How can you tell just by looking???

[Sable]

Hey Y'all

 ? ?Questons on years of Visions. Being a newbie, I only have a little knowledge of the Visions. So, by looking at a Vision, how can you tell what year it is? What features should I be looking at to tell? ? ? ? ?
 ? ?The bill of sale says mine is an '82 but then again the guy I bought it from thought it was a Maxim. it does not have the dual front disc brakes, however, it has a speedo that goes up to 140 :o
 ? ? Anyone who can help me out please respond.

Thanks 8)

[Lucky]

any of the following could have been changed of course, but it should give you some ways to tell, and if it is mostly an 83...well no one is going to beat you up for it...  :)

On a US bike look at the emissions sticker on the inside of the side cover (forget which side) it will say "applicable to model year 198X"
 (X being an 2 or 3 in our case.)
this is assuming the cover is original.
other ways to tell

if it has a fuel guage between the speedo and tach (and a sending unit in the tank, I don't think 82's were wired for the fuel guage)

full fairing, of course is the biggest give away

lower riser bars (to fit the fairing)

black and gold color scheme (not offered in 82)

pegs and foot controlls set further back on an 83

dual ft disk brakes

air adjustable preload on the fork tubed

dual damper adjustments on the rear shocks.

radicly different carbs from the 82's (regulator is cast in to the bowl, not seperate.  pilot adj screws are large and on the right, acc pump has an adjustable stop screw in adition to the collar adjustment, split type float, etc)

that's all that come to mind right now...
--Lucky

[QBS]

Other tell tales:  '82s have chrome exhaust systems, '83s have black chrome.  '82s have silver painted final drives and swing arms, '83s are painted matte black.  Cheers.

[XRay_Vision]

Without a doubt the serial # are not the same series:

The 82, model id 11H, serial numbers start with: 11H-0, the first bike being 11H-000101;

while the 83, model id 28V, serail numbers start with: 11H-1, the first bike being 11h-100101.

Frame and engine serial # should match.

By the way, the Canadian edition starts with 11J-

[Kenny]

 For  info. our Canadian Visions in 82 were available in silver or black ,you could also purchase an optional sport fairing  as well as the 3/4 fairing.In 83 the rk came only in red and white and had the 3/4 fairing installed. We had no black exhaust systems or gold wheels.
       Back to the Garage! Cheers Ken S.

[jasonm.]

If it has a single front brake. And you are in North America. It's likely an '82. I have seen '82's with '83 speedos(140mph). Oh, it's a V-twin H20 engine I hope.