I started a thread about it but messed up the title.

Carl have you tried contacting MV USA? They might be able to shed some light on it. I have their phone number somewhere and can dig it up if you need it.

The VIN you entered has an invalid check digit. The check digit is a value encoded into the VIN in order to protect against altering VINs illegally. Since the check digit is invalid the VIN that you entered is not a correct VIN for your bike.


Would appear to be a 2005 model from the year digit. The 1st digit is incorrect for an Italian product. Here's some info:

A VIN code is defined as being 17-digits in length. It can be made up of letters or numbers but will not use the letters I, O or Q, for obvious confusion avoidance.

The VIN is broken down into five basic parts: World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI), the vehicle identifier, the check digit, the model year, and the serial number.

The WMI defines who manufactured and/or who markets the vehicle. It even gives a clue, although not necessarily accurately, as to the country of origin of the vehicle. By definition, the first digit is broken down by North America (1-5), Australia (6), South America (7-9), Asia (A-L), and Europe (M-Z). Many of these codes have come to signify specific countries like the United States (1, 4, and 5), Canada (2), Mexico (3), Brazil (9), Japan (J), South Korea (K), England (S), Germany (W), and Italy (Z), but sometimes they can refer to multiple countries (V, for example can represent France or Yugoslavia).

The next two digits (along with the first) will define the company representing the vehicle as the manufacturer or the seller. In many countries, "F" in the second position will represent Ford (but it can also be Ferrari if followed by a "Z", for example) or a "G" in the second position can define General Motors. The WMI are defined as a set of three characters and some manufacturers may have multiple sets to specify individual marketing divisions (1G1 for Chevrolet, 1G2 for Pontiac, etc) or specific types of vehicles (1FA for Ford domestic cars, 1FT for Ford light trucks, 1FD for Ford vans, etc).

One footnote to the WMI comes when the third digit is a "9" which defines a small-production company. In this case, the first three digits only partially define a manufacturer who produces fewer than 500 vehicles a year. To fully define the manufacturer, the 12th through 14th digits are used to complete the code. Small American manufacturer Panoz, for example, carries the WMI 1P9-213.

The 4th through 8th digits are defined by the manufacturer. They can define a vehicle very specifically including qualities like body style, trim level, engine, and transmission or can be very basic only defining the vehicle model.

To prevent fraud, the ninth digit was devised as a check digit. It is created by using a formula based on the other 16 digits. The check digit is always a number or the letter X.

Model year is outlined in the tenth digit. Simply defined, 1980 (if it complied with the SAE standard) would be "A", 1981 would be "B", and so on leaving out "I", "O", "Q", and "U". Ending with "Y" in 2000, the count starts again in 2001 with "1".

The 11th digit typically defines the assembly plant for the vehicle. The six digits that follow are designated for the serial number. Some manufacturers may start with a letter, which allows the serial number to exceed 999,999.

SAE's Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) system is quite dynamic, but like the two-digit year code found in older computers, it will need an update in a couple of years when defined model year codes run out. The update is in the works, but this definition works for all American-market vehicles (and generally for other markets) for the 1981 through 2009 model years.

Sorry, I screwed up the title here too. It starts with a Z. I don't have a clear pic of the number, other wise I would post it.

I just noticed the serial number today. It is a salvage deal I'm trying to buy for parts, so the vin doesn't matter much.

I thought it was interesting.

http://www.analogx.com/cgi-bin/cgivi...&Submit=Decode

With the Z in front it becomes a valid VIN including check digit, but not recognized by the decoders on the internet. Never seen any bike with a serial number sequence of all zeros before.

If I buy it I'll take a picture of the headstock.