IllustrationTHIS PART IS MOUNTED TO THE RIM OF THE MOTORCYCLE AND CONNECTS TO THE DRIVE SHAFT . THE HOUSING THAT THE FLANGE BEARINGS PRESS INTO IS BORED TO TIGHT CAUSING THE BEARINGS TO BE CRUSHED AND NOT BE SMOOTH LIKE THEY SHOULD BE . I PURCHASED BRAND NEW BEARINGS AND HAD THE DEALER PUT THEM IN HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AS BEFORE . *TR
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 →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all VTX1300 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
490–25K
225–50K
150–75K
075–100K
0100–150K
0150K+
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
Wheels complaints
5 reportsREPLACING 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. TH…
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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
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.
RADIAL BALL BEARING FAILURE ON FINAL DRIVE HUB. FAILURE UNDER NORMAL WEAR ON 3 DIFFERENT MOTORCYCLES, ALL FAILURES HAPPENED UNDER 5000 MILES AND EVEN REPLACEMENT PARTS NEW FROM OEM HAD FAILED BEARINGS BEFORE INSTALL. PART NUMBER IS 91053-MN5-003 (BEARING) AND 42630-MCH-000 (DRIVE FLANGE). THIS PROBLEM IS BEING REPORTED BY DOZEN…
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RADIAL BALL BEARING FAILURE ON FINAL DRIVE HUB. FAILURE UNDER NORMAL WEAR ON 3 DIFFERENT MOTORCYCLES, ALL FAILURES HAPPENED UNDER 5000 MILES AND EVEN REPLACEMENT PARTS NEW FROM OEM HAD FAILED BEARINGS BEFORE INSTALL. PART NUMBER IS 91053-MN5-003 (BEARING) AND 42630-MCH-000 (DRIVE FLANGE). THIS PROBLEM IS BEING REPORTED BY DOZENS ON A HONDA VTX INTERNET BOARD. MANY ARE FINDING THAT EVEN NEW OEM PARTS ARE DEFECTIVE AS NEW PARTS BEFORE INSTALL. SOME HAVE LOOKED INTO WHY THIS PROBLEM HAPPENS AND IT IS BELIEVED THE TOLERANCE IN THE FLANGE IS INCORRECT, CAUSING THE BEARING TO DEFORM UPON BEING PRESS INTO THE FLANGE HUB. ALSO NOTE THAT THE MODEL IS NOT ON THE LIST FOR HONDA MOTORCYCLES ON THIS BOARD. I SELECTED HONDA VTX 1300 AS THIS IS THE MODEL FOR THIS COMPLAINT, BUT THE MOTOR SIZE SHOULD BE 1800.
THE FRONT WHEEL STARTED TO WOBBLE AND VIBRATE EXCESSIVELY. THIS CAUSED THE MOTORCYCLE TO LOCK UP, GO STRAIGHT, AND END UP IN AN ACCIDENT AT 55 MPH. THIS WAS THE SECOND TIME IN 48 HOURS THAT THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED. TAKEN TO DEALER FOR CHECKUP, BUT THEIR RESULTS SHOWED THAT THE CAUSE WAS UNDETERMINED.*AK
Official recalls
0No 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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.