Honda-SOHC
SOHC.co.uk Forums => CB500/550 => Topic started by: tosh on July 19, 2018, 04:09:22 PM
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Can anyone help... Please! To cut a rather long story short according to my own research my 550
Dates from 1977 BUT carries a 1981 Reg it is a uk bike not an import. I am struggling to insurer it because they can’t find a CB550 from 1981! I have contacted DVLA and explained the situation, they advised me to obtain a dating certificate from honda, send it to them and they could issue an age related plate for it , problem sorted with the added bonus of becoming tax and test exempt. So I contacted Honda UK for a dating certificate and today received a letter back from them to say it has not been possible to identify my vehicle and I should contact the vehicle manufacturer for the certificate. How do I find out where it was made if honda can’t!!
The frame No is CB550K-202766* engine No. CB550-202622* has anyone out there have any experience of this many thanks. Tosh
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Can't help with your woes at all Tosh but as a reference I have a bike here with VIN CB550K-201292* that was 1st registered in UK on 09/06/1977.
Edit....just thinking out loud, if Honda UK can't identify it, does this mean it is an import ?.
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You can get a dating letter from the VJMC.
There’s a set of instructions here recently. I’ll post a link if I can find it.
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550K3 were very slow sellers and could maybe have dragged out until 81. Honda UK should still recognise it, do you just need to supply them the VIN or engine no as well?
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The above is correct, if its not a uk bike honda uk will not date it but you still need their letter along with a dating certificate from the vjmc (30 quid ish). Send them both off together to the dvla...
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The V5 puts date of manufacture at 1981 on the same date as first registration. There’s not a lot on the bike to suggest it’s been an import but I don’t know the full history of it. I can post a pic of the VIN plate if that holds any clues as to its origin?
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A pic may help.
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[attachimg=1]
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Yes, that is a UK or European VIN plate. I think you just have a very, very late registered bike, not unheard of, it does happen. But , if Honda UK have no record, I would hazzard a guess it was an import from Europe in 1981.
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Around the early 80's Padgetts of Batley.
Had a bike dealership in Preston called Express motors.
And I distinctly remember then selling a few NOS Honda 550's amongst other models. As your bike is not a million miles from Preston. So that could be a explanation.
Padgetts still have a load of NOS bike stashed away.
How I'd love to have a rummage in their warehouse.
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Around the early 80's Padgetts of Batley.
Had a bike dealership in Preston called Express motors.
And I distinctly remember then selling a few NOS Honda 550's amongst other models. As your bike is not a million miles from Preston. So that could be a explanation.
Padgetts still have a load of NOS bike stashed away.
How I'd love to have a rummage in their warehouse.
If that were to be the case, Honda UK would have a record of it I'm sure.
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I’m now wondering how I would go about either finding which factory it was made and trying for a date certificatie from them or if DVLA would have a record of import in its archive and if so wether they would tell me. The problem I keep running up against is that I can’t insure it on line as the K3 doesn’t appear against the year and the dozen or so companies I’ve rang can’t find a box it fits into as Honda had stopped making them Pre 81 so there is no valuation data available so I’m told, perhaps I should just tell them I don’t know anything other than it’s a honda 550
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Well after following your lead and writing back to honda , two weeks later I get a dating letter ! Seems they somehow managed to find a match after all so cheers for the advice it’s worked a treat 👍
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I would strongly recommend going the VJMC route. Did it a few years ago and it was a very easy route. All was accepted by DVLA without question and an age related number issued. Whole thing took less than a month. For me it was completely hassle free (which is a bl***y miracle for the DVLA).
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It will be very hard to get the DVLA to issue you a age related plate, as it already has a age related plate, to date of registration.
I have had the same problem with a 750K6 which is a late registered bike (1978).
As for insurance, surely this bike has been insured in the UK before, so a record is out there with the insurance firms. Try walking into a high st insurance brokers .
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That exact scenario worked for me Trig, without any hassle at all. I think it mainly depends on whose desk at the DVLA your paperwork lands on (as I said, a bl***y miracle).
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That exact scenario worked for me Trig, without any hassle at all. I think it mainly depends on whose desk at the DVLA your paperwork lands on (as I said, a bl***y miracle).
On a UK Unit that is already registered ? I will drop your name the next time i am on the phone to them ;)
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That exact scenario worked for me Trig, without any hassle at all. I think it mainly depends on whose desk at the DVLA your paperwork lands on (as I said, a bl***y miracle).
On a UK Unit that is already registered ? I will drop your name the next time i am on the phone to them ;)
Mine wasn't originally a UK unit, it was a Belgium import that had already got a UK reg when I got it. It's registration was four years after they stopped making them so I just applied to DVLA with the VJMC dating certificate and they changed the reg to year of manufacture. That's the same as this scenario as Honda UK don't have any details on it, it probably isn't a UK unit? Dont give them my name as you will probably get arrested. ;D
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Sounds as though there may be hope still then, Royhall you say yours started out as a Belgium bike, is there a way of finding out where it was originally imported from back in 1981 or did you already know the history of you bike? Tiger yes it probably had been insured in the uk previously but she’s been off the road in many boxes of bits for the last 22 years according to the P.O
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I can say for certain that a lot of K3 550's were registered years after importation by Honda as they were a very slow seller and new date is date of first registration but if VJMC can prove date of manufacture as on vin plate (send them a pic) you may eventually win with DVLA
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Sounds as though there may be hope still then, Royhall you say yours started out as a Belgium bike, is there a way of finding out where it was originally imported from back in 1981 or did you already know the history of you bike? Tiger yes it probably had been insured in the uk previously but she’s been off the road in many boxes of bits for the last 22 years according to the P.O
I bought mine with a load of photocopied documents from when it was virtually new so I knew the bikes entire history. Don't really think there is any way of chasing up your bikes history, only Honda can say which country the bike was exported to. When was it first registered in the UK, and is that the same as the year of manufacture as DVLA will sometimes reregister to year of manufacture if they get evidence of a possible mistake. If it turns out to be a genuine UK bike you have no chance. I have a UK unit 1977 CB750F2 thats on an 80 reg, that one got turned down flat. That said I have never had problems insuring it and am surprised you are. Are you sure your giving them the correct title of the bike, ie. there is a 750F2 sohc (77) and a 750F2 dohc (82), so the sohc bit is sometimes very important. Personally I would just try a bit harder with the insurance, maybe send them a photocopy of the V5. Or give Peter James a ring and explain the situation.
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Yea new date and date of first registration are 1981 on the V5 but the fame and engine numbers both fall squarely in the 1977 K3 range of numbers as per the list in the resources section here. The previous owner did suggest that he had assumed that it had sat unregistered in the dark corner of a dealership for 4 years which is sounding more feasible after reading some of the things on here I’m guessing that the arrival of the DOHC’s in the later 70’s were the reason for the K3’s being slow to sell?
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May not help, but I have a 72 car that was in the channel islands for 2 years and when repatriated, ended up with an N plate. I spoke to dvla help line and they suggested returning the reg document to dvla with a letter explaining the situation. The reply was that the date of manufacture has been changed on the log book but because of the rules at the time, the N plate stays.
I am in the process of buying a reg from one of the dealers to get my K plate.
Could you use that approach, apply a 77 plate and tell the insurance it was made in 77?
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A quick update: after following oddjobs advice I wrote back to honda saying that although they couldn’t find my exact numbers, I was pretty sure that as they were required by law to keep records they could at least find ones either side of mine and give me a year of manufacture , two weeks later I get a dating letter back from them , not for the estimated year but the exact date and place of the bikes manufacture ! Seems they looked a little harder and managed to find a match after all. So perhaps not giving in, keeping at em and not letting them fob you off is the way to go. cheers for the advice oddjob it’s worked a treat 👍 DVLA next :'(
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Great news and YAY Oddjob!
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Well done you......and Ken, the right result.