2014 YAMAHA BOLT Complaints

THE YAMAHA STAR BOLT SPEEDOMETER IS IMPOSSIBLE TO READ IN CERTAIN LIGHTING CONDITIONS. THAT IS, WITH A BRIGHT SUN OVERHEAD. THE POLARIZED GLASS IN THE LCD READOUT BECOMES BLACK, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO READ. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM, ESPECIALLY WHEN I DRIVE THROUGH SCHOOL ZONES. AT TIMES, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO READ THE DISPLAY AND CAN CAUSE ME TO DRIVE AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, ENCROACHING ON THE SAFETY OF CHILDREN. OTHER TIMES, I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO READ THE SPEEDOMETER, RESULTING IN A TAILGATING SITUATION WITH OTHER AGGRESSIVE DRIVERS WHO THINK I'M GOING SLOW ON PURPOSE WHEN IN REALITY, I'M TRYING TO SAFELY NEGOTIATE THE ROAD AT THE CORRECT POSTED SPEED LIMIT AND HAVING TO USE MY 'GUT' FEELING RATHER THAN A CALIBRATED, USEFUL INSTRUMENT (THE SPEEDOMETER). YAMAHA, FIX THIS PROBLEM BEFORE SOMEONE GETS INJURED OR KILLED OVER IT. RECALL, NOT AN UPGRADE AS YOU'VE INDICATED THROUGH THE STAR MOTORCYCLES HOTLINE (800.656.7695). YOU'RE HIDING BEHIND WORDS. I KNOW BECAUSE I'VE CALLED YOU AND THAT WAS YOUR EXPLANATION. *TR

THE DIGITAL SPEEDOMETER ON THE 2014 BOLT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO READ UNDER CERTAIN LIGHT. I CONTACTED YAMAHA TO ASK ABOUT THIS AFTER READING MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS AND SEEING THAT THEY HAD FIXED THE SPEEDOMETER ON THE 2015 MODEL AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE 2014 SPEEDOMETER, THEY KNOW IT CAN BE HARD TO READ IN CERTAIN LIGHT BUT THEY DON'T CONSIDER THAT A SAFETY HAZARD OR DEFECT. I BELIEVE NOT BEING ABLE TO TELL MY CURRENT SPEED IS A DEFECT CONSIDERING THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT A SPEEDOMETER IS DESIGNED TO DO. ALSO, IT CAN BE A SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE IT LEAVES YOU LOOKING DOWN AT YOUR SPEEDOMETER LONGER INSTEAD OF WATCHING WHAT IS GOING ON AROUND YOU. *TR

DIGITAL SPEEDOMETER CAN BE VERY DIFFICULT TO READ, ESPECIALLY WHEN USING BRIGHT HIGH VISIBILITY HELMETS. SPEEDOMETER CAN BE IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE IN BRIGHT LIGHT FROM GLARE AND REFLECTION. HAZARD IS DANGEROUS TO RIDER AS YOU WOULD NEED TO COVER IT WITH YOUR HAND TO SEE, MEANING STEERING WITH ONLY 1 HAND. I HAVE BOUGHT THE SHADE ACCESSORY YAMAHA MAKES FOR THIS MODEL AND IT DOES NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THIS IS ESPECIALLY HAZARDOUS FOR A NEW RIDER SUCH AS MYSELF BUT THIS DEFECT PUTS ALL RIDERS LIVES AT RISK AS THEY CANNOT CLEARLY SEE THEIR SPEED OF TRAVEL. I HAVE MISJUDGED MY SPEED ON THE FREEWAY, IN TURNS, IN BUSY BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC. *TR

SPEEDOMETER IS VERY HARD TO READ IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT. COULD LEAD TO ACCIDENT OR SPEED VIOLATIONS. NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED IMMEDIATELY. ALSO, YAMAHA KNOWS THERE IS A PROBLEM BECAUSE ON THE 2015 MODELS A SELLING POINT IS "NEW SPEEDOMETER TO CORRECT 2014 GLARE ISSUES." WHY WOULD THEY NEED TO FIX IT IF THERE IS NO PROBLEM. *TR

THE SPEEDOMETER ON THE BIKE GOES BLACK IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT AND YOU CANNOT READ IT AT ALL. *TR

THE DIGITAL SPEEDOMETER ON THIS MOTORCYCLE IS UNREADABLE UNDER CERTAIN LIGHTING CONDITIONS. ANGLED SUNLIGHT (MORNING, EVENING WHEN LIGHT IS COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE) CREATES A CONDITION WHERE THE SPEEDOMETER READOUT IS UNREADABLE. THE ONLY METHOD OF MEASURING SPEED IS BY SURROUNDING TRAFFIC. THIS CREATES A DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR MOTORCYCLE DRIVERS, ESPECIALLY ON EXPRESSWAYS AND URBAN ENVIRONMENTS WHERE THE SPEED LIMIT CHANGES BY LOCATION. *JS

THE DIGITAL LCD SPEEDOMETER IS UNREADABLE IN BRIGHT SUNLIGHT MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO CHECK YOUR SPEED OR ODOMETER READING. EXCESSIVE OR IMPROPER SPEEDS ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO MONITOR SAFELY ENDANGERING THE RIDER, THE OTHER DRIVERS THAT MAY BE INVOLVED IN ANY SPEED RELATED ACCIDENTS, AND THE PATROL OFFICERS ISSUING THE TICKET THAT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED. YAMAHA HAS INDIRECTLY ADMITTED THE DEFAULT BY REPLACING THE SPEEDOMETER ON THE 2015 MODELS WITH A READABLE ONE. MY GREATEST CONCERN IS THE FACT THAT THIS A ENTRY LEVEL, AFFORDABLE MOTORCYCLE THAT MANY INEXPERIENCED RIDERS HAVE ALREADY PURCHASED. AN INEXPERIENCED RIDER OFTEN HAS DIFFICULTY GAUGING THE PROPER SPEEDS FOR CURVES AND WET CONDITIONS UNTIL THEY GAIN THE PROPER EXPERIENCE. THEY TEND TO RELY ON THE SPEEDOMETER BECAUSE THEY HAVE NOT YET DEVELOPED A FEEL FOR RIDING. IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THE FAULTY SPEEDOMETER IS GOING TO COST SOMEONE THEIR LIFE. *TR

THE VEHICLE SPEEDOMETER DOES NOT PERFORM AS NEEDED TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO OPERATOR. ILLUMINATION OF SPEEDOMETER DISPLAY IS NOT SUFFICIENT ENOUGH DURING TIMES OF DAY WHERE SUNLIGHT IS BRIGHT. THE SPEEDOMETER IS A DIGITAL DISPLAY BEHIND GLASS THAT APPEARS TO BE TINTED. NO METHOD FOR OPERATOR TO ADJUST OR ANY AUTOMATIC MEANS OF ADJUSTMENT OF READOUT FOR CONDITIONS EXISTS. OPERATORS ARE AT RISK OF INJURY OR DEATH WHEN THE SPEEDOMETER READOUT CANNOT BE READ TO ADJUST THEIR SPEED TO RECOMMENDED SPEEDS POSTED TO SAFELY NAVIGATE DANGEROUS ROADS, RAMPS, CURVES, ROUGH ROAD AND OTHER CONDITIONS. MANY OTHER CONDITIONS EXIST WHERE THE IMPORTANCE FOR OPERATORS TO TRAVEL AT SAFE POSTED SPEEDS IS PARAMOUNT FOR THE OPERATOR'S AND OR THE PUBLIC'S HEALTH AND SAFETY. BECAUSE THIS SPEEDOMETER CANNOT BE READ IT PUTS THE OPERATOR AND THE PUBLIC AT RISK. *TR

YAMAHA DESIGN FLAW IN SPEEDOMETER. CANNOT BE SEEN IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT. CAN PUT RIDER IN DANGEROUS SITUATIONS TRYING TO SEE WHAT SPEED THAT ARE TRAVELING. YAMAHA HAS UPGRADED THE METER FOR THE 2015 MODELS BUT WILL NOT DO ANYTHING FOR THE 2014 MODEL OWNERS. *TR

THE SPEEDOMETER IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE IN SUNLIGHT. I SAW A POLICE OFFICER LOOKING FOR PEOPLE SPEEDING AND I COULDN'T TELL WHAT SPEED I WAS TRAVELING!! I HAD TO TAKE MY EYES OFF THE ROAD FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME. THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL NOW!!! *TR