OK, first of all - the new photos you have posted have enabled me to find a bit more information about your bike.
  Going back to the first photo in your reply, you have circled 3 numbers - the bottom one (just in front of the tank) is the remains of the frame number. All that remains of that number is the /5B suffix (as it looks as if the frame has been damaged and the welded repairs have wiped out the actual number of the frame). I would suggest that you look through any registration documents you have, to see if one has the number (10228/5B) for the frame. On the Mark 5 machines, only the frame and engine carried matching numbers. The gearbox number is just a random number that was allocated to the 'box during assembly. The other numbers you have shown in the photos are actual part numbers for the item that they are on, and would be the same on all the Mark 5's.
  There is a little more information on my paperwork, but I will send that on in a personal message (for security).

  Regards,
                Eddie.

Thanks a lot for your answer !

My first picture was not really exact, and I had been looking at the place you describe to find the number 29536. So I'm happy to know I was not wrong about the right place for this number... but very disapointed it's not the right one regarding to my registration document !
And I also find it very strange that you tell me the number should be between 9001 and 12540, as for the paper it matchs, but for the frame it doesn't. You reassure me regarding the fact it's truely a Mark 5 if we look at the serial number (I was beginning to doubt), but at the same time as nothing is matching...

I've attached some pictures :

• first one is the left side under the handlebars. As you can see I can find 3 different numbers :

- on the part that holds the handlebars, I can read 28734- at the place you describe (if I've understood well) is that 29536 that I would prefer as a lower number to match the owner certificate- under the weld, mostly darken, I can read something like 5B, which matchs nothing you mentioned, and that anyway isn't complete.[/list]

• Second one is what I think is the engine, on the left side. two numbers :

- 10228/5 is the biggest one. I think it's the one that should match the frame number : it doesn't match neither with the one on the tubes, neither with the one on my paper. It could be in the interval for a Mark 5, but the format is not right- I didn't notice it on the first place, a second small one says 9966

• Finally on the other side of the bike there is a small 7367.

I don't understand what these numbers stand for, and I'm pretty embarrassed I can't find any number matching my registration document. I'm wondering what's wrong with the numbers at the front, what happened to the bike for it to be resolded... well a lot of mysteries and with no number matching I also wonder how I could sell it legally !


If anyone has any magical solution for me, I still believe to santa claus ^^

Héloïse

Hi Tony, 

 I think with the S6 both front and rear anchor plates are the same.
They have the same part no in the spares book.

Please let me know if you have a spare casting that I could use?

Regards Alan

Hi, The frame number will be on the other side of the frame. Look at the left hand side of the steering head lug. It has 2 lower legs that take the frame down tubes - the frame number should be stamped into the side of the LH one. As the bike is a Mark 5, the number should have 4 or 5 digits (between 9001 and 12540) followed by /5 or /5B (if the frame has bronze lugs).
  Originally, the bike would have had matching frame and engine numbers, but, over the years, the engine may have been changed. The engine number can be found on the top of the crankcase, on the LH side - the engine number is of the same size and style as the frame number.
 
Hope this helps (and makes sense!),

   Regards,
                 Eddie.

Hi members !

I'm new to the forum, and also kind of new in the Douglas motorcycles world. I'm from France and my dad used to have a Mark 5, my grand father had it before him. Now me and my sister have inherited it and for some years we've kept it but as we don't have the adequat licence, we are willing to sell it so it can make the joy of another Douglas enthusiast.

The other day someone came to see the bike, and asked me for the owner certificate to compare with the serial number on the frame. What a disapointment ! the paper has written "carrosserie (body) : 11907 SOLO, and we had trouble to find the number on the frame as there is some weld under the handlebars, but the one we found was 29536 !

 My father and grandfather were normally following the rules and I doubt something was intentionnally wrong done with the owner certificate. I desperatly hope I didn't find the true number, and that's why I ask you : do you know where to find a MK5 serial number ? Have I been searching in the right area ?

I've read in some posts on this forum that sometimes the serial number is also on other parts, engine or so : for the Mark 5, on which ones could I search as well to find the number thaht should be on the owner certificate ?
Also the weld seems to hide maybe some numbers, but I can't see well and the 2 numbers that shows out of the darken area don't look to match with the certificate.

The story of this motorcycle is that my grandfather was a mechanic teacher, and someone gave it to him so he could cut it in two parts and then show it to his students. Luckily, he rather decided to keep it whole ! But as we also have one Douglas in bad condition (couldn't find any numer on it near the handlebar but could maybe search more) and one naked frame that looks like a Douglas one (didn't look for the number on this one as it's remotely stored), I wonder if it could be the number from one onf them, for which my grandpa could have a certificate, and mixed it with this actual MK5 that was working... Because although I trust him and think he asked for a certificate in the right way, I'm afraid he could have tried to hack the administrative difficulties.

Well a lot to say, if you can help me with other places I could search for the serial number, that would be great !

Thank you, and so here's a picture of the bike with in red the area I searched.

Héloïse

Ian,
       Yes the brake bands could be either LH or RH. They can easily be reversed - just take the 2 rivets out of the bobbin, turn the bobbin round and re-rivet.

  Regards,
                 Eddie.

My OC uses the same plate but the band is reversed as it turns the other way !

Thanks DJS and Edie. Need to find suitable material for thrut disc.

The original thrust discs were 1/8" thick (3.2mm). The discs had a plain bore but were radiused on one side of the O.D. to clear the radius in the pressed steel plate. Originally, Douglas listed a steel shim to go under the thrust plate, but I have never actually come across one fitted on a working clutch.

Sadly now gone for scrap