Can anyone date this frame please ?

Grewth

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XS650 Heritage Special frame number 5V4-0077**
I don't want to tempt any dishonest types into cloning my bike by posting up the full frame number.
I'm just hoping that from the number above someone might be able to work out the approximate year or even month of manufacture.
As you can see, the white frame sticker has been bleached out by sunlight and is now totally unreadable, so I can't get a build date from that.
 

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US XSJ Heritage Special1982. The month is anywhere between Aug 81 to July 82.

It's the 7,000th off the line so probably around the Feb/March 82 and that's a guesstimate.
 
Thanks for that.
I'm a little older and wiser now that I've worked out that a XS650J is actually a Heritage Special.
Watching a few youtube clips convinced me.
Prior to this, I always thought that all Specials had a "S" somewhere in the model designation, and that XS650J/K were Roadster models.
I also found a forum post from someone with a legible white sticker, dating 5V4-005*** as being built September 1981.
So my bike is probably a few months later than that.
That's possibly very good news for me, as it means there's a good chance it's already old enough to claim Historic Vehicle status here in the UK, along with MOT testing exemption.
 
I too have an XS650SJ built in '81 for the '82 model year. If you look at the VIN sticker on the headstock, you'll see the month and year of manufacture. Here's mine:

1644745774634.png

Hope that helps :)
Cliff
 
I too have an XS650SJ built in '81 for the '82 model year. If you look at the VIN sticker on the headstock, you'll see the month and year of manufacture. Here's mine:

View attachment 207298
Hope that helps :)
Cliff
Sorry Cliff, but if you study the photo that I posted in the OP, the frame sticker has been completely bleached white (probably by years of direct sunlight)
There is nothing legible there to read.
I did try heating it up with an electric heat gun, and I thought that just maybe I could make out a couple of letters, maybe not.
Maybe an ultraviolet lamp would show up the info, but I doubt it.
So unless Superman would like to use his X -Ray vision on it, I think the sticker is a dead loss
 
Sorry Cliff, but if you study the photo that I posted in the OP, the frame sticker has been completely bleached white (probably by years of direct sunlight)
There is nothing legible there to read.
I did try heating it up with an electric heat gun, and I thought that just maybe I could make out a couple of letters, maybe not.
Maybe an ultraviolet lamp would show up the info, but I doubt it.
So unless Superman would like to use his X -Ray vision on it, I think the sticker is a dead loss
OK, I'll eat my words.
Apparently a UV torch will show up the original script.
Well I'll believe it when I see it, but it's worth me risking £3 on a cheap UV torch off eBay just to try it.
 
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