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2003 Honda VT1100 problems

The most common problem on the 2003 Honda VT1100 is engine and cooling. Its complaint count is close to a typical VT1100 model year.

Typical yearClose to a typical year
Owner complaints
4
Recalls
0
Service bulletins
4
Worst area
Engine

The worst 2003 Honda VT1100 problems

Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.

  • Engine
    2
  • Fuel system
    1
  • Transmission
    1

Problems by type

Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.

  • Engine
    2
  • Fuel system
    1
  • Transmission
    1

Recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

Technical service bulletins for the 2003 Honda VT1100 4

Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.

What 2003 Honda VT1100 owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Oct 21, 2003 · Fuel system · MO

Problems with motorcycle leaking gas.*mr motorcycle leaked when sitting in the sun until it was placed in the shade. Mechanic had the motorcycle three times and the problem continued. The honda rep never contacted the consumer regarding his motorcycle. Consumer feels this needed to be corrected/recalled to prevent a fire/ injuries.

Filed Aug 25, 2003 · Engine · 1 miles · MI

There is a loud ticking noise coming from the lower right side of my engine that ends at the right front head.this has been going on from the first day I took delivery of my new motorcycle. When you first start it up it makes a slight ticking noise and it gets worse the longer you ride it. I have tried to get this fixed on my warranty and all I have been told is that it is a honda trait and just one of there quirks and to just "ride it and enjoy the bike". It is not a quirk. It is a serious valve train problem because the clearences are not correct when it came from the factory and as the motor gets hotter the looser the valve train gets. I have talked to 2 other honda technitions at different locations that said that honda knows about this problem and that they are not fixing it. I had asked them if they would put it in writeing for me and both said no because they would loose there jobs. I have changed different weight of oils " as per hondas request " and no change. It just gets worse. This is a common problem with the vt1100c engines. I have been told by honda trained personal; to go and try there different weights of oil trying to quit this up and it just gets worse the more miles you put on it.this bike needs to be in the shop and torn down to find the problem. I took delivery of this bike, march-15-2003. It is now august-25-2003 and I only have 2,600 miles on it. This bike was bought for my summer transportation and I am scared to ride it because the valve train could let loose and the engine could lock up and cause an injury or a death.

Filed Aug 25, 2003 · Engine · 1 miles · MI

There is a loud ticking noise coming from the lower right side of my engine that ends at the right front head.this has been going on from the first day I took delivery of my new motorcycle. When you first start it up it makes a slight ticking noise and it gets worse the longer you ride it. I have tried to get this fixed on my warranty and all I have been told is that it is a honda trait and just one of there quirks and to just "ride it and enjoy the bike". It is not a quirk. It is a serious valve train problem because the clearences are not correct when it came from the factory and as the motor gets hotter the looser the valve train gets. I have talked to 2 other honda technitions at different locations that said that honda knows about this problem and that they are not fixing it. I had asked them if they would put it in writeing for me and both said no because they would loose there jobs. I have changed different weight of oils " as per hondas request " and no change. It just gets worse. This is a common problem with the vt1100c engines. I have been told by honda trained personal; to go and try there different weights of oil trying to quit this up and it just gets worse the more miles you put on it.this bike needs to be in the shop and torn down to find the problem. I took delivery of this bike, march-15-2003. It is now august-25-2003 and I only have 2,600 miles on it. This bike was bought for my summer transportation and I am scared to ride it because the valve train could let loose and the engine could lock up and cause an injury or a death.

Filed Mar 24, 2003 · Transmission · 25 miles · PA

2003 honda motorcycle sabre 1100 cc. The "pivot bolt" and "acorn nut" that hold the shift pedal and linkage in place comes totally loose and virtually falls off every 50 miles. This happened on my first ride on the new motorcycle. Twenty-five miles out, the motorcycle was not shifting right. I looked down and saw the shift pedal hanging by the last thread on the bolt. I got off the road, used the handy tool kit honda provides, and tightened everything up. If it had come all the way off, it could have resulted in an accident, and would certainly have rendered the motorcycle inoperable, leaving me stranded by the side of the road. I attributed my misfortune to the bolt not being tightened properly during the manufacturing assembly and/or dealer assembly. When I got home, I disassembled the pedal, and properly lubricated and reassembled the pedal and linkage as per factory specs. Much to my surprise, 50 miles later it was hanging by the last thread again. I caught it just before it fell off. I now have it bolted on using a standard "hardware-store" self-locking nut. I rode 150 miles yesterday with no problem. I now think there is a design flaw or assembly error in using the wrong type of bolt and nut. I cannot blame it on sloppy assembly as it came loose again after I meticulously assembled everything myself. To have this critical piece of equipment consistently come loose in 25-50 miles of riding is a very dangerous situation. I am sure you would agree. I am submitting this for your consideration. I have notified honda as well.

Compare the 2003 Honda VT1100

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Questions about the 2003 Honda VT1100

Is the 2003 Honda VT1100 reliable?

Owners have filed 4 complaints about the 2003 Honda VT1100, close to a typical VT1100 model year.

What is the most common problem with the 2003 Honda VT1100?

Engine and cooling, with 2 complaints. Next is fuel system (1).

How many recalls does the 2003 Honda VT1100 have?

No recalls on record.

Share your experience with the 2003 Honda VT1100

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