My 2nd st70 after 31 years

Hi all,
Well, after a 31 year layoff and countless bikes in between I have now obtained another DAX as this was the first bike I ever owned. I grew up in Cape Town and used to spend the day out on it in the bush. The bike orginally came from France and I think it was either a 1970 or 1971 model.
Anyway I have just bought another ST70 and I have a few questions. It's 1978 so I'm guessing a K3 model in good condition but I suspect not very original.
1.) I know it's foreign but can anybody tell me how I track down which country it's originally from. the frame number is 6118871.
2.) I can see it should have an ID plate on the headstock, how do i go about getting a replacement?
3.) It came with 2 engines. At present it has a 90 4 speed Chinese engine in it, The engine model no. is IP47FMF if that helps. It came with an original ST70 engine which is in good condition and which I would like to install. But as all the electrics are now 12v what is the best way to go about changing the engine over. I've read elsewhere that on certain engines you can just swap the flywheel and back plate over, is this the case with the Chinese engine that I've got.

I would appreciate any help you can give. If you need any pics let me know and I'll put them up.

Hi and welcome!
I moved your topic to 'pictures'...


1)The country of origin can be determined on th ekind of parts that were used. If you have an ST70 with high fenders and a K3 seat, it's very likely it's a French version.

2) I think the best thing you could do is to buy a replacement (genuine or not) and get the numbers tapped in by a motorcycle shop (or do it yourself if you have the tools)
Not all bikes have the ID plate, earliere types only have the number in the frame.

3) It's not possible to swap the engines again with retaining the 12v system. You can't fit the 6v-->12v ignition on the ST70 engine.
If you want an Honda engine, look for the NT's. (GB4, AB22 (new versions,...) These are bulletproof and quite cheap 12v engines.

Thanks for the info.
I had a suspicion it might be French. I Know it was registered here in 1978 but is it possible to tell from the frame number the year of manufacture?
Unfortunately the engine number ST70E-6119026 does not match the frame so any idea what year the engine is?
If they are both early 70's I might decide to put it back to 6v depending on the cost.

Honda's number listings aren't always clear, but I would date them both around '76.
You should check if an extra wire loom has been used (between ignition and original loom, cdi and regulator are attached here as well) for the conversion.
If so, removing this will return the bike to 6v. (And change the battery, bulbs)