Is this 2000 VFR800 a California model?

I previously had a '98 VFR when I was in high school and absolutely loved it.  I haven't had a bike for a few years and was browsing craig's list and came across a clean 2000 VFR800.  The bike is in great shape and has extensive service records so I was very excited but when I went to check it out but when I opened the gas tank to see if there was any rust I noticed a much smaller inlet than what was on my '98, closer to the diameter of the actually fuel pump filler.  It appeared that it was welded into the gas tank and looked almost like this: https://www.fillernecksupply.com/2-or-51mm-universal-fuel-tank-gas-filler-neck-gas-engine-nj-2-20-f/?gclid=CjwKCAjwkqPrBRA3EiwAKdtwk7ZbUgGaf5HCqAhGKniaala1Y4PP2avo5zRz_h-fbuGDPlG1eJP8fBoCVcUQAvD_BwE

The current owner could not confirm if it started its life in CA.  Took it for a spin and the bike runs very well but did feel like it had a touch less power than my '98.  At the time I attributed this to the test ride at 6000' of elevation and the fact that I am used to riding my father's KTM Super Duke R back on the east coast.  Now I am starting to wonder if it is a CA model as am getting close to pulling the trigger on buying the bike.

Has anyone see this in the tank of their 5th gens? Any issues with the CA models?  I am torn because the bike has extensive maintenance records and is very clean but I don't want to miss out on any power.  Any help/thoughts/advice would be greatly appreciated!

David

Apologies for not grabbing a picture.

My 2000 is the same but I do not know if it's a CA model or not.  

Since you're located in Boulder CO I'm sure you're talking about a "built for the U.S. market" VFR800, so the following statement will be true: Just look at the VIN number tag on the bike's frame, if the 8th digit is a "1" the bike is a built-for-California bike, if the 8th digit is a "0" the bike is a 49-state bike (Or if you're not with the bike right now, call the seller and ask him what the 8th digit is).

Example: a VFR800 with the VIN number of JH2RC4613XM100024 would be a built-for-California bike, while a VIN number of JH2RC4603XM100024 would be a 49-state bike.

Also, I have two 5th Gen VFRs, one is a '99 and the other is a '01.  Both of them are 49-state bikes.  The gas tank filler port on my '99 is larger than the filler port on my '01, exactly as you've described.

And yeah, altitude matters.  And 6,000 feet is a lot of altitude.  I keep my '99 VFR800 here in Denver and I keep my '01 VFR800 in Huntsville Alabama.  When I had both bikes together here in Denver I felt that maybe the '99 was just a little bit more peppy than the '01.  But now that I'm riding the '01 in Huntsville where the elevation is only 670 feet it feels noticeably more powerful than the '99 does in Denver.

It's a 49 state bike then - thanks Greg!!

All '00-'01 bikes had a catalytic converter, so were limited to unleaded fuel only--hence the tank filler restrictor.   CA-spec models had a little less power, but it shouldn't have been very noticeable.

Ciao,

JZH

The '98-'99 differences were really limited to camshafts and ECU, different timing and firing/fueling, and CA bike down a handful of hp. The '00-'01 49-state and CA models spec the same cams although they do list a different ECU, but I would suspect mechanically they are the same and have the same output.