Don,
There is a thread on de-coding the VIN #
http://www.gasgasrider.org/forum/sho...ghlight=decode
My bike is a 99 and it has a VIN and I know it reflect what the bike really is. There could be a case where someone has swapped out a frame and engine, meaning put a 250 in a bike that is was a 300 at one time, and vise a versa....
Wire at 10:00 should be a 2k2, if they were at 2 pm, then 2k3 if I am correct.
Pictures are worth a 1000 words, and more than likely you'll get some more help as well.
Good Luck!