NHTSA Complaint #767367 — 2001 HONDA GL1800

MOTORCYCLE HAS GONE INTO THE "RED ZONE" ON THE GAUGE NUMEROUS TIMES SINCE THE FIRST TIME THAT I EXPEREINCED IT LAST SUMMER. IT DEFINITELY IS GETTING HOT, AS THE HEAT IS NOTICEABLE AND THE MOTORCYC WILL ALSO "MISS SHIFTS" WHILE RUNNING HOT. ORIGINALLY IT ONLY OCCURED WHEN I WOULD GET TRAPPED IN TRAFFIC AND WAS UNABLE TO EITHER STOP OR GO FAST ENOUGH TO COOL DOWN THE MOTORCYCLE. IT HAS PROGRESSED AND I HAVE EXPERIENCED IT UNDER OTHER CONDITIONS, SUCH AS CLIMBING THE HILL TO CAVE OF THE WINDS IN COLORADO SPRINGS AND ON A GRADE AT 40 - 50 MPH SUSTAINED SPEED IN UTAH. ONCE MOTORCYCLE HAS COOLED DOWN THE SHIFTING RETURNS TO NORMAL, BUT THE MISSED SHIFTING SEEMS TO BE GETTING MORE AND MORE PRONOUNCED WHEN HOT. (OR MAYBE THE BIKE IS GETTING HOTTER.) I ASKED MY DEALER ABOUT THIS SITUATION LAST SUMMER AND AT THAT TIME THEY SAID THEY HAD NO PREVIOUS REPORTS OF THIS OCCURING. I HAVE NOT "PUKED COOLANT" THAT I KNOW OF, BUT SINCE THE BIKE DOES HAVE AN OVERFLOW RESERVOIR I AM NOT SURE THAT IT HAS NOT OCCURED. I ALSO HAVE NOT STOPPED OR WATCHED THE HIGHWAY BEHIND ME AS THIS WAS OCCURING. I WAS ABLE TO GET A PICTURE OF THE BIKE NEAR THE RED ZONE AT ABOUT 45 MPH, BUT I WAS NOT ABLE TO GET ANY AT THE RED ZONE AT THAT SPEED BECAUSE THE DAY THAT I TRIED WAS ALSO ONE OF THE DAYS THAT MY SPEEDOMETER WAS STICKING. SINCE THE BIKE WAS SHOWING 50 MPH WHILE STOPPPED - ACCORDING TO THE SPEEDO - IT SEEMED POINTLESS TO TRY TO TAKE A PICTURE. I HAVE NEVER TRIED TO GET THE BIKE TO OH, A MY DESIRE IS (WAS?) TO OWN THIS BIKE FOR MANY YEARS AND MANY MILES. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED THAT HONDA REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEGDE THE PROBLEM. THE SURVEY ASKED ME IF I CONTACTED HONDA AND I ANSWERED YES. THE REALITY IS THAT I TRIED LAST SUMMER AND GOT TIRED OF WAITING ON THE PHONE - SO I DID CONTACT HONDA, BUT NEVER ACTUALLY SPOKE TO A HUMAN BEING. THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS REPORTS OF THIS OCCURING TO OTHER OWNERS, SO I HAVE NOT TRIED AGAIN. I DID FILL OUT A REPORT ON THIS SITE LAST SUMMER, BUT I DO NOT SEE IT POSTED.*AK