Yamaha VIN Decoder: 17-Digit VIN, 9th Digit and ATV Codes

A Yamaha VIN decoder reads the 17-character Vehicle Identification Number on a Yamaha motorcycle, scooter, ATV or side-by-side and tells you the model, model year and factory. Many Japan-built Yamaha motorcycles start with JYA, and full-size Yamaha ATVs built in Georgia start with 5Y4.

Quick answer: read a Yamaha VIN in six blocks. Here is JYARN71E6NA100001, which NHTSA's vPIC database decodes as a 2022 Yamaha MT-09 with a valid check digit:

You can paste the VIN into our free VIN decoder to get the result straight away. This guide explains what each part of a Yamaha VIN means, using decodes we ran against NHTSA's vPIC database in October 2026, so you can check the result yourself and spot a VIN that does not add up.

How a Yamaha VIN is built

Yamaha follows the federal VIN format in 49 CFR Part 565, the same one every car and motorcycle sold in the US uses, so the six blocks in the table above apply to every modern Yamaha. Our guide on how to read a VIN covers the rules in depth.

For motorcycles, Part 565 says positions 4-8 must encode the type of motorcycle, line, engine type and net brake horsepower. Yamaha chooses which characters carry which detail, and it files that scheme with NHTSA. That filing is what lets vPIC, and our decoder, turn the characters into a model name.

For a wider look at other brands, see our pillar guide to the motorcycle VIN decoder.

Yamaha WMI codes in NHTSA vPIC

The first three characters tell you who built the vehicle. We pulled every WMI that vPIC lists for Yamaha:

vPIC also lists LBP, 9C6, MH3 and VG5 under Yamaha Motor Corporation. You are unlikely to see these on a US-market bike, but if one turns up, the decode will still name Yamaha as the maker.

A VIN that starts with anything else but is sold as a Yamaha needs a closer look. Compare it with the frame stamp and the title before you go further.

What positions 4-8 mean on a Yamaha

Positions 4-8 are where a Yamaha VIN gets specific. We built test VINs for the 2022 model year (position 10 = N, plant A) and asked vPIC to decode each one. These are the patterns that came back with a model:

A few patterns stand out:

• Positions 4 and 5 group the bikes. RN covered the bigger sport bikes (R1, MT-09, MT-10, Tracer 9, XSR900), RM the 689 cc twins, DM the Tenere 700 and VN the Bolt cruiser.
• Positions 6 and 7 pick the exact model within that group.
• Position 8 changed the version in some cases. Full test VINs with JYARN71E decoded as an MT-09 with series MTN890, while the same VINs with JYARN71Y decoded as series MTN890C. For the MT-07, E gave MTN690 and Y gave MTN690C. If your title and VIN disagree on this character, check the emissions label on the bike as well.

Off-road bikes follow the same idea. JYACG40E6NA100001 decoded as a 2022 YZ250F and JYACJ26EXNA100001 as a 2022 YZ450F. vPIC added a warning to those decodes that they are off-road vehicles, which we explain in the ATV guide linked below.

Model year and plant codes

Position 10 is the model year. Yamaha uses the standard code table, so a full list is in our VIN year chart. The ones you will see most on used Yamahas:

The letters repeat every 30 years, so N means 1992 as well as 2022. Cars and light trucks use position 7 to separate the two cycles, but Part 565 only applies that rule to passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles and trucks of 10,000 lb GVWR or less. Motorcycles are not covered by it, and vPIC itself warns that the model year it returns may be wrong. Use the model, the title and Yamaha records to decide which 30-year cycle applies.

Position 11 is the plant. In our decodes, plant A on JYA bikes came back as Iwata, Shizuoka, Japan. On 5Y4 ATVs from the 2019 model year, plant A came back as Newnan, Georgia. Yamaha says its Newnan factory builds every full-size Yamaha ATV for global distribution. In August 2026 Yamaha also announced it will stop in-house side-by-side production at that plant, with production moving to an OEM-partner model.

Where the VIN is on a Yamaha

Yamaha publishes the VIN location for each vehicle type:

On a motorcycle, turn the bars to full lock and use a flashlight. Paint, dirt or a fork protector can hide the stamp, so clean it gently rather than scraping it. If you cannot find it, your owner's manual shows the exact spot. Our guide to where the VIN number is covers other vehicle types.

Always decode the VIN you read from the frame, not just the one on the title or registration. They should match character for character.

Decoded Yamaha VIN examples

The examples below use serial number 100001 and a recalculated check digit, so they are patterns rather than real bikes. Each was decoded by vPIC in October 2026.

Example 1: JYARN23E6EA100001

Example 2: JYARN71E6NA100001 decoded as a 2022 Yamaha MT-09, series MTN890, 890 cc three-cylinder, body class "Motorcycle - Sport," built in Iwata.

Example 3: 5Y4AM50EXKA100001 decoded as a 2019 Yamaha Grizzly 700, series YFM700PF EPS, 708 cc single, built in Newnan, Georgia. vPIC labeled it "Off-Road Vehicle - All-Terrain Vehicle" and added its off-road warning. For more on decoding ATVs from Yamaha and other brands, see the ATV VIN decoder guide.

Example 4: RKRSG36Y6KA100001 decoded as a 2019 Yamaha SMAX scooter, series XC155, 155 cc, built in Taiwan by Yamaha Motor Taiwan.

If your decode shows the right make but no model, the most likely cause is a misread character. A failed check digit is the clearest sign of that.

Yamaha model code vs VIN

Yamaha uses two kinds of names for the same bike: a marketing name, like MT-09 or Grizzly 700, and a model code, like MTN890 or YFM700. vPIC shows both. The marketing name appears in the Model field and the code in the Series field.

The two are not the same thing as the VIN:

• The VIN is unique to one vehicle. Part 565 says no two vehicles built within a 60-year period from the 1980 model year may share one.
• The model code is shared by every bike of that version. Thousands of MT-09s carry MTN890.
• Positions 4-8 of the VIN point to the model code, but you cannot read the code directly from them. You need Yamaha's filing, which is what a decoder uses.

When you talk to a dealer about a bike, give them the full VIN. It ties the bike to one exact version, which the model name alone does not.

Older Yamahas and short frame numbers

People searching for a "9 digit Yamaha VIN" usually have an older bike. NHTSA required the fixed 17-character VIN starting with the 1981 model year. Before that, Yamaha stamped its own frame numbers, which are shorter and follow Yamaha's internal format rather than the federal one.

A 17-character decoder cannot read those numbers. We could not verify a public Yamaha guide to the pre-1981 format, so we will not guess at what each part means. For a pre-1981 Yamaha:

1. Copy the frame number exactly as stamped, including any dashes.
2. Compare it with the title. The number on the title should match the frame stamp exactly.
3. Ask a Yamaha dealer or a marque club to identify the model and year.

If a bike from 1981 or later has a short number, treat it with caution. It may be a replacement frame or an altered stamp.

Checks before you buy a used Yamaha

A clean decode only proves the VIN is well formed and matches a Yamaha model. Before you pay:

• Run the VIN through NICB VINCheck for reported theft and insurance salvage records.
• Look for open safety campaigns with a recall check by VIN.
• Check title brands and the last reported odometer reading with an NMVTIS title report.
• Compare the frame VIN with the title and the seller's ID.

Shopping across brands? Our Kawasaki VIN decoder, Honda motorcycle VIN decoder and Suzuki motorcycle VIN decoder guides walk through those brands the same way.