Simple solutions:
Be careful with caustic soda in a pipe!
his stuff to the body of the silencer, but he was less than enthusiastic so I set to with files and bits of emery cloth glued to pieces of wood to tidy it up, so when I took it to be plated, RS told me it would be shiny in three weeks, and so it was – the 45-yearold muffler very presentable.
With some fresh oil bled through the ‘Posi-force’ oiling system and a drop of fuel in the test tank, the 120 fired up straight away. That lovely big flywheel and Suzuki build quality immediately allow the motor to settle to a comfortable idle, the lights work, the horn beeps, I just need to see if it rides well... ahh…
Months after completion, the Bloop still hadn't been ridden! I mentioned previously that it was minus a V5, but due to the fact that it had a reg plate and a full complement of numbers I didn’t envisage any big problem in getting the necessary paperwork for it: how wrong could I be?
I have communicated with the DVLA by letter, e-mail and, on occasion, by phone in an effort to resolve the situation. Their stance is that my numbers do not agree with their records...
‘Our records indicate that the Vin/frame number quoted in your application ‘169279’ was used in the registration of another Suzuki vehicle, the vehicle registration record for this vehicle shows it was registered with a different engine number to that shown on your vehicle.’
The DVLA don’t want to know, even though I have the irrefutable evidence, including a full set of matching numbers, a tax disc, and an MOT entry (mileage included). I also have the original key which corresponds to both steering and ignition locks. I’ve been in contact with Suzuki GB who turned up an interesting anomaly of their own: a handwritten alteration from B120 to B100. I submitted this and an official declaration from SGB confirming the lineage of the little blue bike, but sadly the DVLA didn’t even acknowledge their existence.
I have now lost count of the phone calls and emails that I’ve sent to libraries, clubs, etc. Thanks to Steve Cooper I was able to speak at length with the previous owner, Steve Heslop, whose story mirrored my experience. In short, the unwillingness
of the DVLA to help. Their argument is that the bike is built-up and as such is now classed as a ‘reconstructed classic’. This isn’t the case and the proof of this is the existence of the embossed aluminium plate fixed to the frame, which is factory stamped with both engine and frame numbers.
If this was a rare breed, or if it had a significant value then I could, possibly, excuse their suspicions. But this is a mid-1970s B120 worth about £1000 or so. There’s no pot of gold or ulterior motive. I just want the bike back in an honest, legal condition. I don’t want to start removing the existing chassis number and replacing it with a 13 digit hieroglyph. Why? Simple. Bike theft and re-stamped frames and engines are a curse. They only
help one breed of lowlife, and the DVLA, far from helping to eradicate them from our hobby, are giving them permission to legitimise stolen bikes.
Steve, the previous owner, ripped up his paperwork in front of the DVLA’S counter after months of frustration, and refused to re-stamp the frame. Good man! I’m not going to re-stamp the Little Blue Bike, I’d rather stick needles in my eyes.
Postscript: Thanks to Steve I now have the MOT certificate issued in 2014 and it has an error on it. The chassis number has been incorrectly listed as the engine number. This explains why the DVLA think that it has undergone a re-construction, it hasn’t. Once again I’ve written to the DVLA to point out the error. I’m not optimistic, but we’ll see…