Two months ago. after keeping my new CB1100 EX for six weeks, my local dealer replaced the taillight housing assembly. They said that the original two-piece housing was loose and floppy due to stripped threads. The replacement unit was nice and solid. Problem solved.
Well, for a month or so, anyway. After this weekend's ride I checked the taillight, and it was loose and floppy. Obviously, the plastic threads for the mounting screws had failed again.
I just took the bike back to the same dealer. After performing a brief inspection, they called Honda to report that the replacement assembly had failed in the exact same manner as the original piece. Honda is going to send them another taillight housing, and they want the dealer to send back the failed piece so they can inspect it.
The dealer is rightly a bit p.o.'d at Honda. They know Honda is going to send them another identical assembly, with plastic threads. This piece will surely fail again, and will continue to fail until Honda replaces the plastic threads with metal parts. Honda informed the dealer that yes, they have had other reports of failed taillight housings on this model, but this is the first time their replacement assembly also failed.
The dealer and I agree that Honda needs to issue a formal recall to replace this assembly with a sturdier unit. Simply replacing the unit over and over with the same flawed piece serves no good purpose. We also agree that there doesn't seem to be any sound reason for making the housing a two-piece unit in the first place. All the previous-year CB1100 models have single-piece taillight assemblies. Nothing can wobble, because there are no joined assemblies.
I'm genuinely surprised by this series of events. Squealing brakes and poorly designed taillight housings, on a high-dollar/corporate-pride showpiece like the CB1100EX? This is so wildly uncharacteristic of Honda.
It's a good thing the rest of the bike is so excellent. If everything else on this bike didn't work so beautifully, I would be losing patience with Honda over these small, niggling design flaws.
Well, for a month or so, anyway. After this weekend's ride I checked the taillight, and it was loose and floppy. Obviously, the plastic threads for the mounting screws had failed again.
I just took the bike back to the same dealer. After performing a brief inspection, they called Honda to report that the replacement assembly had failed in the exact same manner as the original piece. Honda is going to send them another taillight housing, and they want the dealer to send back the failed piece so they can inspect it.
The dealer is rightly a bit p.o.'d at Honda. They know Honda is going to send them another identical assembly, with plastic threads. This piece will surely fail again, and will continue to fail until Honda replaces the plastic threads with metal parts. Honda informed the dealer that yes, they have had other reports of failed taillight housings on this model, but this is the first time their replacement assembly also failed.
The dealer and I agree that Honda needs to issue a formal recall to replace this assembly with a sturdier unit. Simply replacing the unit over and over with the same flawed piece serves no good purpose. We also agree that there doesn't seem to be any sound reason for making the housing a two-piece unit in the first place. All the previous-year CB1100 models have single-piece taillight assemblies. Nothing can wobble, because there are no joined assemblies.
I'm genuinely surprised by this series of events. Squealing brakes and poorly designed taillight housings, on a high-dollar/corporate-pride showpiece like the CB1100EX? This is so wildly uncharacteristic of Honda.
It's a good thing the rest of the bike is so excellent. If everything else on this bike didn't work so beautifully, I would be losing patience with Honda over these small, niggling design flaws.
