Norton Commando 1974 titled as 1975?

I have a Commando, right side shift, VIN #319209, it's listed as a 1975 on the title, but my friend says it's a 1974. The vin numbers looks like it would fall into the 1975 range when I looked online but the website also said those numbers didn't always fall in line. Any easy things to look at to see for sure? Thanks.

The red VIN plate on the headstock has the month and year of manufacture stamped into it.

If it took a while to sell, it could easily have made it into the next year....

trevorlikesnorton said:

right side shift, VIN #319209,

Click to expand...

Basically, it is a "1974" model (850 Mk2 or Mk2A).

The "1975 model" was 850 Mk3 (325001).

http://www.classicbike.biz/Norton/Broch ... chures.htm

Rohan said:

If it took a while to sell, it could easily have made it into the next year....

Click to expand...

And, it would probably have taken a few weeks to get from the factory to the dealer.

I see the 74 on the vin plate. Thanks. I'm getting it titled in California tomorrow and was thinking about getting the year fixed on the title, if possible. The link to the brochure is very helpful too. Thanks to you all.

I've got 307,46# and it's titled as a 76', so it happens.

Hi Trevor, welcome. Fill out your user info (location, etc.), it'll help in the future.

Good luck trying to get the title altered. I have a 72, vin number is in the correct range according to Norton owner's club list and stamped Aug 72 on the plate, but the title reads 73. Here in Texas you can use a vintage year of manufacture plate for antique vehicles and I already had a 72 plate. Went in to get the title changed and brought copy of the Norton owner's club list and a picture of the vin plate. They still wouldn't change it. Bought a 73 plate, took it in and the lady said it was supposed to have a white back ground. It had yellowed a little bit over the years. Ended up with the junky looking Texas antique vehicle plate. Seems like the people that work at the tax office get a buzz out of sending people home without getting what they came for. What are you going to do, take your business elsewhere?

No need to alter. I does not change what the bike is only that it left the dealer in 75.
More than likely this 319xxx is a late 74.

L.A.B. said:

Rohan said:

If it took a while to sell, it could easily have made it into the next year....

Click to expand...

And, it would probably have taken a few weeks to get from the factory to the dealer.

Click to expand...

Usually took 3 months to get out to the west coast of North America.

My Mk 11 has a latter number than your but still 1974 and not registered for the road until Sept 1975 in NZ. They could easily take 3 or 6 months to get to the colonies and get off the dealers floor.

I seem to recall someone buying, reportedly, the last Mk2 in Sydney somewhere in 1976.
It sat on the Dealers showroom floor unsold for several years.
Once the Mk 3 came out, it was hard to sell the earlier model...

I have a MkII, titled as a 1975. VIN# 328085 and I believe the date on the tag is 2-75.

My mk2a is first registered in 1975. It had been messed about with years ago an the frame chrome plated among other things. The vin plate (as we call it here in England) was long gone an frame number on registration documents was 900 out to the matching engine an gearbox numbers. To keep it simple if stopped by police when out on the bike I had Norvil make me up a vin plate that matches documents an only other thing is when ordering parts tell the supplier its a 74 bike or you may get a mk3 part that doesn't fit the earlier bikes.

I own a 1974 Mark IIA Interstate however, it was first sold in February of 1975 (I have the original sales receipt for the bike from Tillman's Sport Center, Los Angeles,CA). I am sure it was the standard practice of the motorcycle dealers to put the year model of the bike the year it was sold. As for my motorcycle, I wouldn't be surprised that the dealers got the Mark IIA's at a real cut-rate deal. Apparently Mark IIA's weren't selling very well in Europe so they were dumped into the US market in late 1974 to early 1975. I would think most of the Mark IIA's were licensed as a 1975 model in the US. As a matter of fact I remember my dad during 1975 finding an ad for 'Brand New Norton Commandos' in the Los Angeles Times advertised still in the crate for $1495 (of course after tax, license and dealer prep the total would have been a bit higher). My dad showed that ad to a work associate who purchased one of them. It turned out to be a 1974 850 Mark IIA Roadster painted in the "John Player" colors. I am sure his was licensed as a 1975 as well.

If you want to worry about something, its the VIN number itself. On my motorcycle the VIN number is stamped on the right hand side of the headstock (850F10xxxx). I was concerned about that even though my original sales receipt has that number written on it. Over 20 years ago I talked to Chris Scott the owner of SuperTwins in North Hollywood, CA about the VIN number location and he was adamant that my bike was registered correctly. He explained that a lot of dealers were doing it wrong by using the red certification label number instead of the VIN. However, he felt (and I do too), what difference does it make? We are at the mercy of what the dealer puts on the registration form when it is first sold. Now you can look at it as a little piece of history about the way things used to be done.

This type of discussion has gone on for years about titling bikes on the year they were sold. Can't be changed by a dealer because the bike was issued a Bill of Origin when made and that has all the correct dates on it ........Bikes were dated from August to august for the production runs according to all the books out there with this kind of information.
Any former norton dealers reading this should be able to verify what I have said. I have already checked this out with former dealers of old british bikes and I have to believe them. ...........

Tim_S

When I registered by bike in Oregon it had a California title marked 1973. I changed it to 1972 and they didn't even blink. Not sure if they care. :mrgreen:

The good folks at the DMV in Texas changed my 1974 Norton to a 1975. I called when I got the screwed up title. As I recall, to get it corrected I would need to make an appointment with an inspector and bring the bike to the downtown office. And then there were no guarantees it could be changed back. This was way back in 1980 or so. Long before I heard of the INOA. And there was no internet.

I asked for help when I moved to NC. This issue was way above the pay grade of the private contractors who ran the DMV.

My next stop was Delaware. Presto chango! The inspection department supervisor went online and verified that the bike was indeed a 1974 model and he corrected the title.

A month later I get a letter from the DMV stating they made a clerical error and accidentally titled my bike as a 1974 year model. They were very sorry for the mistake and would I please return my title to the DMV. I sent an e-mail explaining the situation and that's the last I heard.

On a side note, 2 years later when it was up for re-inspection it failed - due to missing turn signals. Once again this same supervisor came to my rescue. He quoted me chapter and verse why my bike should fail the inspection. "But" he said, "My manager's name is ......... you can plead your case with him"

I sent and e-mail explaining that I bought the new in 1975 and it has never failed an inspection because of turn signals. He stated in his reply that he has seen foreign bikes that were manufactured in 1974 to meet 1974 laws titled as 1975 model years. Since there was a possibility mine was one of those bikes he would grant me a waiver on my turn signals.