HONDA TALON A-ARM ISSUES

HONDA TALON A-ARM ISSUES

Dear Sarge,

Have you heard of any Honda Talon A-Arm issues I have been noticing the factory-applied frame paint peeling on my 2020 Honda Talon 1000X-4 at the lower control arms. I always thought that factory applied paint was baked on and was harder than that. The Talon is stock, except for 33-inch tires on my four-seater. While I ride hard, I have never hit anything. Sarge, can you recommend a more flexible paint that will stay on the Talon’s frame?

Jeremy Duncan

Shamokin, Pennsylvania

“Flexible frame paint”? Private Yoyo, you have more problems than needing flexible paint! The area where the paint is flaking off indicates the metal is being deformed, and then as it snaps back into shape, the paint looses adhesion to the metal and flakes off.

Honda Talon A-Arm issues are not uncommon. Your Zooter is noted for having a weak front end when you install oversized tires. Your riding area is noted for having an abundance of rocks, and I am sure you only hit every fourth one at speed! Laugh, Boot! Eventually your frame will stop bouncing back and stay deformed. Before that happens, Boot, you need to requisition a frame-stiffener kit for your Zooter. An example of these kits is the SuperATV version here: https://www.superatv.com/honda-
talon-1000-frame-stiffener-gusset-kit. You can do a quick frame check by measuring wheel centers, front to back and criss-cross. If everything is equal, then requisition a frame-stiffener kit and install it, or have the local motor pool do it if you are afraid to do it yourself. After you tweak the frame, it is not the time to consider strengthening it, Boot! I think a nice five-mile run should give you time to ponder my words of wisdom. Move it, Boot! Dismissed!  See UTV Action’s Long Term Honda Talon test here: https://utvactionmag.com/honda-talon-1000r-long-term-test/

I PAID $700 FOR WHAT?

Dear Sarge,

I recently purchased a 2021 Honda Talon 1000R. I drove it less than 19 miles when I started getting a screeching noise from the transmission. I checked the oil level, and it wasn’t even showing on the dipstick! I bummed some oil off another rider (I was currently in the middle of nowhere) and eventually the transmission noise went away. When I got back home, I checked everything! Front and rear diffs, low on fluid, no coolant in the reservoir. Then I checked the radiator level, and that was low, too! Question one, did Honda assemble it that way, and question two, what did I pay $700 to my dealer for so-called setup for?

Steve Morou

Goodyear, Arizona

Boot, you are not alone! There are dozens of posts and stories about Honda not assembling their Zooters correctly and their dealers just pocketing the “setup” fees and not checking anything. Here are my recommendations: 1. Notify Honda and your dealer with a registered letter of the problems you have experienced, and they are on notice to any future transmission problems. 2. Dump your sub-transmission oil and fill it with the recommended quantity and quality of oil, unless you are absolutely sure the oil you were given in the field was correct. 3. Top up all other fluids to recommended levels. 4. Go over every fastener on your Zooter, checking for too-loose/too-tight fasteners. 5. Never trust that dealer’s motor pool again. 6. Requisition a service manual (available here: www.service-shop-repair-manual.com/honda-talon-1000r-talon-1000x-sxs1000s2x-sxs1000s2r-sxs1000s2x-v-sxs1000s2r-v-part-61hl602-service-shop-repair-manual/). 7. Requisition the necessary tools to perform basic maintenance and troubleshooting. 8. Don’t be afraid to ask Sarge or other Zooter owners how to do something or what to look for. Dismissed!

COMMAND MY RIDE

Dear Sarge,

I have a low-mileage 2019 Polaris General 1000 Hunter Edition in Pursuit Camo. I know I should have purchased the Ride Command Edition, but at the time, that was all I could afford. Now I want the Ride Command added. I have it still in the box, and I was wondering if you had any installation tips for this Boot?

Sam Blevins

Brookings, South Dakota

Private Blemish, it would have been much easier if you had ponied up the extra pay for the factory-installed Ride Command. For starters, there are two wiring harnesses for the Ride Command from Polaris. One is for a factory install and the other, which you have, is for an accessory install. I don’t consider the add-on harness as nice. You will most likely find, Boot, that the rear camera bracket is not placed for optimal viewing, and to correct that angle requires relocating the camera, but you can’t because the video cable is too short. You will have to requisition the G4 rear-camera video cable, which will then be way too long, Boot! But, a zip-tie will fix that! The front camera bracket isn’t angled much better, either, but at least the video cable is long enough. You didn’t mention if you added the accessory MTX radio. Most people require an amp to boost output. Personally, I don’t use a radio, preferring to hear the engine “sing”! And finally, your mileage from your display will disappear when Ride Command is installed. You will still have the total hours of operation, just not the mileage. Would Sarge install a Ride Command that didn’t come from the factory? No! And I will tell you why. Poor interface with a GoPro camera. Limited internal memory for ride data. The GPS feature is nice, but for $2000, not likely. A Samsung Galaxy Tab A Android Tablet 8-inch SM-T380 with 16GB memory will do practically everything the Ride Command will and for about $150. And, as a tablet, you can take it with you, snag local Wi-Fi and surf with it, or stream United States Marine movies! But, you have pulled the trigger on the RC, so install it and learn to like it, Boot! Count off 50 for not doing enough recon on the latest whiz-bang electronics! Dismissed!