Finally, when ramping up for 1994 production, Schwinn had a shortage of the top-end R80’s and had Waterford Precision Cycles build them and ship them to Taiwan for painting and fabrication. But for the handful of Waterford-built ’94’s, the serial numbers won’t follow the standard pattern. The Schwinn Web site had a Collectors' Page with info on dating, serial numbers, etc. Ilayaraja hits free zip format. But the link now goes to a message saying that the forum is closed. If you find yourself in Chicago, you might check out the Bicycle Museum of America and the Museum of Science and Industry.
Schwinn Taiwan Serial Numbers
1980s Schwinn Serial Numbers
Gene from genesbmx.com web site provided this great info on figuring out your old trusty Schwinn;
Schwinn Bike Dating After 1965,
Schwinn serial number sequences, while appearing to be
confusing on first sight, follow several general rules. If the
first letter is a 'A' through 'M' it refers to production month
('A' = January, 'B' = February, etc.).
The letters 'I' and 'O' are not used, to avoid mistaking
them for numbers. If there is only one letter in the first two
positions, the first number or two numbers refer to production
year. Date Codes occupy the first two, three or four positions
in a serial number.
Mass produced Schwinn bikes have been followed
by a production month letter and several numbers, the
first two signifying year of production (81 = 1981, etc.).
Example: D72130 = April 1972. LeTour (and Super LeTour)
numbers (1978-80 and 1982 on) include the letter 'S'
with year of production (8 = 1978, 0 = 1980). Example:
SC94653 = March, 1979. Sting 20' racing bikes have a
production month letter 'T' signifying that it is a tri-oval
frame (with three frame tube ends ovalized). Example:
F1T20404 = June, 1981.
Imported Schwinn serial sequences depend upon country
of origin. Bicycles from Japan have a production month
letter in either the first or second position and a production
year number in the other (first or second) position. Examples:
J677123 = September, 1976. Taiwanese imports have a
separate date code number on the right rear fork end that
includes the letter 'G' followed by a two-digit month code
(01 = January etc.) and two more digits for the production
year (80 = 1980 etc.). Example: G04813 = April 1981.
Also Note that if your bike is after year 2001 the
Schwinn/Questor bankruptcy, It has been found
that ( Pacifc Cycle ) bikes do not use this dating.
Also See: The Schwinn BMX Catalogs Time Line Web Page:
( http://genesbmx.bmxair.com/schwinn/catalogs/bmx.html )
CC - Gene`s BMX Schwinn Page
http://www.genesbmx.com/SchwinnPage.html
Frequently Asked Questions About Schwinn BMX Bicycles.
02 - What Year Is My Schwinn BMX Bike?