, but I don't recognize the rims. Maybe they were replaced, but the rest of the bike looks brand new, why would someone replace the rims on a new bike? And are those the heavy gauge spokes? The late Chicago bikes I've seen used the heavy spokes at least through 1980, (through early '83 on the Sidewinder, but I haven't seen any of the late Cruisers first hand) but my 1984 (Murray-built) Cruiser 5 doesn't have them.
 
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Here is a pic of my 1983 Schwinn Cruiser, serial number KT500016, with a build date of April 22, 1983 from the head badge code making it one of the last Chicago Schwinn's built before they closed the factory in June of that year.

For this model year, Black was an optional color, so I would assume not many were produced, and this is the first black one I have ever seen for this model year..........! This was also the first year Schwinn used tube forks on the Cruiser models.

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