vehicle id tag

bchessell · May 5, 2010

Anyone have a pic of a 1968-9 name tag for there bike.My 68 which I have had for 20 plus years never had one.The frame had been changed after they cracked and they never put one back on.I just want to fill it in correctly.I now have a tag but is slightly different than the 71 tag.
Bruce

DogT · May 5, 2010

Does this help? I have it laying around here somewhere flattened out now, am looking for it.

Dave
69S

DogT · May 5, 2010

When you do get around to punching it, some machine shops will have the punches and you may be able to use them on site or pay them to do it. The Alpha letters are hard to find, the kits are very expensive. They need to be punched on a heavy piece of metal, there shouldn't be any visibility of the punching on the back, and just the letters/numbers showing on the front without a big dimple. They are easy to mess up, I messed up my first one, cost me another $10. Still looking for the old one laying around here someplace.

Dave
69S

Flo · May 5, 2010

I could only buy one ready stamped, it is law here.
Mine was stamped & pushed through quite badly underneath. Soon smoothed it off.

bchessell · May 5, 2010

Thanks Dave:
Just what I needed.
Cheers
Bruce

79x100 · May 6, 2010

Just out of interest, when was the changeover from the alphabetical abbreviated month and full year 'APR 1969' to the '4 69' type of format which was later used. was it a Plumstead thing ?

Myford · May 6, 2010

Flo said:
I could only buy one ready stamped, it is law here.
Mine was stamped & pushed through quite badly underneath. Soon smoothed it off.

Nope, you can definately get them here un stamped, I bought one about 6 months ago. can't for the life of me remember where I got it, I think it was Norvil, I think RGM will only sell you a stamped one.
Terry

Flo · May 6, 2010

& the other thing is, that my original one is orange. I had to replace it with a red one.

Anglophile · May 6, 2010

79x100 said:
Just out of interest, when was the changeover from the alphabetical abbreviated month and full year 'APR 1969' to the '4 69' type of format which was later used. was it a Plumstead thing ?

Not sure but it was definitely after July 1971. Mine is stamped JUL 1971.

Coco · May 6, 2010

I have punches here at work so I did my own. Honestly, if the letters or numbers are a different size, I could care less. The insurance co. won't know the difference anyway. I just could not reuse the old ratty one on my rebuild so I just punched a new one myself. Like DogT mentioned, stamp them on something metal like an anvil or piece of steel plate and you're golden.

L.A.B. · May 6, 2010

Flo said:
I could only buy one ready stamped, it is law here.

No law I've ever heard of? Technically the plate itself isn't a legal requirement in the UK as far as I'm aware.

Norvil will sell you an unstamped plate, as it says so on the Norvil website-but they will only sell a stamped plate if the old one is returned to them so they can destroy it or you send a copy of the "original" log book (could be difficult?) and I think RGM sells blank plates, as I had no problem adding item 063247 to my RGM "shopping cart" ) http://www.norvilmotorcycle.co.uk/frame ... #CERTPLATE

The plates and rivets are also listed as standard Andover Norton parts, and adding one to my cart was no problem there either.

Flo · May 6, 2010

As mine was punched leaving it raised on the back, I put it face down on a piece of newspaper on a surface plate & lightly hammered the punched bits until level. Perfect.
Then gently bent it round a torch (USA=Flashlight) handle until it was the same shape as the frame.
Then smacked in the proper rivets.

Flo · May 6, 2010

L.A.B. said:
Flo said:

I could only buy one ready stamped, it is law here.

Click to expand...

No law I've ever heard of? Technically the plate itself isn't a legal requirement in the UK as far as I'm aware.

Norvil will sell you an unstamped plate, as it says so on the Norvil website-but they will only sell a stamped plate if the old one is returned to them so they can destroy it or you send a copy of the "original" log book (could be difficult?) and I think RGM sells blank plates, as I had no problem adding item 063247 to my RGM "shopping cart" ) http://www.norvilmotorcycle.co.uk/frame ... #CERTPLATE

The plates and rivets are also listed as standard Andover Norton parts, and adding one to my cart was no problem there either.

Oh!
I got mine from Mick Hemmings, & Angela told me I had to send her a copy of my Reg. Document.
Then they would only send me a stamped one.
Not that I minded.

B+Bogus · May 6, 2010

I got mine from RGM - unstamped.

The frame number and the VIN are two different beasts - my logbook quotes the frame number - the VIN appears to have no relevance :?

L.A.B. · May 6, 2010

B+Bogus said:
The frame number and the VIN are two different beasts - my logbook quotes the frame number - the VIN appears to have no relevance

The number stamped on the plate isn't a VIN number, as VIN numbers for motorcycles were not required in the US before 1981.

The plate certified that the machine conformed with all relevant US Federal motor vehicle safety standards in force at the time of its manufacture.

B+Bogus · May 6, 2010

Agreed - it's more of a Type Approval plate, but I was told it was a VIN (can't remember where, of course!), and it certainly serves that purpose.
Regardless of legal definition it is used to identify the vehicle, notwithstanding the fact that it is anything but a permanent fixture...unlike the frame number, which is what's on my logbook.

I think Norton Commandos may be unique in this repsect?
I'm bracing myself to be educated again

L.A.B. · May 6, 2010

B+Bogus said:
Agreed - it's more of a Type Approval plate, but I was told it was a VIN (can't remember where, of course!), and it certainly serves that purpose. Regardless of legal definition it is used to identify the vehicle,

Yes, well, everyone expects a vehicle to have a VIN number these days-don't they?

However your Commando's frame number should be its prime vehicle identifier as it is indeed recorded as such on your V5C registration document, it only gets complicated in certain cases where the plate number has been entered as the frame number.
The significance of the plate has, I think, been overstated to a certain extent, as outside US Federal jurisdiction it would appear to be somewhat irrelevant (I think there is also a German version plate?).

B+Bogus said:
notwithstanding the fact that it is anything but a permanent fixture...

B+Bogus said:
I think Norton Commandos may be unique in this respect?
I'm bracing myself to be educated again

I believe Triumphs also carried similar US Federal safety certification, and presumably, other bikes did too? There's a good close-up of an example in the Haynes Unit Twin manual however it is in the form of a sticker, but should that make it any less relevant because it's not a riveted-on plate ?

vehicle id tag

bchessell

DogT

DogT

Flo

bchessell

79x100

Myford

Flo

Anglophile

Coco

L.A.B.

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Flo

Flo

B+Bogus

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