Sliver Wing in the infirmary

After 22K absolutely trouble-free miles, my 2009 SWing is laid up due to failure of the rear wheel. Seems the splines on the driveshaft (rear axle) have stopped playing nice with those inside the (ridiculously expensive) rear wheel.

So I managed to get it to the dealer I purchased it from and had the service manager take a look. His response? "Man, I've never seen anything like this. Let me get it up on the lift and check it out." A call to American Honda yielded a response of "this shouldn't have happened -- send us some photos." Which he did. Long story short, what could've been an out-of-warranty bill of over $1100 is turning into a labor-paid bill of just $184, for all-new clutch parts. Honda is picking up the tab for everything else. They say the clutch is a normal wear-and-tear item, to which I can't disagree.

This is why I buy Hondas...

Meanwhile, I'm riding the Elite everywhere. It's much more enjoyable with the Honda windshield fitted. I've done nearly 1500 miles in 10 weeks, and that's over and above what I did on the SWing and with my Civic during that time. Not John Grinsel mileage, but not bad for a 110.

Bill,

That is good news that Honda is taking care of it. I have the same opinion that Honda does do a better job taking care of customers. Tell us how it all turns out and when you might get your bike back.

Thanks, Jeff. I was going to wait to reply until I do get it back, but then I saw that I have 666 "points" so I figured I'd better do something to change that.

The current plan is to get it back Saturday, if all the parts arrive in time. I also want to give props to my Honda dealer, Purcell's; they didn't have to try this hard with Honda but they did.