Originally Posted by
Kanuka Kid
Hi, newbie hoping I am pressing the correct buttons!!
Interesting frame number of NL000016. Prestige, silver with black headtube(?), also large crank wheel at the front is golden colour as is at least one of the rims.
Is this a made in Japan bike and if so what year?
Cheers for any help.
Hi Kanuka Kid,
welcome to the forum. Thanks for posting the serial number.
From the serial number alone it is difficult to determine the age of the bicycle. If you could post some pictures of the whole bike from the drive side, decals, headbadge, serial number, ...
There has been one other post with this format of serial number, also from New Zealand.
http://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...l#post10894572
If this is a Kawamura serial number, made in Japan, then I think that the "N" or "NL" is for the New Zealand market. Normally the second letter is for the year but "L" is outside the set of characters used for the year.
The first Prestige models in the USA were for the 1985 model year. One of the colour schemes for that year was as you described. There was a "Japan" decal at the bottom of the seat tube, inside the main frame. Also I have seen the large chain ring and brake calipers in gold, but not gold rims. Sometimes the bicycles had the gold, but mostly they did not.
Do you think people had to pay more for a new Prestige with gold parts?