2006 Honda VTX1300

1. BEGAN HAVING PROBLEMS KEEPING HEADLIGHT ON AFTER STARTER SWITCH PUSHED. HAD TO START JIGGLING STARTER SWITCH TO TURN ON HEADLIGHT. 2. STARTED HAVING HEADLIGHTS TURN OFF DURING DRIVING (ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS DURING NIGHT RIDES!). NEEDED TO JIGGLE STARTER SWITCH TO GET HEADLIGHT BACK ON. STARTING MOTORCYCLE NOW DIFFICULT ALSO. 3. TRIED WD40 ON STARTER SWITCH, DIDN'T HELP. JUST HAVE TO KEEP JIGGLING STARTER SWITCH TO GET HEADLIGHT TO STAY ON (TAKES MORE JIGGLING EVERYTIME). *TR

ON 12/08/07, I PURCHASED A NEW 2006 HONDA VTX1300C FROM: FUN BIKE CENTER, LAKELAND, FLORIDA. AFTER THE BREAK-IN PERIOD I BEGAN RIDING THE MOTORCYCLE TO WORK BY WAY OF INTERSTATE 4. I FOUND THAT WHEN RIDING THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT I WAS BEING PASSED BY EVERYONE. I FOUND THAT WHEN THE SPEEDOMETER READ 70 MPH I WAS GOING JUST UNDER 60 MPH. I EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM TO FUN BIKE CENTER AND I WAS TOLD THAT HONDA MOTORCYCLES REGULARLY HAD SPEEDOMETER DISCREPANCIES AND THAT AS THE TIRES BEGIN TO WEAR, THE SPEEDOMETER WOULD GET CLOSER. AFTER SPEAKING TO THE DEALERSHIP'S GENERAL MANAGER, THE MOTORCYCLE WAS CHECKED ON A DYNO MACHINE. I WAS TOLD THAT WHEN THE SPEEDOMETER READ 70 MPH, IT WAS ACTUALLY RUNNING 62 MPH. THE GENERAL MANAGER CALLED HONDA ABOUT THE PROBLEM. REPORTEDLY, HONDA STATED THAT THE DISCREPANCY WAS NORMAL AND THAT THEY WOULD DO NOTHING TO FIX IT. I CALLED HONDA TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WHO STATED THAT THE DISCREPANCIES ARE WITHIN AN ACCEPTED INDUSTRY STANDARD. SINCE THEN, I CHECKED MY SPEEDOMETER AGAIN, THE RESULTS ARE THE SAME. A RADAR UNIT SHOWED THAT I WAS GOING 61 WHEN THE SPEEDOMETER SHOWED 70MPH. I CONSIDER THIS VEHICLE UNSAFE. I RIDE THE INTERSTATE DAILY TO WORK. HOWEVER, IF MY MOTORCYCLE IS ONLY GOING 60-62 MPH WHEN THE SPEEDOMETER READS 70MPH, THEN I HAVE TO GUESS WHAT MY SPEEDOMETER HAS TO READ TO BE GOING 70 MPH. IS IT 80, 82 OR IS IT EVEN GREATER AS THE SPEED INCREASES? IF, AS THEY SAID, THAT AS THE TIRES WEAR THE SPEEDOMETER BECOMES MORE ACCURATE - WHEN DOES THAT OCCUR - AT 5,000 MILES, 10,000 MILES? I WROTE A CERTIFIED LETTER TO HONDA ON 01/14/08. I HAVE SINCE RECEIVED A CALL FROM THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT. THEY STATED THEIR POSITION WAS UNCHANGED, THEY WOULD DO NOTHING TO REPAIR THE MOTORCYCLE, HOWEVER THEY NOW SAY DOT STANDARDS ALLOW FOR THE INACCURATE SPEEDOMETER. I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT DOT STANDARDS WOULD ALLOW THEM TO SELL MOTORCYCLES WITH INACCURATE SPEEDOMETERS AS HONDA HAS STATED. THIS IS A NEW MOTORCYCLE WITH A FULL WARRANTY. *TR

MY SPEEDOMETER IS 11% OFF ACCORDING TO A CERTIFIED (I BELIEVE) DYNOMETER. I HAVE SPOKEN TO HONDA NA, MOTORCITY POWERSPORTS OF BLOOMFIELD MI, & GE MONEY SEVERAL TIMES REGARDING THIS ISSUE TO NO AVAIL. I BELIEVE THIS IS A PROBLEM BECAUSE I CAN LIKELY BECOME INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT BY GOING TOO SLOW BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW MY CORRECT SPEED. EVERY TIME I HAVE SPOKEN TO HONDA THEY HAVE CLAIMED IT WAS WITHIN SPECS. FIRST 5% WAS ACCEPTABLE BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT I THOUGHT AT THE BEGINNING. THEN I WAS TOLD 10% OFF WAS NORMAL (AGAIN THAT WAS AFTER I TOLD THEM THAT I THOUGHT IT WAS 10 MILES OFF AT 60 MPH. I WAS EVEN TOLD THAT THE MOTORCYCLE WAS DESIGNED THAT WAY TO PREVENT OPERATORS FROM RECEIVING TICKETS. AFTER REFUSING TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT I TOOK THE BIKE TO A DEALER THAT HAD A DYNOMETER. AT THAT TIME I WAS TOLD IT WAS OFF 11%, SENT MOTOR CITY A COPY OF THE REPORT, HAD THE MANAGER OF THE DYNO SHOP CALL MCPS WHILE I WAS STILL THERE AND STILL HONDA REFUSES TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT BECAUSE OF THE SUSPECTED COSTS INVOLVED. ALL I WANTED WAS THE SPEEDOMETER REPAIRED. I HAVE TO PAY $10,000.00 FOR A MOTORCYCLE THAT WAS PURCHASED FOR MY WIFE, THAT WE ARE AFRAID TO OPERATE BECAUSE OF THIS SERIOUS DEFECT. *TR