VIN Decoder · Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson VIN Decoder: 1HD, 5HD and MLY Codes
On a Harley the first digit tells you who the bike was built for, not where. 1HD is the US-market code, 5HD the export code, and a 5HD bike can come out of York, Pennsylvania or out of Rayong in Thailand. Position 11 settles it: B for York, S for Rayong. Selling a Softail as American-made? Read the eleventh character before you believe the ad.
- WMI set: 5 codes: 1HD, 5HD, MLY, MEG, 932
- Plant codes: 7 letters, two eras
- Last verified: 8 October 2026
Decode a Harley-Davidson VIN
Scope: Harley-Davidson 1HD · 5HD · MLY · MEG · 9320 / 17
A Harley VIN never contains I, O or Q. If the stamping on the steering head seems to show an O, it is a zero.
What a Harley-Davidson VIN actually tells you
Harley-Davidson calls position 1 the market designation. 1HD marks a motorcycle built for the US market; 5HD marks one built for sale outside the United States, which is why a bike delivered new by a German or Swedish dealer usually starts 5HD. MLY is Harley-Davidson Thailand, MEG Harley-Davidson India, and 932 the Brazilian subsidiary in Manaus.
Positions 4 to 8 are Harley's own descriptor. A 1 in position 4 means a heavyweight motorcycle. Positions 5 and 6 carry the model code, 7 the engine and 8 the introduction date, where 1 stands for a regular launch. The 2022 Road Glide Special decodes as 1HD1KTP, the 2019 Fat Boy 114 as 1HD1YGK.
Harley fills position 9 with a check digit worked out from the other sixteen characters, using the ISO 3779 weights. Then come model year (10), plant letter (11) and a six-digit serial. York used Y and Kansas City K until the 2010 model year; since then York is B and Kansas City C.
Harley-Davidson WMI codes
| WMI | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1HD | Harley-Davidson Motor Company, USA: motorcycles built for the US market. Also used by LiveWire |
| 5HD | Harley-Davidson Motor Company: motorcycles built for sale outside the US, in York or in Rayong, Thailand |
| MLY | Harley-Davidson Thailand: motorcycles built in Rayong |
| MEG | Harley-Davidson India: built in Bawal, Haryana, e.g. the Street 750 for markets outside North America |
| 932 | Harley-Davidson do Brasil, Manaus: assembled from kits for the Brazilian market only |
Sources for each code: Harley-Davidson's service manuals or NHTSA's vPIC list, plus an independent VIN reference. HDR (Harley-Davidson Off-Road) is filed in vPIC but nowhere else, so it stays off this page.
Built where, sold where: reading a Harley's origin
With Harley-Davidson the WMI and the factory can tell two different stories. A 5HD frame says export, not America. Buying a used bike in Germany, Norway or Finland? You will meet 5HD bikes from York, 5HD bikes from Thailand, US imports with 1HD, and Street 750s from India.
York and Kansas City: 1HD and 5HD
- 1HD was built for the US market; a European-delivered bike normally starts 5HD.
- Plant letter B or Y means York, C or K means Kansas City. A 2019 Fat Boy 114 with C came from Kansas City.
- The check digit is mandatory on both codes, so a mismatch shows red.
Rayong, Thailand: MLY and 5HD … S
- Harley-Davidson Thailand builds in Rayong; its own code is MLY.
- Thai-built export bikes can also carry 5HD. An S in position 11 gives them away.
- The decoder flags 5HD with S as a WMI/plant mismatch: expected, not a fault.
Bawal and Manaus: MEG and 932
- MEG with plant letter N is a Street 750 from Bawal, India.
- Harley-Davidson's own VIN table lists N as the Bawal plant in Haryana, Rewari district.
- 932 with plant D was assembled from kits in Manaus, for sale in Brazil only.
5HD does not mean made in the USA
Harley-Davidson's documentation defines 5HD as a bike built in the United States or Thailand for sale outside the US. The WMI therefore cannot prove American assembly. Position 11 can: B or Y is York, C or K is Kansas City, S is Rayong.
When position 9 adds up, the result turns green. It turns red when a 1HD or 5HD VIN fails, because both codes follow the North American rule. On MLY, MEG and 932 a failure shows amber: we have not yet checked enough real VINs from Thailand, India and Brazil to call it a fault.
Model year: position 10 on a Harley-Davidson
On every 17-character Harley, export bikes included, the model year sits in position 10. Because the code letters come round again after three decades, a T fits 1996 as well as 2026. Positions 1 to 9 of a motorcycle VIN give no hint about the cycle; the model code and the engine do. NHTSA's decoder reads the Rayong-built 5HD bike among our samples, T in position 10, as a 2026. Importing a US bike into Germany? The VIN gives the model year, whereas the Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I records when the bike was first registered in Germany.
| Code | Model year | Code | Model year |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 2010 | M | 2021 |
| B | 2011 | N | 2022 |
| C | 2012 | P | 2023 |
| D | 2013 | R | 2024 |
| E | 2014 | S | 2025 |
| F | 2015 | T | 2026 |
| G | 2016 | V | 2027 |
| H | 2017 | W | 2028 |
| J | 2018 | X | 2029 |
| K | 2019 | Y | 2030 |
| L | 2020 |
Frequently asked questions
What do the Harley-Davidson WMI codes 1HD, 5HD, MLY, MEG and 932 mean?
1HD is Harley-Davidson's code for bikes built for the US market, 5HD for bikes built for sale abroad. MLY is Harley-Davidson Thailand, MEG Harley-Davidson India in Bawal, 932 Harley-Davidson do Brasil in Manaus. LiveWire electric motorcycles also use 1HD.
Where is the VIN on a Harley-Davidson?
The full 17-character VIN is stamped into the frame on the right side of the steering head, at the rear of the frame neck. The engine cases carry their own number, which belongs to the engine, not to the motorcycle. The registration document always quotes the frame VIN: in Germany the Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I, field E; in the UK the V5C.
The engine number does not match the frame. Is that a problem?
Legally, the frame VIN identifies the motorcycle; the engine number does not. A mismatch usually means the engine was replaced at some point. If you are paying a premium for an original bike, ask for proof of the swap and compare the frame VIN with the papers.
Must a Harley-Davidson VIN pass the check digit?
A 1HD or 5HD VIN should. Harley computes position 9 with the ISO 3779 formula on both codes, including export bikes. If the decoder shows red, compare each character with the stamping on the steering head: a 6 read as a G, or an 8 as a B, is the usual culprit. On MLY and MEG frames we show a failure in amber, because we could not yet verify enough real VINs from Thailand and India.
What can't a Harley VIN tell you?
Nothing in the 17 characters records the paint, fitted accessories, a Stage kit or an aftermarket exhaust. Mileage and maintenance are missing too, and so is whether the engine is still the one it left the factory with. For that, compare the engine number, the service book and the dealer's paperwork.