Look for a four-digit production code in the last four digits of the VIN.
Vin Check at Baton Rouge Harley-Davidson® in Louisiana
For engines built between and , there was a system put into the VIN to prevent tampering with or changing numbers in order to sell the engine as something it is not. The first number of the code will be even for even numbered production years and odd for odd numbered production years. Look for a five-digit production code in the last digits of the VIN. For engines with a production code of five numbers, the first two numbers will be even for even numbered production years and odd for odd numbered production years. Check the last two digits of the VIN.
Federal Register :: Vehicle Identification Number Requirements
Engines that were put on Harley bikes from to have the model year of the engine designated as the last two digits of the VIN number. If the letter is an "H", the engine was made somewhere between and If the letter is a "J", the engine was made in Look at the number that follows. This number corresponds to the last number of the year it was made. Look at the end of the VIN for a letter. Harley engines made between and have a digit VIN which was abbreviated from the digit VIN that was stamped on the frame of the bike. The last digit of the VIN designates the model year with a letter.
How to Decode a VIN for a Harley-Davidson
So that first may have parts manufactured in July or August In some cases, it is possible to narrow it down further than that, but in most cases it isn't. Almost every vehicle ever made has a manufacturer's serial number located somewhere on it. There was no industry standard, so each manufacturer made up their own numbering scheme, and affixed it to the vehicle wherever it wanted. In , the U. But before that…. From the early days, up to and including the model year, Harley-Davidson stamped the serial number of a motorcycle into the left engine case.
The frame did not have a serial number. The serial number followed the code:. The production sequence number gets complicated. Before , the sequence number started with either or - NOT Although the common wisdom has long been , there have been a few documented cases of a serial number uncovered. We will use through the remainder of this article. The sequence number runs with the basic motorcycle model, not the different variants.
In years ending with an even number example: , the sequence numbers ran , then skipped to , then , then , then , then In years ending with an odd number example: , the first digit of the production number was always odd.
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So it ran , then skipped to , then , etc. One theory is that this was an anti-VIN-forgery scheme.
The other theory is this was a nefarious scheme to make people think production was much higher than it actually was, to mask Harley's low sales figures in the 's. The font used for the VINs varied over the years. Here are some photographs of serial numbers. When Was My Bike Produced? The serial number was applied late in production, close to the factory door. Historian Jerry Hatfield researched monthly production figures at the Harley-Davidson archives, but found they varied "all over the place". Normal production scheduling required things to be made in batches. Sales might not have matched the factory's predictions, so they might have had to catch-up by increasing production of one model while slowing production of another.
Harley's book, The Legend Begins , provides annual production figures. Dividing the total production by 12 months can give you a best-guess as to what month your bike was produced, but this will not be truly accurate. Note: the K model was late to market. It was was unveiled for the first time to the dealers in Milwaukee at their November convention. This section is undergoing revision. The crankcase halves were cast, mated in pairs, line-bored for the crankshaft, and then numbered to ensure they remained a mated pair.
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The same sequence number was stamped into each crankcase half. The numbers should match each other, but they will NOT match the serial number of the engine. The YY is the model year that the crankcase halves were mated. This is usually the same as the model year of the bike. However, if you have a very low motor serial number, your belly numbers may have a year code one year below the model year.
In some years, the factory mated too many case sets, and then used them up early the following year.
SSSS[S] is a four or five character numeric sequence number. We are actively researching this area. The important thing is that the belly numbers match, and the year code is plausible. Here are some photographs of belly numbers. Most K and Sportster frames have a date code stamped into the frame. It is on the right side, in the area where the rear gas tank bolt goes through the frame — for the large tanks.
On Ks and XLHs, it is under the right rear tank ear, so you can't see it with the tank on.
On XLCH with the small tank, it can be seen with the tank on. The year code is the last digit of the calendar year the frame was produced.
VIN Number Schema
Frames were typically produced a month or two before they were used. So a low VIN number bike will have a date code from the previous year. See the Technical article on Frames for more information. Here are some photographs of frame date codes. Frame Security Codes. On Sportsters, it was sometimes stamped on the left side, sometimes on the right side. On Big Twins, it was on the left.