Two ways to date a Honda outboard
1. The model type (1998–2006)
In a model type such as BF90A2 LRTA, the character after the model letter (A or D) is the model year[1]:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | W | X | Y |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 |
After code 6 (2006) Honda’s guide shows K0, K1… in that position. Those mark serial-number breaks, not years[1]. Older letters (H, K, M, T) are model codes that ran for several years, and Honda’s two documents disagree on T, so they aren’t decoded.
2. The frame serial number (1978–2006)
The label also carries the frame serial: four letters (the model family), a dash and 7 digits. Honda’s chronology gives, for each model and type, the first frame serial and the year the model was introduced[2]. The decoder finds the range your serial falls in.
Where Honda gives only a start (“and subsequent”), we treat the range as running up to the next model’s first serial with the same prefix, and the years as running up to the year before that model. That end point is our reading of the table, not something Honda states, so those answers can show more than one year.
Frame prefixes by model
| Model | Frame prefixes | Introduced (per the chronology) |
|---|---|---|
| BF2A | BAEB, BAEL, BAES | 1987–1998 |
| BF2D | BZBF, BZBJ, BZBK, BZBL | 1999–2006 |
| BF5A | BADE, BADL, BADS | 1987–2006 |
| BF8A | BACL, BACS, BACU, BZBC | 1987–2006 |
| BF8D | BAAJ | 2001–2006 |
| BFP8D | BAAJ | 2001–2006 |
| BF9.9A | BABL, BABS, BABU | 1987–2000 |
| BF9.9D | BABJ | 2001–2006 |
| BFP9.9D | BABJ | 2001–2006 |
| BF15A | BAAL, BAAS, BAAU | 1987–2003 |
| BF15D | BALJ | 2003–2006 |
| BFP15D | BALJ | 2003–2006 |
| BF20F | BF20 | 1985 |
| BF20D | BAMJ | 2003–2006 |
| BFP20D | BAMJ | 2003–2005 |
| BF25A | BAJL, BAJS, BAJU | 1993–2003 |
| BF25D | BATJ | 2004–2006 |
| BF30A | BAWL, BAWS | 1995–2003 |
| BF30D | BAUJ | 2004–2006 |
| BF35A | BAPU, BLAG, BSAG | 1990–1993 |
| BF40A | BAYL, BAYS, BAYU | 1995–2006 |
| BF45A | BANU, BLAF, BSAF | 1990–1993 |
| BF50F | BF50L, BF50S | 1985 |
| BF50A | BAZJ, BAZL, BAZS, BAZU | 1995–2006 |
| BF75 | BF75 | 1978 |
| BF75Z | BF75 | 1979 |
| BF75A | BBAL, BBAU, BF75 | 1980–2006 |
| BF75B | BF75L, BF75S | 1981 |
| BF75C | BF75L, BF75S | 1982 |
| BF75D | BF75L, BF75S | 1983 |
| BF75E | BF75L, BF75S | 1984 |
| BF90A | BBBJ, BBBL, BBBU | 1996–2006 |
| BF100 | BF100 | 1978 |
| BF100Z | BF100 | 1979 |
| BF100A | B100 | 1980 |
| BF100B | B100L, B100S | 1981 |
| BF100C | B100L, B100S | 1982 |
| BF100D | B100L, B100S | 1983 |
| BF100E | B100L, B100S | 1984 |
| BF100F | B100L, B100S | 1985 |
| BF115A | BZBD, BZBG | 1999–2006 |
| BF130A | BZBE, BZBH | 1999–2004 |
| BF135A | BARJ, BASJ | 2004–2005 |
| BF150A | BANJ, BAPJ | 2004–2006 |
| BF200A | BAEJ, BAFJ | 2002–2006 |
| BF225A | BAGJ, BAHJ | 2002–2006 |
Worked examples
| Serial | Style | How it reads | Made | Example from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
BF90A2 | Year character after the model letter (1998–2006) | 2 = year letter (2002) | 2002 | American Honda |
BF2DX SCHA | Year character after the model letter (1998–2006) | X = year letter (1999) | 1999 | American Honda |
BF115AY | Year character after the model letter (1998–2006) | Y = year letter (2000) | 2000 | American Honda |
BFP8D1 LHSA | Year character after the model letter (1998–2006) | 1 = year letter (2001) | 2001 | American Honda |
BBBL-4410001 | Frame serial number in Honda’s chronology (1978–2006) | BBBL = serial prefix (model family); 4410001 = serial number, looked up in the published number rangesFirst BF90A2 (2002) frame serial. | 2002 | American Honda |
BZBF-1000001 | Frame serial number in Honda’s chronology (1978–2006) | BZBF = serial prefix (model family); 1000001 = serial number, looked up in the published number rangesFirst BF2DX (1999) frame serial. | 1999 | American Honda |
BAEL-1000001 | Frame serial number in Honda’s chronology (1978–2006) | BAEL = serial prefix (model family); 1000001 = serial number, looked up in the published number rangesBF2AH introduced 1987; the next BAEL model (BF2AK) starts in 1989. | 1987 or 1988 | American Honda |
Why these results say “per Honda”
Both rules come only from American Honda’s own documents (a shop-manual chronology issued in January 2005 and a model identification guide revised in 2012). We found no independent source that repeats them, so every Honda result is labelled as Honda’s rule.
What this page doesn’t decode
- Models from 2007 on: Honda’s model codes no longer carry a year, and the published chronology ends with 2006 models.
- Engine serial numbers: Use the frame serial on the bracket label; the tables here are by frame serial.
Common questions
Where is the serial number on a Honda outboard?
On the label on the clamp (stern) bracket, next to the model type. Use the frame serial (four letters + 7 digits), not the engine number stamped on the engine.
What year is a Honda BF90A2?
2002: the 2 after the A is the year (2001 = 1 … 2006 = 6) [1][2].
How do I date a Honda outboard made after 2006?
The model type no longer carries a year and the published chronology ends in 2006, so ask a Honda Marine dealer to look up the serial.
Not affiliated with Honda. The brand name is used only to say which numbers this decoder reads.
Sources
- American Honda Motor Co.: Model identification (revised December 2012)Used for: Year character after the model letter (1998–2006).
- American Honda Motor Co. (copy hosted by Honda Marine Poland): Model chronology: outboard motors, serial number ranges and introduction years (shop manual section 1, issued January 2005)Used for: Year character after the model letter (1998–2006); Frame serial number in Honda’s chronology (1978–2006).