VIN Decoder · Yamaha
Yamaha VIN Decoder: JYA, VG5, MH3 and 5Y4 Codes
Look at the middle of a European Yamaha VIN and you will find three zeros: JYARM331000 and then the serial. Positions 9, 10 and 11 carry no check digit, no year and no plant on bikes sold in Europe. The useful part sits earlier. Characters 4 and 5 are Yamaha's own category and engine-size code, so RM reads as a sport bike of 601 to 750 cc, which is an MT-07. The first three tell you the factory: JYA Iwata, VG5 Saint-Quentin in France, MH3 Jakarta.
- WMI set: 9 codes, JYA to 5Y4
- Real VINs checked: 187 bikes, 1982 to 2026
- Last verified: 8 October 2026
Decode a Yamaha VIN
Scope: Yamaha JYA · JY4 · VG5 · ZD0 · MH3 · MLE · LBP · RKR · 5Y40 / 17
Yamaha VINs never use I, O or Q. The run in the middle of a European frame number, as in JYARM331000, is zeros, not the letter O.
What a Yamaha VIN actually tells you
The WMI names the factory. JYA is Yamaha Motor in Iwata, Japan, and covers the MT-07, MT-09, Tracer 9, R1 and FJR 1300 sold in Europe. VG5 is Yamaha's French plant in Saint-Quentin, the former MBK factory: MT-125, YZF-R125, XSR125, XSR700, Tracer 7 and the European Ténéré 700 carry it. MH3 is PT Yamaha Indonesia in Jakarta (MT-03, NMAX 125), MLE is Thai Yamaha (Tricity 300) and LBP is Chongqing Jianshe Yamaha in China (YBR 125, YS 125).
Positions 4 to 8 follow a scheme Yamaha files with the US safety regulator. Position 4 is the category: R sport bike, S scooter, D dual purpose, V cruiser. Position 5 is the displacement class: E 101 to 125 cc, H 251 to 400, M 601 to 750, N 751 to 1000, P above 1000. The same letters appear on European bikes. A VG5DM VIN is a dual-purpose bike of 601 to 750 cc built in France, in other words a Ténéré 700.
Then comes the part that confuses buyers. On every European-market Yamaha we checked, 184 VINs from Norwegian listings dated 1998 to 2026, positions 9, 10 and 11 are all zero. Only a bike built to US specification has a real check digit in 9, a year letter in 10 and a plant letter in 11.
Yamaha WMI codes
| WMI | Meaning |
|---|---|
| JYA | Yamaha Motor Co., Iwata, Japan: motorcycles such as MT-07, MT-09, Tracer 9, YZF-R1, FJR 1300 |
| JY4 | Yamaha Motor Co., Japan: four-wheel ATVs |
| VG5 | Yamaha's French plant (MBK Industrie), Saint-Quentin: MT-125, YZF-R125, XSR125, XSR700, Tracer 7, Ténéré 700 |
| ZD0 | Yamaha Motor Italia and Belgarda, Gerno di Lesmo, Italy: e.g. BT 1100 Bulldog |
| MH3 | PT Yamaha Indonesia Motor Manufacturing, Jakarta: MT-03, NMAX 125, some MT-07 from 2024 |
| MLE | Thai Yamaha Motor, Thailand: e.g. Tricity 300 |
| LBP | Chongqing Jianshe Yamaha Motor, China: YBR 125, YS 125 |
| RKR | Yamaha Motor Taiwan: scooters, e.g. the US Zuma 125 |
| 5Y4 | Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America, Newnan, Georgia: ATVs and side-by-sides |
Each code appears both in the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt's manufacturer list and in NHTSA's vPIC register or Yamaha's own NHTSA filings. JYE is left out: the sources disagree on what it is used for, and none of them puts it on a road bike. Outboards and WaveRunners carry hull numbers, not VINs.
Where your Yamaha was built, and what the VIN says about it
A Yamaha bought in Europe may come from Japan, France, Indonesia, Thailand or China, and the VIN shows which in its first three characters. What it will not show is the year: the European format stops after the model code and pads with zeros. Shopping for a 2025 MT-07? Norwegian listings show both JYA and MH3 on that model year.
European-spec: JYA, VG5, ZD0
- Positions 9 to 11 read 000 on every European VIN we checked, from a 1998 XJ 600 to a 2026 Tracer 9 GT+.
- VG5 is the French plant: MT-125, YZF-R125, XSR700, Tracer 7 and the Ténéré 700 sold in Europe.
- ZD0 marks Italian production at Gerno di Lesmo, seen on the BT 1100 Bulldog of 2002 and 2003.
Asian plants: MH3, MLE, LBP, RKR
- MH3 is Jakarta: MT-03, NMAX 125 and, on 2024 and 2025 bikes, part of the MT-07 supply.
- MLE is Thailand (Tricity 300), LBP is Chongqing (YBR 125, YS 125). Same 000 format.
- RKR is Yamaha Motor Taiwan; in our sample it appears only on US scooters.
US-spec bikes and 5Y4
- A JYA or MH3 bike built for the US has a real check digit in 9, a year in 10 and a plant in 11.
- K in position 11 means Jakarta. A means Iwata, Saint-Quentin, Hukou, Newnan or Hamamatsu, depending on the WMI.
- 5Y4 is the Newnan, Georgia plant for ATVs and side-by-sides; it always follows the US rule.
Plant letter A: five factories, one letter
In Yamaha's own filings A stands for Iwata on JYA bikes, Saint-Quentin on VG5, Hukou on RKR scooters and Newnan on 5Y4 ATVs. vPIC adds Hamamatsu for JY4 ATVs. So the decoder does not name a plant for A. Read the WMI instead. On a European bike the question does not even arise, since position 11 is 0.
Green: the ISO formula confirms position 9. Red is kept for a US-spec VIN that fails: a year letter in position 10 tells us the check digit is mandatory. A European Yamaha shows amber, and that is expected, because position 9 is a plain 0. Roughly one European VIN in eleven passes by coincidence, which proves nothing.
Model year: position 10 on a Yamaha
On a US-spec Yamaha, position 10 carries the year letter: L for 2020, S for 2025, T for 2026. The position-7 rule that settles the 30-year cycle on US cars does not apply to motorcycles, but a 1990 MT-07 does not exist, so context decides. A European Yamaha has 0 in position 10, and the VIN says nothing about the year. Buying a used MT-07 in Germany? The Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I gives the first-registration date under B; a British V5C records it too.
| 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 Yamaha WMI codes JYA, VG5 and MH3 mean?
JYA is Yamaha Motor in Iwata, Japan; JY4 is its ATV code. VG5 is the French plant in Saint-Quentin, ZD0 the Italian one at Gerno di Lesmo. MH3 is PT Yamaha Indonesia in Jakarta, MLE Thai Yamaha, LBP Chongqing Jianshe Yamaha in China, RKR Yamaha Motor Taiwan. 5Y4 is the ATV and side-by-side plant in Newnan, Georgia.
Where is the VIN on a Yamaha?
On a motorcycle it is stamped into the frame at the steering head. In Europe that frame number is the VIN, and it is what the registration document quotes: field E of the German Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I, the vehicle details on a UK V5C. The number on the engine cases identifies the engine only. If frame and paperwork disagree, stop there.
Why does my European Yamaha fail the check digit?
Because Yamaha does not compute one for Europe. Position 9 is 0 on every European-market Yamaha VIN we checked, from JYA, VG5, MH3, MLE, LBP and ZD0 bikes, and positions 10 and 11 are 0 as well. Only US-spec bikes carry a calculated check digit. A grey-import US bike that fails, on the other hand, deserves a second look at the frame.
My 2025 MT-07 starts with MH3, not JYA. Is something wrong?
Not necessarily. MH3 is Yamaha's plant in Jakarta, and Norwegian listings of 2024 and 2025 MT-07s show both prefixes: JYARM34 from Iwata and MH3RM53 or MH3RM54 from Indonesia. Positions 4 and 5 still read RM, a sport bike of 601 to 750 cc. Compare the VIN with the registration document; the prefix alone is no reason to doubt the bike.
What can't a Yamaha VIN tell you?
On a European bike: the model year, the plant beyond the WMI, the colour, the accessories and the service history. Those live in the paperwork: registration, service stamps, dealer invoices.