YAMAHEAD
THANKS FOR THE REPLY. ACTUALLY THE BIKE LOOKS LIKE THIS:
http://thiensville.olx.com/1983-yamaha-400...400-iid-1759533
(Sorry but I haven't been able to figure out how to post a photo on this site as yet and its not allowing my to add this url as a link)
Of course, this is a 1983 and that is what is confusing, not only does my title show the model year as a 1982, it also shows that it is a 1200cc??? That's why I'm trying to decipher the VIN number. I know which digit denotes the year manufactured (mine is a D) I'm just not sure what year the D stands for. Probably have to contact a Yamaha dealer. Its also very odd that that I've found xs400K, xs400L, xs400 Maxim, etc. but there seems to be no way of identifying which model is which. Thanks for your help....I'll post again if I ever get this straightened out.