BSA Ariel 3’s don’t have a VIN number stamped in the frame anywhere, this can cause all sorts of issues when it comes to applying for a V5C.
The BSA manual don’t help either, as it says:
“The frame number is stamped on the main frame at the rear, close to the trunnion block.”
The truth is they are not! What BSA did was to print clear stickers with the VIN number and then stick them onto the frame instead of stamping them.
Over the years, usage, sun and rain, have made nearly all the stickers unreadable or missing.
What one hopes to find is like the following example (number removed for privacy reasons)
But what one tends to find is a missing sticker due to the weather or an innocent “clean” of the bike getting rid of a loose sticker, without realising the importance to the bikes identification.
So when buying a bike it is very important to have a sticker in order to apply for a V5C (because without it its nearly impossible to do it simply by applying for a Log book via a V62). If you have a missing sticker but a V5C then one might consider marking the frame in as near as original method (make your own sticker) or you might consider stamping the frame yourself. WE DONT HAVE STICKERS BEFORE YOU ASK.
Once you have a number sorted follow and read the following page in depth, ask them the questions they are the experts :