qajaqer99

We have a Santana tandem serial # SE 850 which Santana tells me is not a serial number on file for Ishiwata CrMo steel tube models. Can anyone help determine its date of manufacture?
Attached I hope, I have not tried this before are several fotos of it.

753proguy

That's an oldie. Prior to the 'direct lateral' design, which began in 1983. Old-font decals. It seems odd that they wouldn't have a record of it at Santana!

They began making tandems in 1976. So it is from somewhere in the 1976-1982 period.

Edit: later ones have serial numbers that indicate the model. Ours is 88EL12, which is a 1988 Elan model (12th built that year, I guess).

Maybe yours is a '78 Sovereign (the 50th built that year)?

Or maybe just the 50th Santana tandem built in 1978, period? Their early volumes were quite low. The entire global high-end tandem market was about 1000 bikes per year, back then. Later, it doubled (to only 2000 units). Kind of explains why Trek, C'Dale, KHS, and others lost money making tandems over the years....

qajaqer99

Thanx to all for your comments. Bill McCready, Santana's owner/founder returned my call when he got back in town and cleared it all up. My Santana Esperanza [for "Hope", he said] was built in 1978.
Thanx for taking the time to post your info. It was the best of the lot.
My wife and I, who "stokes", like Bill's Rule of Harmony for tandem riders, "The stoker makes no mistakes!" Now if I can only remember it when we swamp the canoe.