FLANGE BEARING FAILURE, TOTALLY DISINTEGRATED. NO ADVANCED WARNING. WAS IN PROCESS OF REPLACING REAR TIRE. 12,400 MILES ON A 2004 HONDA VTX TOOK HOURS TO REMOVE SHREDDED METAL. REPLACED WITH REPAIRED UNIT. *TR
2004 Honda VTX1800
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all VTX1800 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 6 of 6 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Power Train. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Wheels. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 2 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Power Train complaints
4 reports2004 HONDA VTX 1800C MOTORCYCLE WITH 57,000 MILES. WHILE REPLACING REAR TIRE, I INSPECTED REAR FLANGE BEARING AND BY SIMPLE OBSERVATION NOTED THAT ABOUT HALF THE BALL BEARINGS WERE MISSING. FIRST TIME FAILURE ON THIS MOTORCYCLE. HAVING THE FLANGE BEARINGS AND THE MAIN WHEEL BEARINGS REPLACED WITH NEW BEARINGS. *TR
WHEN MY MOTORCYCLE REACHED 8,000 MILES IT HAD A HIGH SPEED WHINE, WHEN I HAD A NEW TIRE INSTALLED , I FOUND THE REAR WHEEL BEARINGS WERE IN PIECES. I NOW HAVE 18,000 MILES ON IT AND AGAIN THE BEARINGS ARE OUT. I BELIEVE THERE IS A PROBLEM THAT HONDA KNOWS ABOUT . IF ONE OF THESE MOTORCYCLES HAS A BEARING LOCK UP AT HIGHWAY SPEE…
Read full complaint
WHEN MY MOTORCYCLE REACHED 8,000 MILES IT HAD A HIGH SPEED WHINE, WHEN I HAD A NEW TIRE INSTALLED , I FOUND THE REAR WHEEL BEARINGS WERE IN PIECES. I NOW HAVE 18,000 MILES ON IT AND AGAIN THE BEARINGS ARE OUT. I BELIEVE THERE IS A PROBLEM THAT HONDA KNOWS ABOUT . IF ONE OF THESE MOTORCYCLES HAS A BEARING LOCK UP AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS IT COULD BE FATAL. *TR
A COMMON PROBLEM NOT RECOGNIZED BY HONDA IN REFERENCE TO A FLANGE BEARING FAILURE IN THE REAR WHEEL OF 2004 VTX 1800C MOTORCYCLE. NOTICED WHEN REPLACING REAR TIRE DUE TO REGULAR TIRE WEAR. *TR
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
Illustration