How to Decode the VIN Number on a Harley Davidson

If you’ve ever had to contact a Harley dealer to ask about a part for your motorcycle, you were probably asked for your Harley’s VIN number to help the parts counter employee look up the information. Interestingly, VINs have been around in some capacity since the 1950’s, but it wasn’t until the 1980’s that VIN standardization was established. Prior to 1980, manufacturers were left to their own judgment to create their VINs, but this flexibility meant that VIN numbers could be easily changed, which was a regulatory nightmare for both insurance companies and law enforcement agencies. Starting in 1981, all VIN numbers stamped on newly manufactured vehicles were required to be 17 digits long, and the sequencing had to comply with National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) guidelines and standardization.

If your Harley has been manufactured in 1981 or later, you can easily locate the VIN on the right side of the motorcycle, stamped onto the frame near the steering head. You can view it by turning the handlebars to the left, and then look along the exposed area of the frame on the right side. Since it is on the frame in a vertical format, you will read the number from top to bottom.

Decoding VIN at Harley-Davidson Service Information Portal

The easiest way is to register on the Harley Davidson information and service portal. It doesn’t take more than 5 minutes to register. In addition, you can check there if there are any recall companies.

Harley Davidson SIP User Registration

Using the VinDecoder application

The second way is to use the VinDecoder application from Batsille. It is a very simple and handy application that is able to decipher motorcycle VINs from 1903 to 2008. Unfortunately, the creator never released an update again and we can’t get a connection to it. In addition to decoding, the app also contains a lot of useful information about model ranges, engine models, etc.

You can download it here.

Using a Diagnostic Tool (optional but handy)

Let’s be honest, no one buys a diagnostic tool just to read a VIN. But if you’re already thinking about getting one for regular maintenance or troubleshooting, VIN detection is a nice added bonus. A tool like the Topdon TopScan Moto connects to your Harley via Bluetooth and can automatically read the VIN straight to your smartphone, which is especially useful if the number is hard to access or partially worn.

More importantly, it offers much more than just VIN reading. With real-time diagnostics, error code scanning, and maintenance resets, it’s a powerful tool that works with most Harley-Davidson models. All of it runs through a simple and user-friendly mobile app, making it a solid choice for riders who want more control over their bike’s condition.

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How to decode Harley VIN manually

Here’s how to decode the VIN on a Harley Davidson, and determine what each character means when using it to decode your own VIN. Note that the instructions below are specific to Harley Davidson motorcycles assembled and sold after 1981 only.

First three characters

The first three characters are a World Manufacturer ID, and indicate where the motorcycle was manufactured and intended for sale. There are four possible codes you’ll see in this spot. For VINs that show “1HD,” this indicates the motorcycle was manufactured for sale inside of the United States. If the VIN reads “5HD,” this indicates the motorcycle was manufactured for sale outside of the United States. If the VIN reads “932,” the motorcycle was manufactured in, and for sale only in, the country of Brazil. If the VIN reads “MEG,” the motorcycle was manufactured in, and for sale only in, the country of India.

4-8 characters

The fourth through eighth characters will identify the engine type, engine size, and model of the motorcycle. This is where the critical information on the mechanical details of the motorcycle can be determined from.

The fourth character will either be a 1, 4, or 8 to identify either a heavyweight 901cc or larger motor (1), a lightweight to middleweight 351-900cc motor (4), or a sidecar (8).

The fifth and sixth characters are both letters and indicate model designation for the motorcycle. This will identify if it is an FLT, Softtail, Dyna, or XL model. There are charts available online that give a robust breakdown of every possible model and assigned VIN code, but a general rule of thumb is that FLT (Touring) models begin with the letter “D,” Dynas begin with the letter “G,” Softtail models begin with the letter “B,” and XL models begin with the letter “C.” (There are a couple of exceptions to this; the FLHR Road Glide line will show “FD” instead of a code beginning with D, and the Dyna Bad Boy falls under the Softtail sequence with “BN.”)

Model Designation

FL Touring Models

FX/FL Dyna Glide Models

FL/FX Softail Models

XL Sportster Models

V-ROD Models

• HA = VRSCA
• HC = VRSCR
• HD = VRSCD
• HF = VRSCA
• HH = VRSCDX
• HJ = VRSCX
• HP = VRSCF

The seventh character indicates the engine displacement for the motorcycle. The possible letters you’ll see here, and the engine identified, are:

• “L” (carbureted 1340 EVO)
• “R” (fuel-injected 1340)
• “M” (883 Evolution)
• “N” (1100 Evo)
• “P” (1200 Evo)
• “V” (carbureted TC88)
• “W” (fuel-injected TC88)
• “Y” (carbureted TC88B)
• “B” (fuel-injected TC88B).

The eighth character indicates how the motorcycle model was introduced, whether it was a standard rollout (1), a mid-year launch (2), a California-only vehicle (3), or a Special Edition (4). Other characters will exist in this spot if the bike is sold internationally; these characters are unique to the specifications of where the motorcycle was manufactured and intended for sale.

ninth character

The ninth digit acts as a validator, or check digit, for the VIN. There are no secondary codes or references for this check digit, as it exists merely for validation purposes.

tenth character

The tenth character indicates the model year of the bike. Years 1980 to 2000 are alphabetical beginning with “A” for 1980, and ending in “Y” for 2000. After 2000, this was changed to be a number. The sequence began using letters again starting over with “A” in the model year 2010. However, the characters I, O, Q, U, Z, and the number 0 are not used in VINs; this includes the year identifier.

eleventh character

The eleventh character is a factory code and identifies the manufacturing plant that the bike was made in. Within the United States, the letters “Y” or “B” indicates the motorcycle was assembled in York, Pennsylvania. The letter “E” indicates assembly at the Buell plant in East Troy, Wisconsin. The letter “T” references the plant located in Tomahawk, Wisconsin. The letter “J” references the plant location in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and “K” is used to reference the plant located in Kansas City, Missouri.

Outside of the US, the two letters commonly used are “D” and “N.” The letter “D” is used to indicate assembly at the Harley Davidson plant in Manaus, Brazil. The letter “N” is used for motorcycles assembled at the plant in Haryana, India. However, if there is a character in this position that does not align with what has been identified, that indicates the motorcycle was assembled at a Harley Davidson plant in Thailand.

12-17 character

Finally, the last six characters of the VIN act as a unique serial number, and these characters are specific to that unit of the motorcycle.

Finally

With this information, you should hopefully be able to decode the VIN on your own Harley Davidson. Being able to decode this information not only helps to identify the correct model year and type of motorcycle, but it also helps when researching information on the motorcycle such as its accident history or whether it has been impacted by any safety recalls.