1965 Schwinn Super Sport question.
 

Was told my SS is a 1965, but from what I can make out in 65 the serial numbers were found on the headtube? Mine are on the left side rear drop? K5118. Anyone have any info while I try to look it up? Heres what Sheldon Brown had to say about it. (RIP)

"Serial Numbers


Before 1965 serial numbers were stamped onto a rear dropout. Beginning in 1965 serial numbers were moved to the head tube and the following date system was used for all Schwinns except Paramounts. The letter at the beginning of the serial number indicates the month of manufacture, skipping the letter "I." For example, "A" = January, "B" = February, and "J" = September. The second letter of the serial number indicates the year of manufacture (not the model year), beginning with "A" = 1965. Skip the letter I & O. Sports Tourer KH017873, for example, was built in October 1972."

Schwinn Bulletin 23 says that from 1952 to 1971, serial numbers were on the left rear dropout. It was moved to the bottom of the head tube for mass produced bikes in 1972.

I think the number translates like this, but I could be wrong. Limited production frames (in 1965 the Super Sport may have been considered limited production instead of mass produced) used a letter to represent the month (K=October), the next digit was the last digit of the year (5=1965), and the remaining digits represented the production sequence for that month (118th fillet brazed frame?)...

That vintage Paramount used a similar system:


The First Serialized Date Code

This system was used from January 1966 through 1969. It consisted of three components -

• Month Code: This one letter code corresponds to the month with A=January, B=February and so on. Because I is not used, September=J and December=M.
• Year Code: This one digit code is the last digit of the year - 6 is 1966.
• Sequence Number: This two digit number represents the nth frame and/or fork scheduled during the month.

For example, H763 is the sixty-third frame or fork scheduled during August of 1967.

Just a minor correction, bulletin 23 indicates that the s/n moved to the head tube in '71, for '70 and prior it was on the LH rear dropout.

Yep; I stand corrected.

OK, as much as I hate to ask this here it goes, Sheldon Brown was wrong?

In this case, I believe so. Sheldon Brown provided a vast amount of extraordinarily accurate data to the cycling community over the years. I think he can be forgiven for making an occasional error; nobody's perfect.

Yes he can. :) (we're only human.)

Sheldon was never much of a Schwinn fan, anyway.

Well I guess thats error #2.