The Helpful VIN Guide: 8 Tips to Help Locate Your VIN Number

Before we begin... 

We know it is important to get your machine up and running again whether it's something simple or a major repair; so to ensure we here at Louis Powersports can assist you with 100% fitment guarantee, the VIN is required for us to go through the manufacturer directly allowing us access to the specific catalog for your exact model (including special editions and limited runs). The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) can have numerous names, but are the same thing; these names are commonly referred to as the Serial Number, Frame Number, Hull Number, or VIN Number. The Serial Number, Frame Number, and VIN are most common with Motorcyles, ATVs, and Side by Sides (UTVs) where the Hull Number is most commonly used by Personal Watercraft. Having the VIN will also ensure that your machine is in fact a U.S. model and that you are located within the continental United States as we are currently unable to reliably ship parts outside of the U.S. (excluding Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico).

Please note that to ensure you can read the VIN correctly that the machine is clean and you have a lot of light (a flashlight would be useful for this). For clarification, the VIN will in fact be there as there are no machines without a VIN and they are VERY DIFFICULT to remove. If you are still unable to decipher your VIN on your machine, you may email us a well-lit photo of the VIN and we would be more than happy to try and decipher it for you. The best way to contact us for VIN deciphering will be sending us a message via Facebook Messenger using the link in the bottom-right of the page.

Quick notes, the VIN is typically located either under the front end near the A-Arm or radiator frame, or under the rear end near the A-Arm/Axle, but please note that this is not always the case and the rest of this blog series will go into more detail on the location specific for various makes and models. Generally, all motorcycles will almost always have their VIN on the Right Side of the Steering Neck. The best place to find the VIN is on the frame due to occasional typos on titles, registration cards, and insurance cards. The next 8 posts in this series will be the breakdown by Make and Model to assist you in where the VIN is typically located on specific machines.

For our full list of parts and brands offered, check out the link to our Full Catalog, or follow the quick links below to go to the brand specific page for your machine.

Arctic Cat

Can-Am

Honda

Kawasaki

Polaris

Sea-Doo

Suzuki

Yamaha

- Tyler R. 8/22/17