I was trying to determine what year my kids Yamaha dirtbike is, unfortunately all manufacturers do not use model year stickers like Honda. I stumbled upon this while searching for an answer and thought it might help others...
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ATV VIN number charts and information to help you search for and decode your


ATVs VIN number. Every sport ATV has a 17 digit VIN (vehicle identification number) even if you need to search for it a little. You'll find the VIN plate mounted to the frame of the ATV, usually on the bottom portion of it.

Kawasaki for example has it mounted on the left side of the Engine. If you have nerf bars installed it's possible that part of the VIN will be hard to see. Don't mistake the Engine number, which is mounted on the Engine, as a VIN number.

A VIN or Vehicle Identification Number is standardized. Whether your ride a Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Polaris, Yamaha or other ATV all will contain 17 characters that can include capital letters from A through Z and numbers 1 through 0. The letters I, O and Q are never used within a VIN in order to avoid mistakes made by misreading them. No signs or spaces are allowed in the Vehicle Identification Number.

The position of each letter and/or number in the VIN code reveals important information about where and when your ATV was made, the type of Engine it has, the model or series of ATV, various equipment/attributes and its production sequence.

Contact the vehicles manufacturer with specific VIN related questions. Contact your local DMV, department of motor (( Internal Combustion Engine ? )) vehicles, if you need to replace your VIN plate (if it broke off or you installed a new frame etc). Here is a general breakdown of what your VIN numbers mean.

- 1st digit : represents the country in which it was made. 1 or 4 is for the U.S., 2 is for Canada, J is for Japan, K is for Korea etc.

- 2nd digit : represents the manufacturer. H is for Honda, K is for Kawasaki, Y is for Yamaha etc.

- 3rd digit : this position represents the vehicle type or manufacturing division which can vary by make of vehicle.

- 4th to 8th digits : these positions represent vehicle attributes such as body style and Engine type (not to be confused with an Engine code, every vehicle has one of those mounted on the Engine).
Honda ATV owners visit the Honda ATV Model Codes list for model information.

- 9th digit : this is called a "check digit" and it exists for security reasons. This letter or number is derived mathematically depending on the previous 8 digits. It's used to confirm that a VIN isn't being fabricated.

- 10th digit : The vehicle year.

A: 1980
B: 1981
C: 1982
D: 1983
E: 1984
F: 1985
G: 1986
H: 1987
J: 1988
K: 1989
L: 1990
M: 1991
N: 1992
P: 1993
R: 1994
S: 1995
T: 1996
V: 1997
W: 1998
X: 1999
Y: 2000
1: 2001
2: 2002
3: 2003
4: 2004
5: 2005
6: 2006
7: 2007
8: 2008
9: 2009
A: 2010



- 11th digit : Assembly plant

- 12th to 17th digits : These numbers increase by one for each unit that rolls off the assembly line, the last four are always digits.

It's very helpful to know your ATV VIN when purchasing aftermarket parts.