stuckinatree
New member
Anyone have access to a VIN decoder site? I recently bought a EC 250 and need to figure out what year it is (it is between 2003-2006).
Thanks,
Brian
Thanks,
Brian
VIN Decoder
- Thread starter stuckinatree
- Start date
djroggen
New member
The VIN will go like this
(VTR)All Start (EC2000)Model (D) Year Code (01) Month (3) Year (4023) Serial Number
Year code starts with 2000 with letter A, so 2008 are a letter J. I is not included to avoid confusion. So this is a Enduro 200 From 2003, Made January 2003 with a Serial number 4023. With 450s the model is Usually FS450E then the Year Code. Hope this helps!!!
(VTR)All Start (EC2000)Model (D) Year Code (01) Month (3) Year (4023) Serial Number
Year code starts with 2000 with letter A, so 2008 are a letter J. I is not included to avoid confusion. So this is a Enduro 200 From 2003, Made January 2003 with a Serial number 4023. With 450s the model is Usually FS450E then the Year Code. Hope this helps!!!
MattR
Super Moderator
Post the first 10 digits and we can decode it for you. Some used letters to denote the model year, while others had a number. If I recall, those years used a letter.
MattR
Super Moderator
VIN Decoder:
1st, 2nd, and 3rd digits = Region/Country/Manufacturer
4th to 8th digits = Model
9th digit = Check digit or place holder
10th digit = Year (Note: some European VIN's use letters. 2000 = "0" or "A")
11th digit = Assembly plant
12th to 17th = Serial number
VTR XC200 1 0 3 010073
I highlighted the important digits in red.
You have a "XC200" and the model year is "2000".
The earlier XC's were brought into the USA with the lighter weight 2K-2 ignition and abbreviated wiring loom. No turn signals or horn, but did have a headlight and taillight will single toggle switch for the lights (typically mounted on the headlight shell).
EDIT: Don't forget to update your member profile with your location. It will help us answer your regional questions better in the future.
Welcome aboard!
Jim Cook
Platinum Level Site Supporter
How about this one?
VTRUS309905990047
?
Doesn"t seem to follow the rules too closely.
believe it's a 2000 model EC300,but has the 50 mm conventional fork?
What is it?
I believe it is a '99 EC300. The 30 stands for 300 and the 99 is the year model. The numbers toward the end denote the number/order of the bike in that year's manufacturing run.
You can tell for sure by the shrouds/seat it takes, unless the frame has been modified; same with position of the coil.
In 2002, the factory started using the standard system with a letter in the tenth digit position.
Ok I'm having a little trouble.
VIN: VTRXC3000C0910036
From the previous posts I'm able to assume this is a 2002 XC300, but the title says it's an EC300. I'm wondering which is right / wrong and how to verify what I have. I'll keep looking on the forum but this was the first thread I found on my search so decided to try for a quicker answer then diving through the archive.
Thanks,
Aaron
VIN: VTRXC3000C0910036
From the previous posts I'm able to assume this is a 2002 XC300, but the title says it's an EC300. I'm wondering which is right / wrong and how to verify what I have. I'll keep looking on the forum but this was the first thread I found on my search so decided to try for a quicker answer then diving through the archive.
Thanks,
Aaron
jhendr3702
Silver Level Site Supporter
my 01 was the same way. i always assumed it was an xc. never really figured out which one it was..
it had ec on the rad shouds and xc on the swing arm..
Jim Cook
Platinum Level Site Supporter
This is my understanding on the subject.
GasGas started using the 10th digit to denote the year model in 2002, which would put a "C" in that year's Vin at the 10th position. Before that, the 8th or 9th position digit would denote year model.
The early year (including "early" 2002) EC models were street legal in 52 countries around the world. However, Don Knight wanted to get a bike over here that was both less expensive than the "world model EC", and was more oriented to expert level off-road racing in the US, as the Knights interpreted it.
This was accomplished by the bikes coming to the US with an abbreviated wiring harness, smaller 35w ignition, FMF pipes, and the loss of street equipment (turn signals, etc).
A true XC would have the MX frame, which is easy to tell by the lack of a steering head lock.
Once GasGas North America split with GasGas Spain, and GasGas Motors of America started importing the bikes and parts (winter of 2001/2002), at first only the "world model" 2002 EC was imported. Due to dealer requests, the factory later started outfitting and sending to the US the "DE" models (Dealer Edition) that were very close to the former XC or SE models. (with true MX frames and MX suspension, with the "gold series" shock with high and low speed compression adjustment)
note:
The SE bikes were XC bikes with special Ohlins forks, gold series Ohlins shocks, higher compression MX heads, gold barkbusters, and customer personalized suspension. I believe that gasgasman had one of these. My son Josh bought a used one, which I raced in a couple of enduros.
The ECO models were simply the bikes equipped with Ohlins forks.
The customization of the bikes for the US market was the cause of the confusion over the designations vs the Vin numbers.
I hope that that helped.
Good Riding!
Jim
.
GasGas started using the 10th digit to denote the year model in 2002, which would put a "C" in that year's Vin at the 10th position. Before that, the 8th or 9th position digit would denote year model.
The early year (including "early" 2002) EC models were street legal in 52 countries around the world. However, Don Knight wanted to get a bike over here that was both less expensive than the "world model EC", and was more oriented to expert level off-road racing in the US, as the Knights interpreted it.
This was accomplished by the bikes coming to the US with an abbreviated wiring harness, smaller 35w ignition, FMF pipes, and the loss of street equipment (turn signals, etc).
A true XC would have the MX frame, which is easy to tell by the lack of a steering head lock.
Once GasGas North America split with GasGas Spain, and GasGas Motors of America started importing the bikes and parts (winter of 2001/2002), at first only the "world model" 2002 EC was imported. Due to dealer requests, the factory later started outfitting and sending to the US the "DE" models (Dealer Edition) that were very close to the former XC or SE models. (with true MX frames and MX suspension, with the "gold series" shock with high and low speed compression adjustment)
note:
The SE bikes were XC bikes with special Ohlins forks, gold series Ohlins shocks, higher compression MX heads, gold barkbusters, and customer personalized suspension. I believe that gasgasman had one of these. My son Josh bought a used one, which I raced in a couple of enduros.
The ECO models were simply the bikes equipped with Ohlins forks.
The customization of the bikes for the US market was the cause of the confusion over the designations vs the Vin numbers.
I hope that that helped.
Good Riding!
Jim
.
nknudsen
Member
Is it odd that my 00' EC250 does not have a steering lock? You made note of the mx frame with no lock? My bike has the LH handle bar switch w/ horn, hi/low beam, turn signal and kill button controls. It also has the 2k-3 ignition. The bike was all original.
Jim Cook
Platinum Level Site Supporter
In our shop, we stocked and sold all the street legal pieces; so a bike having a switch and street legal gear wasn't that rare. Plus, the XC bikes were not "formalized" until sometimes during the 2000 year model.
No, it's not odd about the frame, either. Don Knight asked the factory to send the US bikes with frames that had no steering locks, since they were street legal bike equipment, and the Factory wasn't interested in complying with the specifications for sending a street legal EC into the US. GasGas did as requested, because they could save time and money on manufacturing the frames (by hand).
For that two or three years, most (not all) of the US bound bikes came with no steering head locks. However, if they had an order and didn't have enough of the desired frame, GasGas would sometimes fill an order for bikes with the other frame.
GasGas North America would install either ignition on a bike ordered by a dealer, depending on which ignition the dealer specified.
For example:
In 2000, I had a customer order a 2000 EC250 with a larger ignition and the older 45mm conventional Marrazocci forks (instead of the 43mmm inverted WP forks most of the US bound 2000 models came equipped with). In response, Don Knight swapped the front ends and ignition with a '99 EC250 that he still had in the shop, and then shipped me what the customer ordered.
The only really oddball thing (to me) was that my customer's bike then had the Brembo front brakes along with the 'Zoke forks, and the Nissin brakes on the rear. Later, another customer bought the '99 EC250 from Don Knight, and I ended up with it as a trade in. I could tell it was the "donor" bike, because of the WP 43mm forks and the Nissin front brakes being on the '99.
I hope that I didn't confuse the matter.
Jim
.
Jim Cook
Platinum Level Site Supporter
All the equipment that was supposed to be on the EC, but wasn't, that would have made it street legal in the rest of the world. (switches, turn signals, tail light/license plate holder, tail light, horn, voltage regulator/rectifier, ie. the works.)
Plus, we stocked Trail Tech, and many other DS type accessories, as well as off-road replacement and upgrade parts.
I was a better enthusiast than I was a businessman.
.
nknudsen
Member
Jim, so the switches, brake light switch, horn, tail light & plate holder were all a dealer/owner add on for my US EC?
Why did some bikes have radiator overflow bottles? Mine does not.
What year did you sell the most bikes at your dealership? What was a good yearly average # of bikes sold? Thanks!
Why did some bikes have radiator overflow bottles? Mine does not.
What year did you sell the most bikes at your dealership? What was a good yearly average # of bikes sold? Thanks!
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Wheelieman69
New member
Holy crap I now understand " standardization " No wonder my local dealer gave me the run around when I first got my bike about telling me what year it was etc... I'm really glad this site exists otherwise I would have no idea what year bike I bought and part #'s etc.... Thanks guys... Lol
Wheelieman
Wheelieman
Jim Cook
Platinum Level Site Supporter
Not completely necessarily. Being a 2000, it might have been an early 2000 model, which was imported with the street legal parts, before GGNA had to step around the DOT requirements for importing the bikes as such. Part of why he wanted the bikes "less equipped" was to keep the DOT from getting into his business.
The XC models didn't have the "expansion tanks" (as opposed to an overflow bottle, since they were "in line" and pressureized), but we always kept them in stock. We also always kept the KTM 1.4 bar radiator caps as replacements.
It surprised me when I saw that my 2011 EC250 came with a 1.8 bar radiator cap.
In the spring of 2002, with GGMA (Tampa, FL) doing the importing, the new bikes coming in were more complete, with full wiring harnesses and expansion tanks, and large ignitions, switches, and horns. (No turn signals installed) Basically, they were just stripped enough to not be called street legal, but the horn was loud and the lights bright at idle, with the large ignition.
I don't know exactly when I sold the most bikes. I know that I never sold enough to make a good profit. I also know I wasn't the most popular with all the other dealers, due to shipping bikes to customers in other dealers' areas, and our low prices. We were very aggressive, and offered many services that a lot of other dealers didn't perform.
Until GoFasters came into play, we sold over 30% of the parts in the country.
We just didn't make enough money, and GasGas Spain didn't help, due to their policies and concerns, many of the same problems they cause Clay today. (late delivery of new bikes, etc.)
I still loved, and love today, the bikes. I just had to eventually close the shop so I could make a living.
.
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Jim Cook
Platinum Level Site Supporter
I suggest that every GasGas owner go to the www.GasGasmotos.es web site and download several different years' parts files, so as to be able to look at and compare numbers between years. There are some mistakes, and some of the drawings make various parts look obscure, but it really helps me when I order parts. I still have the parts books, but heavily rely on the computer files of the books.
It really helps to have the part numbers when making an order.
If it gets confusing, I will do what I can to help anyone out.
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Wheelieman69
New member
Thank you for your help Jim ! All is greatly appreciated ..
Wheelieman
Wheelieman
