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Nope, 1970 is the year they added the VIN to the frame and they need to match. I have a 1970, has the VIN on the frame from the factory.
I currently own a70 motor that is in a 57 frame. The title matches the cases. I went through a bike for someone else once. He couldn’t get a Title. We may or may not have said the 73 block was a 70 and got a title for it based on the motor. You can’t do that for 71 up..
‘’Ok, now after thinking on it I remember.. several States didn’t change their practice of using the frame until 71. My apologies I forgot that. Kentucky and I believe Indiana and possibly Ohio all used the motor still in 70. Forgive me, it’s been a good 30 years.
Both my personal 70 and the other bike I mentioned the titles were issued in Kentucky. And then paper sold and registered in Ohio. I’m not guilty of doing it originally on my own. I bought that motor and title already registered in Ohio, then the other bike got its title in the late 90’s in Kentucky (lost title) and then was registered in Ohio.
I know it sounds shaded.. but that bike was owned by this old fella all his life. He took it apart and never got it back together.. moved several times and just lost the title. The family brought it to me and I did what I could to get it back on the road.
I googled it out of curiosity and it says Kentucky uses the frame, but I know the loophole was there at one time. My own bike is proof.
Last edited by Rains2much; Dec 18, 2025 at 08:21 AM.
Nope, 1970 is the year they added the VIN to the frame and they need to match. I have a 1970, has the VIN on the frame from the factory.
Yes...and...it is Not State Specific...This is a Federal thing!! Well Known one at that!!
Tho the Only reason for the Engine to Match the frame is for Collectors... otherwise the Aftermarket Engine Market would Never have Existed.. No Different (Federally) than yer Car in that regard...Engine don't Matter...
Last edited by Racepres; Dec 18, 2025 at 05:46 PM.
Yes...and...it is Not State Specific...This is a Federal thing!! Well Known one at that!!
Tho the Only reason for the Engine to Match the frame is for Collectors... otherwise the Aftermarket Engine Market would Never have Existed.. No Different (Federally) than yer Car in that regard...Engine don't Matter...
I own a 57 frame bike with a Harley Davidson title registered to the 1970 engine case. I pushed through another shovel with an aftermarket frame using the engine numbers.. titled as a 1970 Harley Davidson FL. It only worked with a nose cone for a 70 motor. Many states didn’t have updated information yet in 1970 (previously it was case numbers. This is fact. It’s sitting in my garage and I’ve owned it over 30 years. Someone else told me about that loop hole in the mid 90’s and I applied for a lost title in the state of Kentucky and got it. Then we took that title and registered it in Ohio. NO FRAME NUMBERS ON EITHER BIKE. It didn’t work for a 73 set of cases because by then they were known to be frame serial numbers. This is fact. The federal government wasn’t involved at any point. My bike has been inspected many time over the years by both state troopers and city cops. Never an issue. Been to Daytona bike week about 9 times, I’ve been stopped at least three times and the bike had no problem. No problem registering here in Florida after inspection. No problem being fully insured.
Registered as a 1970 Harley Davidson FL.
Last edited by Rains2much; Dec 18, 2025 at 06:06 PM.
I think it all gets down to, who and how hard are they looking.
Yes I could yank the motor out of my '70 and put into any frame I like without a VIN. Yes I could keep registering it in NYS with no issues and 99% of the time if I got pulled over, LEO would have zero issues. Same with registering it for the first time, NYS DMV does not ask me to produce the bike, so if I have paper from another state with a legal VIN, they are going to register it.
I hear in Cali bikes have to go to CHP for full inspection, we don't do that. In NYS they only time they want to see it is if you do a full custom build and you show up with MSO and Bill of Sale for frame motor etc. Then they want to see it for a full safety evaluation and then you get the "yellow" sticker on the FRAME, nothing on the motor. Your bike is forever a Special Construction and not a HD.
Lots of gray and very unlikely any of us are ever bringing are bikes to DMV for a real inspection. I think the days of LEO in Daytona checking VIN#'s on parked bikes against frame #'s are far behind us. Let's not confuse what the letter of the law is VS what we have gotten away with, if you know what I mean.
Nope, 1970 is the year they added the VIN to the frame and they need to match. I have a 1970, has the VIN on the frame from the factory.
The engine serial number does not need to match the frame, there is no legal requirement for that, it is just the way HD does it.
The engine serial number needs to match the number shown on the registration and title, but many states don`t show engine serial numbers on registrations or titles.
Last edited by Dan89FLSTC; Dec 19, 2025 at 06:23 AM.
Bottom Line...Engine, (and It's Numbers) don't mean ****...Unless Pre 1970..ie before H-D put Any Numbers on the Frame. Post 1970...H-D did Not do it like that any more.. Easy enough to Check...
Matters Not what one can "get away with" nor Buy Insurance for.. buying Insurance does Not mean Coverage.. certainly Not in Michigan...where a Motorcycle is Not a Motor-vehicle..Look it Up... @horslips Did you put your motor/trans on the market?? I should guess maybe the Transmission to be worth More than the Engine..Around here..
Last edited by Racepres; Dec 19, 2025 at 08:04 AM.
I am not disputing that Harley started putting the official vin on the frame in 1970.. I’m trying to share that not every BMV had updated systems and also used the frame
Vin in early 1970. My bike and others are TITLED as 1970 Harley Davidson’s … mine being FL from the engine case number.
Please look at the circled paragraph. This was the case in many states in 1970 only until they updated their systems to use the frame vin number.
So I’m assuming the federal government asked manufacturers to place vin numbers on frames? Is that how the federal government is part of this conversation? Just trying to understand everyone’s comments.
Last edited by Rains2much; Dec 19, 2025 at 02:47 PM.
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