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2004 Honda VTX1300

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2004 Honda VTX1300 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 35.

About this comparison →
78Owner complaints

Model-year median: 35

0Recall campaigns

View recall details →

0Investigations

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
35
200378
200447
200535
200636
2007
Compare all VTX1300 years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Steering
33Suspension
25Vehicle Speed Control
9Power Train
6Wheels
5
All reported categories
Electrical System
4Unknown Or Other
3Fuel System, Gasoline
2Engine And Engine Cooling
1Structure
1

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

52 reports with mileage · 26 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Steering. Review the 33 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Suspension. Review the 25 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 9 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

3 crash reports0 fire reports3 injury reports

Power Train complaints

6 reports
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15,000 miles · Jul 10, 2014
Power TrainSuspension

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 O…

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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

NHTSA ODI #10609741

50,000 miles · Jan 28, 2011
Power Train

2004 HONDA VTX 1300. BEARING FLANGE FAILURE ON THE REAR WHEEL. APPROX. 50,000 MILES BEFORE IT GOT REAL NOTICEABLE REAL FAST. THE BEARING FLANGE COST 249.00. CANT FIND A CROSS REFERENCE TO THE BEARING USED, SO HAD TO PURCHASE THE WHOLE FLANGE ASSY. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10379492

14,483 miles · May 26, 2009
Power Train

I HAVE A 2004 HONDA VTX 1300C WITH 14,483 MILES ON IT. I CHECKED THE BEARINGS IN REAR WHEEL AS I WAS PUTTING A NEW TIRE ON. THE BEARINGS ARE SO BAD IT VERY HARD TO TURN THEM BY HAND. I'M 51 YEARS OLD AND PUT OVER 300,000 MILES ON BIKES. I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS IN SUCH A SHORT TIME. I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT HONDA WILL NOT C…

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I HAVE A 2004 HONDA VTX 1300C WITH 14,483 MILES ON IT. I CHECKED THE BEARINGS IN REAR WHEEL AS I WAS PUTTING A NEW TIRE ON. THE BEARINGS ARE SO BAD IT VERY HARD TO TURN THEM BY HAND. I'M 51 YEARS OLD AND PUT OVER 300,000 MILES ON BIKES. I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS IN SUCH A SHORT TIME. I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT HONDA WILL NOT CORRECT THIS PROBLEM SO I WILL TRY TO FIND BETTER BEARINGS TO REPLACE THE STOCK ONES THAT FAILED. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10269960

31,000 miles · Nov 6, 2006
Power Train

REAR FLANGE BEARING IN FINAL DRIVE ON 2004 HONDA VTX 1300 MOTORCYCLE. THIS BEARING BASICALLY CAME APART IN THE REAR END, AND WAS DISCOVERED BY A LOCAL TIRE SELLER. IF I HAD CONTINUED TO RIDE, IT COULD HAVE LOCKED UP THE REAR END, RESULTING IN A VERY BAD ACCIDENT. *JB

NHTSA ODI #10172681

Mileage unknown · Jun 10, 2005
Power Train

DT: CONSUMER BOUGHT A HONDA MOTORCYCLE VLX 600. WAS NOT ABLE TO RIDE MOTORCYCLE BEFORE PURCHASE. IT HAD FOUR SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION. IN FIRST GEAR THE MOTORCYCLE WILL STALL IF IT HAS NOT REVVED TO A HIGH RPMS. CONSUMER STATED HE HAS ALMOST BEEN HIT FROM BEHIND WHEN MOTORCYCLE STALLED DUE TO TRYING TO FOLLOW A SLOW VEHICLE.…

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DT: CONSUMER BOUGHT A HONDA MOTORCYCLE VLX 600. WAS NOT ABLE TO RIDE MOTORCYCLE BEFORE PURCHASE. IT HAD FOUR SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION. IN FIRST GEAR THE MOTORCYCLE WILL STALL IF IT HAS NOT REVVED TO A HIGH RPMS. CONSUMER STATED HE HAS ALMOST BEEN HIT FROM BEHIND WHEN MOTORCYCLE STALLED DUE TO TRYING TO FOLLOW A SLOW VEHICLE. WHEN IT REVVED TOO HIGH AND CONSUMER RELEASED CLUTCH THEN IT SNAPPED AS IF TO RIDE A WHEEL. CONSUMER SAID THAT MOTORCYCLE NEEDED FIVE GEARS,WAS UNSAFE WITH FOUR.*AK

NHTSA ODI #10124945

10,100 miles · May 31, 2005
Power TrainWheels

REAR WHEEL DRIVE BEARING IS DEFECTIVE OR INSTALLED INCORRECTLY CAUSING PREMATURE BEARING FAILURE. THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN. REAR WHEAL BEARING FAILURE ON A MOTORCYCLE IS VERY DANGEROUS. REPLACEMENT OF BEARING AND / OR FLANGE ASSEMBLY.

NHTSA ODI #10122471

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.