CarFlow AIHarley-Davidson VIN Decoder
Enter a Harley-Davidson VIN to see the model, model year, engine displacement and the plant that built the motorcycle.
No VIN at hand? Try an example:
- 1-31-3 · Manufacturer
- 4-84-8 · Description
- 99 · Check
- 1010 · Year
- 1111 · Plant
- 12-1712-17 · Serial number
Data from the public NHTSA vPIC database. CarFlow is not affiliated with any vehicle manufacturer; make and model names belong to their owners.
How to read a Harley-Davidson VIN
Harley-Davidson motorcycles built in the United States start with 1HD. Motorcycles built for other markets use 5HD, and those assembled in Brazil 932.
Positions 5 and 6 are the model designation. In the sample VIN 1HD1KB41X7Y000000 they read KB, a 2007 Street Glide. The engine size is encoded right after it, and the decoder shows it in liters.
Position 11 is the plant: the Y in the sample VIN is York, Pennsylvania. The engine carries its own shortened version of the VIN stamped on the crankcase, and the two should agree on a motorcycle that still has its original engine.
Harley-Davidson manufacturer codes
The first three characters of a VIN are the World Manufacturer Identifier. These are the codes registered with NHTSA for vehicles sold as Harley-Davidson.
| Code | Registered to | Vehicle type | Assigned to |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1HD | Harley-Davidson Motor Company | Motorcycle | United States |
| 5HD | Harley-Davidson Motor Company | Motorcycle | United States |
| 932 | Harley-Davidson do Brasil Ltda | Motorcycle | Brazil |
| HDR | Harley-Davidson Off-Road | Motorcycle | Africa |
| LBB | Zhejiang Qianjiang Motorcycle Co., Ltd. | Motorcycle | China |
The country comes from the first two characters of the code, following the international allocation.
Where to find the VIN on a Harley-Davidson
Steering head
Stamped into the frame on the right side of the steering head, where the fork meets the frame.
Frame label
Printed on a label on the frame downtube, together with the build date.
Engine
A shortened VIN is stamped on the crankcase. Compare it with the frame number when buying used.
Paperwork
On the title, registration and insurance documents.
Harley-Davidson models you can decode
The decoder covers every Harley-Davidson sold in the United States. Among the most common:
- Harley-Davidson Sportster
- Harley-Davidson Street Glide
- Harley-Davidson Road Glide
- Harley-Davidson Road King
- Harley-Davidson Fat Boy
- Harley-Davidson Softail
- Harley-Davidson Electra Glide
- Harley-Davidson Street Bob
- Harley-Davidson Iron 883
- Harley-Davidson Pan America
Harley-Davidson VIN questions
1HD for motorcycles built in the United States, 5HD for those built for other markets and 932 for Brazilian assembly.
On an unmodified motorcycle the shortened number on the engine corresponds to the frame VIN. A mismatch means the engine has been replaced, which is worth asking the seller about.
No. Earlier motorcycles used shorter numbers in Harley's own format, which the database does not cover.
That field applies to cars and trucks. For a motorcycle the decoder shows the model, year, engine displacement and plant.