2003 HONDA GL1800 Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 HONDA GOLDWING MOTORCYCLE. HE NOTICED THAT THE FRAME WAS DEFECTIVE AND CRACKED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER HAVE NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 32,000.

A FRIEND ON MINE ALSO RIDING A GL1800 FOUND A FRAME TUBE CRACKED ON HIS MOTORCYCLE. AFTER CHECKING MANY BULLETIN BOARDS ON THE INTERNET HE FOUND THIS TO BE AN ONGOING PROBLEM IN THE SAME MODEL YEARS OF BIKES THAT HONDA PUT OUT A RECALL ON IN 2005 BECAUSE OF DEFECTIVE WELDS. HIS ENTIRE FRAME WAS REPLACE BY HONDA. MY MOTORCYCLE WAS ONE OF THE ONES REQUIRING RE-WELDING OF THE FRAME. HE CAME TO MY HOME YESTERDAY AND EXAMINED MY BIKE AND WE FOUND THE SAME FRAME CRACK IN MY BIKE AS WAS ON HIS BUT MINE IS BIGGER. WE HAVE PHOTOS OF THIS CRACK ON THE FRAME. BECAUSE OF THIS CRACK I AM NOW AFRAID TO RIDE THE BIKE FOR FEAR IT MAY FAIL COMPLETELY AND POSSIBLY CAUSE INJURY OR DEATH TO MYSELF OR MY WIFE. I ONLY HAVE 32000 MILES ON THIS BIKE. OF THE DOZEN OR SO BIKES MY FRIEND HAS EXAMINED MINE HAS THE LOWEST MILEAGE OF ALL OF THEM. I WANT THE FRAME REPLACED OR PROVIDED WITH A NEW REPLACEMENT BIKE. *TR

LOCATED CRACKED FRAME (2)TUBES ON REAR TRIANGULAR AREA OF THE ALUMINUM FRAME. THE TUBE ON EACH SIDE OF THE BIKE IS CRACKED. THE LEFT SIDE IS APPROXIMATELY HALF WAY THROUGH. THE AREA SUPPORTS THE REAR OF THE MOTORCYCLE AND PASSENGER. *TR

THE FRAME IN MY 2003 HONDA GOLD WING HAS CRACKED. THE BIKE HAS BEEN RIDDEN NORMALLY TWO UP MOST OF THE TIME AND HAS NEVER BEEN IN A ACCIDENT. THE 2003 HONDA GOLD WING HAS ONLY 45,000 MILES OR SO. THIS MOTORCYCLE WAS ALREADY INVOLVED IN A SAFELY FRAME RECALL ORDERED BY THE GOVERNMENT IN LATE 2003. THIS FRAME CRACK IS IN A SPOT ON THE MOTORCYCLES FRAME THAT REQUIRES THAT YOU LAY UNDER THE BIKE TO INSPECT. IT'S VERY TIGHT AND HARD TO VIEW WITHOUT A MAGNIFYING GLASS AND GOOD LIGHT SOURCE. THIS DEFECT WILL BE MISSED BY MOST OWNERS UNLESS YOU HAVE SOME KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THIS POSSIBLE FRAME DEFECT. LEFT ALONE IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME AND MILES BEFORE THIS CRACK WILL SPREAD AROUND THE ENTIRE FRAME TUBE AND CAUSE SEPARATION OF THE FRAME MEMBER. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY REPORTS OF THIS TYPE OF FRAME FAILURE ON THE HONDA GOLD WING MESSAGE BOARDS ON THE INTERNET. *TR

THE FRAME ON MY 2003 HONDA GOLDWING CRACKED APRIL OF 2008. THE FRAME TUBING BROKE COMPLETELY ON THE LEFT SIDE, AND THE TUBING ON THE RIGHT SIDE WAS CRACKED 3/4 OF THE WAY AROUND. I HAD A TRIKE KIT ON THE BIKE, AND AT FIRST THOUGHT WAS THE PROBLEM BUT AFTER CHECKING AROUND, I FOUND THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE TO OTHER BIKES. SO ANYWAY THE FRAME WAS REPLACED, AND UPON INSPECTING THE NEW FRAME I FOUND A NICE GOOD SIZE GUSSET ON THE TUBE THAT WAS BROKEN ON MY ORIGINAL FRAME. I ALSO NOTICE THE PART NUMBER OF THE FRAME HAD BEEN CHANGED FROM THE ORIGINAL PART NUMBER. I HAVE PICTURES OF BOTH FRAMES. *TR

I WANT TO SHARE A VERY DISTURBING, DANGEROUS, AGGRAVATING AND DISGUSTING EXPERIENCE I HAVE JUST RECENTLY HAD WITH A BRAND NEW DUNLOP ELITE 3 TIRE I PURCHASED FROM HONDA OF CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE, ON SEPTEMBER 8, 2007 (INVOICE # 042179). SEPTEMBER 8, 2007 NEW DUNLOP ELITE 3 TIRES, FRONT AND REAR. AFTER ABOUT A WEEK I NOTICED THE FRONT TIRE SEEMED TO BE SHOWING SIGNS OF WEAR. SEPTEMBER 29TH I NOTICED A SECTION OF THE TIRE WAS COMING APART. OCTOBER 2, 2007 I TOOK IT BACK TO HONDA OF CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE, THE DUNLOP TIRE DISTRIBUTOR. I ONLY HAD 1,000 MILES ON IT. THERE WAS NO WAY THE TIRE SHOULD BE SHOWING SIGNS OF WEAR LIKE I WAS EXPERIENCING. WHEN I ARRIVED AT HONDA OF CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE, THE SERVICEMAN AND THE PARTS MANAGER LOOKED AT THE TIRE AND SAID THE TIRE WAS DEFINITELY DEFECTIVE AND WROTE UP A TICKET (# 14411) AND WROTE ON IT FRONT TIRE HAS FAILED AFTER 1000 MILES, IS GOING TO BE REPLACEMENT WORK AT NO CHARGE TO THE CUSTOMER, - REPLACE FRONT TIRE.) THEY TOLD ME THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY MORE TO WORK ON AND IT WOULD BE CHANGED THAT MORNING. WHEN I CALLED RIGHT BEFORE LUNCH THEY CHANGED THEIR STORY COMPLETELY AND SAID THEY ASKED A CUSTOMER WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE TO THEM AND THEY SAID IT LOOKED LIKE THE TIRE HAD BEEN CUT WITH A KNIFE AND THEY COULDN'T REPLACE IT UNTIL THEY HEARD FROM DUNLOP TIRE AND EXPECTED TO HEAR FROM THEM THAT DAY. I CALLED THE OWNER OF THE DEALERSHIP AND TOLD HIM I FELT HE SHOULD STAND BEHIND THE TIRE BECAUSE IT WAS ONLY 3 WEEKS OLD AND HE SOLD ME A DEFECTIVE TIRE. HE SAID I SHOULD GO AHEAD AND PAY FOR ANOTHER TIRE AND WAIT TO HEAR FROM DUNLOP TIRE. I TOLD HIM IF DUNLOP DIDN'T STAND BEHIND THE TIRE I SURE DIDN'T WANT TO PURCHASE ANOTHER ONE AND I DIDN?T WANT THAT DEALERSHIP TO INSTALL IT. THEN I GOT TO THINKING - I WAS AT WORK WITH NO WAY HOME AND AN UNSAFE TIRE ON MY BIKE? SO I CALLED THE OWNER UP AND SAID I WOULD PAY FOR ANOTHER TIRE. THE TIRE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE WITH AND I FEEL IT WAS DEFECTIVE FROM THE START. *JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 HONDA GOLDWING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE SHAKES VERY BADLY WHEN RIDING BETWEEN 30 AND 45 MPH. HONDA STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS DESIGNED TO OPERATE IN THAT MANNER. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY INSPECTED THE TIRES, HOWEVER, THEY CANNOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. THE VIN, ENGINE SIZE, AND NUMBER OF CYLINDERS WERE UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 15,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5.

HONDA GOLDWINGS HAVE A PROBLEM WITH A DECELERATION FRONT END WOBBLE. AS YOU DECELERATE FROM AROUND 35 MPH WITH YOUR HANDS LIGHTLY RESTING ON THE HANDLE BARS, THE FRONT END GOES INTO A VIOLENT WOBBLE. HONDA OF AMERICA CLAIMS IT IS JUST A CHARACTERISTIC OF THE 1800 GOLDWING, HOWEVER IT POSES A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN. THERE ARE SEVERAL BLOGS ON THE INTERNET OF PEOPLE EXPRESSING THEIR CONCERN OF THIS PROBLEM...APPARENTLY THERE IS A FIX BY REPLACING THE BEARING IN THE FRONT WHEEL WITH A TAPERED BEARING, HOWEVER THIS SHOULD BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE MANUFACTURER...THOUSANDS OF HONDA GOLDWING 1800CC BIKES HAVE THIS PROBLEM. *JB

TL*- THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE 2003 HONDA GOLD WING GL 1800 LOST POWER WHILE DRIVING AT 70 MPH. THE CONTACT CHECKED TO MAKE SURE THAT HIS FEET WERE LOCATED IN THE CORRECT POSITION WHILE ON THE MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT CRUISED TO 30 MPH AND THE LIGHTS ON INSTRUMENT PANEL TURNED BACK ON , AND THE MOTORCYCLE STARTED BACK UP ON ITS OWN. THE CONTACT DIDN'T TRY TO RESTART THE MOTORCYCLE, IT DOD SO ON ITS OWN.*AK

SHIFT SHAFT SEAL DISLODGED FROM ENGINE/TRANSMISSION, CAUSING ENGINE OIL TO BE DUMPED ONTO ROADWAY AHEAD OF REAR TIRE. FIRST OCCURRENCE-SEAL REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. SECOND OCCURRENCE-OWNER CHARGED FOR REPAIR, EVEN THOUGH VEHICLE IS COVERED BY EXTENDED WARRANTY. CAUSE OF PROBLEM NOT CORRECTED, THEREFORE SAFETY HAZARD REMAINS SHOULD PROBLEM RECUR.*JB