[ddavidv]

There will be a bizarre story that comes with this bike. It is currently in transit to me as sort of a quasi-consignment sale. It was built/customized in India and then shipped to the US by the current owner. I've been tasked with fixing the clutch and shifter among other things.
Anyone have an educated opinion of what I'm looking at? Probably be a week until it shows up here.

I'm sure it/I will provide massive entertainment.

[Seipgam]

Apart from the Cafe bits, looks pretty much standard Indian Enfield to me.
Once you get a frame number you will be able to narrow it down.

[Bilgemaster]

That's a real pretty bike. It may not have farkley aluminum rims and what not, or break the sound barrier, but I think when riders of other so-called "café racers" hove into view, they'll invariably wish theirs looked more like that. Those rearsets just holler "fun on the twisties".

[ace.cafe]

It has a styling kit on it which was once called the Clubman kit by Watsonian Squire. The rearsets also included in the kit.
Early model 4-speed Albion gearbox. Looks like a 1-down, 3-up shifter, unless they internally changed it.
From the photo angle it is hard to tell, but I think it has a timing cover from a 500 on it.

[ddavidv]

The shift linkage looks diabolical and is one of the problems with it. 'Bob' (who is not my uncle, LOL) the owner says it comes with the standard bits should the rearsets prove impossible but I think this needs to have them to complete the look. I'm not a fan of the cafe style myself as I find them tremendously uncomfortable to contort into position to ride. The nice thing about that is I won't be tempted (much) to keep this for myself!
Reportedly it was 'built to order' for him so the frame is one number from a pile and the engine another.
It got picked up in Dallas yesterday so will be trundling toward my PA home hopefully in a few days.

[mrunderhill1975a]

The front brake looks like a 50's style single lead shoe arrangement.

[ddavidv]

That's what I thought.
It's supposed to arrive this weekend. I'll know more then. Stored with no gas in it thank goodness. Owner says it's really the shift linkage that needs fixing and that it ran really well. He stopped somewhere on a ride with it and couldn't get it into gear when he wanted to leave. Goes into gear but not with the foot control.

[Adrian II]

That front brake is a definite upgrade candidate if you get the gear selection sorted.

I fail to see the point of a 350 cafe racer with a stock engine. A Fireball-tuned 500, yes...

Couldn't see the picture in Firefox,by the way, I had to view the page in a different browser.

[Jon]

That front brake looks like the one that was standard on early Indian 350s imported to the UK I think twas the same one fitted to the Indian made Villiers powered Crusader 175. As I recall they were air brakes you squeezed the lever and listened to the wind. The 350 can be made to go quite fast by classic standards but is more suited to Indian and British roads than American conditions. In stock form the 350 is not much slower than the 500, is smoother and easer to start. Historically 350s sold better than 500s as they were cheaper to insure and run and the fast lads were all buying parallel twins except for the canny souls who bought Velocette singles.

[ddavidv]

As I recall they were air brakes you squeezed the lever and listened to the wind.

Quoted for awesomeness. 
It should arrive today or tomorrow. Owner leads me to believe the frame is actually from the 1970s or maybe earlier. Engine isn't matching. I'm eager to check the numbers on it.

[ddavidv]

Oh brother...
So my friend Bob had done a tour in India several years ago on a Bullet. So enamored was he that he had this bike put together in India and then shipped it to his residence here in the US. While I have a stack of paperwork for it for the actual shipment there is nothing at all useful for registering it. Bob is not vehicle savvy and it never occurred to him he'd have to get a title.
Well, there are ways around that of course but...I can't find a S/N stamped on the frame anywhere at the front!
The engine cases were polished and the numbers are difficult to make out. Below is what I think I see:
121609 (unsure about the last digit)
3609 3HX (not sure about that 9 either)
under the barrel:
55492X

I tried looking on Hitchcocks web site but couldn't find the S/N info if they have it posted there.
If I can't find some sort of S/N it will make a lovely piece of sculpture I suppose. 
Battery is flat, it's dirty, right rear peg looks to be bent which is probably why the shifter doesn't work properly. He also claimed the clutch doesn't work somehow.
The odo shows 183 miles which is probably accurate.

[cyrusb]

Ah, I believe there was a warning about this posted many times in the past. " Do not self import Indian built bastard bikes to the U.S". Or something to that effect. But what you do have is a good sized lump of salable parts.  Who knows, you may be the one to pull it off. Good Luck.

[ddavidv]

Ah-HA!
I took the paint of the right side headstock thinking maybe the VIN had been painted over. Nope. Well, crap...how is it possible there is no VIN on the headstock?
I looked on the left side and could sort-of see something. So I took the paint off that side.
121609 3HX
Only challenge now is dating it.
Look above at the engine stamping numbers...121609!
So they match. But how do I date it? According to my Essential Guide somewhere in the mix should be a 'B' for Bullet. I don't see anything that looks like a B in any of the numbers.

[cyrusb]

I believe if that frame does not have a riveted on I.D plate with serial numbers on the right side of the down tube and legible numbers on the left engine case it will be a crap shoot trying to register it. Since 2007 I have seen many attempts, even bringing them in as parts but no successes. Anybody know of one?

[ddavidv]

Vermont registration.