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Need help IDing this '83 MTN bike

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The color, geometry and fork lend to the very likely possibility that it's one of the elusive Japanese-Made Schwinn All Terrain Framesets that were sold as a frame/fork only by Schwinn dealers. When ordered, the buyer had the opportunity to put a custom spec on them through the dealer, or build them up themselves with parts purchased elsewhere. The frameset I am in posession of was purchased by my eldest brother in 1985 and the date code in the serial number indicates it was fabricated in 1984. I have all of the parts he specced, except the tires/tubes and everything is restorable.
 
I had one of those. They were in '83 BMX calalog. However, not sure about all the years (2, I believe?), but they didn't have same cable guides as this frame, at least mine didn't? They also had incorrect fork in pic (tubular, not biplane). This frame has the weird loop that guides cable into cable guide. I'm thinking this is a Shogun?

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The serial number would go further to bely what your frame may be, It's not really known who was fabbing the framesets in Japan for Schwinn, but educated guesses would be Panasonic, Bridgestone, or Ishiwata. Some think that maybe more than one of those manufacturers built them in different runs. If this is the case, it may explain the housing loop in front of the stop. As far as the pic in the catalog page you posted, I've seen that before and it's lacking the lower picture shown of the psuedo-biplane Ishiwata fork with the frame.

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What I'd like to know about the Shogun speculation is what colors did they come in? The Smokey Pearl seems to be unique to just the Schwinn frameset MTBs, along with the longer top tube, Ishiwata fork, and the two sizes available.

What I know for sure is that Schwinn was still selling the framesets through their dealers in 1985. I have physical proof of this in the form of the bike, the owners manual, and receipt from Anaheim Schwinn.
 
I was told they used King Sting/Sidewinder forks in catalog pic, but never sold frameset with those forks. The only reason I suggested Shogun was I've seen many of the other Japanese frames from this period and never a Shogun. I don't know what colors or configurations they had? There is little to no info on the web about early Shogun MTBs. I was thinking this could be something I've never seen? I'm pretty sure Panasonic built all Schwinn bikes up until '81? Not sure which company did the PDG bikes for Schwinn?
 
There is another possibility, Shogun may have bought up unsold framesets built and powdercoated for Schwinn, then re-branded them. The water slide graphics on the bike I have did not have a clearcoat over them and they succumbed to age after about 25 years. I'd wager to guess the frameset frames were branded with unstamped Chicago head badges and current year waterslide graphics in Chicago before being shipped to fulfill orders. Unlike other frameset Schwinns I have seen over the years, the one I have had 1985 standard downtube graphics. I have an old pic (somewhere) of it from when the graphics were still showing. These bikes are one stinky onion and the more one peels, the funkier it gets.
 
Did the cable guides change after the 1st of these frames. The only one I've seen is the one I owned. This frame was sprayed bombed black. There was no evidence of the grey the Schwinn frames had. If this was a little bigger, I would powder it and keep it, but 19" too small. This frame does have the holes for the circular Schwinn badge. I haven't check to see if they line up correctly. I will.
 
If'n Schwinn used more than one fabricator in Japan, this may explain the cable stops. Another possible indicator is the chain stays, which have a unique bend and style to them.

The pics you posted of the fork show that the steerer tube appears to originally have been Smokey Pearl.
 
2 letters and a 3. I sorta thought it was an '83 or 4, because the Diacompes were dated '83. I just showed it to someone who has seen lots of bikes and he was stumped as well...
 
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