Welcome to the site !!
When you say the owner has "proof of ownership" , is this a official document that states the actual confirmed year of the bike such as a Title or a MSO from Honda itself ?? , or he just has a Bill Of Sale or some hand written document he is presenting (have you actually seen the documentation ??) that he got from someone else ???
If the bike is in fact a 08 the 10th digit in the vin # would be a #8 if it is a 05 it would be a #5 , no other identification would matter if it did not match what is on the frame , unless it was documented with some explanation of why they do not match ( a official explanation not someone's word or a hand written document) , the Title or "official" document must be accompanied by the matching vin code completely , letter/number per letter/number must match exactly
If the owner is not willing to take the bike and the documentation to a DMV or whatever you have there in Italy along with you or having a Notarized stamp and signature from a reputable Notary or from the local Authority/Police , I would pass on the bike for the simple fact you may end up in a paperwork nightmare that might cost double of the bikes worth ........ basically , if something seems fishy , it might have more to it that he is not telling , or not willing to divulge ...... Personally , I would request a Official Documentation be presented and a official documented explanation of why the numbers do not match and what this will do for registration , or even for legality of ownership down the road .... I would hate to see you end up in jail for receiving stolen property , since if you did buy it and it turned out to be not legitimate . you are solely responsible and the prior owner may walk free of any charges , as he can simply say , I got it from a friend and refuse to disclose the "friend , and you are stuck , because you had possession of it at the time of intervention , or otherwise I would steer clear of this sale and just keep looking .... sometimes a good deal is not really a good deal ...
But to summarize .... The paperwork MUST match the vin no matter what (legal paperwork , not any non official document of any kind , either a Title or MSO would be the only acceptable documentation I would want/trust), anywhere I know of in the world this is true ... Good Luck .... if you have more questions , just ask .... or better yet , see if the owner is willing to have authorities (either DMV and/or the Police) investigate the Vin and paperwork (with you present to witness) , if he is trying to be honest , he will not object to a investigation into the legitimacy of the bike ...... if he is not willing , I would personally contact the authorities and inform them of someone trying to sell you a bike with paperwork that does not match the vin ....to save the next guy the heartache of going thru court and save yourself the legalities of anything that might arise from dealing with this person .........
Oh ... To answer your questions about the 05 and 08 differences .... it is hard to casually see the differences ... But , if it is in fact a 08 , it will also have the HPSD dampener under the number plate that attaches from the gooseneck to the lower triple clamp , if the Dampener or the mounting tab on the Steering post is not there as shown in the pic below , then it is NOT a 08 , that is the easiest way to tell along with the 10 digit in the vin being a 8 .... those 2 items alone will tell you if it is in fact a 08 or not , regardless of the paperwork he has
If it does not have this or the mount then it is NOT a 08
