At a glance
- WMIs
- ZDM (Ducati Motor Holding, Italy) and ML0 (Ducati Motor Thailand)
- Factory
- Position 11: B = Bologna, T = Thailand
- Horsepower
- Position 8, in bands from A (8 to 14 hp) to W (137 hp and up)
- Models in vPIC
- 61 entries, from the 1199 Panigale to the XDiavel
On this page
How to read a Ducati VIN
Ducati North America filed its 2026 decoding tables with NHTSA in December 2025. Motorcycles must encode the make, type, line, engine and net brake horsepower in positions 4 to 8 (49 CFR 565.15), and Ducati uses one position for each. Here they are next to a 2026 Panigale V4:
| Position | What Ducati codes | On ZDMDAG6W8TB008542 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | Manufacturer: ZDM for Ducati Motor Holding, ML0 for Ducati Motor (Thailand) | ZDM: Ducati Motor Holding |
| 4 | Make and family: A Multistrada, B Hypermotard, D Panigale V4 and Superleggera V4, F Streetfighter, G Diavel and XDiavel V4, H Superbike, K Scrambler, M Monster, R off-road, V SuperSport, X Desert X, 1 XDiavel | D: Panigale V4 |
| 5 | Type: A for street models, D Desmo 450 MX and F Desmo 450 EDX (competition only), 3 XDiavel | A: street model |
| 6 | Line | G: the Panigale V4 line |
| 7 | Engine | 6: 1,103 cc 4-cylinder |
| 8 | Net brake horsepower band | W: 137 hp or more |
| 9 | Check digit | 8 |
| 10 | Model year | T: 2026 |
| 11 | Plant | B: Bologna |
| 12 to 17 | Production number, from 000001 | 008542 |
One slip in the source: Ducati's model year table prints F for both 2015 and 2017. The standard code for 2017 is H (49 CFR 565.15, Table VII).
Example: a Ducati VIN decoded
This VIN comes from a new 2026 Panigale V4 listed for sale by a U.S. dealer. NHTSA's vPIC decodes it as a 2026 Ducati Panigale V4, a street motorcycle with a 1,103 cc liquid-cooled V4 rated at 137 hp or more, built in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.
Look at the series field, though. vPIC returns the whole G line: Panigale V4, V4 S, Tricolore, Tricolore Italia, Superleggera V4 and the Lamborghini editions, plus their DP versions. The VIN alone can't tell a Panigale V4 from a V4 S, so confirm the trim from the bike, its paperwork or the seller.
vPIC also warns that the model year may be wrong. Motorcycles aren't bound by the rule that makes position 7 a letter on cars and light trucks, which is what tells 1996 from 2026, so check the year against the title.
Was my Ducati built in Bologna or Thailand?
Two places tell you. Position 11 is the plant: B for Bologna or T for Thailand. Positions 1 to 3 name the manufacturer: Ducati Motor Holding builds in both Italy and Thailand under ZDM, and Ducati Motor (Thailand) builds only in Thailand under ML0.
Ducati's filing shows it with the new Panigale V2, whose VINs follow one pattern three ways:
- ZDMHAU8T?TB??????: Ducati Motor Holding, built in Bologna.
- ZDMHAU8T?TT??????: Ducati Motor Holding, built in Thailand.
- ML0HAU8T?TT??????: Ducati Motor (Thailand), built in Thailand.
In all three, H is the Superbike family, A a street model, U the Panigale V2 line, 8 the 890 cc twin and T the 111 to 122 hp band.
Ducati engine and horsepower codes
Position 7 gives displacement and layout. A few codes from the 2026 list:
- Twins: 8 = 890 cc (A and 9 are 890 cc variants with gearboxes for the Desert X and the Multistrada), B and P = 803 cc air-cooled, L = 821 cc, D = 937 cc, E = 955 cc, J and M = 1,285 cc, H, K and R = 1,262 cc with variable timing.
- Four-cylinders: N, W, 5 and 6 = 1,103 cc; V, 1, 4 and 7 = 1,158 cc; S, U and Z = 1,000 cc.
- Singles: 2 = 659 cc, C = 450 cc.
Position 8 is the net brake horsepower band: N 74 to 81, P 82 to 90, R 91 to 100, S 101 to 110, T 111 to 122, V 123 to 136 and W 137 or more, with lower bands down to A for 8 to 14 hp. The coded band can't be more than 10 percent off the bike's actual net brake horsepower (49 CFR 565.15, note to Table I).
Why does an XDiavel VIN look different?
The XDiavel family has its own codes in position 4 and 5. For the XDiavel, XDiavel S, Black Star, Dark and Nera, Ducati's filing points to the pattern of a 2020 example, ZDM13BKW?LB000001: 1 for the XDiavel, 3 for the XDiavel type, B for its line, K for the 1,262 cc variable-timing twin, W for 137 hp or more, L for 2020 and B for Bologna. The newer XDiavel V4 instead uses G in position 4 and V in position 6.
Where is the VIN on a Ducati?
Turn the handlebars and look at the steering head. Federal rules put a motorcycle's certification label, which shows the VIN, on a permanent part as close as practical to where the steering post meets the handlebars, readable without moving anything but the steering (49 CFR 567.4(e)). The VIN itself must be marked on a part that isn't designed to be removed except for repair, or on a plate or label permanently fixed to one (49 CFR 565.13(e)). Match both to the title before you buy.
Ducati models in NHTSA's database
vPIC lists 61 Ducati model entries under make ID 568. Some are single bikes, some are families, and a few are joined names: 1199 Panigale; 1299 Superleggera; 1299 Superleggera/Panigale; 620 Sport; 748; 749; 750SPORT/SS750; 750SS; 900FE/900CR; 900SS; 900SSCR/900SSSP; 916; 996; 998; 999; Classic; D16RR; Desert X; Desmo 450 EDX; Desmo 450 MX; Diavel; Diavel/XDiavel; Hypermotard; Hypermotard (HYM); Hypersport; M600; M620; M750; M900; M900S4; MH900e; Monster; Monster 1200; Monster 1200 / Monster 1200S, Monster 821; Monster 797; Monster (naked standard bike); Multistrada; Multistrada (MTS); Multistrada 950; Multistrada 950, Multistrada 1260; New Superbike (SBK); Panigale; Panigale V2; Panigale V4; Race Only; SBE; Scrambler; Scrambler 800; Scrambler Desert Sled; Scrambler Desert Sled, Ducati Scrambler 1100; Sport Touring; SS900/900 Sport; ST2; ST4; ST4S; Streetfighter; Streetfighter (SFT); Super Sport (faired sport bike); SuperBike; SuperSport; XDiavel.
For how other brands code their bikes, see the motorcycle VIN guide, the Harley-Davidson VIN decoder and the KTM VIN decoder.