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VIN question

1K views 13 replies 4 participants last post by  ancientdad 
#1 ·
Hey guys,

I've been curious for awhile. Do 12 digit VIN #'s only indicate [model - Series/production number] on a cb350?
or are there a few numbers in there that say the color it came with? I always assumed it wasn't like a car's fender tag where you could "decode" the original options, but realized I'm not 100% on that...
 
#3 ·
Thanks dude! That's what I kinda figured. It would be fun to get to do what the muscle car guys do and restore it exactly how it came out of the dealer. It even would be cool to find out which dealer it was bought at and get the dealership's license plate frame and everything...
 
#6 ·
Yeah, this one is heading northwest of us. Poor Louisiana is already near flood stage and now this is heading their way... fortunately it (probably) won't be a hurricane when it gets there, but they're at the point where a few spilled drinks in the street would be practically all it takes to breach a levee. Hey, my "tours" through the dealership service departments were short each time, a year or less - I was a kid, after all, and though I did quality work and had few comebacks, they all wanted speed and that's never been me - but it was a great learning experience and I knew a lot of people in the business for a long time as a result, which helped both me and my Dad for a couple decades. The best thing to come out of it (beyond all the stuff I learned) was knowing the owner of Honda Village in North Tampa who eventually closed the franchise after 10 years (never knew why) and he and a partner bought a huge salvage yard that my Dad did a ton of paint work and frame/fork tube straightening for... for about 5 years, I had first dibs on any choice total wreck the guy got, by way of my Dad. That's how I got my first CBX in trade for a '78 CB750K8 turned F (changed tank and seat, added a Kerker 4-1) that I had $800 in plus $400 cash - with 4000 miles on it. Best totaled bike I ever owned

this
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for this (obviously repaired/finished, no before pictures in those film only days)
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#8 · (Edited)
Well, had a gearhead Dad... he passed at almost 88 in February of 2016. And yes, the advantages were tremendous - anything I wanted painted, regardless how I wanted it, he always did for me. Sometimes, like the 750K turned F, I'd just hand the stuff to him and say "just do something cool" - done. He was a master at paint and body, flawless work that always looked as good as factory. Never got to see my 450 build. Yeah, I always liked the SOHC 750s through that period too, but if I could have just one of my previous bikes back, it would be the CBX - either one, my first or second (but the second one was better set up, with the factory GP bars and cables and yet another set of Denco 6-6)

in the mountains northeast of Atlanta, ex-wife and I rode up there to visit a friend
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second CBX (1980) as bought for $2000 in '90
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after GP bars, Dencos
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and the first CBX on the now-congested road in front of the salvage yard in '81 (gone now, of course)
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and yeah, it's me - the only copy of the picture is hanging in my hallway
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#9 ·
Well, had a gearhead Dad... he passed at almost 88 in February of 2016. And yes, the advanges were tremendous - anything I wanted painted, regardless how I wanted it, he always did for me. Sometimes, like the 750K turned F, I'd just hand the stuff to him and say "just do something cool" - done. He was a master at paint and body, flawless work that always looked as good as factory. Never got to see my 450 build. Yeah, I always liked the SOHC 750s through that period too, but if I could have just one of my previous bikes back, it would be the CBX - either one, my first or second (but the second one was better set up, with the factory GP bars and cables and yet another set of Denco 6-6)
I'm sorry to hear that. I'm glad you guys had your fun together!
I can relate some on having a paint wiz for a dad. My old man loves the body work. That 6-6 musta cooked....Nice pics!
 
#12 ·
For early model Hondas, the color code for any painted part is indicated by the last three numbers of the part number. You will need an OEM Honda Parts Manual or a friend behind the parts counter at your local Honda dealer to cross reference this code. It may be three numbers, three letters or a combination of the two. Hope this helps.
 
#14 ·
However, that doesn't mean the code from the Honda part number is going to correlate to a paint color by an American paint manufacturer... they weren't doing that then and may not be now. For the longest time, my Dad used a handful of the little factory touch-up cans of candy coat color from the dealer over an automotive silver base coat to achieve his factory replica paint jobs
 
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