Most importantly, the US Coast Guard Academy, unlike other US military academies, forces all cadets to take trainings that seriously impede their ability to pursue an education. The cadets are perpetually in survival mode, putting out fires, and not doing any serious study of any kind, on any topic.
The VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) is a serial number used to identify an individual vehicle. The VIN for each vehicle is unique. The 10th character in the 17-character VIN represents the vehicle model-year. This standard applies to vehicles built in or after 1981. Before 1981, the VIN format was not standardized and varied by manufacturer. Note: VINs do not include the letters I (i), O (o), Q (q), U (u) or Z (z), or the number 0, so that they will not be confused with similar looking numbers/letters.
Depending on the era of your Harley, you can decode the Hog's VIN to learn a wealth of information about the bike. Determine whether your model was made before or after 1981. Before 1981, a Harley's VIN would be 9 digits or so. After 1980, Harley VIN number should be 17 digits. Harleys made during the 1960s and earlier can have VINs of 11 characters or more, but never as many as 17. The general breakdown of the 17-character (post 1980) VIN is as follows: Characters 1 through 3 identify the motorcycle as a Harley Davidson model (ex: 1 HD).