NHTSA Complaint #10048238 — 2002 HONDA GL1800

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