*****IMPORTANT NOTE*****
Some of you may have noticed an edit in post #2 as it referred to the badging/serial number system employed by the Bonanza factory for their mini bike production. It's a topic that has been discussed in several old threads here on the OldMiniBikes forum with conflicting views and unsubstantiated sources.
I spoke to Mike Farrand at length yesterday regarding this issue.
He bristled at the notion that the Bonanza badges and their stamped serial numbers were just randomly picked from a box and assigned to bikes without rhyme or reason or numerical significance. Any licensed manufacturing plant like Bonanza would be required to keep track of sales, inventory and production records as there were legal ramifications and compliance issues involved . The record keeping was also an integral component to the "Critical Path Inventory" system employed by Bonanza which maximized efficiency by keeping enough parts and raw materials on hand while avoiding excessive amounts of inventory that would eat up the space and capital needed to help the company grow . (See History of Mini Bike Factories_Bonanza
http://www.oldminibikes.com/forum/g...-suppliers-dealers-post531117.html#post531117 )
According to Mike, at the time these bikes were being produced there was also an organization known as RVAC (Recreational Vehicle Advisory Committee ?) which oversaw the production of off road machines across the country much like the DMV does for motor vehicles.
Mike is adamant that these standards of record keeping were always strictly adhered to while Bonanza was under his watch. He said it was basically somebody's full time job to keep track of the badging.
Mike Farrand retired from Bonanza on June 30th, 1971 shortly after the buy out by Bell Industries. What took place after that I suppose, is anybody's guess.
With the passage of time often comes misaligned facts, speculation, and flat out bad information that gets repeated until it's accepted as truth.
I have assured Mike and Dan Farrand that our intentions here on OldMiniBikes are honorable. It benefits all of us as enthusiasts and collectors to preserve the history and document the facts as accurately as possible.
In any case I find it kind of cool that Mike Farrand is reading the OldMiniBikes forum...even if it's just to stop by once in a while and set the record straight.
