I’m often asked to help identify Douglas machines – and it can be quite a challenge. A picture is worth a thousand words, as the saying goes, – though one silver flat-tanker can look much like another. A Mk. IV looks very like a Mk. V apart from the rib in the front mudguard … However, with a basic understanding of the era from which the machine dates, frame, engine and gearbox numbers usually permit accurate identification. A guide to these numbers and where to find them can be found here.
Finally, and perhaps less obviously, for UK-registered machines the registration mark can prove invaluable. The reason for this is that most of the Douglas machines still in existence are listed in the LDMCC’s Machine Register. Armed with the registration mark and a bit of patience, it’s surprising how often ‘newly discovered’ machines are already known to the Club.
I’m sure the Club’s machine registrar could give me an accurate figure for the number of machines listed, but an informed guess would be around 4,000 – there’s a fair chance that the machine you’re trying to identify could be among them!
The London Douglas Motor Cycle Club 