Originally Posted by EGreen
Whaaa????
Mine has 73 stamped on the seat tube/top tube lug. How can this be? If this is to be trusted, no one came close in dating this bike - there has been near total unanimity in putting it at 82'-83'. It was a twelve speed and did not have cottered cranks when I got it and though not a lightweight, It was a hair over 26 lbs before I slimmed it down to 24.3. (lighter at the start than my first mirage of late 70's vintage -don't ask me anything about this, I just don't remember but for the simplex derailleurs and centerpull brakes.) This is getting interesting.
I'll post pic's later.
I think it's incorrect. I checked my frame last night. The stamp was on the lug joining the head tub to the top tube (and another, different stamp on the lower head tube lug). My frame was stamped 75, possibly 76, but it's definitely without question a 77. In fact, I checked the Normandy hubs, and they're stamped 77. The possibilities that come to mind are that the stamp is not related to the date, or that the frame is stamped with the date it's assembled (seems unllikely), or that Motobecane had a backlog of lugs from previous years that they were using up. Your 12 speed indicates an 80s Moto.