hurricane
Registered user
how does one mere mortal decode a 17 digit vin to identify perticuallary year of manufacture and other import characteristics. by the way 2004
-2009 model specific
-2009 model specific
vin decoding
- Thread starter hurricane
- Start date
You can get basic information from various decoders on the internet but most only give you the model and possibly the month/year of assembly.
http://www.bmw-z1.com/VIN/VINdecode-e.cgi
The 17 character VIN is broken down into three parts, the first three characters are the World Manufacturer Indicator, eg WBA is BMW cars (but not the M models). The next 7 are the Vehicle Descriptor and may contain specific information that the manufacturer chooses to use for all sorts of purposes. The last 7 are the unique identifier that refer to your bike and no other.
I know that BMW do record the assembly plant and the intended market against the Descriptor section of the VIN but I've never seen this information outside of BMW production schedules.
The one above should give you the year and month of assembly but it won't tell you the intended market. It's not infallible, it finds my 2004 bike but not my 1989 one.
http://www.bmw-z1.com/VIN/VINdecode-e.cgi
The 17 character VIN is broken down into three parts, the first three characters are the World Manufacturer Indicator, eg WBA is BMW cars (but not the M models). The next 7 are the Vehicle Descriptor and may contain specific information that the manufacturer chooses to use for all sorts of purposes. The last 7 are the unique identifier that refer to your bike and no other.
I know that BMW do record the assembly plant and the intended market against the Descriptor section of the VIN but I've never seen this information outside of BMW production schedules.
The one above should give you the year and month of assembly but it won't tell you the intended market. It's not infallible, it finds my 2004 bike but not my 1989 one.
