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[Scalyback]

[center]


Dated from a frame?


Read the description in the big blue panel



Comments and disbelief welcome! Link below



Telling a fib?

[Scalyback]

Hey DEVON JOHN, have you come across these people?



They are in Totnes, maybe go bonk them on the nose?

[Mark M]

The 1965 date always seems to be used by the "ringers" who make these things. The vendor may be selling in good faith but even basic research would show that this is not a 1965 machine. I have it on very good authority that if you get your ringer dated through the VMCC (an organisation which, in the case of Indian Enfields, has no authoritative information,) it'll fly through as a 1965 with just their fee to pay. Make of that what you will! REgards, Mark

[Scalyback]

Good point, maybe the dealer is honest. There seem to have been many 1965 ones.



Just for a laugh, Should I try to get the VMCC to date my EFI to 1965? Could have an authentic black/white plate then!

[Nettshubby]

I believe Enfield india have been making bikes since the mid fifties, when they started manufacturing Bullets, instead of assembling bikes from parts imported from Redditch. So the frame could date from 1965, and built up into the bike on sale, as the vendor states.

[Scalyback]

It's possibly and old frame, but we have not disclosed all!!!



It seems that a few suspicious bikes all have a frame dated to the same year, and one wonders if the serial numbers are the same too?



They have made them from the late fifties, but it seems more likely that these '1965' ers, are not original at all, but a modern knock up.



There was a very nice black Redditch bullet (1965 !?!) on ebay a little while ago, age related C reg , with a date of first registration of 2002 or something like that. It looked nice, but the parts that had not been added from our hosts, were clearly Indian. Things you would not expect like the positioning of the ignition coil. You would usually get a new one and replace it, but you would not usually reposition so many parts on a bike that it ended up looked like a dead ringer for an indian one!



Yes, they even forge Bullets these days! Do be careful if you are offered a '1965' one. It may be a pucca indian vintage bullet, it may be a pucca Redditch bullet, but check it carefully (old style log book helps) or post a pic here and ask, we'll take a look (and then most likely spend the next fifteen posts arguing about it!).

[Alan R]

Hi guys-------- I sent this message today}-----.Full Name: JIMBO
Country: United Kingdom
Primary Telephone: 0
---------------------------------------------------------
Do you have any paperwork supporting the "Factory" build and the import of this bike from India into this country ??........I have asked the Factory for details of this machine but am awaiting their reply.......How many registered UK owners has it had since arriving here ??----------Would you post post photos of the V5c and a most recent MoT please ??------------Many thanks for your help-------------JIMBO................................................................ and have just received this reply}--------------
Dear gl1000goldwing,

sorry no

- gl1000goldwing

- devon9145-----------------------------------Make of that what you will !!

[Mark M]

Nettshubby, you are fairly new here so haven't been involved in the story so far, which is; for some reason 1965 is the date usually chosen by the forgers, we don't know why but it happens to coincide with a period of poor or no record keeping by the Indian factory. The Indian factory will not and do not respond to dating enquiries by individuals, the REOC or anyone else. Some of these forgeries are quite good and may even include some period content, many are poor lash-ups. Most (not all,) are bought by innocent types who believe the sales hype and think they're getting a bargain, of those quite a few turn up here wondering why the bike can't be registered in the UK or parts don't fit the supposed model year etc etc. If only they would do some simple research first! Once they've had the bad news we usually don't hear from them again but we have observed that the same machines keep popping up on Ebay, often with inflated price tags usually justified by them being "rare 1965 models" or some such sales blather. The REOC has gone to a great deal of effort to try and find out exactly when the percentage of UK made content in the Indian bikes fell to zero and has a pretty good idea now but is understandably reluctant to publish details. It doesn't help that the Redditch factory weren't very good about recording the Indian export machines either, especially in later years. None of this matters if you want a bike to ride but it does matter if the price is inflated fraudulently and worse, if the impression is given to the DVLA and others that there are many dodgy Enfields out there which can only be bad for all Enfield Owners in the long run. Just to add spice to the mix one or two very late Redditch made Indian assembled bikes have turned up recently so we know exactly what they SHOULD look like! REgards, Mark

[Mark M]

Here you go, a perfect example from Ebay, item number 291275449757 REgards, Mark

[Norm]

1965 models turn up out here as well, some fitted with disc brake,5 speed left shift, recently restored in India lol