American Honda Motor Co. will recall 2,232 motorcycles because a suspension issue may lead to a leak in their rear brake fluid reservoir hoses, hindering brake performance.
The company last week notified the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration of the safety recall, which applies to several variants of Honda ST1300 model year 2008 to 2010 motorcycles produced during 2008 and 2009.
When heavily loaded and ridden over rough surfaces, the rear suspension of the motorcycle can bottom out, Honda said in its letter to the NHTSA. When the rear suspension is bottomed out, the hose that supplies brake fluid from the remote reservoir to the master cylinder may come into contact with the swing arm. If ridden in that way for a prolonged period, the company said, the hose could develop a leak. If the leak goes unnoticed, air will eventually enter the rear brake master cylinder as the brake pads wear, resulting in a spongy rear brake pedal and a loss of breaking performance that could lead to a crash, Honda stated.
Although American Honda has received four complaints about the issue, no accidents or injuries related to the issue have been reported so far. The initial complaint in February 2011 involved three motorcycles used by one municipal police agency.
Honda motorcycle dealers will install a new rear brake reservoir hose that is formed and routed to allow for sufficient clearance on all affected motorcycles in dealership stock or sold to customers. Owners of affected motorcycles will be contacted by mail and asked to take them to Honda dealers for free replacement of the hose.