Information on a Navigator

Hi Anna, I’ve had a quick check on line for you and the two prefix letters NW of your registration mark show it was first registered in Leeds and the A suffix means it was first registered between mid 1963 and mid 1964.   My Navigator has an A suffix and was first registered in May 1964 - that tallies with it’s engine number which is slightly higher than 106838 when the gearbox design changed about that time - my engine has the later gearbox (identified externally by the addition of an oil level screw plug just below the gearbox filler cover.   Your engine number is well before then which suggests an early 1963 bike.   I’ve never had a set of silencers rechromed but the NOC sells new manufacture silencers for the earlier and later Navigator which may be a more cost effective solution.   Hope that helps and good luck with the rebuild!  Warm regards Nick

Hello Anna/Nicholas,

I've been made aware of this enquiry via a request for a records check on a similar machine and as I had the records books open, had a quick look to see what they show. 

The machine in question was despatched to an agent/dealership in Birkenhead on 24th May 1961, and the first owner was from Bootle, Liverpool.

The machine must then have been re-registered in the Leeds area in 1963 to carry an NV* area code and an A suffix.

The A suffix denotes 1963, not 63/64. Originally the age suffix ran from 1st January to 31st December, A being 63, B being 64, C 65 and so on until E, which ran from 1st January 67 to 31st July 67. F then ran from 1st August 67 to 31st July 68 and became the first to run from July to August, the system that remained in place until the very late 1990's.

The year suffix wasn't compulsory until 1965, and was often only used in areas with high registration numbers, while other areas continued to use up the pre-suffix registrations they had been issued. One of the reasons that age related registrations we get today are from obscure areas is that many authorities used up their non suffixed allocations before switching over.  

I hope this is of some help/interest to you.

Best regards,

Tim,

Twins records and dating.

Hi Tim, thanks so much for the expert advice - it was late last night when I answered Anna and my memory was obviously playing me tricks after a busy day and I should have checked my message before I sent it - my Navigator is B reg not A reg how on earth did I miss that????!!!!!   A useful exercise though, it bought back memories of my youth in the 70s as a young Met PC phoning up local registration offices and asking them to check vehicle details on their paper records - some where wonderfully random!   I also remember the little traders 'Glasses Guides' which were a mine of information when it came to tracking down vehicle details like this when investigating 'ringers' (stolen cars and bikes on false plates and with altered engine and chassis numbers) - all before the days of the DVLA and Police National Computers!    

Warm regards

Nick 

A while ago “A” registrations were given out when the original numbers were sold, 

Dan