Purchasing a Vincent Motorcycle

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Vincents, like other classic motorcycle marques, suffer from re-stamped frames and engines. Most were done in the 1960s and 1970s when it was common practice when trying to keep an old vehicle on the road, but in the 21st century it presents a real problem – especially with machines of these values.

Some people will go to great lengths to intentionally present a machine as the genuine article in order to take your hard-earned cash. So, it is vital to get any machine thoroughly checked by the Vincent H.R.D. Owners Club's Machine Dating Service before you buy it. This is a free service, and is available to non-Members. Never rely on Certificates of Authenticity or Dating Certificates issued years ago, nor information provided by sellers. You should always satisfy yourself that you know what you’re buying before you bid/buy. Always contact the Machine Registrar or Researcher before buying a Vincent. Always do your own due diligence.

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The DVLA have tightened their procedures to combat this, but fraudster modify how they operate. We regularly see new crankcases stamped to deceive people into believing they are original items. The Vincent H.R.D. Owners Club have themselves been a victim of this and continually reviews how it operates. Do not rely on the fact a machine may have a DVLA V5C logbook as there are several cases where a Vincent in the past has been sold overseas and then later the old V5 logbook has been resurrected on a cloned machine using new crankcases and other new parts.

The Vincent H.R.D. Owners Club's Dating Service regularly checks the identity of Vincent machines and we utilise a machine database which contains nearly 10,000 images of machines, parts, documents, engine and frame numbers and the history of most machines. The Vincent H.R.D. Owners Club are the sole owners of the original Vincent Factory Records, which is another huge source of information and a great tool to fight any fraud. Unfortunately, we currently deal with three or four re-stamped Vincents every month and see all too often the aftermath of someone buying a cloned machine.

To protect yourself and your investment, you need to obtain clear, unambiguous photographs of the relevant identification numbers on the machine. You may need to gently remove paint to expose the frame numbers, so it’s preferable to take photographs before these items are re-painted. You can find examples on this website of where the identifying numbers are located on a Vincent. Once you have these images, there’s an on-line form or you can email us direct. We will then guide you through the process and check the machine, which is usually a simple process.

Engine, Crankcase Mating, Upper Frame Member and Rear Frame Member Numbers
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Where to find the engine, crankcase mating and frame numbers on a post-war Vincent.

The location of the identifying numbers on 1946-1955 Series 'B', 'C' or 'D' machines are shown above. Once you've found these numbers, you should contact us by clicking HERE.

The location of the identifying numbers on 1928-1939 machines are slightly different. For more information, you should contact us by clicking HERE.

Any enquiries where photographs are not provided of the numbers will be answered on a quoted numbers basis.

Please note any information passed to a buyer is just an opinion and not an authentication. The decision to buy a machine is the buyers alone and the VOC cannot be held reponsible if something later is found to be wrong.

Although you don’t have to be a Club Member to benefit from the Dating Service, of course it is recommended joining the Vincent H.R.D. Owners Club.

Never rely on Certificates of Authenticity or Dating Certificates issued years ago, nor information provided by sellers. You should always satisfy yourself that you know what you’re buying before you bid/buy. Always contact the Machine Registrar or Researcher before buying a Vincent. Always do your own due diligence.

To contact the Vincent H.R.D. Owners Club Machine Registrar and Machine Researcher click HERE.
 
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