Unlike automobile serial numbers bicycle serial numbers often tell very little if anything about the year, model, options, or other information. Collectors through the years have assembled lists based on several sources to include dealer inventory sheets, documentation of original owner bikes, and observations of many hundreds of bicycles.

The following lists are based on various sources and should not be considered the last word but are the most accurate to date. These will be updated as more information is discovered. Noticeably absent are Shelby serial numbers as no reliable list exists.

The best way to identify a bicycle is by looking at the bike as a whole and examining frame features, paint schemes, and the other components present. Keep in mind that over the course of 70 years many things may have been changed. It is not unusual to find bikes with mismatched components not only of years but various manufacturers. The following lists are based on various sources and should not be considered the last word but are the most accurate to date.