To find the vin number, look at the steering neck, and the top of the engine case. These are stamped into the metal (See attached reference photo's). On the steering neck, you will see a vin sticker, with a printed date. That date, is the date it was made in Japan. The bikes were often made a year earlier, so they would be ready to sell the following year. Do not assume the date on the vin sticker is the model year. Always go off of the vin number, to determine what you have. This USA models Vin chart data, was collected by Enduronut.