No, the 17-digit VIN didn't become standard on motorcycles in the USA until either 1978 or 1980. But, if a motorcycle is newer than that date, it must have that 17-digit VIN, which begins with "WB" for BMW motorcycles.
Digits 1,2,3 are World, Manufacturer, Identifier
Digits 4,5,6,7,8 are Vehicle descriptor Section -- *Somewhat variable based on manufacturer.
Digit 9 is the check digit
Digit 10 is the Year code
Digit 11 is the Factory code
Digits 12,13,14,15,16,17 are the Vehicle Identification Sequence
First digit - Country code
U.S.A.(1 or 4), Canada (2), Mexico (3), Japan (J), Korea (K), England (S), Germany (W), Italy (Z)
Second digit - Manufacturer
Audi (A), BMW (B), Buick (4), Cadillac (6), Chevrolet (1), Chrysler (C), Dodge (B), Ford (F), GM Canada (7), General Motors (G), Honda (H), Jaguar (A), Lincoln (L), Mercedes Benz (D), Mercury (M), Nissan (N), Oldsmobile (3), Pontiac (2 or 5), Plymouth (P), Saturn (8 ), Toyota (T), Volvo (V), Suzuki (S), Kawasaki (K).
Third digit - Identifier
Motorcycle (1 or A) Kawasaki and Suzuki seem to follow this anyway
Tenth digit - Year Code
80(A), 81(B), 82(C), 83(D), 84(E),
85(F), 86(G), 87(H), 88(J), 89(K),
90(L), 91(M), 92(N), 93(P), 94(R),
95(S), 96(T), 97(V), 98(W), 99(X),
00(Y), 01(1), 02(2), 03(3), 04(4),
05(5), 06(6), 07(7), 08(8 ), 09(9) ( Don't know what happens after that )
Eleventh digit - Factory Code
Manufacturer code for what plant it was built in
Twelfth to Seventeenth digits - Serial Number
The DMV of various states have different requirements for VIN number verification or assignment - so depending on where you are wanting to register the motorcycle, the number of hoops you have to jump through may vary.