mongoose serial no.

[nelsie]

bought a mongoose off the bay of dreams,just wondering what model it is?
serial no is M3L12537.
cheers.

[SE MARK]

Its a 1983 but thats all i can tell from that.  Any pics

[kdw712]

M - merida made
3 - 1983 as already said
L - December (A = Jan B = Feb etc)
12537 is the build number of that frame not sure if thats year or month - boba can confirm that

meant to add
merida was taiwan manufacturer so that means lower end frames in the mongoose range

[nelsie]

cheers for info chaps.
so i have bought what i assumed was an old bmx made in usa and the frame is taiwanese.....oh poo!! 
thanks again.......get some pics up soon

[nelsie]

here is my first bmx since 1985..ish.


bought off a chap who had owned it for 25 years.needs full resto,paid £136.00 off the bay.shame i dont have a decent camera.
 

[bmxbob]

Looks very nice to me mate 

No need for a full resto imo 

Give it a wipe over, spit and polish and away you go.

Oh, welcome to RAD

 

[nelsie]

cheers mate. deffo need wheels as they are rotten!! frame may be ok,forks are heavily pitted etc.
shame as it is complete,not going to go silly expense with it.....but then again i suppose everyone says that.
think i will try and keep it as it was when it was new though.
hope that makes sense.

[dordymush]

survivor is the way to go in my books mucka.
theres a million and one mint restored bikes that are better than they come out the factory.
but the ole as found bikes to me are loads better to look at  .

mind im into the vw rat look too so maybe take no notice of me 

[kdw712]

from the seat tube decal looks like a californian

looks pretty straight - good for the money
can't tell from the pics but are they pro class wheels ?

[nelsie]

not sure if wheels are pro class.
has "cmc rim" stamped on them but they are too far gone so if any one has any let me know.
chhers.

[Hootski70]

not sure if wheels are pro class.
has "cmc rim" stamped on them but they are too far gone so if any one has any let me know.
chhers.

I would be interested the cmc rims if you replace them 

[bobafett]

Looks fairly complete and original apart from the wheels 

Pretty good score for that price I reckon 

I wouldn't rush into a "full resto" either - just follow some of the rust removal and clean up tips on this forum and you'll be surprised you nice you can make it look.

Then just pop on a new set of tyres, maybe some pads and she'll look ace 

[nelsie]

thanks for advice.
what wheels did this have as original fitment?
also what seat aswell?
the one thats on there just reads "bmx" thats it.
cheers.neil.

[bobafett]

That seat is correct for mongoose californians but later ones 85ish....... for your 83 frame it needs a Viscount Aero, but if you want to be really specific it's a Viscount Aero made specifically for mongoose which says "BMX Aero" rather than "Viscount Aero" on the side, but other than that it's the same seat 

Wheels would be alloy pro-class 

[bmxbob]

Black Skyways look class 

ask Bobafett for a pic