2007 YAMAHA FJR1300 Complaints

IGNITION SWITCH FAILURE. WHILE PULLING AWAY FROM A STOP LIGHT, THE MOTORCYCLE SUFFERED A COMPLETE ELECTRICAL FAILURE. THIS CAUSED THE ENGINE AND ALL ACCESSORIES, INCLUDING ALL LIGHTS, TO FAIL, NEARLY RESULTING IN A REAR END COLLISION. MOVING THE WIRE HARNESS AT THE BACK OF THE IGNITION SWITCH CAUSES THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM TO FLICKER ON AND OFF. *TR

WHEN THE ENGINE IS DECELERATING OR BRAKING FUEL IS TURNED OFF AND WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE AGAIN THERE IS A DELAY IN FUEL DELIVERY. WHEN TRYING TO ENTER A HIGHWAY FROM THE RAMP YOU DECELERATE TO TIME YOUR ENTRANCE AND WHEN YOU ACCELERATE THE MOTORCYCLE PAUSES THEN LURCHES FORWARD EFFECTING YOUR MERGE INTO SPEEDING TRAFFIC. THIS ALSO HAPPENS TO A SMALLER DEGREE ON EACH SHIFT OF THE TRANSMISSION. IT APPEARS THAT AN AIR PRESSURE SENSOR IN THE INTAKE MANIFOLD PREVENTS THE FLOW OF FUEL DURING INCREASED VACUUM AND THAT THE FUEL IS NOT TURNED ON AGAIN UNTIL THE VACUUM IS REDUCED BY AN OPEN THROTTLE. YOU OPEN THE THROTTLE, THE VACUUM GOES DOWN THE FUEL TURNS ON AND THE MOTORCYCLE LURCHES FORWARD. *TR

2007 YAMAHA FJR1300A. IGNITION SWITCH FAILURE WILL RIDING IN TRAFFIC IN DALLAS. NO RESPONSE AT ALL FROM THE BIKE AND WAS STUCK IN TRAFFIC. ACCORDING TO THE FJRFORUM.COM, THERE ARE MULTIPLE PROBLEMS OF THIS NATURE WITH THE FJR. YAMAHA SAID THEY HAVE NO RECORD OF ANY PROBLEMS. *TR

I WAS DRIVING THE MOTORCYCLE WHEN IT HAD A TOTAL ELECTRICAL FAILURE, THE ENGINE SHUT OFF, AND I HAD TO COAST TO A STOP IN THE MEDIAN. THERE WAS NO LIGHTS OF ANY KIND AND NO REACTION TO THE IGNITION SWITCH OR STARTER BUTTON. I WAS ABLE TO GET POWER BACK BY MOVING THE HANDLEBARS ALL THE WAY TO THE LEFT. I WENT ANOTHER 3 BLOCKS AND IT DIED AGAIN. I DID THE HANDLEBAR MOTION AGAIN AND POWER CAME BACK. IT DIED IN ANOTHER 3 BLOCKS AND I WAS ABLE TO PUSH IT HOME. I REMOVED THE IGNITION SWITCH/KEY MECHANISM AND DISASSEMBLED IT, AND THE RED WIRE HAD PULLED CLEANLY OFF THE CIRCUIT BOARD. THE DAMAGE WAS SIMILAR TO THE POST AT HTTP://WWW.FJRFORUM.COM/FORUM/INDEX.PHP?SHOWTOPIC=103354 EXCEPT IT WAS THE RED WIRE IN MY CASE INSTEAD OF THE BROWN. AS YOU CAN SEE BY SEARCHING THE FORUM, THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF THESE FAILURES. THE PAGE AT HTTP://WWW.FJRFORUM.COM/FORUM/INDEX.PHP?SHOWTOPIC=26098 LISTS SIMILAR OCCURRENCES EXPERIENCED BY FORUM MEMBERS. THERE WAS A VERY TIGHT "ZIP-TIE" NEAR THE SWITCH IN THE WIRING LOOM, AND IT IS MY OPINION THAT THIS EXERTED ENOUGH STRESS TO EVENTUALLY PULL THE WIRE OFF. I CORRECTED THE PROBLEM BY REMOVING THE ZIP TIE AND RE-SOLDERING THE WIRE TO THE CIRCUIT BOARD. AN UNEXPECTED LOSS OF POWER MIGHT BE VERY DANGEROUS IF SOMEONE IS PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC. IT WAS EVEN MORE DANGEROUS SINCE IT WAS AT NIGHT AND OTHER DRIVERS COULDN'T SEE ME BECAUSE I NO LONGER HAD LIGHTS. *TR

IGNITION SWITCH FAILURE AT APPROXIMATELY 21,000, 28,000, 33,000 AND 44,000 MILES. THE FAILURE HAS NOT YET OCCURRED WHILE THE MOTORCYCLE IS IN MOTION. THE IGNITION SWITCH FAILS TO ENGAGE, OR TURN ON. INSTRUMENT PANEL FLASHES ON MOMENTARILY THEN GOES DEAD. MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS AT TURNING ON/OFF EVENTUALLY RESULT IN A FUNCTIONING IGNITION. LOCAL YAMAHA DEALER CONTINUES TO ADVISE USING CONTACT CLEANER AND EVENTUALLY CONTACTING MANUFACTURER TO SEE IF THEY WILL REPLACE UNDER WARRANTY. CURRENT INDICATIONS FROM OTHER OWNERS IS THAT THE PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE AND THAT YAMAHA HAS YET TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS AS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. *TR

WHILE RIDING THE 2007 YAMAHA FJR1300 THE MOTORCYCLE SHUT OFF ABRUPTLY. IT WAS AS IF THE KEY WAS TURNED OFF, ALL LIGHTS AND INSTRUMENTS WENT DARK. I WAS ABLE TO CLEAR TRAFFIC AND GET OFF THE ROAD WITHOUT BEING HIT, COULD HAVE BEEN UGLY. THE DEALER AT FIRST CLAIMED NO KNOWLEDGE OF SIMILAR FAILURES, WHEN PRESSED THEY ADMITTED THAT YAMAHA KNOWS THAT 2006 AND 2007 FJR IGNITION SWITCHES ARE FAILING WITH REGULARITY, YAMAHA PROVIDED A REPLACEMENT IGNITION SWITCH. TEARING THE OLD SWITCH APART REVEALED THAT PART OF THE PLASTIC WAS MELTED AND THE MAIN FEED OUT OF THE SWITCH HAD UNSOLDERED ITSELF FROM ITS POST. HAVING THE ENGINE SHUT OFF UNEXPECTEDLY ON A MOTORCYCLE IN TRAFFIC CAN BE DEADLY. YAMAHA ASKED IF I HAD ANY ACCESSORIES WIRED ONTO THE BIKE WHICH COULD HAVE CAUSED ADDITIONAL LOAD ON THE SWITCH. I DO NOT, THE ONLY LOAD ON THE IGNITION SWITCH IS WHAT IS DESIGNED IN BY YAMAHA. THE DEALER KEPT THE OLD SWITCH AFTER IT WAS TAKEN APART. I WAS NOT ALLOWED TO PHOTOGRAPH THE FAILED COMPONENTS. *TR

RIDING UP HILL SEVERE LOSS OF POWER AND POWER SURGES. SEVERAL TIMES ALWAYS RIDING UPHILL I HAVE HAD SEVERE POWER LOSSES AND POWER SURGES. CAUSED ME TO MISS TURN AND SLOW DOWN TO A STOP. I SHUT DOWN BIKE AND RESTARTED. TURNED AROUND AND WENT DOWNHILL AND THE BIKE OPERATED FINE. HAVE NOT HAD ANY REPAIRS OR MODIFICATIONS TO BIKE. THIS OCCURRED ON THE FIRST RIDE ON THIS BIKE UPHILL AND SEVERAL TIMES AFTER. HAVE ONLY RIDDEN 600 MILES ON THIS BIKE. *TR

WHEN INITIALLY SHIFTING INTO FIRST GEAR A LOUD CLUNK IS HEARD IN THE TRANSMISSION AND THE BIKE WILL LURCH FORWARD AND TAKE OFF OR IF THE BRAKE IS APPLY THE ENGINE WILL STALL. THEN THE CLUTCH BREAKS LOOSE AND YOU CAN DRIVE AWAY. THE BIKE WILL UPSHIFT HARD AND SHIFT TIMING IS CRITICAL. THEN WHEN YOU APPROACH AN INTERSECTION AND NEED TO DOWN SHIFT YOU NEED TO USE THE BRAKES TO BREAK LOOSE THE CLUTCH. AFTER SEVERAL MILES IT WARMS UP AND BECOMES LESS STICKY. THE CLUTCH WILL DISENGAGE AFTER A FEW SECONDS AND THEN YOU CAN SHIFT. IF YOU DON'T USE THE CLUTCH FOR SEVERAL MILES IT GETS STICKY AGAIN. IF YOU LET IT SIT FOR 8 HOURS IT GETS LOCKED UP. THIS STARTED MILDLY AT 500 MILES AND HAS GOT PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. THIS CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS FOR AN INEXPERIENCED RIDER. *TR

THE TURN SIGNAL INDICATORS ARE THE SIZE OF PENCIL ERASERS AND ARE LOCATED OUT OF VIEW ON THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. THEY ARE NOT VISIBLE WITH PERIPHERAL VISION DURING NORMAL DRIVING WITH THE EYES ON THE ROAD. IN ORDER TO SEE THEM THE DRIVER MUST TAKE HIS EYES OFF THE ROAD AND TILT HIS HEAD AND HELMET DOWN. THEY ARE NOT SELF CANCELING. THEY HAVE NO AUDIBLE OR TACTICAL INDICATORS AND THE VISUAL INDICATORS ARE INSUFFICIENT. CONSEQUENTLY AFTER MAKING A TURN THE DRIVER IS UNAWARE THAT THE TURN SIGNALS ARE STILL ON AND MAY DRIVE FOR MANY MILES THIS WAY. MY SELF AND OTHER DRIVERS OF THE 06-07 FJR1300 SERIES HAVE HAD NUMEROUS INCIDENTS AND CLOSE CALLS OF VEHICLE TRAFFIC ENTERING OUR PATH BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT WE WERE ABOUT TO MAKE A TURN. *TR

THIS IS RELATED TO THE NEW YAMAHA 2007 FJR1300A. THE ECU DOESN'T APPEAR TO TAKE REALTIME BAROMETRIC READINGS. THIS IS VERY APPARENT WHEN YOU CHANGE ALTITUDE ON MOUNTAIN ROADS, WHICH CAUSES A VERY UNSAFE CONDITION WHERE THE MOTORCYCLE HESITATES WHEN THROTTLE INPUT IS APPLIED. THE HESITATION GETS LONGER THE HIGHER YOU GO. IT IS A CONSISTENT, REPEATABLE ISSUE, AND HAPPENS EVERY TIME I RIDE IN THE MOUNTAINS. I HAVE REPORTED IT TO YAMAHA, BUT THEY DENY THE ISSUE EXISTS. *TR