Hitchcocks Forum

I've got a 1999/00 500 Bullet and when I removed the number plate to fit a new one I found an original Indian registration number hand painted on the number plate. Was it usual practice to register bikes locally before exporting them, have I got one that was exported from India after it had been used, or what? I can't see any obvious clues on the V5. Hopefully here's a photo:

Let's try the photo again:

And a bit of googling shows that the Indian registration is from district O4 of Tamil Nadu, the capital of which is... Chennai!

Hi Mark, If it's a 1990 UK supplied bike the V5 should have a 17 digit (VIN) identification no. which should also be on the frame downtube (though they are sometimes missing). If the 17 digit number is not present it is a personal import previously registered in India though not necessarily used there. Mick

Brilliant, thanks Mickey. I'm off to the garage to investigate...

OK, the V5 says it was Declared Manufactured 1999, and was first registered in the UK on 7 July that year. There's no 17 digit VIN, but it says 9B5*****A (500 Bullet of January 1999). The engine number ends in K so should be from October of the same year. No evidence of a number on the downtube, so it sounds as though it was imported personally, and registered in the UK a few months before the engine was made... Hmmm.

Thought - double check that engine number because it is possible the motor was made the previous October.

Hello Sunshine ! I would like buy a bike from India too,but i just hesitate. Can i register the bike easy here in the UK? Can i get a UK plate and M.O.T. ? Thanks for your answer.