In most cases, the first number designates the year with any Panasonic bicycle. Next, the letter indicates the month the bike was manufactured and the rest of the numbers are the sequential build number.
By the way, content on this page provided by and used with permission of Panasonic Bicycles Virtual Museum. Other sources used the pictorial book “Japanese Steel” by William Bevington and Scott Ryder.
SERIAL NUMBERS USUALLY ON BOTTOM BRACKET
Normally, serial numbers on most bikes are found on either the bottom bracket or head tube. With most bicycle serial numbers, the first number or letter is important and should be looked into first.
Example: 6J03254 This would be a 1986 model built in October and the 3,254 bike built. See more examples below.
LATE INVENTORY AND WRONG DATE CODE
In some cases, the date code does not always correlate with the model year. Panasonic, as well as other brands would increase their inventory late in the year for next years models. So, a serial number that may indicate an ’84 model could have been sold in ’85.
Another method of checking the year is to look for the dates on the original components.
SERIAL NUMBER STRUCTURED CHANGES
Like most Asian imports of that time, including Panasonic, the serial number structure changed for various reasons. In some cases, different manufacturers built the bikes, each using their own serial number system.
As mentioned earlier, the serial numbers appeared on the head tube or the bottom bracket. During the years between 1985 and the mid-90s, some of the higher-end models, such as the 1986 Team America, featured the serial number on the bottom bracket.
SERIAL NUMBERS IN DIFFERENT AREAS
Earlier models used rear dropouts similar to some Schwinn models. Additionally, some older Panasonics placed a 4-digit code on the head badge. In these cases, the first three digits likely represent the day of the year, while the fourth digit represents the year.
Furthermore, unique serial numbers exist due to where the bikes were exported and sold. For example, in some cases, serial numbers were off by 2 to 3 years, depending on whether the bikes were sold in the US or Europe.
A = January G = July
B = February H = August
C = March I = September
D = April J = October
E = May K = November
F = Jun3 L = December
EXAMPLES
1982 Professional 7000 2B15380
2 = The build year 1982
B = Build month – February
15380 = The build number
1985 Team Europe 5D08078
5 = The build year 1985
D = Build Month – April
08078 = The build number
1990 PR 6000 0D03823
0 = The build year
D = Build Month – April
03823 = The build number