At a glance
- Austrian-built KTMs
- VBK, plant M = Mattighofen
- China-built 790 Duke and 790 Adventure
- LCE, plant H = Hangzhou
- Position 8
- 0 other usage, 3 closed-course competition, E electric
- Year letter
- T = 2026, V = 2027
On this page
How to read a KTM VIN
KTM North America files KTM's VIN guide with NHTSA and updates it as models change; the current version, J, is dated August 6, 2026. It fills the 17 positions every make shares (the VIN decoder hub explains those) with KTM's own codes. A KTM VIN decoder reads it like this, shown on VBKTV9407VM912345, a test VIN we built for a 2027 990 Duke with a computed check digit and a made-up serial:
| Position | KTM meaning | VBKTV9407VM912345 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WMI: VBK is KTM AG, Austria | V |
| 2 | WMI, continued | B |
| 3 | WMI, continued | K |
| 4 | Model code, 1st letter | T |
| 5 | Model code, 2nd letter: TV is the 990 Duke | V |
| 6 | Net brake horsepower band: 9 is more than 111 hp | 9 |
| 7 | Engine: 4 is four-stroke (2 two-stroke, 0 electric) | 4 |
| 8 | Type: 0 is other usage (3 closed-course competition, E electric) | 0 |
| 9 | Check digit | 7 |
| 10 | Model year: V is 2027 | V |
| 11 | Plant: M is Mattighofen, Austria | M |
| 12 | Engine capacity: 9 is over 900 cc for a four-stroke | 9 |
| 13 | Serial number, 1st of five digits | 1 |
| 14 | Serial number | 2 |
| 15 | Serial number | 3 |
| 16 | Serial number | 4 |
| 17 | Serial number, last digit | 5 |
vPIC decodes this pattern as a 2027 KTM 990 Duke (Motorcycle - Sport) built in Mattighofen, error code 0. The horsepower bands run from A (under 21 hp) through Z (84 to 86 hp) and then 1 to 9, with 9 for more than 111 hp.
What do KTM model codes mean?
Positions 4 and 5 are a two-letter model code. Off-road bikes share codes by family, so the VIN names the family, not the exact bike:
| Code | What KTM's guide lists |
|---|---|
| MR | Minis |
| SX, XC, XW, MX | Closed-course competition / off-road use |
| EX | Street-legal enduro, or EPA off-road / CARB green sticker (see below) |
| E1 | Electric Freeride (street legal) |
| LE, LR, LS, LD | 690 Enduro, 690 Rally, 690 SMC, 690 Duke |
| TU, TS, TR | 790/890 Duke; 790/890 Adventure and SMT; 790/890 Adventure R and Rally |
| TV, R9 | 990 Duke; 990 RC R |
| VA, VS | 950/990 Adventure; 950/990 Supermoto |
| V3, V6 | Super Duke R; Super Duke GT |
| V9 | 1390 Super Adventure S and R |
| VR | RC8 and RC8 R |
Most Husqvarna codes start with U, GasGas codes with G and Husaberg codes with H. Codes get reused: UN was the Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 up to model year 2019 and is the Norden 901 from 2022, so read the code with the year.
A real KTM VIN decoded: 2020 790 Adventure R
KTM listed this 2020 790 Adventure R's VIN as the first in one of the VIN ranges in its recall report to NHTSA (recall 20V-198, for rear brakes that may fail). NHTSA's vPIC database returns this for VBKTR3403LM778917:
| Field | vPIC result |
|---|---|
| Vehicle | 2020 KTM 790 Adventure (series: 790 Adv R) |
| Type | Dual-sport or adventure motorcycle |
| Engine | 600 to 799 cc class, 93 to 95 hp (vPIC gives ranges) |
| Plant | Mattighofen, Austria |
| GVWR | Class 1A: 3,000 lb or less |
| vPIC warnings | The model year may be wrong, so decode again with the year from the title |
Year codes repeat every 30 years, and the position 7 rule that keeps the two cycles apart covers only cars, SUVs and light trucks up to 10,000 lb GVWR, so vPIC flags the year on motorcycles and off-road vehicles.
Is my KTM street legal? What the VIN can and can't say
Position 8 is KTM's own flag: 3 means closed-course competition, 0 other usage and E electric. Competition models aren't certified to the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, and NHTSA's vPIC says so. Our SX and XC test VINs decoded with the model name "Closed Course Competition" and vPIC's off-road warning, which reads in part: "This is not a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) for a motor vehicle." That's a status, not a failed decode.
EX is the gray zone. KTM's guide says an EX model is either a street-legal enduro or an EPA off-road model with a CARB green sticker, depending on the model's name and year, and asks owners to contact KTM North America to verify case by case. Our EX test VIN, with 0 in position 8, still came back from vPIC as "Closed Course Competition" with the off-road warning. So the decoder can't settle street legality for an EX; KTM North America can, with the VIN.
Why does a KTM-family VIN decode as Husqvarna, GasGas or CFMOTO?
VBK is KTM AG's code for all its brands. NHTSA's DecodeWMI service lists KTM, Husqvarna, Husaberg and GasGas under VBK, and position 4 picks the brand: a test VIN with UN in positions 4 and 5 decoded as a Husqvarna Norden 901, and one with GA as a GasGas competition model. Expect the result to name that brand.
The 790 Duke and 790 Adventure are also built in China. KTM's July 2026 filing gives LCE to Zhejiang CFMOTO-KTMR2R Motorcycles, with H for the Hangzhou plant, while TU and TS keep their Austrian meanings. Our test VIN LCETU7402VH712345 decoded as a 2027 KTM 790 Duke, 799 cc, built in Hangzhou, with vPIC naming Zhejiang CFMOTO Power as the manufacturer. One gap: KTM's update sets horsepower digit 7 to 95 to 105 hp, but vPIC still returned 105 to 107 hp when we tested in October 2026.
A vPIC search for "KTM" also returns 3CG and L4V. Those are registered to KTMMEX SA de CV and decode as KTMMEX, not KTM.
Where is the VIN on a KTM?
On a street-legal KTM, start at the steering head. Federal rules put a motorcycle's certification label on a permanent part as close as practical to where the steering post meets the handlebars, and that label carries the VIN (49 CFR 567.4). The VIN itself must be marked on a part that isn't designed to come off except for repair, or on a plate fixed to one (49 CFR 565.13).
Closed-course competition models aren't motor vehicles under federal law, so the label rule doesn't cover them. For those, the owner's manual for your model shows where KTM put the number. For other brands' bikes, see the motorcycle VIN decoder.