Harley davidson vin error

If you’ve ever had to contact a Harley dealer to ask about a part for your motorcycle, you were probably asked for your Harley’s VIN number to help the parts counter employee look up the information. Interestingly, VINs have been around in some capacity since the 1950’s, but it wasn’t until the 1980’s that VIN standardization was established. Prior to 1980, manufacturers were left to their own judgment to create their VINs, but this flexibility meant that VIN numbers could be easily changed, which was a regulatory nightmare for both insurance companies and law enforcement agencies. Starting in 1981, all VIN numbers stamped on newly manufactured vehicles were required to be 17 digits long, and the sequencing had to comply with National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) guidelines and standardization.

If your Harley has been manufactured in 1981 or later, you can easily locate the VIN on the right side of the motorcycle, stamped onto the frame near the steering head. You can view it by turning the handlebars to the left, and then look along the exposed area of the frame on the right side. Since it is on the frame in a vertical format, you will read the number from top to bottom.

Decoding VIN at Harley-Davidson Service Information Portal

The easiest way is to register on the Harley Davidson information and service portal. It doesn’t take more than 5 minutes to register. In addition, you can check there if there are any recall companies.

Harley Davidson SIP User Registration

Using the VinDecoder application

The second way is to use the VinDecoder application from Batsille. It is a very simple and handy application that is able to decipher motorcycle VINs from 1903 to 2008. Unfortunately, the creator never released an update again and we can’t get a connection to it. In addition to decoding, the app also contains a lot of useful information about model ranges, engine models, etc.

You can download it here.

How to decode Harley VIN manually

Here’s how to decode the VIN on a Harley Davidson, and determine what each character means when using it to decode your own VIN. Note that the instructions below are specific to Harley Davidson motorcycles assembled and sold after 1981 only.

First three characters

The first three characters are a World Manufacturer ID, and indicate where the motorcycle was manufactured and intended for sale. There are four possible codes you’ll see in this spot. For VINs that show “1HD,” this indicates the motorcycle was manufactured for sale inside of the United States. If the VIN reads “5HD,” this indicates the motorcycle was manufactured for sale outside of the United States. If the VIN reads “932,” the motorcycle was manufactured in, and for sale only in, the country of Brazil. If the VIN reads “MEG,” the motorcycle was manufactured in, and for sale only in, the country of India.

4-8 characters

The fourth through eighth characters will identify the engine type, engine size, and model of the motorcycle. This is where the critical information on the mechanical details of the motorcycle can be determined from.

The fourth character will either be a 1, 4, or 8 to identify either a heavyweight 901cc or larger motor (1), a lightweight to middleweight 351-900cc motor (4), or a sidecar (8).

The fifth and sixth characters are both letters and indicate model designation for the motorcycle. This will identify if it is an FLT, Softtail, Dyna, or XL model. There are charts available online that give a robust breakdown of every possible model and assigned VIN code, but a general rule of thumb is that FLT (Touring) models begin with the letter “D,” Dynas begin with the letter “G,” Softtail models begin with the letter “B,” and XL models begin with the letter “C.” (There are a couple of exceptions to this; the FLHR Road Glide line will show “FD” instead of a code beginning with D, and the Dyna Bad Boy falls under the Softtail sequence with “BN.”)

Model Designation

FL Touring Models

FX/FL Dyna Glide Models

FL/FX Softail Models

XL Sportster Models

V-ROD Models

• HA = VRSCA
• HC = VRSCR
• HD = VRSCD
• HF = VRSCA
• HH = VRSCDX
• HJ = VRSCX
• HP = VRSCF

The seventh character indicates the engine displacement for the motorcycle. The possible letters you’ll see here, and the engine identified, are:

• “L” (carbureted 1340 EVO)
• “R” (fuel-injected 1340)
• “M” (883 Evolution)
• “N” (1100 Evo)
• “P” (1200 Evo)
• “V” (carbureted TC88)
• “W” (fuel-injected TC88)
• “Y” (carbureted TC88B)
• “B” (fuel-injected TC88B).

The eighth character indicates how the motorcycle model was introduced, whether it was a standard rollout (1), a mid-year launch (2), a California-only vehicle (3), or a Special Edition (4). Other characters will exist in this spot if the bike is sold internationally; these characters are unique to the specifications of where the motorcycle was manufactured and intended for sale.

ninth character

The ninth digit acts as a validator, or check digit, for the VIN. There are no secondary codes or references for this check digit, as it exists merely for validation purposes.

tenth character

The tenth character indicates the model year of the bike. Years 1980 to 2000 are alphabetical beginning with “A” for 1980, and ending in “Y” for 2000. After 2000, this was changed to be a number. The sequence began using letters again starting over with “A” in the model year 2010. However, the characters I, O, Q, U, Z, and the number 0 are not used in VINs; this includes the year identifier.

eleventh character

The eleventh character is a factory code and identifies the manufacturing plant that the bike was made in. Within the United States, the letters “Y” or “B” indicates the motorcycle was assembled in York, Pennsylvania. The letter “E” indicates assembly at the Buell plant in East Troy, Wisconsin. The letter “T” references the plant located in Tomahawk, Wisconsin. The letter “J” references the plant location in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and “K” is used to reference the plant located in Kansas City, Missouri.

Outside of the US, the two letters commonly used are “D” and “N.” The letter “D” is used to indicate assembly at the Harley Davidson plant in Manaus, Brazil. The letter “N” is used for motorcycles assembled at the plant in Haryana, India. However, if there is a character in this position that does not align with what has been identified, that indicates the motorcycle was assembled at a Harley Davidson plant in Thailand.

12-17 character

Finally, the last six characters of the VIN act as a unique serial number, and these characters are specific to that unit of the motorcycle.

Finally

With this information, you should hopefully be able to decode the VIN on your own Harley Davidson. Being able to decode this information not only helps to identify the correct model year and type of motorcycle, but it also helps when researching information on the motorcycle such as its accident history or whether it has been impacted by any safety recalls.

The trip odometer trigger switch is located in the left hand control module.

The switch signal is sent to the speedometer over the CAN bus.

If there is a problem with the CAN bus, the odometer self-diagnostic mode maynot function.

For a quick check of instrument function, perform a «WOW» test by entering odometer self-diagnostics.
Background lighting will illuminate, gauge needles will sweep their full range of motion and all indicator lamps
controlled by the CAN circuit will illuminate.

If the instrument fails «WOW» test, check for battery power and ground to the instrument.
If any feature in the speedometer is non-functional, see Description and Operation.

Table 1. Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) and Fault Conditions

DTC PRIORITYORDER

FAULT CONDITION SOLUTION

B1103 47 LHCM internal error

B1153 46 RHCM internal error

B1200 37 IM internal fault

B1210 176 Fuel level sender shorted low/open

B1211 182 Fuel level sender shorted high

B1212 175 Fuel signal low

B1213 176 Fuel signal high

B1300 340 Radio voltage high

B1301 341 Radio voltage low

B1302 342 Faceplate home button stuck

B1303 343 Faceplate favorite button stuck

B1304 344 Faceplate navigation button stuck

B1305 345 Faceplate power/mute button stuck

B1306 399 Rear hand controls shorted high

B1307 400 Rear hand controls shorted low

B1308 401 Rear volume up button stuck

B1309 402 Rear volume down button stuck

B1310 403 Rear mode button stuck

B1311 404 Rear PTT button stuck

B1312 405 Rear tune up button stuck

Diagnostic Tips

B1313 406 Rear tune down button stuck

B1314 346 LHCM VR PTT button stuck

B1315 347 LHCM up button stuck

B1316 348 LHCM left button stuck

B1317 349 LHCM center button stuck

B1318 350 LHCM right button stuck

B1319 351 LHCM down button stuck

B1320 352 RHCM info button stuck

B1321 353 RHCM up button stuck

B1322 354 RHCM left button stuck

B1323 355 RHCM center button stuck

B1324 356 RHCM right button stuck

B1325 357 RHCM down button stuck

B1326 358 RHCM CB squelch up button stuck

B1327 359 RHCM CB PTT button stuck

B1328 360 RHCM CB squelch down button stuck

B1329 361 Faceplate preset button 1 stuck

B1330 362 Faceplate preset button 2 stuck

B1331 363 Faceplate preset button 3 stuck

B1332 364 Faceplate preset button 4 stuck

B1333 365 Faceplate preset button 5 stuck

B1334 366 Faceplate preset button 6 stuck

B1335 367 Faceplate preset button 7 stuck

B1336 368 Faceplate preset button 8 stuck

B1337 369 Front left speaker shorted together

B1338 370 Front left speaker open

B1339 371 Front left speaker shorted low

B1340 372 Front left speaker shorted high

B1341 373 Rear left speaker shorted together

B1342 374 Rear left speaker open

B1343 375 Rear left speaker shorted low

B1344 376 Rear left speaker shorted high

B1345 377 Front right speaker shorted together

B1346 378 Front right speaker open

B1347 379 Front right speaker shorted low

B1348 380 Front right speaker shorted high

B1349 381 Rear right speaker shorted together

B1350 382 Rear right speaker open

B1351 383 Rear right speaker shorted low

B1352 384 Rear right speaker shorted high

B1353 385 Speaker output DC offset

B1354 386 GPS antenna open

B1355 387 GPS antenna shorted low

B1356 388 SDARS antenna open

B1357 389 SDARS antenna shorted

B1358 390 Front left headset shorted high

B1359 391 Front right headset shorted high

B1360 392 Front left headset shorted low

B1361 393 Front right headset shorted low

B1362 394 Rear left headset shorted high

B1363 395 Rear right headset shorted high

B1364 396 Rear left headset shorted low

B1365 397 Rear right headset shorted low

B1366 398 Internal thermal shutdown error

B1367 451 WIM fault detected Code used to support P&

A parts.

B1401 407 Amp voltage low

B1402 408 Amp voltage high

B1403 409 Speaker output DC offset

B1404 410 Internal thermal shutdown error

B1405 427 EQ correlation error

B1406 428 Invalid or missing EQ

B1410 411 Channel 1 speaker open

B1411 412 Channel 1 speaker shorted low

B1412 413 Channel 1 speaker shorted high

B1413 414 Channel 1 speaker shorted together

B1420 415 Channel 2 speaker open

B1421 416 Channel 2 speaker shorted low

B1422 417 Channel 2 speaker shorted high

B1423 418 Channel 2 speaker shorted together

B1430 419 Channel 3 speaker open

B1431 420 Channel 3 speaker shorted low

B1432 421 Channel 3 speaker shorted high

B1433 422 Channel 3 speaker shorted together

B1440 423 Channel 4 speaker open

B1441 424 Channel 4 speaker shorted low

B1442 425 Channel 4 speaker shorted high

B1443 426 Channel 4 speaker shorted together

B2102 4 System power output shorted high

B2103 5 System power output shorted low

B2104 6 System power output overloaded

B2106 257 L4 output open

B2107 225 L4 output shorted high

B2108 226 L4 output shorted low

B2109 227 L4 output overloaded

B2112 132 ACC output shorted high

B2113 134 ACC output shorted low

B2114 136 ACC output overloaded

B2116 92 Fuel pump output open

B2117 93 Fuel pump output shorted high

B2118 94 Fuel pump output shorted low

B2119 95 Fuel pump output overloaded

B2121 58 Starter output open

B2122 59 Starter output shorted high

B2123 60 Starter output shorted low

B2124 61 Starter output overloaded

B2127 243 E4 output shorted high

B2128 244 E4 output shorted low

B2129 245 E4 output overloaded

B2131 233 High beam output open

B2132 234 High beam output shorted high

B2133 235 High beam output shorted low

B2134 236 High beam output overloaded

B2136 229 Low beam output open

B2137 230 Low beam output shorted high

B2138 231 Low beam output shorted low

B2139 232 Low beam output overloaded

B2141 207 Left front turn signal output open

B2143 214 Left front turn signal output shorted low

B2144 215 Left front turn signal output overloaded

B2146 216 Right front turn signal output open

B2148 217 Right front turn signal output shorted low

B2149 218 Right front turn signal output overloaded

B2151 219 Left rear turn signal output open

B2153 220 Left rear turn signal output shorted low

B2154 221 Left rear turn signal output overloaded

B2156 222 Right rear turn signal output open

B2158 223 Right rear turn signal output shorted low

B2159 224 Right rear turn signal output overloaded

B2161 198 Brake lamp output open

B2163 199 Brake lamp output shorted low

B2164 200 Brake lamp output overloaded

B2168 172 Running lights output shorted low

B2169 173 Running lights output overloaded

B2172 237 H2 output shorted high

B2173 238 H2 output shorted low

B2176 239 Security antenna output open

B2177 240 Security antenna output shorted high

B2178 241 Security antenna output shorted low

B2183 249 G2 output shorted low

B2188 254 G3 output shorted low

B2193 257 H4 output shorted low

B2198 259 H3 output shorted low

B2201 52 IGN switch off w/VSS

B2202 53 Ignition switch accy with vehicle speed

B2203 50 Ignition switch input shorted low

B2206 51 Run/stop switch input open/shorted high

B2208 54 Run/stop switch input shorted low

B2210 55 Run/stop switch inputs both open

B2212 56 Run/stop switch inputs both closed

B2218 131 Neutral switch shorted low

B2223 197 Rear brake switch shorted low (light on)

B2226 247 BAS input open BCM not configured properly.

B2228 250 BAS input shorted low BCM not configured properly.

B2231 312 Fork locked w/VSS BCM not configured properly. This DTC should
only apply to CVO models.

B2232 313 Fork lock shorted high BCM not configured properly. This DTC should
only apply to CVO models.

B2233 314 Fork lock shorted low BCM not configured properly. This DTC should
only apply to CVO models.

B2234 315 Fork lock detected w/option disabled
BCM not configured properly. This DTC should
only apply to CVO models.

B2235 316 Fork lock configuration invalid BCM not configured properly. This DTC should
only apply to CVO models.

B2250 128 Clutch switch stuck

B2251 242 Horn switch stuck

B2253 228 FTP switch stuck

B2254 203 Left turn switch stuck

B2255 246 Trip switch stuck

B2256 208 LHCM police siren power switch stuck
BCM not configured properly. This DTC should
only apply to Police models.

B2257 209 LHCM police siren wail power switch stuck
BCM not configured properly. This DTC should
only apply to Police models.

B2258 210 LHCM police siren yelp switch stuck BCM not configured properly. This DTC should
only apply to Police models.

B2260 57 Start switch stuck

B2261 204 Right turn switch stuck

B2262 196 Front brake switch stuck

B2263 202 Hazard switch stuck

B2264 211 RHCM police lights power switch BCM not configured properly. This DTC should stuck only apply to Police models.

B2265 212 RHCM police lights front switch stuck
BCM not configured properly. This DTC should
only apply to Police models.

B2266 213 RHCM police lights rear switch stuck
BCM not configured properly. This DTC should
only apply to Police models.

B2270 27 BCM internal error

B2271 26 BCM voltage low

B2272 33 BCM/IM voltage high

B2274 49 Constant battery line error

C0562 38 ABS voltage low

C0563 40 ABS voltage high

C1014 183 ABS ECU relay error

C1021 191 ABS front WSS always zero

C1023 192 ABS rear WSS always zero

C1025 194 ABS front wheel speed intermittent

C1027 195 ABS rear wheel speed intermittent

C1029 193 ABS wheel speed difference too high

C1032 189 ABS front wheel speed circuit open/shorted

C1034 190 ABS rear wheel speed circuit open/shorted

C1040 184 ABS pump/motor error

C1055 39 ABS ECU internal error

C1061 185 ABS front apply solenoid circuit open/high resistance

C1062 187 ABS front release solenoid circuit open/high resistance

C1065 186 ABS rear apply solenoid circuit open/high resistance

C1066 188 ABS rear release solenoid circuit open/high resistance

C1071 283 Rear prime valve error

C1072 284 Rear isolation valve error

C1073 285 Front isolation valve error

C1074 286 Front prime valve error

C1075 287 Front linked inlet valve error

C1076 288 Front linked outlet valve error

C1077 289 Front circuit pressure sensor error

C1078 290 Rear circuit pressure sensor error

C1081 291 Front master pressure sensor error

C1082 292 Front master pressure sensor offset error

C1083 293 Front wheel pressure sensor error

C1084 294 Front wheel pressure sensor offset error

C1085 295 Rear master pressure sensor error

C1086 296 Rear master pressure sensor offset error

C1087 297 Rear wheel pressure sensor error

C1088 298 Rear wheel pressure sensor offset error

C1089 299 Pressure sensor external supply error

C1159 43 ABS invalid stored VIN

C1178 41 ABS no VIN received from ECM

C1184 42 ABS invalid VIN from ECM

C1195 266 Wake up error

P0031 153 Front HO2S low/open

P0032 156 Front HO2S shorted high

P0051 154 Rear HO2S low/open

P0052 155 Rear HO2S shorted high

P0072 112 AAT sensor low

P0073 113 AAT sensor high/open

P0107 100 MAP sensor failed low/open

P0108 101 MAP sensor failed high/open port

P0112 123 IAT sensor shorted low

P0113 125 IAT sensor high/open

P0117 102 ET sensor shorted low

P0118 107 ET sensor high/open

P0120 76 TPS 1 range error

P0122 74 TPS 1 low

P0123 75 TPS 1 high/open

P0131 157 O2 sensor low/engine lean (front)

P0132 159 Engine running rich (front)

P0134 161 Oxygen sensor high/open (front)

P0151 158 O2 sensor low/engine lean (rear)

P0152 160 Engine running rich (rear)

P0154 162 O2 sensor high/open (rear)

P0220 79 TPS 2 range error

P0222 77 TPS 2 low/open

P0223 78 TPS 2 high

P0261 96 Fuel injector low/open (front)

P0262 97 Fuel injector shorted high (front)

P0264 98 Fuel injector low/open (rear)

P0265 99 Fuel injector shorted high (rear)

P0325 139 Knock sensor front open circuit

P0327 140 Knock sensor front circuit low

P0328 141 Knock sensor front circuit high

P0330 142 Knock sensor rear open circuit

P0332 143 Knock sensor rear circuit low

P0333 144 Knock sensor rear circuit high

P0371 65 CKP sensor wrong number of Description and Operation pulses

P0374 64 CKP sensor no pulses

P0444 147 Purge solenoid low/open

P0445 148 Purge solenoid shorted high

P0462 174 Fuel sender shorted low

P0463 175 Fuel sender shorted high/open

P0502 137 VSS failed low

P0503 138 VSS failed high

P0505 148 Idle speed control — unstable Loss of Idle Speed Control

P0522 168 Engine oil pressure sensor/switchм shorted low

P0523 169 Engine oil pressure sensor/switch shorted high/open

P0562 127 ECM voltage low

P0572 202 Brake switch low

P0577 163 Cruise control input error

P0603 29 ECM EEPROM memory error

P0605 28 ECM FLASH memory error

P0641 62 5 Volt reference out of range

P0651 63 5 Volt reference 2 out of range

P0693 119 Chassis fan control circuit shorted low

P0694 120 Chassis fan control circuit shorted high

P1009 32 VTD disabled fuel due to bad password

General

P1017 103 ET indicates overheating

P1019 106 ECT difference (high temp)

P1270 67 TGS 2 A/D validation error

P1501 166 JSS low

P1502 167 JSS high/open

P1505 445 Power limit violation

P1510 447 ETC limited performance mode

P1511 448 ETC power management mode

P1512 449 ETC forced idle mode

P1514 87 ETC airflow error

P1600 66 ETC watchdog error

P1655 164 ACR solenoid low/open

P1656 165 ACR solenoid shorted high

P1691 115 Cooling fan left low/open

P1692 116 Cooling fan left shorted high

P1693 117 Cooling fan right low/open

P1694 118 Cooling fan right shorted high

P2100 82 ETC driver open circuit

P2101 83 ETC actuation error

P2102 84 ETC driver shorted low

P2103 85 ETC driver shorted high

P2105 446 ETC forced shutdown mode

P2107 68 ETC driver internal error

P2119 81 ETC actuator return error

P2122 69 TGS 1 low/open

P2123 70 TGS 1 high

P2127 71 TGS 2 low/open

P2128 72 TGS 2 high

P2135 80 TPS correlation error

P2138 73 TGS correlation error

P2176 86 ETC zero position learning error

P2184 121 ECT sensor low

P2185 122 ECT sensor high

P2300 88 Ignition coil driver low/open (front)

P2301 89 Ignition coil driver shorted high (front)

P2303 90 Ignition coil driver low/open (rear)

P2304 91 Ignition coil driver shorted high (rear)

P2602 104 Coolant pump «A» control circuit low

P2603 105 Coolant pump «A» control circuit high

U0001 1 CAN BUS error

U0002 16 CAN comm bus perf error

U0003 13 Network management monitoring

U0011 2 CAN bus low shorted to CAN bus high

U0100 7 Lost comm w/ECM

U0121 11 Lost comm w/ABS

U0140 3 Lost comm w/BCM

U0141 9 Lost comm w/LHCM

U0142 8 Lost comm w/RHCM

U0156 10 Lost comm w/speedo

U0158 180 Lost comm w/fuel gauge

U0159 181 Lost comm w/volt gauge

U0160 179 Lost comm w/fuel and volt gauges

U0184 323 Lost comm w/radio

U0185 325 Lost comm w/AMP 1

U0186 326 Lost comm w/AMP 2

U0300 15 Internal control module software incompatibility

U1302 324 ACC bus perf error

U1401 331 Lost comm w/CB

U1401 331 Lost comm w/CB

U1405 450 ACC bus lost comm w/ WIM Code used to support P&A parts