Boog
Traveling Story Teller
- Joined
- Oct 17, 2013
- Messages
- 8,487
- Location
- Dumfries, Virginia
- Ride
- 2014 R3T, RAMAIR, Full Viking Dual exhaust
@Larry_M This is from the Free Motorcycle Identification Number (VIN) Decoder & Lookup - Cyclepedia page:
Note: In 1981, the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) initiated a standardized 17-character VIN. The letters I, i, O, o, Q, and q are never to be used so as to avoid confusion with numerals 1 and 0.
These 17 characters are divided up into three groups: World Manufacturer Identifier, Vehicle Descriptor Section, and Vehicle Identifier Section. Let’s break each character down so you can better understand what each stands for.
Character 1
The first character of the VIN tells us which region the motorcycle was manufactured in. For example a 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 indicates your motorcycle was made in North America while J, K, L, M, N, P, or R means it was made in Asia.
Character 2
The second character, when combined with the first character denotes which country the motorcycle was manufactured in. It’s not uncommon to find a BMW motorcycle made in Mexico or a Japanese ATV made in Canada.
Character 3
The third character is used by powersports manfacturers to identify the vehicle type. It could be a motorcycle, ATV or scooter. Not every manufacturer uses the same codes.
Characters 4 – 9
These characters are known as the Vehicle Descriptor Section. Characters 4 through 8 provide information about the model, engine size and body style options. Not every manufacturer uses the same codes. Character 9 is a check digit that is used to determine if the VIN is correct. It is calculated from the entire VIN through the use of a Weight Factor Table.
Characters 10 – 17
These characters are known as the Vehicle Identifier Section. The 10th character indicates the marketing model year of the vehicle, not to be confused with the year of production. For example a 2014 Honda CBR600RR most likely has a date of production in 2013 – it was produced for the 2014 marketing year. Characters 11 through 17 indicate the assembly facility, available options and the production number as it rolled off the assembly line.
Note: In 1981, the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) initiated a standardized 17-character VIN. The letters I, i, O, o, Q, and q are never to be used so as to avoid confusion with numerals 1 and 0.
These 17 characters are divided up into three groups: World Manufacturer Identifier, Vehicle Descriptor Section, and Vehicle Identifier Section. Let’s break each character down so you can better understand what each stands for.
Character 1
The first character of the VIN tells us which region the motorcycle was manufactured in. For example a 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 indicates your motorcycle was made in North America while J, K, L, M, N, P, or R means it was made in Asia.
Character 2
The second character, when combined with the first character denotes which country the motorcycle was manufactured in. It’s not uncommon to find a BMW motorcycle made in Mexico or a Japanese ATV made in Canada.
Character 3
The third character is used by powersports manfacturers to identify the vehicle type. It could be a motorcycle, ATV or scooter. Not every manufacturer uses the same codes.
Characters 4 – 9
These characters are known as the Vehicle Descriptor Section. Characters 4 through 8 provide information about the model, engine size and body style options. Not every manufacturer uses the same codes. Character 9 is a check digit that is used to determine if the VIN is correct. It is calculated from the entire VIN through the use of a Weight Factor Table.
Characters 10 – 17
These characters are known as the Vehicle Identifier Section. The 10th character indicates the marketing model year of the vehicle, not to be confused with the year of production. For example a 2014 Honda CBR600RR most likely has a date of production in 2013 – it was produced for the 2014 marketing year. Characters 11 through 17 indicate the assembly facility, available options and the production number as it rolled off the assembly line.
