Temperature guage moves to red zone and engine appears to overheat when traveling 12-17 MPH.
2001 Honda GL1800 engine complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 42, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Motorcycle has a overheating problem at slow 15 to 25 MPH.I have lost coolant .my main concern is for my passenger and my safety. I ride in los angles traffic and sometimes can't get to the side of the road.and when moving slow in traffic u can't be looking down to c if it puking coolant on the ground .this is one safety issue the other is the safety of trying to get off to the side of the road safely when there are four lanes of bumper to bumper traffic.I'm very disappointed with honda untimely manner of taking care of this safety issue.
Honda goldwing overheats in stop and go traffic less than 15 MPH, regardless of the weather conditions, the motorcycle traveling at just 10-15 MPH will begin to overheat. On two occasions within the last year, the temperture gage went all the way to the red zone , fearing engine damage, I pulled over until bike cooled down. I got off the freeway and drove surface streets until freeway traffic resumed an acceptable speed.
No summary listed for above vehicle.
Occurred during trips up hill, behind slow traffic 20 MPH or less, or in slow traffic in national parks, speed again less than 20 MPH. Temperature crept into the red or hot. Vehicle had to be stopped and let cool down.
During rush hour traffic my motorcycle's temperature guage began rising into the 'red' area after about 10 mins of 5-15 MPH stop and go traffic - this is a well know issue on the www.gl1800riders.com general message board.
Under slow traffic conditions the vehicle will overheat and has happened to many owners of this vehicle. It is reproducable on any motorcycle of this model.
Engine overheats in slow traffic. Temp gauge goes into red zone, no cooland loss but coolant smell is strong, honda says there is no proplem
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.
Engine overheats at low speed in second and third gear, causing operator to have to disrupt traffic and pull off to the side of the highway. Also coolant is dispersed from the cooling system overflow.
No summary listed for above vehicle.
Motorcycle overheats in slow traffic conditions caused by a design flaw. Potential safety hazzard from coolant being expelled in front of the rear tire.
Vehicle overheats between 15-20mph, can make it happen consistently.
No summary listed for above vehicle.
Initial encounter of problem when for first time placed in heavy stop and go traffic on 8/16/2001. Has repeatedly failed approx 10 times since. Honda has been given three attempts to fix with no positive results. Engine has stalled on numerous events. Rear wheel seizing once while moving at about 22 MPH. Boilover of coolant on several occasions also, coolant dumps right in front of rear wheel creating a possible loss of control. Known "tech fact" as per honda factory service manual, cooling fans will never ever come on above 15 MPH regardless of temp.seeking legal recourse under magnuson moss warranty act.
Vehicle overheated, in slow traffic, doing damage to o2 sensors, resulting in reduced gas mileage of 26 - 32 mpg, which is 10 - 12 mpg below original mileage and other gl1800's I ride with. Dealer and manufacturer both know of the problem, but will not replace the o2 sensors unless the fi light on the dash comes on. Fuel mileage should be a concern to motorcycle mfrs. Just as it is with cars. Now I get mileage that is near what my 3200 lb., v6, 200hp sedan does and honda thinks this is ok?
While driving at an unknown speed, the engine stalled unexpectedly and it coasted before coming to a stop, dealership has not examined motorcycle for this problem, the dealership serviced motorcycle prior to the incident for an over-sensitive "engine stop switch."*ak.
While this failure never caused the vehicle to stop completely, honda does not recognize the overheating as a problem. This has occurred to me and many other gl1800 owners. It is a problem in the basic design which creates a terrible condition when it occurs in stop and go traffic. Honda needs to address it before it causes injury or death, not after. It may not seem to be the biggest problem, but it does exists and should be resolved by honda.
Temperature gauge will climb if drove at speed's 10 to 15 MPH if in a traffic jam cooling system does not work properly engine will heatup with possible over heating if rode slow for very long.
Design of cooling system is that fans pull air through radiators. Fans designed to turn of at speeds over 15 MPH. When you encounter stop and go traffic at speeds above 15 but less than 25, motorcycle will overheat. When I discussed this with the dealer & manufacturer I was told this isn't an issue just don't drive in those condidtions. I was also asked if it got hot enough to spit out antu-freeze. I stated no, I didn't want to damage the engine and becaue of their design if it did spill out anti-freeze it comes out in front of the rear tire which could cause an accident. Not too safe. The fix is to reverse the dirrection of the fans and change the operation to where the fans come on and stay on at a certain tempature until the engine falls below that tempaturer. So far the manufacture refuses to acknowledge this is a safety issue.
During slow speed operation the motorcycle overheats this condition has been reported to my purchasing dealer several times and no remedy has been provided.
Vehicle overheats when driven at slow speeds.
Many honda goldwing gl 1800 owners have expressed concern about their motorcyles overheating while inching along in traffic and/or being in situations where low speeds are necessary, such as parades. It appears that the engine cooling fans/system is not designed to ride this bike in all driving situations safely without the possiblility of overheating and causing injury.
Motorcycle overheats when stuck in stop and go traffic, reported to dealer service dept. And was told that honda said this was not a problem.
Coolant temperature went to red mark several times under slow moving conditions. Bike was stopped to cool it down. Safety concern.
Initial problem discovered when first time placed in heavy slow moving traffic on 8/16/01. Has happened 8 times since first event. Manuf was informed within 5 mins of first occurence by cell phone. Dealer attempted to fix with failed results bike kept 1 week. At my request and constant complaining, regional rep then attempted kept bike 3 weeks. Faulty thermostat found and replaced, but problem still exists. Engine will run into and above red zone on guage, has on a few occasions dumped coolant, has shut off 3 times, entire drive train stopped moving once,possible engine seizure.honda and its reps now know nothing else to do.note* tech data that is fact not a defect* cooling fans will not run at any speed above 15mph regardless of how hot the engine may get. Problem still exists as of 10/19/01. Persuing legal advice and recourse as I feel my product has been damaged and I am not satified with outcome of how the manufacturer is handling the matter.
Cooling fans are designed to cut off at 15 MPH no matter what the engine temp is this can get real serious when on a 3 or 4 lane road in heavy trafic and you have to pull over because the computer cut off the fans this was brought to honda attention with not responce I listed the selling dealer but he is not the one doing the service ed.
Coolant dump happened after short ride on cool morning. Gauge does not go above the half mark now even in high temperature conditions. Dealer did not perform service for new harness. Indicated that was not required. Indicated that has not heard of this happening before.
Consumer was notified about recall 01v133000/pulse rotor in early may 2001. Contacted dealer , gn gonzales in baton rouge, la, and was told parts were on backorder. Since then, consumer has been in contact with dealer and honda co., still being told parts on backorder.
Recall 01v133000. Consumer made appointment to have recall done. Dropped vehicle off on 11 june 2001. Called dealer on 12 june 2001 to inquire if vehicle was ready to be picked up, was told recall would not be done because vehicle was not purchased at this dealership.
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