Multistrada 1200 / Ducati Engine Numbers & VIN Codes Explained

Actually got around to having a nose around Ducati.ms outside the Multistrada forum the other day (Jan2011)………recommended, lots of good stuff!

I came across this article on Ducati Vin codes so of course had to go and take a look at my Multistrada 1200S Sport…

Now I know that the UK/EU (and possibly elsewhere worldwide) VIN coding system was (may still be)** different to the US system (thanks to ‘Shazaam’ answering my question by PM:-) but my VIN doesn’t correspond with the decoding described at all?

** Update….IS different (there is the EU VIN system with a variation for France and the US system is also slightly different)

Well no real answers were forthcoming from the discussion on the Ducati.ms Multistrada Forum but today (22Jan2011) I received the Ducati Multistrada 1200 Workshop Manual I ordered recently and lo and behold! 🙂 …..

…all is explained (very nearly, read on):

Notes / Key (further explanation of the VIN code):

(1)
1) Country of origin: Z = Italy
2) Manufacturer: D = Ducati
3) Vehicle type: M = Motorcycle

(2)
EU – self explanatory but for the US only (referring to Shazaam’s decode):
4) Motorcycle type: 1 = Street version
5) Motorcycle model: 2 = {doesn’t conform to the decode key?}
6) Engine type: B = Liquid cooled twin
7) Engine displacement: L = {not on the decode list but presumable L = 1198}
8) Net brake horse power: W = {is not on the decode list}

(3) ‘Variant’
’00’ for the EU and ’01’ for France (two digits not used in the EU to bring the number of characters in the VIN code string up to 17 total).
US – self explanatory

(4) EU = ‘Version’ ~ US = ‘Model Year’
EU – self explanatory except my Multistrada 1200S Sport is stamped ‘AD’ and not ‘AB’ as shown in the manual extract above?! (answers on a postcard please!)
US – self explanatory (A = 2010 [or 1980, the VIN year digit restarts every 30 years])

(5) EU = Year of construction’ ~ US = ‘Manufacturing facility’
EU – self explanatory (A = 2010 [or 1980, the VIN year digit restarts every 30 years])
US – Manufacturing Plant Code: B = Bologna Italy

(6) EU = ‘Manufacturing facility’ – Manufacturing Plant Code: B = Bologna Italy

(6) US, (7) EU = ‘Progressive serial number’ – 6 digit production number