2004 HONDA VTX1300 Suspension Problems

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.

Mileage: 5,500

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

Mileage: 15,000

THERE IS A FRONT FORK WOBBLE ON MY 2004 HONDA VTX MOTORCYCLE. THIS IS COUPLED WITH EXTREMELY FAST WEAR ON THE FRONT TIRES. THE WOBBLE IS MOST NOTICEABLE BETWEEN 20 - 50 MPH, AND MORE PREVALENT WHEN COASTING TO A STOP. IT IS BAD ENOUGH AT TIME TO CAUSE A CONTROL ISSUE WHEN GOING AROUND TURNS. *TR

Mileage: 25

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

Mileage: 16,400

I HAVE A 2004 HONDA VTX 1300CC MOTORCYCLE, WHICH HAS DEVELOPED A LARGE PROBLEM IN THE STEERING (WOBBLE). THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN NOTED BY HUNDREDS OF OWNERS THAT I HAVE SEEN ON THE WEB. I AM REPLACING THE FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS AND THE STEERING STEM BEARINGS TO AVOID BEING KILLED. THAT FAILURE OF THE NHTSA TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE WITH HONDA IS SICKENING. I GUESS PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE BEFORE OUR WONDERFUL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES WILL DO THEIR JOBS; MAYBE NOT EVEN THEN. *TR

Mileage: 8,000

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 HONDA VTX1300. WHILE DRIVING 40-70, THE HANDLE BAR WOULD SHAKE. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT HAD NO CONTROL OVER THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE TIRES CAUSED THE FAILURE. THEY REPLACED THE TIRES; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 15,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 600. UPDATED 04/29/08. *LJ UPDATED 04/29/08 *TR

Mileage: 600

TL* - THE CONTACT HAS A 2004 HONDA MOTORCYCLE BTX 1300. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MOTORCYCLE'S FRONT END VIBRATED. WHEN SLOWING TRHE MOTORCYCLE DOWN FROM 50 - 40 MPH IT BEGAN TO VIBRATE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MOTORCYCLE HAS BEEN DOING THIS SAMETHING SINCE HE PURCHASED IT 2 YEARS AGO. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 12500. *AK

2004 HONDA VTX1300C FRONT END WOBBLE AT 50 MPH. *JB

Mileage: 4,420

I OWN A 2004 HONDA VTX1300R MOTORCYCLE. THERE IS A NOTICEABLE VIBRATION ON DECEL FROM AN INDICATED SPEED OF APPROX 45 MPH TO ABOUT 30 MPH. THE VIBRATION IS TO THE FRONT TIRE AND IS FELT THROUGH THE HANDLEBARS. THE VIBRATION HAS BEEN REPORTED BY OTHER OWNERS WITH VERY LITTLE SATISFACTION FROM HONDA. THIS IS A CONTINUING PROBLEM THAT RAISES SAFETY CONCERNS SINCE IT IS CENTERED ON THE STEERING COMPONENT. *NM

Mileage: 1,500

I OWN A 2004 HONDA VTX1300C MOTORCYCLE AND IN JULY OF THIS YEAR IT DEVELOP A FRONT END WOBBLE. WHEN YOU LET OFF THE GAS AT AROUND 35 TO 45 MPH THE FRONT END WOBBLES TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT. IF YOU DO NOT HANG ON, IT WILL COME OUT OF YOUR HANDS. I HAVE REPLACED FRONT TIRES TWICE AND REBALANCED TWICE. NO HELP.

FRONT END WOBBLE ON HONDA VTX 1300S 2004 MODEL. *NM

I AM EXPERIENCING TWO PROBLEMS WITH MY 2005 HONDA VTX1300 MOTORCYCLE, WHICH I BOUGHT ONE WEEK AGO. THE BIKE WAS PUT TOGETHER OUT OF THE CRATE FOR ME AND HAD 0 MILES ON IT WHEN I BOUGHT IT. AT SPEEDS OF 30-50 MPH, I HAVE A WOBBLING UP DOWN MOTION....IN WHAT SEEMS TO BE MY FRONT END.....IT DOES NOT CHANGE WITH SPEED....IT IS THE SAME RATE OF WOBBLE THROUGH THE RANGE OF SPEED. I CALLED THIS ISSUE TO THE ATTENTION OF THE DEALER AFTER A 7 MILE DEMO RIDE....THEY ASSURED ME IT WAS DUE TO FLAT SPOTS IN THE TIRES DUE TO SHIPPING AND THIS WOULD GO AWAY. OVER 300 MILES LATER, IT HAS NOT. SECOND PROBLEM: SPEEDOMETER IS OFF BY 10%, ODOMETER IS OFF BY OVER 5% AS CONFIRMED BY A GPS.....THIS CAUSES PROBLEMS ON THE ROAD IN THAT THE RIDER HAS TO CONSTANTLY DO A MATH CALCULATION TO DETERMINE ACTUAL SPEED...UNSAFE. THE ODOMETER INACCURACY WILL AFFECT VALUE OF BIKE DUE TO SHOWING HIGHER MILEAGE THAN ACTUAL. DEALER SAYS THIS IS NORMAL AND "WITHIN SPECS" PER HONDA TECH LINE. MY PREVIOUS HONDA MOTORCYCLE'S SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER WAS DEAD ON ACCURATE. *JB

Mileage: 1

2004 HONDA VTX1300 FRONT END WOBBLES WHILE DECELERATING FROM 35 TO 45 MPH.*MR THE BIKE WAS RETURNED TO THE DEALER WHO EXPLAINED THAT THE MOTORCYCLE WAS WITH SPECS. THE CONSUMER ALSO SAW SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON A WEBSITE. *NM

DT: CONSUMER NOTICED THAT MOTORCYCLE WAS PULLING TO THE RIGHT AND TIRES WORE OUT UNEVENLY ON THE LEFT SIDE MUCH WORSE THAN THE RIGHT. ALSO, MOTORCYCLE HAD A BAD WOBBLE IN THE FRONT WHEEL. CONSUMER BOUGHT NEW TIRES FROM THE SAME SHOP THAT HE BOUGHT THE MOTORCYCLE, HOPING THAT THIS WAS BEING CAUSED BY THE UNEVEN WEAR OF TIRES. THIS DID NOT FIX PROBLEM. CONSUMER SAID THAT FRONT WHEEL WAS NOT IN LINE WITH BACK WHEEL. CONSUMER MEASURED DISTANCE. CONSUMER TOOK MOTORCYCLE BACK TO SHOP WHERE HE PURCHASED IT SEVERAL TIMES AND DEALER STATED THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG, BUT THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. CONSUMER TALKED TO MANUFACTURER AND HAS NOT HAD HIS PROBLEM RESOLVED.*AK

REMOVED REAR WHEEL TO REPLACE TIRE AND DISCOVERED THAT THE BEARING WAS ROUGH. WHEN IT WAS REMOVED, THE INNER BEARING HAD 2 BEARINGS MISSING AND THE CAGE WAS DISTORTED. OUTER BEARING OKAY. *AK

Mileage: 11,734

WHEN SLOWING DOWN BETWEEN 40-45 MPH THE FRONT END WOBBLES, HAVE TAKEN IT TO A DEALER AND THEY DUPLICATED THE PROBLEM AND NOTED IT, BUT COULD NOT FIND ANY THING OUT OF TOLERANCE. I BELIEVE THIS CONSTITUTES A SAFETY HAZARD AND COULD LEAD TO LOSS OF CONTROL ,RESULTING IN INJURY AND/OR DEATH.*AK

FRONT END WOBBLED ON MT 2004 VTX1300. I HAVE TALKED TO HONDA CORP AND THEY DENY ANY ISSUES. I TOOK IT TO THE SHOP TWICE AND THEY ONLY CAME BACK TO SAY IT IS THE TIRES WHICH IT IS NOT. THERE IS SOMETHING THAT IS CAUSING THE TIRES TI WEAR THE WAY THEY ARE. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFTY ISSUE AND THESE BIKES SHOULD BE RECALLED.*AK

Mileage: 3,000

FRONT END WOBBLE ON 2004 HONDA VTX 1300 MOTORCYCLE . *AK

WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH MOTORCYCLE VIBRATED HEAVILY. CONSUMER TOOK THE MOTORCYCLE TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION, HOWEVER, MECHANIC COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK

HONDA VTX 1300 S (RETRO). FRONT TIRE WOBBLE WHEN SLOWING DOWN. HAPPENS IN CURVES ALSO. THE WHOLE FRONT OF MY MOTORCYCLE WILL SHAKE.*AK

Mileage: 750

FRONT END HAS A WOBBLE/ HOP BETWEEN 30-45 MPH. *AK

Mileage: 100

BIKE HAS A SERVERE WOBBLE/ VIRBRATION AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. *AK

Mileage: 700

2004 HONDA ST 1300 MOTORCYLE. AT HIGHER SPEEDS, BIKE HAS A UNCONTROLLABLE WABBLE. MULTIPLE REPORTS TO HONDA GO UNANSWERED. SIMILIAR RECALL UNDERWAY IN EUROPE FOR SAME PROBLEM. *MR

Mileage: 50

I AM EXPERIENCING A WOBBLE WITH MY HONDO VTX 1300. BETWEEN 45 AND 40MPH ON DECELERATION THE BIKE HAS A SIGNIFICANT WOBBLE I FEEL IS UNSAFE. I KNOW MANY OTHERS WITH THE SAME MODEL EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. IT IS A HANDLING SAFETY ISSUE.*AK

Mileage: 1,203

THE FRONT END HAS NO SUSPENSION. WHILE DRIVING THE MOTORCYCLE HIT A BUMP IN THE ROAD AND THE PASSENGER WAS ALMOST THROWN OFF. THE DEALER STATED ON 7/28/2003 THERE WAS NO PROBLEM (HONDA VTX1300S 2004). *PH *PH *NLM