How To Decode This 2008 V.i.n.

[Switchblade]

Need help , can not identify this VIN.

Its normal with the first 3 digits JH2(Japan) BUT the next five RC46E are the problem.

What does the "E" stand for ? I know what the RC46 means, model.

[Ultimatevfr]

Seems I remember the "E" was the 800 cc motor , could be wrong,

[Switchblade]

Seems I remember the "E" was the 800 cc motor , could be wrong,

My 03 does not have that letter. But they may have change it in 08. Thanks for responding .

[Veefer800Canuck]

http://www.vsource.org/VFR-RVF_files/BVINSystem.htm

[Switchblade]

Thanks ^^^^

[KevCarver]

So they made VFRs in Spain?

[JZH]

No, "RC46_" is the Vehicle Description Code part of the VIN. The last character is the one Honda changes to indicate the market for which the bike was originally intended. I don't have the information to hand, but I know where it can be found! Those codes are shown in the front of the paper (possibly also the electronic) Parts Catalogues for each Honda model. Unfortunately, US parts catalogs only list the US codes, so if the "E" is a non-US code (and my guess is that it is), then you would need to check the ROW Parts Catalogue or the Honda EPC (Electronic Parts Catalogue) to find that code.

Typical US codes are 0 and 1 (for California), Canada is 2, and then there are different codes for ABS-versions of each of those. Europe usually got letters, rather than numbers, but the only ones I've seen are "A" and "C".

Ciao,

[Switchblade]

No, "RC46_" is the Vehicle Description Code part of the VIN. The last character is the one Honda changes to indicate the market for which the bike was originally intended. I don't have the information to hand, but I know where it can be found! Those codes are shown in the front of the paper (possibly also the electronic) Parts Catalogues for each Honda model. Unfortunately, US parts catalogs only list the US codes, so if the "E" is a non-US code (and my guess is that it is), then you would need to check the ROW Parts Catalogue or the Honda EPC (Electronic Parts Catalogue) to find that code.

Typical US codes are 0 and 1 (for California), Canada is 2, and then there are different codes for ABS-versions of each of those. Europe usually got letters, rather than numbers, but the only ones I've seen are "A" and "C".

Ciao,

Maybe a military person bought it there and then move back to the states ?

[V4 Rosso]

Europe usually got letters, rather than numbers, but the only ones I've seen are "A" and "C".

Ciao,

This is a list of area codes from the Honda EPC

A = USA (49-state);

AC = USA (California);

AR = Austria;

CM = Canada;

E = England;

ED = European Direct sales;

F = France;

FI = Finland;

G = Germany;

H = Netherlands;

IT = Italy;

J = Japan;

ND = North Europe;

SP = Spain;

SW = Switzerland;

U = Australia.

[Switchblade]

JH = Japan Honda 2

2 = Imported to U.S. 1

RC46 = VFR800 4

E = ABS? 1

7 = Check Bit 1

8 = 2008 1

M = Plant produce at . 1

123456 = Serial Number 6

--------

17

??????????

[Cogswell]

My '08 is a U.S. model which has ABS. It also is "RC46E". Olive has two '08's (I'm pretty sure non-ABS), one I believe a Canadian model and the other purchased new in the US. Maybe send a PM and see what those two are.

[Duc2V4]

Damn you, now you got me curious. Found this on the web, not sure the validity of it but looks like it goes through the whole bit check and what not.

http://www.wikihow.com/Decode-a-VIN

[Switchblade]

My '08 is a U.S. model which has ABS. It also is "RC46E". Olive has two '08's (I'm pretty sure non-ABS), one I believe a Canadian model and the other purchased new in the US. Maybe send a PM and see what those two are.

10-4 Thanks .

Damn you, now you got me curious. Found this on the web, not sure the validity of it but looks like it goes through the whole bit check and what not.

http://www.wikihow.com/Decode-a-VIN

Thanks I'll try it ..

[Cogswell]

I did some homework on Cycletrader and ebay. Oftentimes private sellers list the vin numbers of bikes for sale (though not often dealers - it's usually a stock number). Of the ones for sale, here were the 4th through 8th digits of the ones with vin's listed. The '08's seem to have a consistent pattern - E with ABS and 0 without. However, on the '03 and '05 I could find listed with ABS, neither had an "E" following. So not conclusive, but the pattern does look to be E means ABS for the '08's.

My 08 ABS RC46 E

From Cycle trader

2008 non-ABS RC46 0

2008 non-ABS RC46 0

2008 ABS RC46 E

2008 ABS RC46 E

From ebay (current listing)

2008 non-ABS RC46 0

From completed listings

2003 ABS RC46 4

2005 ABS RC46 4

2002 non-ABS RC46 1

2007 non-ABS RC46 1

2002 non-ABS RC46 4

2005 non-ABS RC46 1

2009 non-ABS RC46 0

2002 non-ABS RC46 1

2007 non-ABS RC46 6

2003 non-ABS RC46 1

2007 non-ABS RC46 6

2003 non-ABS RC46 1

2007 non-ABS RC46 6

2002 non-ABS RC46 6

2003 non-ABS RC46 1

[HumalogAddict]

Interesting. My bike is a 2004 abs Canadian model.

JH2RC46544M.... Back to square one :)

[Switchblade]

I did some homework on Cycletrader and ebay. Oftentimes private sellers list the vin numbers of bikes for sale (though not often dealers - it's usually a stock number). Of the ones for sale, here were the 4th through 8th digits of the ones with vin's listed. The '08's seem to have a consistent pattern - E with ABS and 0 without. However, on the '03 and '05 I could find listed with ABS, neither had an "E" following. So not conclusive, but the pattern does look to be E means ABS for the '08's.

My 08 ABS RC46 E

From Cycle trader

2008 non-ABS RC46 0

2008 non-ABS RC46 0

2008 ABS RC46 E

2008 ABS RC46 E

From ebay (current listing)

2008 non-ABS RC46 0

From completed listings

2003 ABS RC46 4

2005 ABS RC46 4

2002 non-ABS RC46 1

2007 non-ABS RC46 1

2002 non-ABS RC46 4

2005 non-ABS RC46 1

2009 non-ABS RC46 0

2002 non-ABS RC46 1

2007 non-ABS RC46 6

2003 non-ABS RC46 1

2007 non-ABS RC46 6

2003 non-ABS RC46 1

2007 non-ABS RC46 6

2002 non-ABS RC46 6

2003 non-ABS RC46 1

Dude excellent idea . You nailed it .

I think that confirms it. E=ABS !!

[Lorne]

Not so fast, E≠ABS at least on my 2009 VTec w/ABS. It s/n is JH2_RC46F_9_9_K_000072.

Btw, all my previous Hondas (VFR750, VFR800, VTR1000F) had 2 as the 8th digit. And all were manufactured at M (Hamamatsu) while the VTec was built at K (Kumamoto).

[Switchblade]

JH = Japan Honda 2= Imported to U.S. and your in Canada ?

[Cogswell]

Yeah - it does seem like a strong pattern, but not conclusive. Here's a wiki description of the 4th through 8th vin digits. The only two differing characteristics that 6th gens had were (in some model years) the color, and whether or not they had ABS. And yet, looking at the 2002 non-ABS vin's above, there is a 1, 4 and 6 following RC46. AFAIK '02's only came in red, so since they're all non-ABS, what do the varying 8th digits mean? The '08's only came in 1 color, so ABS is the only thing different about them. So maybe that digit means something to Honda other than ABS. However, since that sequence is used to delineate model differences, it seems like ABS or not would be the thing they actually would show there. It would be interesting to see if Honda corporate can tell us or if they have a source for decoding all this. Enquiring minds want to know!

Vehicle descriptor section

"The 4th to 8th positions in the VIN are the vehicle descriptor section or VDS. This is used, according to local regulations, to identify the vehicle type, and may include information on the automobile platform used, the model, and the body style. Each manufacturer has a unique system for using this field. Most manufacturers since the 1980s have used the 8th digit to identify the engine type whenever there is more than one engine choice for the vehicle. Example: for the 2007 Chevrolet Corvette U= 6.0L V8, E= 7.0L V8"

[JZH]

I agree that the bike in question is indeed a US-spec 2008 VFR800 VTEC w/ABS. Honda usually used numbers for the North American markets, so I had suspected that it was a non-US bike, but the evidence I've seen in this thread has convinced me that letters were also used on US-spec bikes.

I have researched this topic over many years, so I am confident I know what the pattern here is, even if I didn't know the actual letters Honda used...

The first thing to understand is that in the ABS-era there is no single letter or number that always means "ABS". It is clear that, IN 2008, on a VFR, the "E" refers to ABS. But these characters change (or can change) each model year, so don't think E always means ABS. On the ST1300, for example, the US-spec ABS model was signified by a "4" in 2003 and a "3" in 2004, then "4" again through 2010.

The above anomaly actually caused a bit of a problem in California when the 2004 Model Year bikes came out. All motor vehicle manufacturers in the USA are required to report each year to the NHTSA what each of the characters in their VINs actually mean (apart from the ones that are specified by US Federal law), and American Honda initially reported the wrong numbers for that year--leading to California owners being told by the DMV that their bikes were "off road" models! After some digging around, I was able to find these reports on a government website, and downloaded all of the relevant ones I could find in the typically clunky government database. (See attached.)

(Also, the Honda "Area Code" is a different concept. These designations are used within the Parts Catalogs and Workshop Manuals to indicate the regions where the bikes were originally sold, but they are not used in the VINs.)

(One more thing: Paint codes are NOT reflected in the VINs. Only when there is a special model, e.g., the 2007 RWB in the USA, or the '99 "Anniversary" in the UK, is there a separate code used in the VIN.)

Ciao,

ORG2360 (2007 VFR800).PDF

ORG3213 (2008 VFR800).pdf

ORG4139 (2008 VFR800 & ST1300 special).pdf

[Switchblade]

Thanks JZH !!!

[Switchblade]

Closing this topic.

THANKS TO EVER ONE THAT RESPONDED !