Kawasaki VIN Decoder: Ninja, ATV, Mule & Teryx Codes

A Kawasaki VIN decoder reads the 17-character VIN on a Kawasaki motorcycle, ATV, Mule or Teryx built from 1981 on and can return the model, engine size, model year and the plant that built it. Common Kawasaki prefixes are JKA, JKB and JK1, and the 11th character tells you whether the vehicle came from Akashi, Japan, Lincoln, Nebraska, or Thailand.

The decodes below come from NHTSA's vPIC database, queried in October 2026 with VIN patterns from published recall notices and the serial numbers replaced. VIN locations come from Kawasaki's support FAQ, and the position meanings from the VIN coding description Kawasaki filed with NHTSA. For how motorcycle VINs work in general, start with our motorcycle VIN decoder guide. To decode your own Kawasaki, paste the VIN into our free VIN decoder.

Kawasaki WMI codes

The first three characters are the world manufacturer identifier (WMI). Kawasaki's own support FAQ says its VINs begin with "JKA", "JKB", "JK1", "JSA" or "LM4". vPIC adds the codes used by its Southeast Asian plants.

If a VIN on a green bike starts with JSA or LM4, it is not automatically fake. vPIC registers both codes to Suzuki with Kawasaki as a listed make, and Kawasaki names them as its own prefixes. Decode it and check that the model matches.

Japan-built or US-built? Read the plant code

A J in position 1 normally points to Japan, but on a Kawasaki it describes the manufacturer, not the factory. Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp in Lincoln, Nebraska builds vehicles that still carry JKA, JKB or JK1 VINs. The plant is in position 11.

We decoded the same Kawasaki VIN pattern with every possible 11th character. vPIC returned these plants:

In our sample VINs from recall notices, the Ninja H2, Ninja ZX-10R and Z H2 decoded to A (Akashi). The 2017 Brute Force 750, Teryx, Teryx4, Mule PRO-FX and Mule 4010 decoded to B (Lincoln). The 2024 Ninja 500 and Z500 decoded to D (Thailand). The table shows what vPIC can decode, not proof that every plant built every model.

What positions 4–8 mean on a Kawasaki

Federal rules in 49 CFR 565 require a motorcycle's positions 4–8 to identify the make, type of motorcycle, line, engine type and net brake horsepower, but they let each maker choose the code. Kawasaki's choice is easy to spot once you line the VINs up against the series code vPIC returns.

Two patterns hold across every sample:

• Positions 4–5 repeat the letters of Kawasaki's model code: ZX for Ninja sport bikes, ZR for the Z H2, EX and ER for the 500s, VF for the KVF Brute Force, RF and RT for the KRF and KRT Teryx, and AF for the KAF Mule.
• Position 7 matches the variant letter that follows the displacement in the model code. ZX1002L has L, KRF800H has H, KAF620R has R.

Kawasaki's VIN coding description, filed with NHTSA for the 2016 model year, fills in the rest. Position 6 is the nominal engine displacement, coded separately within each WMI: under JKA, C is 1000 cc and D is 750 cc, and under JKB, C is 800 cc. That matches the Z H2, Brute Force 750 and Teryx above. Position 8 is a net brake horsepower code: Kawasaki uses 1, and switches to 2 only if output changes by more than 10% without any other VIN change. The displacement table is per WMI and new codes are added over time, so read position 6 through a decoder rather than from a single chart.

Model year on a Kawasaki VIN

The 10th character is the model year, using the federal table: H for 2017, J 2018, K 2019, L 2020, M 2021, N 2022, P 2023, R 2024, S 2025 and T 2026. Our VIN year chart has every code back to 1980.

Motorcycles, ATVs and side-by-sides do not use the car rule that separates the 1990s from the 2020s, so an R could be 1994 or 2024. vPIC added a warning to the Kawasaki decodes we ran that "the Model Year decoded for this VIN may be incorrect." In practice the model and engine details usually settle it. If the bike is old enough for doubt, check the title.

Decoded Kawasaki VIN examples

Here are two full decodes. Both use a real VIN pattern from a recall notice, with the serial replaced by 100001 and the check digit recalculated.

Ninja ZX-10R: JKBZXVL14MA100001

The pattern comes from NHTSA recall report 21V-593.

Teryx: JKBRFCH14HB100001

The pattern comes from the June 2017 CPSC recall alert for Kawasaki utility vehicles, ROVs and ATVs.

The Teryx decode also carried vPIC error code 10, an "Off-Road Vehicle Warning." It says the manufacturer did not certify the product as complying with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for motor vehicles. vPIC returned the same warning for the Brute Force 750 and both Mule models. That is normal for these machines and does not mean the VIN is wrong. Our ATV VIN decoder guide explains how off-road VINs differ, and our Yamaha VIN decoder guide covers the closest rival brand.

Where the VIN is on Kawasaki motorcycles, ATVs, Mule and Teryx

Kawasaki's support FAQ gives these locations:

Locations can vary by generation. The 2017 CPSC recall notice, for example, describes the Teryx and Mule PRO VIN as on the steel frame between the right front lower A-arm mounts, the Brute Force 750 VIN between the left front lower A-arm mounts, and the Mule SX and Mule 4000 VIN under the seat. Your owner's manual shows the exact spot for your model. The engine number is separate; use the frame VIN for recall searches and paperwork. For other vehicle types, see our VIN location guide.

Checking a used Kawasaki by VIN

1. Read the VIN from the frame, not the ad, and match it to the title.
2. Decode it and confirm the model, engine size, year and plant fit what the seller describes. A Ninja ZX-10R VIN should contain ZX and decode to a 998 cc four-cylinder.
3. Check for unrecovered theft and salvage records with NICB VINCheck. Our NICB VIN check guide explains the results.
4. Check open recalls at NHTSA's recall lookup. Kawasaki street bikes, ATVs and side-by-sides all have recall histories. Bikes appear in NHTSA reports such as 21V-593 and 25V-146, while the 2017 off-road recall was announced through the CPSC. Our guide to recall checks by VIN covers both routes.
5. If the frame was replaced, ask for the paperwork. Kawasaki's FAQ says it "does not issue duplicate VIN or frame numbers" and that owners need a new VIN from the state where the vehicle is registered.

Comparing Japanese bikes? Our Honda motorcycle VIN decoder and Suzuki motorcycle VIN decoder guides cover the other two big makers.