VIN PLATE

I bought mine of eBay. After I had the frame powder coated

Norvil will do you one. They need the old one, which they will return to you, cut in half. What has happened to yours?

The 74 plate was the same as the one used in 72 and probably a bit earlier, but the stamps did change and the method of stating the month and year which went from eg 1972 APR to 04    74.

My 201xxx 72 combat and very early 73 850 3001xx Do not have the same VIN plate.

Lot of stolen bikes and fraudulent remarking out there.

I'd trust more an old beat up tag, than a new one anyday...

If it's any help here's the VIN plate on my Sept '73 Mk1A 850. You will note only the manufacture date is stamped - 9/73 , they didn't bother with stamping the other details. This was a time when Norton was going through major financial and managerial problems with factory despatch records and processes poorly maintained.

factory management problem? " they didn't bother with stamping the other details"... Not buying it

some of my 22 nortons below

lots of my vin tags with a 3 on them:

2016XX 2022XX 204X3X 2063XX 220X3X 3009XX 3028XX 3163XX 3165XX 3168XX

None of my "3"'s look like the sample above  PA09536.jpg

I believe that the tag in the photo above was one that the US required in relation to the new anti-polution standards.  They just wanted to know when the bike was made in relation to previously submitted data that was presented to the US Regulators.

Mike

Yes , the VIN plate design on my bike (Norton Villiers type) was in use at this manufacture period to cover US export requirements although bike was sold in UK by a Somerset dealer to a local customer from whom I bought it 42 years ago in 1977.

Norton's VIN plate design changed again subsequently when NVT (Norton Villiers Triumph) company was established end of 1973 and despite going into receivership in July 1975 carried on Commando production to the end of the Mk 3 finally being liquidated in 1978.  

Mine has month year and engine number all numerical on VIN plate

3200XX

To help you narrow it down to a likely month of manufacture my Sept 73 Mk 1A 850 has engine number 3064xx. If you average the difference between 9 / 73 and 8 / 74 engine numbers you get an approx factory output of 1200 machines per month which would put your bike at around May '74 manufacture. Assumes steady monthly factory output rate which it likely wasn't but gives you a reasonable month estimate for your bike. 

Mine is 09/08/73 engine no 305403 if that's any help 828 cc