Are we pretty sure that a sticker was used on VIN's as early as 97?
Mark, i'm looking through my literature collection for what "evidence" i might find.
the 4.69 parts book calls for sticker beginning vin 1.
Looking through my magazines more thoroughly, i do see a picture in the Sept.69, page 57, "Cycle Guide," magazine, a road test of a blue-green CB750. The machine in pics clearly shows a sticker. incidentally, in another picture of master cyl, the cap is clearly a machined cap. and the horn is a LH grey body, which is same as pics in the March 1970 of "MotorCycle" magazine, where the tester of the blue green machine used in that article noted the engine to be "CB750E-1000024" which also has a grey body horn and a machined cap. The "MotorCycle" tester also noted they had waited some time for other magazines to finish their testing before they could have access to the machine for testing. The test was noted by the author to have taken place late Autumn, as seen in a beautiful back cover picture. i am making the deduction, the year of the road test was Autumn 1969 and the machine used in this "MotorCycle" magazine test was probably the same unit as seen in "Cycle Guide," Sept.69. Page 59, of this March 1970 "Motorcycle" magazine, clearly shows a sticker on the machine with E24. Based on pictures from these period magazines, of what appear to be early vin units havine LH grey horns and machined master cyl reservoir caps, i would say, 97 should have a sticker.