1998 Honda VT1100 Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1998 Honda VT1100, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Transmission250.0%
- Driver assistance125.0%
- Engine125.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Transmission
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules.
From owner reports, verbatim
MOTORCYCLE STOPPED AT STOP SIGN, WAITING AND IT TOOK OFF, MOTORCYCLE GAS ENGAGED, EMERGENCY BUTTON PUSHED AND MOTORCYCLE WOULDN'T SHUT OFF. DRIVER LOST CONTROL. CLUTCH AND THROTTLE APPEARED DEFECTIVE, DRIVER SUFFERED INJURIES; BROKEN BACK/PELVIC BONE/TAIL BONE, AND FIVE RIBS. MOTORCYCLE NOT TOTALLED. DEALER NOT AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, DRIVER UNABLE TO CONTACT. PROVIDER FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
MOTORCYCLE JUMPS OUT OF LOW GEAR, CAUSING THE MOTORCYCLE TO GO INTO NEUTRAL.*AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
MOTORCYCLE STOPPED AT STOP SIGN, WAITING AND IT TOOK OFF, MOTORCYCLE GAS ENGAGED, EMERGENCY BUTTON PUSHED AND MOTORCYCLE WOULDN'T SHUT OFF. DRIVER LOST CONTROL. CLUTCH AND THROTTLE APPEARED DEFECTIVE, DRIVER SUFFERED INJURIES; BROKEN BACK/PELVIC BONE/TAIL BONE, AND FIVE RIBS. MOTORCYCLE NOT TOTALLED. DEALER NOT AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, DRIVER UNABLE TO CONTACT. PROVIDER FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
THIS IS A PROBLEM WHICH APPEARS TO AFFECT ALL SINGLE PIN CRANK ENGINES PRODUCED BY HONDA BETWEEN 1990 AND 2001. WHAT HAPPENS IS THAT THE GUIDE PIN PLUG ROTATES AND LOOSENS CAUSING AN OIL LEAK AND SUBSEQUENT SHIFTER RATTLE. THE OIL LEAK IS A POTENTIAL HAZARD SINCE THE LEAK ONLY OCCURS WHILE THE MOTORCYCLE IS MOVING AND THE OIL BLOWS BACKWARDS TO THE REAR TIRE. UNKNOWINGLY, A RIDER COULD END UP IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT IF THIS IS NOT FIXED DUE TO THE OIL CAUSING THE TIRE TO NOT ADHERE TO THE ROAD, NOT TO MENTION THE POTENTIAL FOR ENGINE FAILURE SHOULD THE LEAK DRAIN THE CRANKCASE. HONDA KNOWS ABOUT THE PROBLEM, AS IT WAS WRITTEN UP IN THE SEPTEMBER 1999 ISSUE OF THEIR PUBLICATION CALLED THE "WRENCH". THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A RECALL ISSUED TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM DESPITE THE NUMEROUS MOTORCYCLES NOW ON THE ROAD WITH THIS PROBLEM. THE SHIFTER RATTLE ALTHOUGH BOTHERSOME IS NOT CATASTROPHIC.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
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.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .