I've bought a 78 FLH with a Belgium registration.
My mechanic who wants to bring it through TÜV calls me in desperation because he does not find the VIN on the frame.
At least he says it is not at the neck, where it should be.
And without VIN no TÜV no German registration
I will leave your posting here in the german techboard instead of moving it to the english board...anyway...
The frames did not had VINs in "the early years". I'm not sure when the company started to supply them with VINs. To identify the frames the german customs/TÜV punched the motor numbers into the frames necks when the bikes were imported. Might be that it was handled different from that in Belgium.
Or is the number maybe simply covered with paint or powder coat? If the frame is supplied with a number, it should definitely be located at the right side of the frame neck.
Beside of that, the german TÜV can assign a TP-Number (TÜV Number) to the frame. So to say a VIN assigned by the german TÜV. That number has to be punched into the frame neck. With that TP-number it is no problem to get the bike registrated.
from 1970 on all Harley Davidson motorcycles were delivered with a unique VIN stamped on the right hand side of the frame neck, NO exceptions. (Prior to that, the VIN was only found on the engine and the engine number represented the "identity" of the bike). All HD bikes 70 up are identified by the frame VIN and the title goes with the frame, not the engine. I don't know about the registration laws and rules in Belgium, but in Germany (as well as in the US) a motorcycle that is identified as a 1978 FLH in the papers MUST have the exact VIN stamped on the right hand frame neck.
I'm sorry to say that, but if you cannot find any number on the frame neck, the frame is not the original frame, which means you are in deep shit as far as a registration in Germany is concerned.
The TP number Gerry was speaking of is meant for bikes that originally did not have a frame VIN (like pre-1970 Harleys). I cannot be used to register a frame that does not match the title, period.
To see if the bike in front of you has anything to do with bike identified in the title, check if the engine case number matches the VIN. If they do match, it is likely that somebody just replaced the original frame without re-registering it correctly. If the engine case number does not match the VIN, it could be that what you're looking at is a basket case in an aftermarket frame that has nothing to do with the bike identified by the title. But either way, you're fucked, because without a valid VIN on the frame it will be impossible to register the bike with these papers in Germany. Stating the obvious, but do NOT attempt to stamp the VIN on the frame neck, it is illegal and will bring you only in deeper trouble.
Sorry for the bad news and I hope your mechanic can find the VIN and everything gets resolved.
Danke für eure Hinweise.
Und sorry, dass ich in Englisch geschrieben habe. Aber hier auf der Arbeit kommuniziere ich so viel in Englisch, dass ich das schon gar nicht mehr merke (-;
Aber ihr seid ja alle des Englischen mächtig, wie ich gesehen habe (-;
Also: die VIN wurd gefunden, nachdem er dann doch mal ein bißchen die Farbe entfernt hat. Allerdings war die Nummer fast nicht zu erkennen, fast als wäre der Rahmen (dort) mal sandgestrahlt worden. Was sich der Vorbesitzer und ich nicht vorstellen können.
Jedenfalls hat sie dann heute TÜV bekommen und dsomet ist alles OK.
