Frame number

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Db7gtgrigio
Posts: 80
Joined: 16 Dec 2015 09:01
Location: Sydney, Australia

Frame number

Post by Db7gtgrigio »

my early double drum sport has frame number 5196.
I assume that means it is the 196th off production line.
Is there anyway to determine what month and year it was produced. From what I have read production commenced in late 1973 so am wondering if mine is 73 or 74.
originally registered in Italy, imported to UK and sold by NLM to previous owner who had it shipped to Australia

How many DD sports were manufactured? do production figures exist???

no big deal, just interested.

Chris
Db7gtgrigio
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Joined: 16 Dec 2015 09:01
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: Frame number

Post by Db7gtgrigio »

I meant NO big deal.....
Papa Lazarou
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Location: Sussex

Re: Frame number

Post by Papa Lazarou »

couldn't find much, except a says that stated Morini made 10-15 bikes per day. http://www.hofmann-andi.de/downloads/fr ... 50_500.pdf

Taking out weekends and August, that means a maximum of 3600 in that year.
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MarkB
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Re: Frame number

Post by MarkB »

the Dutch Morini club's website has a useful table of frame numbers and year of production. I reckon that my drum Strada, 7242, was made in late '75.
"I'll have a V please, Bob."
EVguru
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Re: Frame number

Post by EVguru »

The appear to have been Sports made with 4000 series numbers.

My December '74 registered Sport is 5128.
Paul Compton
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texaskitty
Posts: 89
Joined: 17 Jan 2016 06:37
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: Frame number

Post by texaskitty »

The easiest way to distinguish between 74 and 75 Sports seems to be the fork clamps/triple trees. Early Sports' clamps were polished alloy; for 75 they were painted black. My Sport, with black clamps, must be 75; it has frame number 05958.

74 Sports might not have had the rear frame tab blinker mounts.

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=4101

Mepstein's black-clamp bike has frame number 5729; the polished-clamp bike has frame number 4742.
Db7gtgrigio
Posts: 80
Joined: 16 Dec 2015 09:01
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: Frame number

Post by Db7gtgrigio »

texaskitty wrote:The easiest way to distinguish between 74 and 75 Sports seems to be the fork clamps/triple trees. Early Sports' clamps were polished alloy; for 75 they were painted black. My Sport, with black clamps, must be 75; it has frame number 05958.

74 Sports might not have had the rear frame tab blinker mounts.

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=4101

Mepstein's black-clamp bike has frame number 5729; the polished-clamp bike has frame number 4742.
Mine has polished triple trees and NO tabs for the indicators so looks like '74
Db7gtgrigio
Posts: 80
Joined: 16 Dec 2015 09:01
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: Frame number

Post by Db7gtgrigio »

MarkB wrote:the Dutch Morini club's website has a useful table of frame numbers and year of production. I reckon that my drum Strada, 7242, was made in late '75.
Found it. Interesting. It says that my Sport should have "S" stamped on the lower LH crankcase and "S" stamped just under the front barrel. Mine has "A" on the LH crankcase and "S" under the front barrel........... maybe I have crankcases from two different engines?????????
pedro
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Re: Frame number

Post by pedro »

My 75 Sport, no.05740 has the indicator tabs (but no indicators) and a polished top clamp, although it is entirely possible that in 40 odd years someone decided to polish it (and why not).
unreal
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Re: Frame number

Post by unreal »

My DBS is 5139, UK registered Jan 75. Possibly the same batch as Paul's as close numbers. I have no idea how many bikes Harglo, the importers, bought in a batch. When I bought it many years ago from the original owner, it had indicators attached to the numberplate bracket by a (damaged) crude tube affair which was added by the Harglo.
Simon
texaskitty
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Joined: 17 Jan 2016 06:37
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: Frame number

Post by texaskitty »

I just looked back at the 74 Sport that was listed on ebay (Queensland) a couple of weeks ago; pics are still there. It was frame number 04684. Another indicator for an early Sport (74; 73?) can be the fork dust caps. The ebay bike's caps are different to the caps on my 75 model. The ones on my bike have a curved transition from the sides to the upper, angled section. The ebay bike's caps do not have the curved transition and appear to be taller overall.

Also, the ebay bike's speedo has a metal needle. Earlier bikes' instruments seem to have these metal needles. The ebay bike's tacho is a later, cable driven unit; that explains the lack of a metal needle.

(I am a fully paid-up member of the trainspotters association, I know.)
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corsaro chris
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Re: Frame number

Post by corsaro chris »

From what I remember of all early Morinis, the tacho and speedo needles were plastic, which probably bent in the heat of summer (and that was in the UK - I dread to think how long they'd last in Italy or Australia...). All a metal needle suggests to me is that the instrument has been repaired / rebuilt at some time.

Early DBS did not have indicators - the early brochure photograph of the red / black Sport and blue / white Strada with round tail lamp - a giveaway of a really early model - (page 192 of the Clark book, for those with the motorcycles equivalent of the ABC Loco-spotters guide) shows both without. The UK, slightly later, version of the same brochure, my first personal bit of Morini memorabilia, lists the Strada with indicators fitted, but uses the same picture... Confusing, but fortunately not affecting the way they ride, which is the really important bit.

As recounted in issue 344 of ATG, the first fitting of indicators on UK registered bikes was an adaptation using CEV kits, which involved fitting an extra switch on the l/h handlebar to operate them - my disc braked, wire wheeled Strada of early 1977 had such fitted from new...

Good riding,

CC

PS - the DBS in my garage is numbered A1* / 4537, an Italian import via NLM... The Strada, an import from the USA via the very much missed Phil Smith is A2*/ 4066 or suchlike (an early model with the five-sided tank and early rocker covers) - the similar Club Bike with the later tank around 48xx I recall?
"I'll use the Morini"
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