Jump to content

Big H Issued A Recall On Vfr1200F And Vfr1200X Re:drive-Shafts


Skids

Recommended Posts

Another recall for Big Red's flagship ?!  I want to believe and buy this bike b/c it seems to have much of what I'm looking for in a daily rider so that my more dedicated (read : uncomfortable) RC51 can sit until Sunday mornings , but man o man , first metal filings in some 2010 engines and now this .  I don't know if I want to spend this kind of coin on a bike that's been torn apart by some green service tech .  There are a couple of new 2014's left at premium prices , and used 2010's are still around $10K here in Canada , so I'm really going to have to think about it . The bike is gorgeous and the DCT , which I want , innovative enough for me to take a chance and buy a non-current model before the snow falls .  Decisions ... decisions ...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member Contributer
On 6/27/2016 at 1:50 PM, HRCules said:

Another recall for Big Red's flagship ?!  I want to believe and buy this bike b/c it seems to have much of what I'm looking for in a daily rider so that my more dedicated (read : uncomfortable) RC51 can sit until Sunday mornings , but man o man , first metal filings in some 2010 engines and now this .  I don't know if I want to spend this kind of coin on a bike that's been torn apart by some green service tech .  There are a couple of new 2014's left at premium prices , and used 2010's are still around $10K here in Canada , so I'm really going to have to think about it . The bike is gorgeous and the DCT , which I want , innovative enough for me to take a chance and buy a non-current model before the snow falls .  Decisions ... decisions ...

You're joking right.  The repair is a simple 1 hour job. They did a complete recall for an expensive (~$1400) part that had few failures.  Great move on Honda to stand behind their product.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

NO , not joking at all .  The mechanics in your area may be great , but the ones at the very few dealers within a 2 hour radius of me are not stellar , so handing over a complex bike like the VFR12 for them to tear apart is a little disconcerting .  They'll inevitably screw up something else .  And I agree that Honda is standing behind their product , as they usually do .  Notwithstanding these two major issues , the bike seems to be reliable like all the other Honda's I've owned .  I'll get one soon ; just a little concerned , that's all .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member Contributer
1 hour ago, HRCules said:

NO , not joking at all .  The mechanics in your area may be great , but the ones at the very few dealers within a 2 hour radius of me are not stellar , so handing over a complex bike like the VFR12 for them to tear apart is a little disconcerting .  They'll inevitably screw up something else .  And I agree that Honda is standing behind their product , as they usually do .  Notwithstanding these two major issues , the bike seems to be reliable like all the other Honda's I've owned .  I'll get one soon ; just a little concerned , that's all .

I understand about not trusting the mechanics, neither do I but, the shaft replacement is very easy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/27/2016 at 7:47 AM, Skids said:

I wondered whether you had as I got back from Paris to find the "Phase Two" recall notice in my mail.

 

NC750? Was that all they had? :schla15:

 

Yep, booked it as soon as the phase 2 notice arrived. Mechanic at Norton Way reckons it only takes him 40 mins now.

 

Yep NC750, wasn't offered a choice. Glad I didn't have too far to go :schla15:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member Contributer
3 minutes ago, RoystonRocket2 said:

 

Yep, booked it as soon as the phase 2 notice arrived. Mechanic at Norton Way reckons it only takes him 40 mins now.

 

Yep NC750, wasn't offered a choice. Glad I didn't have too far to go :schla15:

 

I've asked them to call me to arrange the work once they have the parts in stock. 

 

I quite fancy trying the new Crossrunner. :wacko:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Skids said:

 

I've asked them to call me to arrange the work once they have the parts in stock. 

 

I quite fancy trying the new Crossrunner. :wacko:

I'm sure if you ask or book a test ride they'll sort it. I just took what they had as a courtesy bike.

Mechanic didn't say anything about waiting for stock, they booked mine in as soon as I called.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member Contributer
14 minutes ago, RoystonRocket2 said:

I'm sure if you ask or book a test ride they'll sort it. I just took what they had as a courtesy bike.

Mechanic didn't say anything about waiting for stock, they booked mine in as soon as I called.

 

No, I asked them to call me so I can arrange a better day for me when I know they have the part in.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mine is getting dropped off this Thursday late, they will do the work Friday and I'll pick up that evening. Dealer said they have done a few replacements and would be about a two hour job. This bike had very low sales volume in this region ( central Ohio). I've owned this bike since 2011 and have never seen another one on the road , just a few sitting in dealerships. That's just one of the things I love about this bike, extremely rare. Many people have never seen a 1200f othe than pictures in a magazine. Ride the NT mostly but every time I ride the VFR I'm reminded of just how stellar this bike is . For those of you familiar with Ohio , did about a 220 mi ride yesterday to southeast Ohio . Rt 550 - Rt 555 , what a total blast ! And the 65 mi ride back home on the freeway in serene comfort.

image.jpeg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So the wife drove me over to pick up the VFR this morning after the drive shaft replace. It's about a 30-35 mi ride home from dealer , mostly 70-75 mph freeways and very little low speed residential. As far as I could tell it still has the low speed driveline chatter in "D" mode . Wasn't necessarily expecting a change there . But did notice a slight high speed vibration from the seat that I didn't have before. Didn't really feel it much in the pegs or bars , just the seat . Planning on going for a extensive ride tomorrow so I will further evaluate. Oh , when I got home the final drive fluid got drained ( looked like water coming out ) and replaced with my normal Castrol MTX synthetic SAE 80 w , so that may help. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just an update, rode about 200 mi last weekend to and from my " go to " riding location, south east Ohio. On the way there are 60-70 mph four lane roads . Still noticed the high speed vibration coming from the seat . Fairly relaxed pace till I get to my first destination, rt 550 .    After that didn't really notice the seat vibrations, but this is where I start picking up pace pretty good. Mine has the factory 1st-2nd gear power limitation , but in 3rd gear and above when you normally get that intense rush of speed at 5000 rpm , the thrust of speed is just not there. The motor seems to be running fine but it's almost like something is holding back the drive of the motor , maybe something binding or not turning freely. On the ride back home on 70+ mph freeway the high speed vibration from the seat was gone , but felt more of a rumble from the rear end , almost like a out of balance rear wheel . Got home , no final drive leaks so that's good , checked wheel weights , all are in place . Put up on center stand and wheel seems to be true & straight and turning freely with no binding. I've had this bike for five years and I'm so used to everything being normally very smooth. Engine , transmission , driveshaft , everything works together so smooth and seamlessly with this bike and freeway riding is very comfortable, great high speed touring bike . Something is definitely not the same as it was before the driveshaft replacement . Maybe replacement driveshaft has a larger rotating mass that isn't balanced properly , a installation pin or spline, something not lined up or not installed properly. Am going to check a couple other things this week on rear , after that will have to contact dealer . May send a email to Honda USA first .

image.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, soupbean said:

Just an update, rode about 200 mi last weekend to and from my " go to " riding location, south east Ohio. On the way there are 60-70 mph four lane roads . Still noticed the high speed vibration coming from the seat . Fairly relaxed pace till I get to my first destination, rt 550 .    After that didn't really notice the seat vibrations, but this is where I start picking up pace pretty good. Mine has the factory 1st-2nd gear power limitation , but in 3rd gear and above when you normally get that intense rush of speed at 5000 rpm , the thrust of speed is just not there. The motor seems to be running fine but it's almost like something is holding back the drive of the motor , maybe something binding or not turning freely. On the ride back home on 70+ mph freeway the high speed vibration from the seat was gone , but felt more of a rumble from the rear end , almost like a out of balance rear wheel . Got home , no final drive leaks so that's good , checked wheel weights , all are in place . Put up on center stand and wheel seems to be true & straight and turning freely with no binding. I've had this bike for five years and I'm so used to everything being normally very smooth. Engine , transmission , driveshaft , everything works together so smooth and seamlessly with this bike and freeway riding is very comfortable, great high speed touring bike . Something is definitely not the same as it was before the driveshaft replacement . Maybe replacement driveshaft has a larger rotating mass that isn't balanced properly , a installation pin or spline, something not lined up or not installed properly. Am going to check a couple other things this week on rear , after that will have to contact dealer . May send a email to Honda USA first .

 

The replacement shaft is largely identical to the original. It's just a small change to the bearings and how they are installed in the universal joint. I cannot see there's anything that can have noticeably changed the balance.

 

Any stiffness or drag would need to be MASSIVE to be able to actually slow the bike down. There's a lot of power going through that shaft and that much drag would likely cause it to tear itself apart.

 

I cannot see how the shaft could have been installed wrong. Either it's on the splines at both ends or it's not and the latter would prevent final assembly. The only issue could be if the cir-clip on the front end was not engaged, but it's very unlikely. Assembly is actually very straightforward (provided you have 3 hands :-)

 

I realise you won't want to hear this, but it is very easy to convince yourself there are strange noises etc when you are specifically looking for them and perhaps expecting them, when in fact it is just the same, but you'd got used to them and so no longer noticed. Obviously I cannot judge for myself what you say you are experiencing with your bike, but bear in mind how easy it can be to misinterpret how the bike feels.

 

Any vibration due to out of balance wheels tends to be lower frequency than the buzzyness one gets from the engine. Anything felt through the seat as you describe does sound like a badly balanced wheel, but a rear usually needs to be very badly balanced for it to be even noticeable. I find different road surfaces have a greater effect on vibrations I can feel than any minor imperfections in engine/drivetrain/wheel balance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member Contributer

Make sure they didn't forget to fill up the final drive with oil - I think they drain it with the service. Also check the lug nuts. Maybe the shipping company dropped the new shaft on the way to your dealer? Unlikely but possible.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you both for your insight and feedback. Going to go over a few things in the a.m. and go for a spin . Will probably change final drive oil before to make sure all looks well. Need to go over rear brake . When I got back from the dealer there was final drive oil on the rear of the swing arm and all over the wheel . Thought I cleaned it up pretty good. Will check pads and spray with brake cleaner.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, RC1237V said:

Make sure they didn't forget to fill up the final drive with oil - I think they drain it with the service. Also check the lug nuts. Maybe the shipping company dropped the new shaft on the way to your dealer? Unlikely but possible.....

There is absolutely no need to drain the final drive hub when replacing the shaft. The hub is completely sealed and not dismantled at all. It is removed and re-fitted intact when the shaft is replaced so the oil shouldn't be touched.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

i have ridden almost 6000 miles since the new shaft was installed......no issues at all, big improvement over the old clunker

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member Contributer
On 7/16/2016 at 1:11 AM, BiKenG said:

There is absolutely no need to drain the final drive hub when replacing the shaft. The hub is completely sealed and not dismantled at all. It is removed and re-fitted intact when the shaft is replaced so the oil shouldn't be touched.

Yep, I just checked the service bulletin, and that is correct - no need to drain. Hopefully the mechanic followed the proper procedure - have you lifted the back of the bike and tried to spin the rear wheel to check for binding or noises? If you put a floor jack under the center stand mount boss, and just lift it a few centimeters, while on the side stand, the back tire will come off the ground and you can check it's rotation for dragging.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just had mine done yesterday and she's purring like a kitten. Seems a lot less clunky, especially at low gear slow speeds and gear chamges feel smoother. Going for a blast next week so will give more info then.

20160705_114615.jpg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member Contributer

Had mine done Saturday.

 

Still smooth & quiet. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi there from South Africa, 2 weeks ago I rode my 2013 VFR 1200 and not far from my house it felt as if my  rear brake had kicked in, the bike would no pull, all of a sudden something released and I went back home. Opened the filler section to find no oil. I poured in some oil but it all leaked out. Phoned Honda, they collected my bike and the next day informed me to collect after replacing the complete shaft. It was fine after replacement treatment. I just want to confirm as a previous poster indicated the same "losing power" feeling, it does happen. 

I am not sure this will be healthy on a corner at speed should this happen then!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just got my used  2013 and heard about recall. Called dealership and they ordered part which took a week. Scheduled appt. for Sat. morning and they had me in and out in only about 2 hours which was great. My question was why hadn't it been done previously. Bike had been at honda dealership for sale for around 6 months. Salesman said it was simply a overlook that they should of caught.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member Contributer

I find it surprising a dealer would sell a bike with a known recall outstanding.  These days most dealers are concerned about liability associated with such a thing and won't let them out of their sight until it's corrected.  Glad it went smoothly for you.  :fing02:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy.