Another possibility is that the first digit of the S/N is the last digit of the year, as was common practice among other manufacturers.
KS78091 == my 1971 model, frame probably made in 1970; KS[0]78091???
Yours: KS179897 = 1972 model, frame made in late 1971
Just a wild guess ...
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"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069