RoadVitals

2001 Honda GL1500 Owner Complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full

Data refreshed

Complaints on fileComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
9
Latest Nov 14, 2001
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0
Filed in the last 12 monthsReports filed with NHTSA in the trailing 365 days. Recent volume reflects attention and vehicle age as much as anything else.
0
Reports on file since Aug 16, 2001

What this page shows

Our database holds 9 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2001 Honda GL1500. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Complaints, most recent first

Showing 1–9 of 9

Powertrain (other)
Filed Nov 14, 2001

SPEEDOMETER IS 8% FAST AND ODOMETER IS 6% FAST ,THE SPEEDOMETER BEING 8% FAST CAUSES A SAFETY PROBLEM WHEN DRIVING ON TURNPIKES AND INTERSTATES ( THIS IS A TOURING MOTORCYCLE). WHEN REPORTED TO HONDA I WAS TOLD THAT HONDA WAS WITHIN THE LEGAL LIMITS AND HAD NO INTENTION OF CORRECTING THIS PROBLEM. IS THERE A LEGAL LIMIT THAT A SPEEDOMETER CAN BE INCORRECT, EVEN IF IS A SAFETY PROBLEM?*AK

NHTSA ID
754553
Incident
Jun 5, 2001
Engine
Filed Oct 20, 2001

MOTORCYCLE CONSISTENTLY OVERHEATS AND LEAVES ME STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. HONDA SAYS THAT THERE IS NO PROBLEM WITH THEIR OTORCYCLES DOING THIS.*AK

NHTSA ID
753463
Incident
Apr 10, 2001
Engine
Filed Oct 19, 2001

1. DEALER LISTED IS NOT THE SELLING DEALER 2. MANUFACTURER REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE PROBLEM EXISTS. 3. THIS IS SAFETY RELATED IN THAT IT OCCURS AT SLOW SPEEDS TYPICALLY IN CONGESTED TRAFFIC CAUSED BY ROAD CONSTRUCTION, ACCIDENTS AND HIGH VOLUME. IN CASES WHERE THERE IS NO PLACE TO GET OUT OF THE TRAFFIC OR STOP THIS COULD RESULT IN INJURY OR EVEN DEATH. THIS COULD BE CAUSED BY ESCAPING STEAM FROM THE RADIATORS JUST IN FRONT OF THE RIDERS LEGS. OR IT COULD BE THE RESULT OF A FALL CAUSED BY ENGINE SEIZURE LOCKING UP THE DRIVE TRAIN CAUSING THE REAR WHEEL TO SKID. COMPOUNDING THIS WOULD BE THE SURROUNDING CONGESTED TRAFFIC MOVING BUMPER TO BUMPER AND MORE CONCERNED WITH THE HOLDUP INSTEAD OF ATTENTION TO THEIR IMMEDIATE SURRONDINGS. *AK

NHTSA ID
753440
Incident
Aug 18, 2001
Engine
Filed Oct 19, 2001

MOTORCYCLE OVERHEATS BETWEEN 10 - 20 MPH.

NHTSA ID
753426
Incident
Jul 25, 2001
Engine
Filed Oct 19, 2001

DURING CONTINUED LOW SPEED OPERATION SUCH AS STOP AND GO TRAFFIC THIS MOTORCYCLE, ALONG WITH OTHERS OF THIS MAKE AND MODEL HAS AN EXTREME TENDENCY TO SERIOUSLY OVERHEAT. THE MANUFACTURER CONTENDS THAT THE MACHINE WAS DESIGNED FOR OPERATION OTHER THAN STOP AND GO WHICH, OF COURSEE, IS NOT ALWAYS POSSIBLE. THE MANUFACTURER HAS OFFERED NO FIX FOR THIS PROBLEM.*AK

NHTSA ID
753417
Powertrain (other)
Filed Oct 1, 2001

SPEEDOMETER IS 6%TO 7% FAST THIS MEANS THAT THE DRIVER HAS TO COMPUTE HIS/HER ACTUAL SPEED, WHEN RIDING ON A TWO LANE ROAD AND YOU ARE TRAVELING AT THE SPEED LIMIT ACCORDING TO THE SPEEDOMETER CARS ARE RIDING YOUR ON YOUR BACK FENDER OR TRYING TO PASS BECAUSE YOU ARE TRAVELING WELL BELOW THE SPEED LIMIT. THIS CAN CAUSE A VERY SERIOUS ACCIDENT. AT AN INDICATED 65 MPH THE ACTUAL SPEED IS 60/61 MPH, THE FASTER YOU GO THE LARGER THE DIFFERANCE. IN THIS AGE OF ELECTRONICS THERE IS NO REASON THE SPEEDOMETER SHOULD BE 6% TO 7% FAST OR SLOW, AND THE DRIVER HAS TO COMPUTE THE ACTUAL SPEED. DRIVERS HAVE ENOUGH TO DO TO STAY SAFE. THIS IS A PROBLEM ON ALL GL1800'S.

NHTSA ID
752772
Powertrain (other)
Filed Sep 5, 2001

SPEEDOMETER BEING 6% TO 7% FAST MEANS THAT THE DRIVER HAS TO COMPUTE HIS/HER ACTUAL SPEED, WHEN RIDING ON A TWO LANE ROADS AND YOU ARE TRAVELING AT THE SPEED LIMIT ACCORDING TO THE SPEEDOMETER CARS ARE PASSING YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE WELL BELOW THE SPEED LIMIT. THIS CAN CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. AT AN INDICATED 65MPH THE ACTUAL SPEED IS 60/61 MPH, THE FASTER YOU GO THE LARGER THE DIFFERANCE. IN THIS AGE OF ELECTRONICS THERE IS NO REASON THE SPEEDOMETER SHOULD BE 6%TO 7% FAST AND THE DRIVERS HAVE TO COMPUTE THE ACTUAL SPEED. DRIVERS HAVE ENOUGH TO DO TO STAY SAFE. THIS IS A PROBLEM ON ALL GL1800,S.*AK

NHTSA ID
751743
Powertrain (other)
Filed Aug 31, 2001

SPEEDOMETER BEING 6.1% FAST MEANS THE DRIVER HAS TO COMPUTE HIS/HER ACTUAL SPEED, WHEN RIDING TWO LANE ROADS AND YOU ARE DOING THE SPEED LIMIT CARS ARE PASSING YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE ACTUALLY BELOW THE SPEED LIMIT. THIS CAN CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. AT AN INDICATED 65 THE ACTUAL SPEED IS 60/61, THE FASTER YOU GO THE LARGER THE DIFFERANCE. IN THIS AGE OF ELECTRONICS THERE IS NO REASON THE SPEEDOMETER SHOULD BE 6.1% FAST AND THE DRIVER HAS TO ACTUALLY COMPUTE HIS/HER ACTUAL SPEED. DRIVERS HAVE ENOUGH TO DO TO STAY SAFE. THIS IS A PROBLEM ON ALL GL1800'S. *AK

NHTSA ID
751469
Engine
Filed Aug 16, 2001

RADIATOR FANS BLOW FORWARD INTO THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL CAUSING THE ENGINE TO OVERHEAT AT SPEEDS BELOW 15 MPH AT WHICH TIME THEY TURN OFF AND ALLOW NATURAL AIRFLOW THROUGH. WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS, 10 TO 15 MPH, IN A CITY NEIGHBORHOOD THE ENGINE REPEATEDLY OVERHEATED WITH THE GAUGE IN THE RED ZONE. IN ORDER TO COOL OFF THE ENGINE THE MOTORCYCLE HAD TO BE DRIVEN AT OVER 30 MPH TO GAIN AIR FLOW OVER THE TWO RADIATORS. WHEN THIS PROBLEM WAS REPORTED TO THE HONDA DEALER SERVICE MANAGER I WAS INFORMED THAT HONDA'S STAND IS THAT THE 2001 GOLDWING GL-1800 IS NOT MENT TO BE OPERATED AT LOW SPEEDS BY DESIGN. THE PROBLEM ORIGINATES WITH THE FANS OPERATING AGAINST NORMAL AIR FLOW IN THE SPEED RANGE BELOW 15 MPH. WITH THE FANS TRYING TO BLOW AIR FORWARD AND NORMAL AIR PUSHING AGAINST THEM THERE IS NO AIR FLOW OVER THE RADIATORS WHICH CAUSES THE COOLANT TO REACH THE RED ZONE OF 250 DEGREES IN ABOUT 10 MINUTES. THIS OVERHEATING CONDITION CAN CAUSE THE COOLANT OVERFLOW TANK TO VENT COOLANT ONTO THE REAR TIRE DUE TO THE PLACEMENT OF THE VENT AHEAD OF IT. COOLANT VENTING ONTO THE REAR TIRE CAN THEN CAUSE A LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE MOTORCYCLE.

NHTSA ID
750573
Incident
Jul 2, 2001

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .