CB500 & VIN Model Year

hi all. 
i just got my bike and in a week or so i'll have the license too hopefully.
i've got something here that i need to sort out.
been reading through this informative site that google translated for me:
http://www.cb500-wiki.de/doku.php?id=cb500:modellvarianten_und_fahrgestellnummern
the 10th digit of my VIN is 'Y' and according to the site that i linked to you the model year of my bike would be 2000.
now if you read the text below all the year symbols it says that if no changes were made between two models, the later model will have the same symbol as its predecessor.
i'm a little confused here since the registration papers only tell about the first time the vehicle was registered, and that's in 2002. 
the seller told me it was a 2002 model, and when i order parts from a honda/bmw dealer i'm told it's a 2000 because of the 'Y' symbol, but maybe the dealer isn't aware of the case with the unaltered model year digits that i mentioned?
hope one of you can clarify some of this
thanks, dado

Sometimes you get vehicles that have been in stock for a while unregistered, it's not unusual. The parts are the same for all bikes post '97 (from the CB500V) when they changed to disc brakes front/rear.

thanks for your reply.
i'm aware that the parts are the same.
i just wanted to know the exact year of model in case i'm going to sell it some day.
if there's no mechanical difference it doesn't really matter which year i guess.
most important is it's been in use since 2002.

Have a look at this, its from the Haynes manual:



As you can see the 2000/2001 CB500 has the letter 'Y' in the VIN - I am pretty sure that your bike will be a 2000/2001 bike if this is the case.

Here in the UK it is quite possible that a vehicle can be made in one particular year and then 'do nothing' for a year or two (either with the manufacturer or, more likely, with a dealer) and then be registered a year or two later.  In this way the date of first registration may not always match the model-year/code on the vehicle.

now if you read the text below all the year symbols it says that if no changes were made between two models, the later model will have the same symbol as its predecessor.

I am not sure about this:  I thought that Honda used a different code for each year - they may well *also* use this to signify other changes as well.

yes, like teamster said, i think it's been in stock unregistered.
looking at the last six digits of the vin would put it under 00/01.
by the engine no. it's a cb500 r 93/94/95 but that's another deal, i guess they're not supposed to match with the vin?

dado_dassler wrote:by the engine no. it's a cb500 r 93/94/95 but that's another deal, i guess they're not supposed to match with the vin?

Probably had the engine swapped at some stage, it would have been matching from the factory.

i just found out that both frame and engine no. belong to cb500 r 93/94/95 according to the first owner's writing in the owner's manual.
with the vin still belonging to cb500 v at some point the engine must've been swapped as you say.
i'll have to check the numbers myself as soon as i get to the garage.
thanks a bunch for making some sense of all of this.

dado_dassler wrote:by the engine no. it's a cb500 r 93/94/95 but that's another deal, i guess they're not supposed to match with the vin?

i'm now going to seal this thread about the vin as 'solved'.
i checked the engine no. myself and they both go along, same model. my owner's manual belonged to another man and bike. that's why i got those mixed numbers, idiot me i check book instead of bike.