Even though Mules are not road-going creatures by their nature, the utility vehicles still have Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) stamped on their chassis by their Kawasaki makers. Instead of trying to figure out whether the vehicle is a Mule, or what model of Mule it is by looks alone, the quickest and easiest way is to find the VIN and use a VIN decoder to decipher it.

Step 1

How to identify your kawasaki vin and hin. The vehicle identification number (VIN) on motorcycles, ATV's, MULE™ utility vehicles, Teryx® recreational utility vehicles or hull identification number (HIN) on personal watercraft is unique to each unit. No two are alike. VINs have 17 digits. Aug 09, 2018  Kawasaki Z1 KZ900 Numbers Guide Far more complex than it first appears Kawasaki Z1 engine and frame numbers. All Z1 & KZ900 frame numbers are stamped on the steering head. Additionally, in the USA & Canadian market, there is a white sticker on the steering head showing the frame number and the date of manufacture.

Find the VIN on the vehicle. You can locate the VIN for a Kawasaki Mule on the frame. It may be on a plate welded to the frame near the front of the vehicle, or stamped on the frame just under the seat. Clean off the VIN to avoid a mistaken reading of the characters. If the digits are worn, make a rubbing with pencil and paper to lift the characters.

Step 2

Ensure the code you are looking at is a 17-digit code, if the vehicle appears to have been made after 1981. For older vehicles, the VIN code could be shorter.

Step 3

Check the beginning of the code. Kawasaki product VINs begin with 'JK,' 'JS' or 'LM.' The first digit refers to the country of manufacture ('J' for Japan, for example) and the second character to the manufacturer ('K' for Kawasaki proper). If your vehicle does not have any of these codes, it may have been made prior to 1981 or it is not a Kawasaki.

Step 4

Find out the year the vehicle was manufactured by looking at the 10th character of the VIN. This character represents the year of manufacture for vehicles made after 1980. The code begins with an 'A' representing 1980 and runs alphabetically until 2000, when the letter is 'Y.' Vehicles manufactured in 2001 carry the digit '1,' and the sequence continues until 2009 when the digit '9' is reached. For 2010 onwards, the alphabetical system resumes. (The letters I, O and Q are never used in a VIN, and U, Z and zero are never used in the year section.) Once you know the vehicle year and that is a Kawasaki, you may be able to identify the model by comparing it to other models of that year.

Enter the entire VIN code into a Kawasaki VIN decoder such as the one on the Motoverse website (see Resources). The free decoder will provide you with a breakdown of the information on the VIN. The rest of the code contains details of the vehicle engine and style, assembly factory and production sequence number, along with a check digit to prevent vehicle fraud.

Items you will need

• Vehicle Identification Number specific to the vehicle
• Pencil if necessary
• Paper if necessary
• Internet

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Kawasaki bikes are produced in Japan for the US market. Therefore, each of the vehicles that have been made after 1980 has a unique VIN number that is attached to the non-removable frame. The Kawasaki VIN number consists of 17 characters. If you look at the code of your bike, you will see that the first characters are JK. The letter J stands for Japan, the country where the engine and the frame were made. The next letter identifies the name of the company, here we have Kawasaki and letter K.

If you look at other letters and figures, you can feel lost because you should spend some time on deciphering. Or you can try to use the VIN decoder Kawasaki to find out the following things:

• The type of the engine and the type of the fuel;
• The model year of the bike, it's not the year of the manufacture (the difference can be one year);
• The style of the bike, its colour and materials used;
• The secret check digit (prevents any data loss about the code).

Such letters as Z, O and I are not used in VIN numbers as they can be mixed with the numbers like 2, 0 and 1. The Kawasaki VIN decoder processes the code within a few seconds and provides the truthful information that was collected from different sources. You can try to change one letter or one figure to see what happens at the end. The service will tell you that the code is invalid or provide the information about another vehicle. Every character is highly valuable.

Kawasaki VIN Number Decoder

Vin Decoder For Kawasaki Mule

Why do you need the code on the bike and why do you need to decipher it? During the manufacturing process, each bike receives several codes that will identify the vehicle and its components. It's done to prevent the bike from being stolen. Another reason for the numbers is collecting the statistical data about the bikes. The Kawasaki VIN number decoder can tell you a real model year of the bike. However, there can be a difference between it and the year that's mentioned in the registration card.

The VIN code on the frame of the bike should be the same as the one in the registration card. If you see the difference, you should inform the police about it. If you notice any signs of the damaged code on the frame, use the flashlight to lit it and the brush to clean it from dust. One more thing that you can use the Kawasaki serial number decoder is finding the information about the bike when you're looking trough the sale ads. You ask for the VIN code photo, decode it and only then you decide whether to buy it or not. Even if you buy a new bike, don't hesitate to show you the VIN code to make sure you're buying the bike of this year and not of the last or earlier years.

Kawasaki Serial Number Search

Knowing the VIN code will let you buy only genuine parts for the repair. You can use the decoder to satisfy your curiosity as many times as you need. This service is free. With this service, you will know what fuel to use and what parts to order to make the use of the vehicle as long as possible. The first VIN code appeared on the Kawasaki frame in the 1980s, from that time every US bike has it. If you see that the code contains strange characters like ZZZ or it's even shorter, it means that the motorbike was produced for non-US market.

Kawasaki Sample VIN

How To Read Kawasaki Vin Numbers

• JKAEREH11HDA05764 — 2017 Kawasaki Z650 EX650HH (649 cc), Motorcycle - Sport
• JKAKLEE1XFDA80906 — 2015 Kawasaki KL650-E KL650EF (650CC), Motorcycle - Dual Sport
• JKBRTCC18EB500459 — 2014 Kawasaki KRT800CF (800 cc), Motorcycle - All Terrain Cycle (ATV)
• JKAEXEE11CDA05038 — 2012 Kawasaki Ninja 650 EX650EF (649 cc), Motorcycle - Sport
• JKBZGNA199A019084 — 2009 Kawasaki ZG1400-A A (1400CC), Motorcycle