This motorcycle continues to over heat under specific conditions which honda corp refuses to address and primarily blames the operator for improper use.honda states that unless the motorcycle coolant overflows there's no problem and that the motorcycle was not designed to be ridden at less than 30mph.aluminum heads on the motor will not take constant 260deg heat without eventually failing.this should not be happening on an 18k+$ bike and hondas response has been horrible.he motorcycle will.
2002 Honda GL1800 engine complaints
Page 4 of 5: complaints 71 to 100 of 115, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Constant overheating of the 2002honda goldwing gl1800 if you travel under a certain speed .
When motorcycle is traveling at 25mph or less temp gauge goes into the red zone and if continue to travel antifreeze spews out of over flow hose . When this happens rear wheel becomes slippery and results in loss of traction. Potential crash can result.
Brand new motorcycle overheated (gauge deep in the red) on our first trip. It has since overheated sixteen more times. Honda says to ignore the guage but will not fix the guage. I believe the guage is working because I can feel the excess heat generated on my legs. This problem occurs anytime you are driving between 15 and 30 MPH. Honda says to drive in 3rd gear. I tried this and it does not prevent the bike from overheating. I overheat anytime I get stuck in traffic or when I am cruising residential neighborhoods obeying the speed limit or simply enjoying a scenic drive. I often need to pull over in heavy traffic to let the bike cool down causing disruptions in the traffic flow which I feel are very unsafe. I feel like I have a lemon because honda refuses to fix the problem and I do not feel safe driving it. I would sincerely like to get my money back. I bought this bike thinking honda had an excellent reputation. They are trying to take the easy way (ignore the consumer's safety problems) out. Please, can you prod them into responding to this issue? Thank you. [xxx] p.s. I have ridden motorcycles for 33 years. I am riding this motorcycle according to the manual's reccomendations. Honda wants me to ignore the manual!*ak parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Came upon road construction where traffic was stop and go with in about three to four minutes the temperature gauge had moved into the red zone the second time the gauge was completely pegged. This was on 7/26/02 with about 1870 miles on the motorcycle. This just happened again on 8/24/02 and again it was in slow moving constructoin area thi is the third time now that it has over heated. The motorcycle only has 3871 miles on it. Thank you in advance for looking into this issue that honda has with the 2002 goldwing.
I now know that the gl 1800 has had over heating problems since they came out in 2001. This motor cycle over heats in stop and go traffic. The shop personnel told me to, not pay attention to the gauge...take off in third gear...run the motor cycle until it boils over. This is further reflected by the honda representative that contacted me. The shop, nor honda will put anything in writing. This issue is especially dangerous in freeway traffic and you can not get off of the road.
Motorcycle overheats in slow moving traffic, dealer told me that everyone that buys a gl1800 is back within 2 weeks after purchase with same problem but as of now there is no fix available. I called honda customer support and could not get admission that there is a problem, but it was admitted to me that there has been complaints made. Please check website gl1800.org there is a link for overheating issues with many of these complaints.
Overheating of engine in heavy stop and go traffic conditions.
Overheats to red line below 20 MPH (heavy traffic). Must pull over to side of road to cool which has LED to near misses by other vehicles.
This water cooled motorcycle overheats every time it is riden slower than 20mph stop & go over a distance of about 1 mile or in about 8 minutes. The radiator overflows and gauge readings are in the red. Both times this has happen the air tempature was less than 80 degress outside. I am concerned with having to stop in traffic with an overheating motorcycle. Dealer does not know of a fix, waiting for honda of america to come out with a fix, which doe not appear to be avialable.
While searching for parking location in large mall, approx. 5-8 min., the temperature gauge suddenly shot up to the red line. I quickly found spot to park motorcycle. I am very concerned about the potential of this motorcycle to overheat in traffic, parking situations and future long distance traveling trips!
Driving slower in heavy traffic causes engine temperature gauge to go in the red.
My apologies for not reporting sooner. After the incident within a few hundred miles of buying the motorcycle new, cooling system overheating has happened numerous times. The first was most dangerour in that I was going up mt washington on a very narrow road. Near the top I finally exceeded temperature redline in spite of using all recommended procedures. The manual said to stop and let fans cool. On a 12' wide road with no barrier to going over, this was difficult. I kept having to do this. Finally had to turn around on dirt portion trying to balance m/c while doing u-turn at walking speed-forward, back, forward, until turned around. Nearly lost balance several times in front of cars anxious to pass. In boston commuter traffic, it happens whenever congested with speeds 15-20 MPH for more than a few minutes. Very nerve-racking to be watching guage head for red and maneuver toward breakdown lane side as it gets to redline to preserve warranty in midst of angry traffic. Otherwise, manual says we void warranty by mistreating. Report to dealer resulted in mfr saying not designed for those traffic conditions. Dealer said cooling system checked out perfectly. Continues to happen regularly in hot and heavy traffic. If overheating is only when coolant comes out (according to mfr), then slippery coolant dumps straight to rear tire. Can't afford to test traction!
Temperature guage went to the red zone while in stop and go traffic. I was forced to pull into a very unsafe construction site to stop and let the engine cool down. C9ne.
Temperature gauge rises whenever motorcycle is driven at slow speeds, regardless of outside temp. Driving in 1st or 2nd gear through a neighborhood or a county park causes temp gauge to rise toward red danger mark. Driving through mountains, steep uphills with no place to pull over, temp gauge rises to red mark. Owner's manual says to pull over if temp gauge rises to red mark. This is not always possible without possible injury if there is no place to pull over without stopping traffic or falling off edge of road if there is no shoulder. Coolant can spill out from overheating, causing rear tire to skid or slip, causing injury of rider or passenger.
No summary listed for above vehicle.
Cooling sys design activates fans below 20mph. Around 20mph, it appears that the fans (blowing forward) and the ram air (blowing backward) create stagnant air at the radiator. The result is consistant overheating at or around 15-20mph. Within one minute the temp guage goes from normal/middle to redline. Majority of this models owners are report the same thing on websites such as: www.gl1800.org.
Vehicle overheats at low speeds forcing operator to pull over at unsafe locations.
Engine consistently overheats,dropping fluids. Fluid overflow is directly in front of rear tire, and coolant loss could cause loss of traction and loss of control of cycle. Honda has not repaired and says it is not a problem I have talked via internet to hundread of people with same complaint and honda refuses to fix. Dealer told me not to both him anymore. Motorcycle has overheated 4 times and lost coolant 4 times in 2k miles. Honda says it is not overheated until coolant is lost ( right in front of rear tire).
I have ridden the motorcycle four times in traffic and each time the temperature gauge indicated a reading that according to the manual was unsafe to the operation of the engine. Upon contacting the manufacturer they claimed that the temperature gauge was innaccurate and that overheating actually occurred only when coolant was dispersed from the cooling tank, contrary to what is stated in the manual. The motorcycle operates entirely different when running in the red zone, it is hard to shift and extremely hot. I cannot believe that riding at these constant elevated temperatures is safe for the engine or the rider. Additionally, independant testing of the coolant temperature confirms the degree at which the engine is operating at potential prolonged periods is indeed excessive and damaging. This causes one to have to find any shoulder, grass area or curb to pull over everytime one is stuck in traffic which is a normal occurance in everyday riding. There is no reason that this problem should occur on a regular basis in traffic where any other vehicle fairs just fine.
Pulling off road on interstate to cool down is not safe. When traffic back up and causes me to drive as a very slow speed the motorcycle overheats into the read zone on the temperature. Gauge. Dealer said that there is no service bulletin on a fix of this problem. I have checked on the internet and found many owners that are having the same problem.
My concern with this 1 month old motorcycle is that it easily runs to the top of the temperature guage when operated at around 10-15 MPH regardless of ambient temperature. It also should be stated how this defect relates to the issue of safety: for example, having to monitor the engine temperature gauge while driving could be hazardous ...this is proven with cell phone use while driving--very distracting and even more so if you are concerned that the engine may get too hot and seize, causing death or injury. I called honda motor corporation; who has acknowledged this condition, but I was advised that they do not have a fix for this condition.
Nearly all 2001, 2002 & 2003 goldwing 1800 motorcycles has serious overheating problem when driven 10-20 MPH. Must be pulled over to cool. I was traveling i90 through chicago, engine overheated 2x's. Due to construction work, no place to pull over. Potentially life threatening. Honda has not addressed problem, despite numerious complaints by owners. Now starting 3rd year of sales. It is only a matter of time before accident happens.
Engine overheats, leaving vehicle disabled in traffic (I.e. Construction zone) and driver exposed to significant risk of injury from passing traffic.
No summary listed for above motorcycle.
Overheating at low speeds.
Overheats above redline when operating at low speeds in traffic.
Engine overheats when driven at constant speeds below 18mph.
Engin overheats in heavy traffic at 15-20 MPH.
Engine overheats when travelling at low speed -- about 10- 15 MPH. I have taken the bike to the dealer three times as well as called honda and they cannot fix it. When motorcycle is overheated, you have to stop or run the risk of ruining the engine. Since this occurs in traffic conditions, it is very dangerous to stop, sometimes impossible. If you don't stop and the engine seizes, that will be even a greater danger. I have been told that it is not really overheating but merely a gauge problem. However, the motorcycle clearly is running very hot which causes other problems such as surging, difficulties shifting, difficulties in accelerating, etc. It is my understanding that this problem has existed in the 2001 models as well.
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