Honda CBR, Valkyrie, or Shadow and wondered what they meant? Likened to
the. DNA of the motorcycle, these Vehicle Identification Numbers (or VIN) have
appeared on ... Instructions. Locate the ... 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987
1988 1989 1990. B. C. D. E. F. G ... when buying scratch repair, and tire
information.
What Does Your VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) Mean to You? Have you ever noticed the string of numbers and letters printed on the side of your Honda CBR, Valkyrie, or Shadow and wondered what they meant? Likened to the DNA of the motorcycle, these Vehicle Identification Numbers (or VIN) have appeared on every vehicle manufactured since 1981. The VIN system was implemented create a standardized method of identifying a vehicle, a necessity for law enforcement departments. So what exactly does this jumble of data mean, and why is it so important? Of course your first thought might wander to recovering your bike if it’s stolen. That might be true if all of your bike was still there, and if the police found it in time before it became parts for someone else. Or how about your insurance agent. Do you think you’re charged a one price fits all just because you ride a motorcycle? Most importantly, what if you want to order a part for your bike that doesn’t consist of bling or lights. Do you think that a dealer might want to know some of this information to match up the correct part with the correct bike? Probably, so I would suggest that you at least get familiar with your VIN. You may not know exactly how it’s used, but it’s a start. There are a couple of ways you can go about this. Use the simple instructions located below to find your VIN first of all, and secondly, it may give you some information to make you sound a little more intelligent to a dealer or insurance agent. Instructions Locate the 17-digit Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) printed on the frame of your motorcycle . This is often stamped onto the right side of the steering head, where the front fork is mounted on the frame. The VIN is also imprinted on a metal tag located on the left side of the frame above the motor. The first character. This letter or numeral represents the country of manufacture. In this case, a "J" for Japan should be present (or a 1 or 4 if your bike was built in the USA). VIN Character 1 - Manufacturing Country Codes 1 or 4
2
3
J
K
S
W
Z
USA
Canada
Mexico
Japan
Korea
England Germany Italy
The second character, "H." This represents the name of the manufacturer, Honda. VIN Character 2 - Car Manufacturer Codes A
B
H
A
D
N
Audi
BMW
Honda
Jaguar Mercedes Nissan
T
V
V
Toyota
Volvo
VW
The third character. This letter or digit represents the vehicle type. Most Honda motorcycles use a "2," which refers to a motorcycle, although "A" or "1" may also be used. The fourth through the eighth characters. These letters and digits are used by each individual manufacturer to identify the model or engine type of the motorcycle. For example: SC474 refers to a GL1800A. The 9th character in your Honda's vehicle identification number is a VIN accuracy check digit, verifying the previous numbers within the VIN. This check digit is a single number or letter "X" used to verify the accuracy of the transcription of the vehicle identification number. There is a precise method for obtaining the check digit, let’s just suffice to say that after all other characters in the VIN have been determined by the manufacturer, the check digit is calculated by carrying out a mathematical computation. The correct numeric remainder - zero through nine (0-9) will appear. However, if the remainder is 10 the letter "X" is used to designate the check digit value. The 10th character. This letter or digit represents the year the motorcycle was manufactured. A "6" would represent 2006, while a "Y" would represent the year 2000. The letter code descends from "Y" to "A" (1980). VIN Character - Model Year Codes 1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
A
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
J
K
L
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
M
N
P
R
S
T
V
W
X
Y
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
A
The 11th character. This letter or digit represents the specific plant where the motorcycle was manufactured. In this case, "M" refers to the Hamamatsu plant in Japan, and an “A” represents the Ohio factory in the USA. There are several other country codes available and if you want to see them please refer to the Red Page on page 18 in the September 2013 issue of Wing World. The 12th through 17th digits. These are the motorcycle's individual serial numbers and are sequential Production Numbers from the factory. There is also a lot more information than I can print here without permission from the Editor of Wing World, but he has seen fit to not answer any of my e-mails to him. However I urge you to read this article because it goes on to identify the Engine Number (yes it’s different from the VIN), the color code for your bike when buying scratch repair, and tire information. I hope the above was more information that you ever wanted to know about the VIN on your Honda Goldwing. You have to remember it isn’t there just for show, it does a whole lot more. Sheila and I used to live in Washington, D.C. where four consecutive right turns don’t necessarily mean you end up in the same place. Don & Sheila Luth
