[sleepngbear]

If you've already taken delivery on your new CTX1300 or will be taking it soon, please double check with your dealer and give your bike a very close visual inspection, particularly around the bottom of the exhaust headers and the handlebar switch housings.

My dealer has just informed me that apparently as many as 90% of these bikes are coming through with shipping damage due to the crates being slightly too small. As a result, header pipes are being scratched and/or flat-spotted on the bottom, and switches or handlebars are getting scratched. Both of the CTX's my dealer has received have some minor damage. The bikes are perfectly safe and rideable, and they will replace any damaged part as soon as replacements come in. The damage to the headers you have to get down on the ground to look for, so it's not even something you're likely to see unless you're looking specifically for it.

I haven't heard anyone else here mention any such thing, so I figured people would want to know. Sounds like Honda is making good on it, but some dealers may be taking a don't-ask-don't-tell stand on it.

 

[bob]

Good on Honda...
Bad on those dealers...
not surprised though.

Thanks for the heads up.

 

[csdexter]

Perfect, another use for my inspection mirror! (looks like a dentist's, only bigger and with a telescopic arm)

 

[bob]

The dealer may think you're looking for hidden contraband under the bike!

 

[csdexter]

It's my money, couldn't care less what the dealer thinks ;-)

Some 20 years ago it was customary (when buying second hand) to do things like ask the PO to pull out the spark plugs for inspection or open the clutch cover (for bikes that had it on the high side when on the sidestand) so that the overall state of the oil and engine could be appreciated.

I understand this is a new bike so I'll just give it a go-around on the outside -- but boy will that go-around be thorough! It's my money, so I'm calling the shots.

 

[SoCalRyder]

Wow thats not good, seeing the type of bikes these are i'd expected better from Honda. hopefully they will review their packaging strategy

 

[happytrails]

Thanks for the heads up Ed. I passed it on to my dealer.
My Blue Deluxe is being uncrated Monday, for Next Fri. delivery.
Looking forward to break in miles on those twisty NC mountain roads in the next month, before returning to Islamorada for my summer Boy Scout sailing charters. Flat roads 45-55 mph on the Keys...still always love the bike for all my transportation. On the ST1300 with a Tour Master soft bag can hold a 12 pack in volume. Saddle bags , same volume as CTX, can get total of six bags of groceries. Always the way to travel! For any or no reason at all just ride!! Capt. Tom

 

[sleepngbear]

Thanks for the heads up Ed. I passed it on to my dealer.

Be sure to check the bottom front of the header pipe, right where the curve ends and it flattens out. You can't see it from the side -- you have to be ON the ground looking up at it. If I think of it tomorrow, I'll try to get a pic.

Other stuff that was damaged on mine:

- Besides the flat spot under the header pipe, the rear-most heat shield on the right side muffler is dented on the bottom so that it doesn't sit flush.
- Right side mirror has about a 1/2" scratch.
- Clutch reservoir has about a 1/4" scratch.
- Orange reflectors on the bottom sides of the forks were borked. They were swapping two from another one when I rolled in (the one I didn't take).

Dealer says Honda made the crates a little too small, probably to get a better rate on shipping. I probably would not have noticed any of these if they hadn't pointed them all out to me. At least not until I gave it a good stem-to-stern cleaning. But Honda will be replacing all of these parts. To be honest, I wouldn't even care, and would be just as happy if they wanted to give me, say, a $500 voucher for accessories.

My Blue Deluxe is being uncrated Monday, for Next Fri. delivery.
Looking forward to break in miles on those twisty NC mountain roads in the next month, before returning to Islamorada for my summer Boy Scout sailing charters. Flat roads 45-55 mph on the Keys...still always love the bike for all my transportation. On the ST1300 with a Tour Master soft bag can hold a 12 pack in volume. Saddle bags , same volume as CTX, can get total of six bags of groceries. Always the way to travel! For any or no reason at all just ride!! Capt. Tom

I am jealous. This bike is going to love those mountain roads.

 

[happytrails]

Thanks for the details of what to look for.
Yes we love those mountain roads and rural NC country of the Peadmont. My wife loves to ride and take it all in. Really looking forward to the comfort of the CTX1300. That one test demo last month, I knew it was the bike hoped Honda would build. I Never had that comfort of riding position with the ST1300. Haven't sold it yet. So it looks like I'll have choices including my 2000 1100 Shadow Sabre. In storage. Honda crazy I guess.
Capt. Tom

 

[Crableg]

Thank you so much for that info.

 

[TennesseeSmith]

I got a good look under my bike last night when I changed the oil. No shipping damage on mine.

 

[sleepngbear]

... Honda crazy I guess.
Capt. Tom

I know exactly what you mean! The Thunderbird is a very nice bike, and I never had a problem with it; but there was something, I don't know, reassuring about coming back to Honda. It just feels right.

 

[happytrails]

Freight damage as described.!!! Thanks to this forum !!
My bike was uncrated today. I had passed on the info of unseen bottom damage to header pipes. Yeap, all four flat dented. Only if one looks under the bike as mentioned. Big problem with so many, that the pipes might not be available ASAP. I'll pass on news of this tommorrow.

 

[sleepngbear]

Wow, all four pipes, huh? Only one of mine was dented.

Dealer has no idea when parts will be in, but they'll replace everything when they are. Maybe around that time I'll have found a suitable replacement windshield that they can install at the same time.

 

[happytrails]

I am considering holding off on Friday delivery & take delivery when pipes are replaced. Especially as I know that I don't even want to ride without better wind protection, confirmed when demoed last month. In the mean time hopefully the measurements of overall height with tall shield, or other after market options can be resolved. Thank you all for the valuable info and insights in this forum.

 

[ballward]

availability

If you've already taken delivery on your new CTX1300 or will be taking it soon, please double check with your dealer and give your bike a very close visual inspection, particularly around the bottom of the exhaust headers and the handlebar switch housings.

My dealer has just informed me that apparently as many as 90% of these bikes are coming through with shipping damage due to the crates being slightly too small. As a result, header pipes are being scratched and/or flat-spotted on the bottom, and switches or handlebars are getting scratched. Both of the CTX's my dealer has received have some minor damage. The bikes are perfectly safe and rideable, and they will replace any damaged part as soon as replacements come in. The damage to the headers you have to get down on the ground to look for, so it's not even something you're likely to see unless you're looking specifically for it.

I haven't heard anyone else here mention any such thing, so I figured people would want to know. Sounds like Honda is making good on it, but some dealers may be taking a don't-ask-don't-tell stand on it.

Thanks for the tip BUT as far as my dealer is concerned parts are on back order as are accessories and no ETA I think Honda released the bike too soon before it had any support material in place. OR is this the norm and I am just not used to it??

 

[sleepngbear]

I really have no idea what the norm is for product introductions, or if there even is a norm. This is the first new product launch I've not only watched closely but also been so actively engaged with. So I don't know if when other new models are released they have accessories and replacement parts at the ready before hand or not.

So you can look at it two ways -- Honda releases the bike when it's ready and we can complain that 'support materials' are not in place, or they wait and we complain that the bikes are not at the dealers in time for riding season for most of the northern hemisphere. I don't know about you, but I'd much rather be riding.

 

[ShadowRider]

So you can look at it two ways -- Honda releases the bike when it's ready and we can complain that 'support materials' are not in place, or they wait and we complain that the bikes are not at the dealers in time for riding season for most of the northern hemisphere. I don't know about you, but I'd much rather be riding.

For the most part, I agree completely. But in my case the lack of a taller windshield is preventing me from going a lot of the places I want to go, essentially shortening the riding season for me anyway. The windshield is scheduled to ship from Japan around May 1, then I have to wait for it to arrive and to get it installed. I will be lucky to have it all in place by mid-May, I think. The overly long winter this year is not helping the situation, either.

I just hope Honda is prioritizing the production of various accessories and making them available as soon as they are ready (even if it is piecemeal), rather than waiting until the whole line of accessory items is ready before releasing any of them. I would be perfectly willing to wait a lot longer for various chrome bits and pieces if it meant that I could get a FUNCTIONAL item for quickly. I bought the blacked-out Deluxe model partially because I am not a big fan of chrome decorations, so they can take as long as they want to show up on the parts list as far as I'm concerned.

After the windshield, I would like to see the center stand next, followed by the travel trunk (though I have no plans for buying one of those myself, I can see a demand for them among CTX1300 buyers).

I agree that Honda seems a bit behind on this launch. I expected to see a lot more marketing of this model, since it is supposed to be so revolutionary. The aftermarket companies don't have anything either, maybe because they want to wait to see how well the bike will do before committing any resources to making a new product. That's just good sense on their part, but frustrating for us early adopters.

 

[sleepngbear]

Steve, I can see your point about the windshield if it's something that is significant to you and will have a major impact on when and where you will be riding. I'm sure the accessories will come; but I am still kind of surprised that there's basically nothing anywhere here in North America. Could be just another chicken-and-egg type thing, where everybody is waiting to gauge interest before coming out with accessories, but interest will be slow to pick up because there are no accessories.

 

[bob]

Somewhere I remember reading that Honda is actually more interested in the markets overseas, Japan and Europe mainly. Don't know if that is true or not but the accessories have been available as we know from Japan anyway. Wonder if there are any sources in UK or other EU countries that have accessories for the CTX1300?