Trikes and Honda Warranty

[Feg]

Started having my transmission sound like it has marbles instead of gears. Especially noticeable in 4th and 5th gears. It also has significant vibrations in 4th and 5th gears on the right side foot peg. I have an 08 GW1800 with a Hannigan Trike Kit. Took it into the Honda dealer about a month ago and service folks said there was nothing wrong with the transmission and if I still thought something was wrong I should have it checked out by a Hannigan dealer, which I did. They did an extensive road test, then put it on the lift and found nothing wrong. We checked gearing and axle play on my unit and on new units on the floor. My unit had no more play in it than did the new units. So, over the last month the sounds/vibrations have gotten worse. Got a call from the Service Manager and was told that Honda WILL NOT honor the warranty because it was voided when the trike kit was added.

The Service Manager said Honda asked if it was a trike. Why am I not surprised? I had an 08 Harley Ultra with a trike kit and Harley wouldn't even honor the warranty when I had radio problems? I guess I should have known that Honda would be no different.<img src="images/smilies/frown.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Frown" class="inlineimg" />

 

[skuuter]

Most Really Good Dealers can get the Warranty Issues under the radar for Trikes......I've seen it done.....ThumbUp

 

[katfish16]

Honda runs away from Warranty work on trikes faster than O.J. Simpson can jump over the chairs in the airport :yes:

R U sure the noise is not coming from the bearings in the rear wheels???? I hope U can find the problem I know it can be very irritating worrying about what it might be...

 

[skuuter]

Honda runs away from Warranty work on trikes faster than O.J. Simpson can jump over the chairs in the airport :yes:

R U sure the noise is not coming from the bearings in the rear wheels???? I hope U can find the problem I know it can be very irritating worrying about what it might be...

"Seems like" Someone on here once posted about a Loose Pressure Plate Nut givin' these symptoms too.....not sure though.....:Shrug:

 

[katfish16]

Most Really Good Dealers can get the Warranty Issues under the radar for Trikes......I've seen it done.....ThumbUp

The problem is now they have his VIN and they flag it as a trike....

 

[skuuter]

The problem is now they have his VIN and they flag it as a trike....

Yep, "True".....probably too late for this option.....

 

[tfdeputydawg]

I am truly sorry you are having this problem. I would not wish this on my worst enemy.
I know how expensive this can possibly become.
I accepted this possibility when I decided to trike as I hope everyone does that still has warranty on their bike no matter what brand it is.
Hannigan's web sight is the only one I know of that actually states you will void your warranty by using a Hannigan conversion. The others seem to take the "out of sight, out of mind" attitude.
Yes, there are those that have been repaired under warranty by dealers that are less than honest!
Heel/Toe shifters, trailer hitches, trike conversions, after market "anything" that alters the bike can cause you warranty problems. It seems the the more popular trikes become the more involved the factory rep gets when certain failure modes happen!

 

[skuuter]

I am truly sorry you are having this problem. I would not wish this on my worst enemy.
I know how expensive this can possibly become.
I accepted this possibility when I decided to trike as I hope everyone does that still has warranty on their bike no matter what brand it is.
Hannigan's web sight is the only one I know of that actually states you will void your warranty by using a Hannigan conversion. The others seem to take the "out of sight, out of mind" attitude.
Yes, there are those that have been repaired under warranty by dealers that are less than honest!
Heel/Toe shifters, trailer hitches, trike conversions, after market "anything" the alters the bike can cause you warranty problems. It seems the the more popular trikes become the more involved the factory rep gets when certain failure modes happen!

As long as it is a "Motorcycle Issue" not directly linked to Triking the Motorcycle, I really don't find Dealers "dishonest" that accomodate Trike Owners with Manufacturer Warranties. Motorcycle/Automobile, and most other Companies work really hard at "squirming" out of covered repairs in most cases anyway.....ThumbUp

 

[ricle41]

I am amazed at the owners surprised when they find triking a bike can void the warranty. Give me one example of anything you can buy, changed the basic design and purpose of the machine, and still get warranty. I would imagine a company like Honda would open a can of worms trying to decide exactly which parts are damaged due to the trike installation and which are not.<br />
<br />
Ask the trike company, who attached a different final drive to a tranny and engine designed to operate a single wheel, if they would be willing to accept the warranty responsibility for those items. I think not.

 

[Dragon Keeper]

Two Cents worth from Florida.<br />
<br />
Had a problem when I triked my RSMV...Got to Dallas without a rear shock...Dealer there sais "No way, you've triked the bike and the warranty is void"..Hard tailed back to Florida and my local dealer told me.."Not a problem, we won't work the trike half, but if it's a Yamaha problem it gets fixed!". But then my dealer gets trikes from S.C. as well. Seems he fixes bikes and trikes. Well the front half anyway. Guess I'm lucky, but then maybe out there someplace are a few good shops who are bikers as well.

 

[oleman69]

My local dealer will work on the front half the back half go to the trike dealer better than not at all:GL1800:

 

[tfdeputydawg]

As long as it is a "Motorcycle Issue" not directly linked to Triking the Motorcycle, I really don't find Dealers "dishonest" that accomodate Trike Owners with Manufacturer Warranties. Motorcycle/Automobile, and most other Companies work really hard at "squirming" out of covered repairs in most cases anyway.....ThumbUp

I guess I wasn't clear enough. If you trike and have a drive train issue, then don't expect any warranty. Same goes for a heel/toe shifter and a trailer hitch.
If, for example, your radio quits and you still are under warranty, then that should be fixed.
Sounds like the OP's radio warranty was refused on a Harley. That's not right.
I do think Dealers that submit warranty claims for drive train failures on trikes to bike manufacturers are dishonest.
The one's that should be prosecuted are the one's that tell you, no warranty, charge you $4K for a tranny repair and turn it to the manufacturer for warranty also!
There are many dealers that will "work" on the bike part and not the trike part. There are dealers that refuse simply because they're lifts will not hold a trike. Work does not mean warranty!

 

[sarge7882]

This is the reason I bought a factory trike. I looked really hard at a Goldwing trike but stayed away from it just for this reason.

 

[tfdeputydawg]

This is the reason I bought a factory trike. I looked really hard at a Goldwing trike but stayed away from it just for this reason.

And a very good reason for doing so.
I decided to accept the loss of most of the warranty for several reasons.
To each his own!

 

[secondroy]

I just bought my new GL 1800 and may be the biggest dunce here. I bought from a Honda dealer off the showroom floor and bought the extended warranty. I never dreamed I would have this problem since I bought from the dealer. I have not had the chance to check them yet on the warranty and may not have a problem but I bet I do.

If so we are headed straight to court.

 

[DDS]

Has anyone seen in writing that honda will not warranty if converted to a trike. With the tons of accessories available on the market I am aware some manufactures will claim that the addition of accessories will void the warranty however, sometime the will decline warranty and sometimes they won't.

 

[tfdeputydawg]

I just bought my new GL 1800 and may be the biggest dunce here. I bought from a Honda dealer off the showroom floor and bought the extended warranty. I never dreamed I would have this problem since I bought from the dealer. I have not had the chance to check them yet on the warranty and may not have a problem but I bet I do.

If so we are headed straight to court.

Has anyone seen in writing that Honda will not warranty if converted to a trike. With the tons of accessories available on the market I am aware some manufactures will claim that the addition of accessories will void the warranty however, sometime the will decline warranty and sometimes they won't.

You can call Honda Customer Service @ 866-784-1870, Monday - Friday 8:30 - 4:30 PST.
I will tell you, if you do call for clarification, they will ask for your VIN and you just flagged your Wing as being triked!
Early on dealers were getting "Things" covered, especially if they did the trike, by submitting claims without indicating the bike was converted. As a matter of fact, a Honda dealer near me, just started doing Champion conversions this past year. I asked, and was told the bike's warranty would be good. If he really believed that, he is sadly mistaken That's not the word customer service gave me.
Have I seen it in writing-No! Have people posted they have had claims denied-Yes! Have people posted they had claims approved-Yes some time ago.
As long as the failure can not be contributed to the conversion(the Honda rep makes that determination, not you nor the dealer) I would think, don't know for sure, warranty coverage would be OK. But then except for major drive train failures(which will be attributed to the conversion)what else would you really need an extended warranty for?
I have rambled enough on this suject.
Each must decide for themselves what to do!
Blessings,
Dawg

 

[Oldmsocko]

This is the reason I bought a factory trike. I looked really hard at a Goldwing trike but stayed away from it just for this reason.

I have found HD to not want to warranty their trikes. I do think though it has alot to do with the dealer.

 

[jim peacock]

I worked for a honda dealer several years ago,and hondas policy back then was if you changed any thing from stock that affected the engine are drive train it would void the warrenty and they were sticklers about it.
Example a lot of people were changing the exhaust and this would cause burnt valves.If you changed the exhaust this voided the warrenty,same was true if you changed the sprockets..
:gah::gah::gah:

 

[tfdeputydawg]

I have found HD to not want to warranty their trikes. I do think though it has alot to do with the dealer.

Since the HD Trikes have full factory warranties, can you elaborate on your experience that leads to your statement: found HD to not want to warranty their trikes.
Thanks
Dawg

 

[jim peacock]

After talking to some trike owners and dealers is if it has any thing to do with the clutch are transmission are drive train they will not warrent it,evey thing else most dealers will warent it.
:wave4::wave4::wave4::wave4:

 

[Yogisan]

You might want to check the "turnkey" trikes built by Lehman. A turnkey trike is built by Lehman under an agreement between the bike manufacturer and Lehman, and sold as a Lehman product. Part of their deal with the bike manufacturers is the bike warranty is valid even through there's a trike rear end on it. My Lehman Jackal (Suzuki) had the base one-year bike warranty (which I later extended via the local Suzuki dealer) and the standard Lehman 3-year warranty on their rear end. I don't know if Motor Trike or the other trike manufacturers have this advantage with their 'turnkey' trikes, if they have any.

 

[tfdeputydawg]

You might want to check the "turnkey" trikes built by Lehman. A turnkey trike is built by Lehman under an agreement between the bike manufacturer and Lehman, and sold as a Lehman product. Part of their deal with the bike manufacturers is the bike warranty is valid even through there's a trike rear end on it. My Lehman Jackal (Suzuki) had the base one-year bike warranty (which I later extended via the local Suzuki dealer) and the standard Lehman 3-year warranty on their rear end. I don't know if Motor Trike or the other trike manufacturers have this advantage with their 'turnkey' trikes, if they have any.

Just called Lehman. They do sell Victory and Suzuki turnkeys. There is bike manufacturers warranty on the Victory only at this time.
Only Lehman 3 year warranty on the conversion part on all other motorcycle brands.

 

[Feg]

The Final Chapter...After a month the trike repairs were completed. It turned out to be much more than I anticipated or the the dealer anticipated. They replaced 4th and 5th gear and bearings, the gears were significantly worn. When they were working on the transmission they found problems with the motor. The motor had a leaking exhaust valve and significant carbon deposits, more on this later. Once the motor and transmission work was completed they were putting it back together and found that the drive shaft bearings had DISINTEGRATED, their words not mine. After calls to the trike builder and Hannigan, Hannigan covered the parts under warranty, no labor because the dealer working on the trike is not authorized to do Hannigan work, I didn't have problem with that. Since the drive shaft was the likely cause of issues with the transmission and the vibration/noise I didn't dispute the fact that Honda didn't cover the repairs under warranty. However, the motor is a different story. The dealer called Honda and the response was NO, the motor problems were the result of BAD GAS. The motor needed all new valves and rings (the rings were gone). I don't believe that the motor should have had these problems with only 46,000 miles. The mechanic indicated that this was likely a result of low compression and incomplete combustion. I have always used Shell Gas. I had the plugs checked at 16k and replaced at 32K and the color was good, a nice golden brown. They say it was ethanol. Ethanol is all you can buy in most places. I was to meet with the Honda area rep but he was a no show. I then called Honda MC USA. They just called back and said their technical folks say this is not defect issue but a result of normal wear and tear. Bottom line is that I ate the entire cost minus the Hannigan parts. It is my humble opinion that Honda doesn't stand by their product and the Dealer in my area (The Villages Florida) is not what you would call trike friendly. Wish I had my Harley back!!!!

 

[tkglider]

Warranty is the reason why I bought the Tri-Glide.But let me tell you Harley doesn't want to warranty anything so your about in the same boat.If I was buying now I would sure look at Lehman kit with Suzuki or Victory and have some confidence in the warranty!

 

[Oldmsocko]

Warranty is the reason why I bought the Tri-Glide.But let me tell you Harley doesn't want to warranty anything so your about in the same boat.If I was buying now I would sure look at Lehman kit with Suzuki or Victory and have some confidence in the warranty!

Tkglider: You are 100% correct, HD doesn't want to honor their warranty either even though they built it as a trike.

 

[gesteff]

I too had major issues with a new Honda trike, I had been on Goldwings for years, most liely the most loyal owner around. I (like a dummy) traded in a perfect 2005 Gl1800 on a 2009 GL1800 that the dealer had triked at the dealership. After a few miles it had developed a grinding noise, or more like a bad washing machine noise in the motor, They did try to fix this , torn the motor completely down and replaced the bearings. Although this did not fix the sound it did make it a little quieter. As soon as I had 7000 miles it developed a popping noise underneath it somewhere, took it to the dealer 14 times, each time was the same reply - Couldn't find the noise, couldn't duplicate it, and if mother Honda finds out it is a trike they will not honor the warranty, and if mother Honda doesn't pay us we can't pay our mechanics. Finally got fed up with the same replies, that I convinced them to buy it back from me. I am now on a factory trike, (Harley) and the best decision I ever made, been completely satisfied ever since. So Honda owners be very careful, no matter what dealership you deal with.

 

[kkaykk]

Tkglider: You are 100% correct, HD doesn't want to honor their warranty either even though they built it as a trike.

What specific issue or issues did you experience that the Motor Company would not cover under warranty? Did you bring it to more than one dealer and receive the same response? Did you try pursue the issue outside of the dealerships and try to resolve the issue with Harley Davidson directly and what was your experience with that? What year tri glide are you making reference to? Before I plunk down a big wad of cash I want to find all all the specific information I can. Thanks in advance for any specific first hand information about Harley refusing to do warranty work. Ken