Wanted: Numbers from your pre-VIN Royal Enfield

All those numbers mean something.

Royal Enfield Owners Club Chairman Graham Scarth wants the frame and engine numbers of Royal Enfield 350s in India — the motorcycles made before they were issued Vehicle Identification Numbers.

He wrote recently to explain what the numbers reveal:

"Just received my first inquiry as result of posting my request for Indian Enfield numbers on your blog. One of your fellow countrymen (I believe) sent me five frame numbers, along with the requested photos of same, out of quite a few machines he had imported from India.

"Three numbers had both G2 and EI stampings, and one of these frame numbers was from a batch of 100 that are 'blank' in the records from amongst those supplied to Enfield India. This has proved my suspicion that these machines were built and the omission is down to (very) poor record keeping at Redditch.

"The other two were earlier and only had G2 numbers, the bikes being supplied to Hales Brothers in London. This has verified another of my suspicions that the large quantity of machines supplied to Hales in 1953-'54 were all destined for India.

"The system works! Thanks, David."

Graham hopes to compile a spreadsheet of frame/engine numbers of early 350cc machines in India. In the club publication, The Gun, he wrote:

"If you have an Indian built 350cc bike with pre-VIN numbers (those starting with ME3) I would be grateful if you would let me know the engine/frame numbers of your machine and the model and year you believe it to be.

"If you have one of the early machines with both G2 and E1 or E1 and B prefix numbers, please be sure to let me have both. Some will only have a B prefix number and some of these may have an alpha/numeric suffix. From 1982 on, it should have a B number with a digit in front."

Graham is asking that you include digital pictures of the numbers to absolutely verify them. You can email him at chairman@royalenfield.org.uk or write him at 39 North Moor Road, Huntington, York. YO32 9QN, United Kingdom.