Need Help - Does Eng /Frame VIN have to match tranny to be legal on 74FX

[eddiepanhead]

Need some help and advice on a 1974 FXE. Transferring title from FL to WI.
WI DOT requested a State Patrol inspection because original DOT sticker was long ago painted or removed. State patrol came out (Super nice guy) and had a concern because frame VIN didn't have the stars before and after the # as the engine VIN does. He left saying that he needed clarification. Soon after leaving, he called to say that this was normal according to Harley or some other insurance clearing house.

24 hrs pass and I get a call from the Trooper saying that Harley has directed him to look for a secret# that matches the transmission to the frame????

So two questions,
Should I let him inspect again? I don't think the tranny has ever been changed, but I don't really know.
Are there really #'s that connect an engine to the transmission? do Trannys have a secret VIN???

Really confused about what to do in this case?

Any and all help is appreciated.
Ed

[T. Cotten]

Ed!

Its a letter and four digits on the front of the transmission case.
A lot of headstocks had one on the left side.

There is also a unique production number on the front fork bottom triple-clamp, on the locktab if I remember right.
(Lots of those were removed with a hammer.)

There is only an issue if either are linked back to a stolen VIN somewhere.
(Illinois told me that in such a case, an insurance company could be paid off...)

Folks should always keep a record of these on their own machines in case of theft.

I wouldn't worry about it.
(But don't mention the fork number. They have been swapped due to wrecks far more often.)

....Cotten

[eddiepanhead]

Thanks Cotten!
Will the transmission # and front end number corollate to the vin#?
Is it possible for me to decipher if they all belong together?
Thanks again
Ed

[T. Cotten]

Ed!

You would have to contact H-D to determine that...
Probably your State Patrolman would do the same.

...Cotten

[Chris Haynes]

Thanks Cotten!
Will the transmission # and front end number corollate to the vin#?
Is it possible for me to decipher if they all belong together?
Thanks again
Ed

Yes they can be connected to the VIN. No, it impossible for you to determine if they belong together.

[Dave Minerva]

Did they have a corresponding number as early as 1974? I thought it was later in the 70's.

[T. Cotten]

Did they have a corresponding number as early as 1974? I thought it was later in the 70's.

Dave!

My '65s have them on the transmission and left side of the headstock.

I would suspect it started in the early 60's, and the triple-clamp number probably started in '70.

.....Cotten

[eddiepanhead]

So......should my transmission not belong to my VIN and it comes up stolen, how can I replace it and be sure I'm not buying/installing a stolen transmission?
I have another case on the shelf with a # thats different from the one in the bike........do I ask the State Patrol to run those #'s?

The troubling thing about this whole situation is that it was all over the WI DOT asking for a pic of the Blue DOT label that may have been on the frame when manufactured in 1974.
(not sure when that started, but the Haynes and Clymer books mention 1978 for VIN stickers)
This machine has a clear FL title that I'm transferring into WI and its seems that its turning into a fishing expedition after the State Patrol declared that the VIN's match and are clear.
It really puts me between a rock and a hard place. I'm still undecided if I'm going to allow the inspection tomorrow morning.

Thoughts?

Ed

[T. Cotten]

I wouldn't hesitate, Ed.

The odds are in your favor; Don't give the authorities a reason to think you're paranoid!
(They want perpetrators, not victims...)

How else are you going to register it?

....Cotten

[eddiepanhead]

And there in lies the main question.......
I would guess that your right, I'll just let it happen and see what happens.
Thanks for the advice Cotton!

[Chris Haynes]

I believe the anti theft numbers on the tranny, lower triple clamp, and frame started in '62.

[eddiepanhead]

Good News! All #'s match. Trooper was very nice about the whole thing.....just doing his job.
Glad I didn't have to surrender half a bike. Said I could call him to check on a part before buying to be sure.
All worked out for the best

[Chris Haynes]

Good News! All #'s match. Trooper was very nice about the whole thing.....just doing his job.
Glad I didn't have to surrender half a bike. Said I could call him to check on a part before buying to be sure.
All worked out for the best

You aren't saying that all the numbers are the same are you?

[eddiepanhead]

No, the discrete #'s on the other items tied back to the vin#. That is why I said the #'s matched.
Alternately, the #'s on the other items could belong to another vin and either be stolen or not.
This inspection will definitely alter my buying of parts that tie back to a vin#, with no way to know if they were once stolen of not.

[T. Cotten]

...Alternately, the #'s on the other items could belong to another vin and either be stolen or not.
This inspection will definitely alter my buying of parts that tie back to a vin#, with no way to know if they were once stolen of not.

Folks,

This is possibly why swapmeet vendors almost universally balk at writing a bill of sale, other than the obvious: We are over-taxed already!

That should drop the offer significantly, even though the risk of coming up "hot" is pretty low.

If the number has been removed, however, you know you are dealing with a felon, whether he knows it or not.

....Cotten
PS: I still haven't found any evidence of a pre-'70 fork number.