Recently I had an interesting discussion with another member of our group, about identifying the exact year of manufacturing of your Varadero.
The year of manufacturing can be taken from the 'Vehicle Identification Number', the so-called VIN number on your typetag (on a Varadero bolted on the frame on the right hand side).
However, the year of construction is never literally written on it, but is 'coded' in the 10th character (letter or number) of your VIN number. This is the same with every car or motorcycle: always the 10th character.
The codes are as follows. I have limited the series to the period in which the Varadero was available as new:
W = 1998
X = 1999
Y = 2000
1 = 2001
2 = 2002
3 = 2003
4 = 2004
5 = 2005
6 = 2006
7 = 2007
8 = 2008
9 = 2009
A = 2010
B = 2011
C = 2012
Below 2 photos for illustration, in the white circle you will find the 10th character that reflects the year of construction:
For photo 1 (top), a 'B' is in the 10th position. From the list above we can see that this bike was built in 2011.
In the 2nd photo there is a '3' in the 10th position. From the list above we can see that this bike was built in 2003.
Sometimes motorcycles are offered for sale where the suggestion is made (consciously or unconsciously) that it is from a certain year of manufacturing. With this handy tip you can determine the year of manufacture with great certainty!
What we also see is that a relatively young SD03 already produces its maximum allowable exhaust noise (91Dba) at 3,750 rpm; an SD02 from 2003 at 4,000 rpm ... 😅
