They do seem pretty strict about the whole VIN thing all right. When I took my Honda 650 XR-L in they gave a big hassle about it being a "dirt bike" converted to highway use. The "dirt bike" is the XR-R version, not the L version. It took some doing and a couple of clerks before they finally figured it out.
My ERA Hawaii VIN "ERA-154" should be a big hit, oh boy, could be trouble.
