2004 Honda VTX1300 Problems

MY FRONT END WOBBLES BAD WHEN I'M SLOWING DOWN. IT HAPPENS ON BOTH CITY STREETS AND HIGHWAYS.I REPLACED THE FRONT AND BACK TIRES AND HAD THEM BALANCED. NOTHING CHANGED. I'VE RESEARCHED IT AND IT'S APPARENTLY A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 1300 MODELS AND REPLACING THE UPPER AND LOWER STEERING BEARINGS WITH THE ONES USED IN THE 1800 MODELS FIXES IT. I'VE RESEARCHED HOW TO REPLACE THEM AND IT REQUIRES SPECIAL TOOLS AND THE RACE FOR EACH BEARING NEEDS TO BE PRESSED IN AT A SHOP. I NOTICED THAT ONLY 75 COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN REGISTERED. I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE THERE'S NOT A RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE. I'VE SEEN A LOT OF PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS ONLINE. I'VE HAD THIS ISSUE FOR YEARS AND IT KEEPS GETTING WORSE. I'M GOING TO HAVE TO PAY TO GET THEM REPLACED SOON AND I'M SURE IT'S NOT GOING TO BE CHEAP AFTER READING ABOUT HOW TO DO IT. THANK YOU. *TR

ON 2004 HONDA VTX1300C MOTORCYCLE, FRONT TIRE DEVELOPS A SEVERE SHIMMY WHEN DECELERATING FROM 40-50 MPH. HAVE REPORTED PROBLEM TO HONDA REPAIR CENTER AND TECH'S STATE THEY DO NOT KNOW CAUSE OF PROBLEM WHERE MANY FORUMS ONE STATED TO REPLACE FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS WITH VTX 1800 TAPERED BEARINGS.

THERE IS A SEVERE FRONT END WOBBLE WHEN DECELERATING FROM 50+ MPH. THE ENTIRE FRONT END SHAKES TO THE POINT THAT CONTROL IS ALMOST LOST. IT IS ALSO CAUSING THE TIRE ON THE FRONT TO WEAR UNEVENLY AND AT A VERY FAST RATE. THE BIKE HAS LESS THAN 6000 MILES ON IT AS OF MARCH OF 2018.

REMOVED THE FRONT AND REAR WHEELS TO HAVE NEW TIRES INSTALLED. NOTICED THE FINAL DRIVE FLANGE BEARINGS SEAL TOWARD WHEEL, WAS TORN OPEN AS IF THE SEAL HAD MELTED AND THE BEARINGS WERE DRY AND VERY ROUGH TO TURN. PROBLEM IS, I REPLACED THE BEARINGS AND FELT RESISTANCE WHEN TURNING THE NEW BEARINGS. READ ABOUT THIS PROBLEM IN ONE OF THE FORUMS, REMOVED THE NEW BEARINGS AND ORDERED A SECOND SET. MEASURED THE BEARING FIT IN THE FLANGE AND IT WAS .001" TOO CLOSE AT THE TOP AND .002" AT THE BOTTOM. HAD THE FLANGE MACHINED TO CORRECT CLEARANCE AND INSTALLED NEW BEARINGS. JUST LIKE IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN FROM THE FACTORY, AND I AM VERY GLAD I FOUND THE PROBLEM BEFORE A DEADLY OR COSTLY INCIDENT OCCURRED. *TR

BIKE WAS PURCHASED NEW AND THE SPEEDOMOTER READS APPROX 10% HIGHER THAN ACTUAL SPEED. CONCERNING MYSELF WITH CALCULATING SPEED WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS IS A DISTRACTION. CARS CONSTANTLY PASSING AND DISCOURTEOUS AS MOST OFTEN THAN NOT I AM NOT MAINTAINING AN ACCURATE POSTED HIGHWAY SPEED. SOME DRIVERS HAVE PASSED AND CUT IN FRONT IN RAGE POSING A SERIOUS DANGER TO ME AND MY PASSENGER. SPEED HAS BEEN CONFIRMED WITH A GPS. INQUIRIES TO MY DEALER, HONDA AND INTERNET BASED CLUBS OR MESSAGE BOARDS HAVE PRODUCED THE SAME ASSESSMENT. DEALER HAVE STATED THAT THIS IS A NORMAL CONDITION IN MOTORCYCLES...I OWN SEVERAL CARDS BOTH OLDER AND A 2005 AND THESE ARE AS ACCURATE AS THEY STATE TO BE. PRODUCTS ALSO EXIST ON THE MARKET THAT CAN BE PURCHASED TO CORRECT A WELL KNOWN ISSUE - REFERRED TO AS "SPEEDO HEALERS".

I HAVE VERIFIED THAT MY SPEEDOMETER IS OFF BY AT LEAST 10% BY USING RADAR AND A GPS. SINCE THIS IS ON A MOTORCYCLE AND THERE ARE ENOUGH DANGERS RIDING I FEEL THAT THIS PUTS ME IN THAT MUCH MORE DANGER DUE TO THE FACT THAT I HAVE TO LOOK DOWN AT THE SPEEDOMETER, THEN TAKE THAT NUMBER AND CALCULATE MY ACTUAL SPEED. I HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH OTHER OWNERS OF THIS MAKE OF MOTORCYCLE AND THEY ALSO HAVE CONFIRMED THIS SAME PROBLEM. *JB

THIS PART IS MOUNTED TO THE RIM OF THE MOTORCYCLE AND CONNECTS TO THE DRIVE SHAFT . THE HOUSING THAT THE FLANGE BEARINGS PRESS INTO IS BORED TO TIGHT CAUSING THE BEARINGS TO BE CRUSHED AND NOT BE SMOOTH LIKE THEY SHOULD BE . I PURCHASED BRAND NEW BEARINGS AND HAD THE DEALER PUT THEM IN HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AS BEFORE . *TR

REPLACING REAR TIRE ON 2004 HONDA VTX 1300C. CHECKING WHEEL AND FLANGE BEARINGS AT THIS TIME. THE FLANGE BEARINGS ARE ROUGH TURNING AND ONE BEARING IS FALLING APART. THE MOTORCYCLE HAS ONLY 16,000 MILES ON IT. REPLACING FLANGE BEARINGS WITH A NEW SET OF AFTERMARKET BEARINGS. LUCKY TO FIND THE BEARING PROBLEM WHEN I DID. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSE A FATAL ACCIDENT IF THE REAR WHEEL WOULD HAVE LOCKED UP DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS!!! THIS IS NOT THE FIRST REPORTED FLANGE BEARING FAILURE. *TT

REMOVED THE FRONT AND REAR WHEELS TO HAVE NEW TIRES INSTALLED. NOTICED THE FINAL DRIVE FLANGE BEARINGS SEAL TOWARD WHEEL, WAS TORN OPEN AS IF THE SEAL HAD MELTED AND THE BEARINGS WERE DRY AND VERY ROUGH TO TURN. PROBLEM IS, I REPLACED THE BEARINGS AND FELT RESISTANCE WHEN TURNING THE NEW BEARINGS. READ ABOUT THIS PROBLEM IN ONE OF THE FORUMS, REMOVED THE NEW BEARINGS AND ORDERED A SECOND SET. MEASURED THE BEARING FIT IN THE FLANGE AND IT WAS .001" TOO CLOSE AT THE TOP AND .002" AT THE BOTTOM. HAD THE FLANGE MACHINED TO CORRECT CLEARANCE AND INSTALLED NEW BEARINGS. JUST LIKE IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN FROM THE FACTORY, AND I AM VERY GLAD I FOUND THE PROBLEM BEFORE A DEADLY OR COSTLY INCIDENT OCCURRED. *TR

2004 HONDA VTX 1300. BEARING FLANGE FAILURE ON THE REAR WHEEL. APPROX. 50,000 MILES BEFORE IT GOT REAL NOTICEABLE REAL FAST. THE BEARING FLANGE COST 249.00. CANT FIND A CROSS REFERENCE TO THE BEARING USED, SO HAD TO PURCHASE THE WHOLE FLANGE ASSY. *TR

THE SPEEDOMETER IS OFF BY APPROXIMATELY 9-10% (READS FASTER THAN ACTUAL SPEED). THIS CREATES A SAFETY ISSUE WITH OTHER DRIVERS BEHIND YOU TAILGATING, PASSING YOU IN ROAD RAGE TYPE MANNERS AND CREATES AN OVERALL SAFETY ISSUE WHEN YOU ARE IMPEDING TRAFFIC AND DON'T KNOW IF YOUR DRIVING THE LEGAL SPEED LIMIT. FURTHER MORE THE ODOMETER READING IS FALSIFIED BECAUSE OF THIS. THIS PROBLEM IS WELL DOCUMENTED WITH ALL OWNERS OF HONDA VTX MOTORCYCLES, AFTERMARKET COMPANIES ARE MAKING MONEY PROVIDING A REPAIR SOLUTION BECAUSE THE DEALER CHOOSES TO IGNORE THAT THERE'S A PROBLEM AND TELLS THE CONSUMER THAT THE PROBLEM IS NORMAL. THE FACT THAT AN AFTERMARKET PART CALLED THE SPEEDO HEALER EXISTS SHOULD BE PROOF ENOUGH THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM. THE DEALER SHOULD PROVIDE THE FIX FOR FREE, I SHOULDN'T NEED TO RELY ON AN AFTERMARKET COMPANY TO PROVIDE ACCURACY ON AN IMPORTANT ITEM SUCH AS MY SPEEDOMETER. *TR

I BOUGHT MY VTX 1300 IN 2004, A 2004 MODEL. I HAVE A LITTLE OVER 3000 MILES DUE TO DRIVING ONLY IN THE CITY. WHEN I FINALLY GOT OUT ON THE INTERSTATE 95, CARS AND TRUCKS WERE PASSING ME WHILE I WAS GOING 80 MPH. MY BUDDY ON A GOLDWING SAID WE DIDN'T GET OVER 72 MPH. AFTER SOME RESEARCH, I FOUND MY SPEEDO TO BE OFF BY ABOUT 10%. KNOW WONDER WHY CARS AND TRUCKS PASS ME. UNSAT! *NM

The contact owns a 2004 Honda VTX1300. The contact stated that while the motorcycle was parked, a fuel-like odor was detected in the garage. The contact then noticed fuel leaking from the motorcycle, with no warning lights illuminated. The dealer was contacted. The motorcycle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 6,502.

LEAKING FUEL VALVE ON A 2004 HONDA VTX 1300. EXACT SAME DESCRIPTION AS THE 2007 MODEL YEAR. *TR

DT: CONSUMER BOUGHT A HONDA MOTORCYCLE VLX 600. WAS NOT ABLE TO RIDE MOTORCYCLE BEFORE PURCHASE. IT HAD FOUR SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION. IN FIRST GEAR THE MOTORCYCLE WILL STALL IF IT HAS NOT REVVED TO A HIGH RPMS. CONSUMER STATED HE HAS ALMOST BEEN HIT FROM BEHIND WHEN MOTORCYCLE STALLED DUE TO TRYING TO FOLLOW A SLOW VEHICLE. WHEN IT REVVED TOO HIGH AND CONSUMER RELEASED CLUTCH THEN IT SNAPPED AS IF TO RIDE A WHEEL. CONSUMER SAID THAT MOTORCYCLE NEEDED FIVE GEARS,WAS UNSAFE WITH FOUR.*AK

AFTER STARTING THE MOTORCYCLE, AND DRIVING FOR 5 MINUTES MOTORCYCLE OVERHEATED. DEALERSHIPS MECHANIC WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK

THE CONSUMER NOTICED BOTH PASSENGER FOOT RESTS WERE BROKE. THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALERSHIP WERE NOTIFIED. THE MANUFACTURER TOOK THREE WEEKS TO ANSWER THE CONSUMERS COMPLAINT. THE CONSUMER REPAIRED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION AND PICTURES. *JB RACKETS WELDED TO MOTORCYCLE FRAME. THE CONSUMER NOTICED RIGHT PASSENGER FOOT BORAD WAS MISSING DUE TO COMPLETE BREAK OF STOCK FOOTPEG MOUNTING BRACKET AT IS BEND. *TC