Ariel Owners Motorcycle Club

Good afternoon, new member and new to vintage motorcycles. I have been motorcycling since my 17th birthday but only on Japanese or German machines. Born 1957.
I have recently purchased a 1956 Aerial VH500 Red Hunter. Restored, running and riding. Purchased at auction where a current and old V5 were present together with a dating certificate. Numbers matching. (Signed incidentally by the membership secretary in a former paid role he tells me)
My issue is that the V5 was sent to DVLA by the auction house to notify my purchase. I was informed by DVLA that the motorcycle has been exported and I needed to complete a V55/5 to register a vehicle for the first time. I wrote to DVLA stating there was no indication or evidence that the bike had been exported. I completed the form V55/5 as best I could and sent copies of all my documentation and photos of engine and frame numbers. It’s 10 days now and I haven’t heard back. Have any members any previous experience of an issue like this or idea as to how to complete the registration please? Sorry it’s long winded!

10 days is not unusual. I've got members feedback indicating anywhere between 2 weeks and 2 months at the moment, one was as high as 4 months.

I guess you will have seen, on your dating certificate, where your machine was dispatched to originally?

Thank you for this Simon. Despatched to F Freeman (Hammersmith) W6 with a despatch date of 26/11/1955
It notes the bike is a ‘56 model
Thanks again

I'm confused here. If you saw a current V5 which the auction house sent on to DVLA at
what point did the export declaration get made?

I can think of only two circumstances. Either the auction house filled in your V5 incorrectly and
declared your bike exported or what you saw as current V5 wasn't current and the declaration
had already been made.

Hi Will, I was as confused as you (still am) when the letter from DVLA arrived. There is no mention or evidence of any kind of export in the bikes history that was passed on to me. An old V5 is in the same name as that on the dating certificate. I took no notice of the particulars on the ‘current’ V5 when I viewed the bike and it had gone when I collected it. I’m hoping the DVLA can shed some light as I’ve no idea where it was allegedly exported to or how it came back to the UK if it actually happened

Gary - what does the DVLA website have for the reg. no. (ie what's it got for 'exported' and what's the date of the last V5)?

SG

The bike is shown correctly and V5 last issued 2015 Simon

There is no mention of export TUL665 is reg

Interestingly, while dispatch is 26/11/1955 from the book, according to the DVLA website the bike wasn't registered
until March 1957 - that's rather a long time. DVLA also give the year of manufacture as 1957.

The last tax disc expired March 2017 - does that fit in with what you know of the bike's history? I wonder if the
bike has any history with the club?

It does have prior registration Will. Same details as on the old V5 and dating certificate in 1997 I believe.