VIN Check Digits Don't Match!

[WingMan71]

Wondering if anyone has ever seen this before.

My friend owns a 1985 GL1200I that he bought from it's first owner in 1990. His title matches the VIN stamped on the frame, but it does NOT match the VIN on the steering head!

The "check digit", which is the 9th digit in the VIN, is different between the two. The check digit on the frame VIN is a 3 and the check digit on the steering head VIN is a 1. All the other digits in the VINs match.

My research shows that the check digit was used by Honda to determine if a generated VIN was valid. I even found the table and instructions used to determine what the check digit should be.

There is no evidence at all that the steering head VIN plate has been tampered with.

I'm wondering how this could have happened at the Honda factory. Seems like somebody didn't work the check digit table properly.

Has anyone ever seen this happen before?

[WingAdmin]

Which of the two has the correct check digit? The frame or steering head?

[kennnn]

You can look up the correct number by typing into one of the websites found with this web search ... vin number sheck digit calculation

[FM-USA]

Few short years ago I was reading up on VIN tags being exchanged between vehicles.
The rivets are the tell-tale sign of tampering but in the past decade or so thieves learned how to duplicate said rivets.
I'm not saying your bike is 'HOT', just mentioning what I found out so you can take a better/closer/fresh look.


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[WingMan71]

Absolutely no evidence of the VIN plate being removed and replaced.

[WingMan71]

Which of the two has the correct check digit? The frame or steering head?

Don't know which one is "correct". But the only two titles for the bike have had the VIN stamped on the frame.