So I’m in the process of insuring a used motorcycle that I just bought. I have a valid, unaltered title which lists the VIN number. It is 9 digits long and accurate (it correctly shows the make and the 9th check digit is correct). This corresponds to the 9 digit VIN shown on the motorcycle’s engine casing.
Apparently, this is motor vehicle anathema. According to my insurance agent, it is impossible. He thought I was lying. Now I can't get insurance. So I'm going to have to take my title to the DMV for a big WTF.
Has anybody ever heard of something like this? 
<grumble grumble>
I should have mentioned that it’s a 1981 (hence it should have 17). :smack:
All I can tell you is a Google search reveals that a 9-digit VIN apparently occurs on imported vehicles. It also says that registration is a pain in the ass because nobody knows how to deal with a 9-digit VIN. One person suggested putting zeroes in front of your number for regestration forms that require the US-standard 17 digits.
Yeah, I saw the same message board posts as you, I suspect. Unfortunately, the insurance company isn’t so hot on having a bunch of zeroes at the beginning of the VIN. From what I’ve gathered, the 10-13 digits are always the year of manufacture. So that at least gives me a 13 digit pin…I wonder if I can reconstruct the rest…