I recently picked up a K8 with a clear title. I never bothered to check to see if the numbers matched. After about a month of it sitting in my backyard I decided to do so. I was shocked to realize that the number stamped on the frame and the # on the title were completely different. I looked up the number and realized that the number on the title was actually the engine number.
It was last titled in Wisconsin. I made a few calls, one to my local Honda dealer, to see if anyone heard of this. I discovered that when the MSO came from Honda they stated the engine number on the documentation. The WI DMV decided that the engine number was sufficient.
I guess everything is fine, but I was a bit shocked at first thinking I had a hot bike.