Montgomery Wards / Gilsonite mini. Years starting production

[Txpete]

Anyone know what year Gilson started making mini bikes for Montgomery Wards mini bikes??

 

[capguncowboy]

I know they were making them in '71, and possibly as early as '70. If you look at the serial numbers on the MW serial plates, the first two digits of the serial indicates the year

 

[RCGuy]

One of mine is Model GIL-13990A Ser. 17X-69304

 

[Txpete]

Thanks man , great to know. Got to go check the tag tomorrow got the whole thing in pieces in a box. I've finally got all parts and frame stripped of three coats of paint and primed. Now to bondo deep tooling marks in frame and smooth it out before paint.

 

[Txpete]

OK guys. Got to my montgomery wards mini bike serial number tag today. Put pic. Of tag on my pics But here are the numbers please help me interpret them as to model od bike and year of build. The last layer of paint was medium yellow thanks Pete

 

[buckeye]

This color yellow?

 

[Txpete]

Whoops. Forgot to put numbers. OK guys. Got to my montgomery wards mini bike serial number tag today. Put pic. Of tag on my pics But here are the numbers please help me interpret them as to model od bike and year of build. The last layer of paint was medium yellow thanks
Model. Gil 1 3 9 7 6 A. Serial 07 x 102689. Thanks Pete

 

[Txpete]

Yes. Just posted the serial number. No wayfirst two digits represent the production year.... Right?

 

[capguncowboy]

I would think not -- maybe the first digit is the last digit of the year ? I'm not sure. We'd have to get a few plates as examples before we could say for sure

 

[RCGuy]

Here are a couple of ad pics, just thought I would throw these in.

 

[capguncowboy]

Here are a couple of ad pics, just thought I would throw these in.

That first ad isn't the Gilson-made bikes (I don't think)

 

[1971_MB1A]

Montgomery Wards/Gilsonite mini.

I have a montgomery wards roller with original yellow paint. I will look and see if their is a tag on it as to the year and model etc.

 

[capguncowboy]

I have a montgomery wards roller with original yellow paint. I will look and see if their is a tag on it as to the year and model etc.

It should be either a model 13976 or 13977 with the 4hp. The 7 had lights, the 6 didn't.

 

[1971_MB1A]

Just looked at mine and the sticker/model # on forks is all but gone so I can't tell what that said but the model on the I.D. plate says model: G11-13976A serial: 07X87319

 

[capguncowboy]

Just looked at mine and the sticker/model # on forks is all but gone so I can't tell what that said but the model on the I.D. plate says model: G11-13976A serial: 07X87319

It was a 424

 

[1971_MB1A]

Oh ok...thanks!

 

[capguncowboy]

Oh ok...thanks!

No problems. Believe it or not, they're color coded. The red bike is a 323, Yellow bike is a 424, the Blue bike was a nonlighted 525, and the black bike is a lighted 525.

 

[1971_MB1A]

Oh...I guess I'm way more into older vehicles as far as knowing in specific what is what. I've always liked older mini bikes though so I pretty much just picked a few up here/there in the past 25 or so years that I though were cool but I'd say it's now time to figure out which ones are going to stay/go restore parts etc.

 

[Dr. Shop Teacher]

No problems. Believe it or not, they're color coded. The red bike is a 323, Yellow bike is a 424, the Blue bike was a nonlighted 525, and the black bike is a lighted 525.

Well, that's interesting. When I stripped my 525, the handlebars had yellow below the blue, the lowers were all blue as was the rest of the frame.

 

[capguncowboy]

Well, that's interesting. When I stripped my 525, the handlebars had yellow below the blue, the lowers were all blue as was the rest of the frame.

Was it a Wards model or a Gilson model? I'm not sure how Gilson did their models, but in the MW manual, it indicates pain colors for each model.