[Jwingkc]

Hi ladies and gents,

New to this board and am enjoying it a lot. I just sold a '93 1500 with 125,000 on it and bought an '01 1800 with 17,000. It obviously had not been ridden very much and in checking the internet I discovered the "frame recall" and other issues. I took it to the Honda Stealer and they declared the frame OK. Now, I was looking around and saw there was a lawsuit regarding the frame and Honda has to fix the problem for the life of the bike. If the frame is a problem, then it can crack at any time...right? Do you take it in yearly for a checkup or are there any signs of problems to trigger a check up. Other than that concern I love the bike. Just ordered about $1200 worth of accessories for it and have more to go.

I enjoy this forum and thank you all for your comments and expertise.

Thanks,
Jerry

 

[YIWING]

You might want to check out this site for bullitins.
http://www.ridersrally.org/sb/sb.htm
I thought the latest thing for the cracks was they were going to weld them all as preventitive maintenance but not sure about that.

 

[jburd]

Do a search on this board for "frame crack" and you'll have enough reading to get you through the winter.
I believe most owners just keep inspecting their frames periodically, I know I do.

 

[Seldom Home]

Welcome to the board Jerry.:clap2:
I have an '01 also. The frame was not cracked but was rewelded under the recall. Whenever I do maintenance or install stuff I do a visual of any exposed welds.
I don't expect the bike to suddenly disintegrate so I ride it and enjoy it.
opcorn:

 

[Canyon Dancer in Colorado]

Fyi

There were very few issues with the 2001 frame, 2002 up thru 2004, apparently when some say the welding process was changed created a problem with the weld being too shallow. I have a 2001 and the inspection turned up no issues (the weld was done correctly). I do inspect it occasionally just to be sure however.

Welcome to the board.

 

[Fox in GA]

If the lower cross member weld is OK the only other area of the frame to keep a eye on is at the passenger floor boards. Check it were the tube joins the casting for cracks be sure to look on the inside as well as the outside. I realy don't think you will find any thing for a long time as this area usually shows up on high mileage bikes 100k and up. Mostly just ride and enjoy, the 01's are the best of the bunch.

 

[Roadie]

Hi ladies and gents,

New to this board and am enjoying it a lot. I just sold a '93 1500 with 125,000 on it and bought an '01 1800 with 17,000. It obviously had not been ridden very much and in checking the internet I discovered the "frame recall" and other issues. I took it to the Honda Stealer and they declared the frame OK. Now, I was looking around and saw there was a lawsuit regarding the frame and Honda has to fix the problem for the life of the bike. If the frame is a problem, then it can crack at any time...right? Thanks,
Jerry

Jerry

There have been two frame issues with the 01 to 04 models.

The first issue was with the lower crossmember welds, and that is what the class action lawsuit is about. That issue is now covered by Honda for the life of the bike. Even without the class action lawsuit, Honda fixed that 6 years ago and with the bikes that were rewelded there have been no reported failures with any of the rewelded bikes. The lower crossmember weld issue is dead and has been for years now...but now because of the class action lawsuit the lower crossmember welds are covered for the life of the bike....nothing to worry about with this issue. Heres a picture of the lower crossmember welds that were rewelded.

The second frame issue is with the frame tube cracking behind the passenger floorboard. This frame issue is not covered by the class action lawsuit. So far it seems Honda has been covering this issue on a case by case bases for those out of warranty when a failure has happened. Honda added reinforcement and did some other refinements with the frame for the 05 model and up to correct this issue.
I wish I could say that you don't have to worry about this issue....but I can't. You will have to inspect your frame often for frame cracks. The frame on my 03 and my friends 04 model both cracked at around 45K miles. Honda did replace my frame under warranty and my friends 04 frame that was out of warranty. Our frames were replaced with the newer spec'ed 05 and up frame.

This is the area you want to keep a eye on....where the frame tube goes into the frame casting.... frame casting on the left. You need to get under the bike and look up at the inside of the frame.....and a crack can be faint and could be hard to see with just your eyes, use a magnifying glass to inspect.

Here's a picture of the 05 and up models with the frame reinforcement.

 

[kmassey]

Just got my 02 back 2 weeks ago. There were no cracks but it wasnt up to factory specs. The dealer stripped it down and sent it out to be welded. The whole ordeal was done in 10 days. The dealer I go to is Honda of Houston and they did a great job for me on what I thought would be a nightmare. Honda treated me right and it turned out to be no big deal.:thumbup:
Kurt

 

[Jwingkc]

Thanks

Gosh,

Thanks alot. I do feel better now that I will not suddenly be sliding down the road on my butt in April when I head to Arizona or May when my lady and I hit the road to Alabama and Georgia. I will make it part of my maintenance schedule to check it in order to forstall any future problems. There is nothing like relying on those who have "been there done that"..

Thanks