Forum

[Norm]

I built a fake last year so that an Indian Bullet could be put on Club reg but to do this I used a genuine English frame with the cast fittings and painted it in the 54 Windsor Grey colour. I'm also in the middle of building a 1945 WDCO with an early Indian 350 motor in it but in this case both motor and frame have age related status.

[Alan R]

Hello Chris Tindal--------- Sorry, I must have missed the bit where you admit to re-stamping your frame ...Please read again my option b).......It's that re-stamping to give an apparent 1965 number that's the illegal part.......Your 1953 frame with appropiate V5c makes it a 1953 machine despite what else of later age you might add on to it, as per my option a)................ My understanding of a "frame" is the mainframe unit itself ( that's where the frame No. is stamped)..anything else that's detachable ---- swing arm, forks etc.--- is not counted as part of the mainframe.......................The problem with the Enfield Bullet is because the design did not change that much over a great many years it's become attractive to these shylocks, footpads and r s Holes to do a bit of "back-dating" via the grinding wheel and No. stamping technique......Unfortunately it's those without any real knowledge of what they're getting that get stung..But as always it's BUYER BEWARE !!

[Chris Tindal]

Alan your post questions the legality of adding later cycle parts to an old frame.

[John M]

The biggest problem with the Indian ringers is when they are passed off as an old bike. If someone pays good money for a historic bike it should have some sort of history. As an aside, which law in the UK makes it illegal to re-stamp a frame?

[Alan R]

Hello CHRIS---------that may well be your interpretation of the whole posting, but I only used the word illegal in option b)...ie}-- the deliberate attempt to defraud by re-stamping to make a new frame qualify as "Classic" or "Vintage".................In option a) --- which covers your 1953 machine ---- there's no mention of, or intent to imply, illegality of any sort....That's why I chose to show the two ideas as being totally separate..There's absolutely nothing wrong in keeping an ORIGINAL vehicle roadworthy and looking the part, by the use of modern-made ( or Pattern) parts...Indeed I help a colleague of mine with his 1935 350 Enfield in exactly that same way....Approx 25% of the bike has been made well after 1935...When it comes to be sold then I trust it will be described accurately with the buyer's attention drawn to those "modern" parts........ I believe it's illegal in this country to re-stamp a frame with the intention to commit fraud..........But let's draw a line under this now shall we ? (or start a new thread ??) as we are drifting away from the thread's title ----

[Mr Grumpy]

Hi Alan perhaps we have come to different conclusions I was under the impression they cleaned up the Engine and frame numbers to show its genuine?

[Chris Tindal]

Sorry Alan, I misread your initial post, it seems you were defending the guys in the video. Yes you can use a donor iron bullet on an older frame with V5 and be instantly tax exempt