2002 Honda VTX1800 Engine cooling Problems

“Decompression lobe on the front cyclinder has failed on my 2002 vtx1800r. Decompression lobe is stuck in open postiion and caused spark plugs to foul quite regularly (every 5k miles). Have had people tell me they had the same problem with their motorcycles and Honda would not repair under warranty. My warranty was only out 2 weeks before problem was diagnosed. Only fix fix problem is cam replacementm which runs about $350. …”

“2002 Honda vtx 1800 right side of the radiator plastic trim melted through. .....the right side of the radiator plastic trim shroud melted through where it comes in close proximity with the exhaust pipe. The top of the shroud is approximately 8 feet from the fuel tank. Consumer is afraid that plastic shroud will catch on fire.”

“The vehicle engine is fouling its spark plugs after some small period of riding time causing an extensive increase in bad exhaust emissions. There is a gasoline smell behind the motorcycle. As well as degraded fuel mileage and overall product performance. The problem was determined to be that the Honda assembly line installed the engine camshafts off by one tooth, which was identified as the primary reason for the engine to foul.”

“Vehicle is less than a year old. Vehicle stalled in heavy traffic when spark plugs failed. The engine could not be restarted. Spark plugs were wet with fuel, somewhat carbonized. The engine at times runs on one cylinder.”

“Within the first 500 miles after purchasing this vehicle brand new, the spark plugs were determined to be fouled from carbon. A deterioration in performance was noted, along with a smell of gasoline from behind the vehicle as if it were running rich. The vehicle also backfires on decelleration. While my vehicle continues to be usable, other owners have reported a need for complete engine rebuilding to fix cam timing inaccuracies, scuffed cylinder bores from incorrectly seating rings (causing oil burning and carbon fouling of the combustion chamger). …”