NHTSA Complaint #11445525 — 2017 HONDA VFR1200X

Front brake failure without warning. Periodically the front brake lever is immobile and will not engage the front brake under normal operation. After releasing and reapplying (squeezing the front brake lever with high force) one or more times it will function. It generally brakes very hard once it re-engages. (If you increase the pressure on the brake lever enough it will give in and apply the brakes, but doing this almost locks the front wheel). This doesn’t usually happen in city riding. When the front brake does fail it is usually after riding on the highway without applying the brakes for 20+ minutes. First happened when the motorcycle had around 4000 miles on the odometer, 4 months after purchasing the motorcycle new. This has happened about 30 times in five months, 8000 miles (between 4000 and 12000 miles) since the first occurrence. Dealer feedback. Took motorcycle to the local Honda dealership while the motorcycle was (still is) under warranty. A service technician took a short ride and didn't duplicate the issue. The service manager stated that he called Honda and was told they would not pay for diagnostics since they didn't duplicate the issue.