Vin number

[Bentole]

near buying a 12max - but vin code 1GR001286
Cant find ANY specs on that number ?


Anyone ?

 

[one2dmax]

Not sure where the 1GR is originated? The 1286 would be the 1186th bike built with the 1GR designation.

 

[MaxMidnight]

The VIN # will have ten digits and follow the following format:

1st digit - country of origin
The second character represents the manufacturer. All Yamaha bikes should have "Y "here
The third digit identifies the vehicle type (A = motorcycle)
Digits four to six identify the model
Digit seven - the market for which he bike was intended - E = US 49 state, F = California, N = Canada etc.
The ninth digit is a security key to ensure the VIN is valid.
The 10th digit is for the model year. These digits run J through Y for 1988 through 2000 and then switch to a numbers system.

Therefore a Yamaha motorcycle VIN will always start JYA.

 

[one2dmax]

I'm wondering if he is asking about the engine vin code which doesn't follow that naming convention. For instance most older Vmax's from the US have 1FK while later ones are 2WE.

 

[MaxMidnight]

Ah ha! Found it....

1GR is a 1985 US spec bike and came in either Dark Amethyst or Deep Scarlet.

See the attached file.

If anyone has any additional information to add to the PDF I'd appreciate it if you could send it to me to add to the file.

 

[one2dmax]

Nice file. I wonder if that is the California model? About everywhere else here got the 1FK's. Attached what I have.

 

[Fire-medic]

MaxMidnight, thanks for the posting, I've saved it for my use. I think the vmaxoutlaw website had that list, but it seems some personal injury attorney now owns the address, so all that info which was there is no-longer available.

 

[Steelroamer]

Mine is a 1gr motor. 1985 number 328 and it is a Canadian bike. I think it was originally a dark scarlet. Not sure what that means!

 

[dannymax]

1JH is the California model

 

[MaxMidnight]

As we know California models usually have the suffix 'C'; this does not appear on my source document (Yamaha Model Code Index 1958 - 2008 p.23 refers) although that doesn't necessarily prove anything.
Also the same document shows the 1GR as a USA model (p.21 refers)

 

[huw s]

JYA1UT003GAxxxxxx

Whilst trying to inure my gen1 trike I was asked to confirm yr of manufacture, country of origin, and why it had a Q registration plate (UK way to define something out of the ordinary, could be a few different reasons for it).
I was led to believe it was a Canadian bike - but the vin (and I've been totally confused by much of this), says its usa.
The engine number on the v5 (title deed) has a matching number, but the actual engine was swapped out by a UK "specialist", and has a 3UF prefix but no numbers (makes it a Japanese import I think)?
Can anyone here confirm my understanding - I think my trike is a 1986 USA import, with a Japanese engine of undefined year?
I currently have a replacement engine in it, but that will be for sale as soon as the original gets rebuilt.
Edit to add - the plot thickens - the white sticker on the headstock quotes "conforms to all federall requirements on the date of manufacture shown above" - 10/85
So is it a 85 or 86 model, or an 85 model registerd in '86?

 

[Fire-medic]

I have a manufactured date of 10/85 and it's titled as a 1986 model. assuming that the VIN #'s for the year start at ...101, it's a very-early production (the sequential VIN number is low three digits). However, the ninth space is the number, "4" and the next spaces are GA. So, my bike by the chart is a USA 1986 model.

Your bike is a 3GA, discounting that the "3" has anything to-do with the year, your bike would appear to be a 1986. From Max Midnight's post above #3:
1st digit - country of origin
The second character represents the manufacturer. All Yamaha bikes should have "Y "here
The third digit identifies the vehicle type (A = motorcycle)
Digits four to six identify the model
Digit seven - the market for which he bike was intended - E = US 49 state, F = California, N = Canada etc.
The ninth digit is a security key to ensure the VIN is valid.
The 10th digit is for the model year. These digits run J through Y for 1988 through 2000 and then switch to a numbers system.

Therefore a Yamaha motorcycle VIN will always start JYA.

The 1985 model letter is "F." The 1986 model letter is "G."

 

[huw s]

And what does 1ut mean? The original engine had this code apparently?
Thanks btw.

 

[MaxMidnight]

If you look at the file in post #5 you can find out.

 

[Fire-medic]

Measure your VBoost manifolds' I.D., even-if you don't have VBoost anymore, the castings bolted to each cyl head will still be-there, you'd just be missing the butterflies mechanism. The size for the VBoost on 1985 models is 30 mm, which was changed to 32 mm for 1986+ models. Bear in-mind that the O.D. of the tube is going to be different from the I.D.

Supposedly, because of the non-DOT (US Dept. of Transportation) exhaust system on the 1985 models, the megaphones, resulted in a pair of DOT-compliant megaphones and resonator box being substituted on the 1986 USA VMax models. To make-up for the exhaust system changes, the VBoost passages were increased from 30 mm to 32 mm.

I don't have a set of the cast-aluminum VBoost manifolds from 1985 to compare the I.D. of the 1985 to a set from 1986, but if the VBoost butterflies were a smaller diameter in 1985, probably the other castings were different also.

One of the easiest things to-see for the differences is the appearance of the side covers. The 1985 side covers is the only year that they were stamped with VMax, after the first year, a glued-on plastic emblem was used from 1986-2007.

The footpeg design was supposed to be different on the 1985's, perhaps someone could post-up theirs. However, in the event of an accident, footpegs are often damaged, and replaced. It would be good if someone could show us close-ups of these differences on a still-1985-compliant bike.

Both the 1985 and the 1986 bikes had different front and rear wheels from the USA models, 1988-2007. The front wheel is a spoked, cast wheel, the rear has rectangular cutouts radially-spaced from the axle.

There was no official 1987 USA model, because of a surplus of 1986 models, Yamaha didn't import any titled as 1987 models, though someone could have purchased a 1986 leftover model during 1987, it would have been a 1986 model, as verified by the VIN sticker on the steering head.

https://vmax.lvlhead.com/tips/vmaxhistory.htm
The above link was missing for awhile, it's here now, enjoy it before it disappears again.

 

[PATMAX]

85 only footpegs have rubber with rectangular block patterns.

 

[huw s]

Bah, just recently refitted the vboost and carbs, certainly not going to remove them, but I can measure the OD.
Sidepanels - look newish to me so no clues there.
Trike didn't have footpegs, so I bought some ebay ones....

 

[huw s]

If you look at the file in post #5 you can find out.

Yeah, read that, thoroughly. The frame column confuses me though - the 1ut refers to type, the 3ga refers to country?

 

[Fire-medic]

The 'G' in '3GA' is the year of manufacture. the '1UT' is the engine # designator, not-including the serial number of that particular engine. I don't think the USA models ever-made it to 10,000 produced in any model year, I think that the 1985 model year was the largest production run and I seem to-recall a year's tally of 8,800 USA models made for 1985. Remember that the bikes probably begin production for the forthcoming annual model year, probably at the end of the preceding summer, so the first 1985 bikes were bearing a manufacture date of something like August, September or October of 1984: 9/84, 10/84, or 11/84. Also, the USA VIN # headstock badges call out the model year of manufacture: " This vehicle conforms to all applicable … standards in effect on the date of manufacture above."

 

[huw s]

The 'G' in '3GA' is the year of manufacture. the '1UT' is the engine # designator, not-including the serial number of that particular engine. I don't think the USA models ever-made it to 10,000 produced in any model year, I think that the 1985 model year was the largest production run and I seem to-recall a year's tally of 8,800 USA models made for 1985. Remember that the bikes probably begin production for the forthcoming annual model year, probably at the end of the preceding summer, so the first 1985 bikes were bearing a manufacture date of something like August, September or October of 1984: 9/84, 10/84, or 11/84. Also, the USA VIN # headstock badges call out the model year of manufacture: " This vehicle conforms to all applicable … standards in effect on the date of manufacture above."

Engine designator - now that's a new one. What does it designate vboos vs no vboost? I Understand what you say about pre-building of machines, year of manufacture being pre the 1st registration. Maybe also to confuse things is that the model run could end 6 months after the date stamp on the white sticker, and if no changes were made the sticker is still valid - or is this nonsense?