2002 HONDA GL1800 Tires Problems

FRONT END WOBBLES ON THIS MOTORCYCLE SINCE DAY 1. HAPPENS MAINLY AT 40 MPH AND THE HANDLEBARS SHAKE. *NM

FRONT TIRE ON GL 1800 MOTORCYCLE. HONDA RECOMMENDS 36 PSI IN THE FRONT TIRE THIS CAUSES CUPPING OF THE TIRE AND A BAD VIBRATION IN FRONT WHICH COULD LEAD TO ACCIDENT AND DEATH! BRIDGESTONE TIRES RECOMMEND 38 TO 40 PSI IN THIS TIRE, YET HONDA HAS 36 IN THEIR OWNERS GUIDE. HONDA NOR BRIDGESTONE CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY. *JB

Mileage: 6,500

THIS (SEE PHOTOS BELOW) HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO WING DING ON JULY 2ND, 2004. THE FAILED TIRE HAD APPROX. 4,500 MILES ON IT. AIR PRESSURE WAS CHECKED AT 41 PSI COLD AS RECOMMENDED BY MANUFACTURER. I RODE APPROXIMATELY 650 MILES EAST ON I-40 AND NOTICED A WEIRD VIBRATION JUST OUTSIDE OF SANTA ROSA N.M. I THOUGHT IT WAS THE ROADWAY AS IT WAS A LITTLE ROUGH AND WAVY DO TO THE TRUCK TRAFFIC. BY THE TIME I HIT TUCUMCARI N.M. I KNEW IT WASN'T THE ROADWAY, AND WAS DEFINITELY A BAD (SEPARATED TREAD) REAR TIRE. THE TIRE WAS SEVERLY BUBBLED INDICATING A SEPARATED TREAD. LUCKILY I CAUGHT IT IN TIME TO AVOID A BLOW-OUT AND OR CRASH. TIRE WAS REPLACED AT A LOCAL HONDA DEALER AND WAS SENT BACK TO THE MANUFACTURER FOR EVALUATION. MAKE OF TIRE WAS AVON. SIZE OF TIRE WAS 180/60 R16 74H DOT# AT0L MNF. DATE: 4803 SERIAL# 75R-001399 THIS IS ONE OF (5) REPORTED FAILURES OF THIS MAKE AND MODEL MOTORCYCLE TIRE. THERE MAY BE A PROBLEM! HERE ARE WEB LINKS TO PHOTOS I TOOK OF THE FAILED TIRE HTTP://WWW.AZBEST.COM/GOLDWING/TIRE1.JPG HTTP://WWW.AZBEST.COM/GOLDWING/TIRE2.JPG HTTP://WWW.AZBEST.COM/GOLDWING/TIRE3.JPG. *AK

VEHICLE'S FRONT END WOBBLES BETWEEN 35 AND 40 MPH.* MR WHEN THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED THEY STATED THAT THE FRONT END WOBBLED BECAUSE OF THE TIRES USED. HOWEVER THEY DID NOT PAY TO HAVE TIRES REPLACED ON BIKE BECAUSE THEY CLAIMED THAT THE CONSUMER SHOULD HAVE LEFT THE ORIGINALS ON. THE CONSUMER FEELS THAT THE BIKE IS UNSAFE TO RIDE AND IT COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT IF NOT REPAIRED. (WHEN THE CRUISE WAS SET AND IF THE VEHICLE WAS GOING 40 MPH WITHOUT A FIRM GRIP ON THE HANDLE BARS, THE VEHICLE WOULD SHAKE) *CB THE BIKE ALSO HAD AN OVERHEATING PROBLEM. THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT WAS HOW THE BIKE WAS DESIGNED.*JB *CB

PROBLEMS WITH TIRE EQUIPMENT ON 2002 HONDA GOLDWING.*MR THE CONSUMER ADDED A CB RADIO AND ANTENNA AT A COST OF $800.00 DOLLARS AND ANOTHER SEAT FOR $900.00. THIS WAS TO ACCOMMODATE THE CONSUMER'S HEIGHT OF 6'5", SINCE THE MOTORCYCLE IS FOR MAXIMUM HEIGHT OF 5'10". MIDWAY THROUGH THEIR FIRST TRIP, THE CONSUMER NOTICED THE FRONT TIRE HAD BEGUN TO WEAR UNEVENLY AND DEVELOPED A "CUPPED" PATTERN ON THE EDGE OF THE TIRE. AFTER THE TRIP, CONSUMER POINTED THIS OUT TO THE MECHANIC. HE STATED THIS WAS A NORMAL PATTERN. AT 7,400 MILES, CONSUMER REPLACED THE FRONT TIRE. MOTORCYCLE COULDN'T BE SAFELY RIDDEN DUE TO CUPPING. UPON COMMUNICATING WITH OTHER GOLDWING OWNERS VIA INTERNET, CONSUMER WAS ADVISED TO REPLACE THE TIRE WITH METZLER TIRE AND ADD A SUPERBRACE FORKBRACE (A REINFORCING MEMBER OF THE FRONT END). PROBLEM DISAPPEARED AS A RESULT. LATER, CONSUMER LEARNED THE BIKE WOULD OVERHEAT WHEN DRIVEN SLOWLY FOR 10-15 MIN. AND HONDA WAS AWARE OF THE FAILURE. BIKE WAS TAKEN IN AND MODIFIED UNDER HONDA'S "PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN". THE HEADS WERE FLOW TESTED, COMPUTER MODULE WAS INSTALLED AND WIRE HARNESS WAS REPLACED. CONSUMER NOTED IT WOULD OVERHEAT JUST NOT AS QUICKLY. NEXT, CONSUMER LEARNED OF CRACKING IN THE LOWER CROSS MEMBER OF THE FRAME AND HONDA HAD GIVEN NEW MOTORCYCLES WITH APOLOGIES. *PH

Mileage: 2,000

MOTORCYCLE'S FRONT TIRES MAY HAVE A HORIZONTAL CUT ON THE EDGE OF THE TREAD THAT COULD HAVE OCCURRED WHILE TRAVELING. BRIDGESTONE ,FIRESTONE, E130/70R18. *AK

I PURCHASED NEW METZELER TIRES FOR MY 2002 HONDA GOLDWING GL1800 TO REPLACE THE WORN OUT BRIDGESTONES THAT CAME NEW WITH THE MOTORCYCLE. SINCE NEW, THE METZELERS HAVE GIVEN ME A FRONT END WOBBLE AT 35-45MPH. THE WOBBLE MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO NAVIGATE THE MOTORCYCLE THROUGH TURNS TAKEN AT 35-45 MPH. I HAVE CONTACTED METZELER CUSTOMER SUPPORT AT 1-800-747-3554 X5802 AND SPOKEN WITH JEFF SELBERT. HE ACKNOWLEDGED THE PROBLEM AND SAID METZELER WAS TESTING NEW TIRES IN ITALY AND HOPE TO HAVE A FIX FOR THE PROBLEM. JEFF ALSO SAID METZELER WOULD NOT PAY FOR THE LABOR TO REPLACE AN OBVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE TIRE ON THE BIKE AND THAT MY DEALER SHOULD FILE FOR RENUMERATION THROUGH THE WARRANTY CHANNELS. MY DEALER HAS CALLED METZELER AND LEFT MESSAGES 6 TIMES WITHOUT A SINGLE REPLY FROM METZELER. I PAID $480 FOR THESE TWO TIRES MOUNTED AND BALANCED FROM MY DEALER BACK IN JUNE AND AM UNWILLING TO PAY OVER $100 TO HAVE THE DEFECTIVE TIRE(S) REPLACED. JEFF AT METZELER SAID HE IS NOT SURE WHETHER IT IS THE FRONT TIRE OR THE REAR TIRE; I MAY HAVE TO REPLACE THEM BOTH TO TRY TO CURE THE PROBLEM AS METZELER IS NOT SURE I WOULD GET A "GOOD" TIRE(S) AS THERE ARE PLENTY OF METZELER REPLACEMENT TIRES OUT THERE AND THEY ARE NOT SURE OF A FAILURE PATTERN YET. THAT IS, METZELER DOES NOT KNOW WHICH TIRES ARE GOOD AND WHICH ARE DEFECTIVE. I DO NOT WANT TO SPEND HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS GETTING "FREE" REPLACEMENT TIRES MOUNTED AND BALANCED ONLY TO FIND OUT THE REPLACEMENT TIRES ARE DEFECTIVE, TOO. HELP!!!*AK

Mileage: 18,000

I ECHO THE SAME CONCERNS AS MANY OTHER GL1800 GOLDWING OWNERS.I HAVE EXPERIANCED MANY PROBLEMS WITH THIS MOTORCYCLE(FAILED RADIO SYSTEM, FAILED SADDLE BAG CONTROL CAMS,,,,,FRONT TIRE DEFLATION )BUT BY FAR THE MOST FRUSTRATING AND FLAT OUT DISAPPOINTING EXPERIENCE IS A FAILED COOLENT SYSTEM-(PEGGING PAST RED LINE ON SEVERAL OCASSIONS IN TRAFFIC. EXTREME OVERHEATING,FAN PROBLEMS)ON THIS BIKE AND HONDA'S OBVIOUSE LACK OF ACCEPTANCE AND CONCERN FOR THIS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUSE PROBLEM TO ITS GL1800 OWNERS . THE DEALERSHIP AND SEVICE PERSONELL ARE SIMPLY LEFT WITH ADVISING CUSTOMERS WITH NO SOLUTION???? ....I AM ONE VOICE OF CERTAINLY MANY WHO HAVE EXPERIANCED ENGINE COOLENT PROBLEMS AND I WISH TO EXPRESSE MY SINCERE CONCERN TO YOU AND WHO EVER WILL LISTEN, IN THE HOPE THAT A RECALL BE FORCED.*AK

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, IT WILL HEAVILY VIBRATE DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE TIRES ARE BADLY WORN. SIZE#13070R18, 63H DOT#707EXDERA. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK THE CONSUMER HAD FIRST NOTICED A VIBRATION IN THE HANDLEBARS EARLY JULY 2002. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE VIBRATION WORSENED WHEN TRAVELING AT HIGH SPEEDS AND ON CURVES, THE MIRRORS STARTED TO VIBRATE AS WELL. THE CONSUMER ALSO STATED THAT EVERYONE HE HAD TALKED WITH THAT HAD AN 1800 GOLDWING, HAS EXPERIENCED FRONT TIRE PROBLEMS WITH CUPPING AND EXTENSIVE WEAR PATTERNS, UNTIL THEY CHANGE THE BRIDGESTONE TIRES THAT HONDA SUPPLIED. CONSUMER HAD THE FRONT TIRE REPLACED WITH A MUCH MORE RELIABLE BRAND AND WISHES FOR HONDA TO REFUND HIM FOR THE REPLACEMENT AND THE COST OF LABOR. *SCC

FRONT AND REAR TIRES ARE PREMATURELY WEARING OUT. UNEVEN WEAR ON BOTH TIRES., CAUSING VIBRATION. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

FRONT OF MOTORCYCLE TIRE WAS CUPPING AND THE TREAD IS SEPARATING FROM TIRE. DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK*JB