2024 Honda XL750 Problems

May 7, 2025 - Bike mileage 7,140, over year old, and out of warranty. The brake system has not been touched prior to this incident. I slowed down using both front and rear brakes as usual for traffic and as I attempted to resume 40 mph the motor started struggling and bike slowed radically. At a nearby turn off to gravel parking lot, I turned into and nearly dropping the bike, and noticed the front brake lever had no take up. Got the bike off the pavement and discovered as I attempted to push the bike further into the parking lot, the front wheel would not turn. The front brakes were locked up. My son determined the return hydraulic fluid orifice at master cylinder was blocked due to manufacturing debris and not releasing the hydraulic pressure locking the front brakes. To insure system was free of debris my son disassembled and cleaned the master cylinder, cleared the return orifice of debris, disassembled and cleaned the calipers, pistons and flushed the lines. Assembled, bleed the lines with vacuum pump. Brakes are working to spec. Front brakes locking up on motorcycle is deadly. If would have been on a freeway doing 65 mph, i would have been flipped over the handle bars, dropped the bike, or both me and the motorcycle would have flipped over.

The engine shut off while bike was in motion, restarted but throttle would not respond. Restart, shut off, ignition switch off, and restart required before throttle will respond. Since it did this when hitting bumps, suspect was the side stand. New spring was installed and it stopped the engine shut off for a short period. Then any quick acceleration or bumps started shutting off the engine requiring the restart sequence. Change the Honda side stand switch, metered the old switch, the contact point were so close and variable that indicated the side stand was down when it wasn't which would cause the engine to shut down. Luckily there were no failures on freeways or interstates as it was dangerous enough on a motorcycle on any road.