2002 YAMAHA XVS11 Complaints

I WAS OUT RIDING MY 2002 YAMAHA V-STAR 1100 CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE THAT I OBTAINED FROM MY STEPDAD. WHILE TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 55-60MPH ON A 2-LANE STATE HIGHWAY APPROACHING A STOP LIGHT I BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN. UPON DECELERATION THE MOTORCYCLE SUDDENLY MADE A LOUD WHINING NOISE FROM THE TRANSMISSION AND I FELT THE REAR WHEEL START TO BIND UP. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER AND TOOK THE BIKE HOME ON A TRAILER. I LATER PUT IT IN MY SHOP TO INSPECT WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS MYSELF. INSPECTION REVEALED A SNAPPED MIDDLE DRIVE SHAFT WHERE THE YOKE/U-JOINT CONNECT WITH IT. THE U-JOINT IS HELD ON BY A NUT. THE END OF THE SHAFT WITH THE NUT STILL ON IT WAS LAYING INSIDE THE U-JOINT AND WAS FREE TO MOVE AROUND CAUSING IT TO BIND UP WITHIN THE JOINT. RESEARCHING ONLINE SHOWS MANY PEOPLE EXPERIENCED THE SAME ISSUE THAT LEAD TO A BROKEN SHAFT. THE MAIN CAUSE IS THE NUT DOES NOT HAVE AN EFFECTIVE "LOCKING" METHOD (SUCH AS A PIN) TO KEEP IT FROM LOOSENING UP OVER TIME. THIS THEN CAUSES THE U-JOINT TO MOVE ON THE SHAFT UNTIL THE ASSEMBLY SNAPS. SEEING AS THIS IS A MOTORCYCLE WITH ONLY TWO (2) WHEELS THIS HAD THE POTENTIAL TO SERIOUSLY INJURE OR KILL ME HAD THE REAR WHEEL LOCKED UP COMPLETELY WHILE TRAVELING AT THOSE HIGHWAY SPEEDS. I AM VERY LUCKY THE REAR WHEEL DID NOT LOCK UP COMPLETELY. I WILL BE CONTACTING YAMAHA CORP. ABOUT THIS ISSUE IMMEDIATELY AS I FEEL IT IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT THAT IS BACKED BY A LOT OF ONLINE REPORTS AND HOPE IT WILL BE ADDRESSED BEFORE ANYONE CAN BE HURT OR KILLED BY IT IF IT HAS NOT ALREADY HAPPENED. THE NUT THAT IS KNOWN TO LOOSEN UP IS NOT A MAINTENANCE ITEM MEANING THIS ISSUE IS NOT CAUSED BY A LACK OF MAINTENANCE! THIS MOTORCYCLE WAS PURCHASED BRAND NEW BY MY PARENTS AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN BROUGHT TO THE YAMAHA DEALER FOR SERVICE SINCE IT WAS NEW. IMAGES ATTACHED SHOW THE BROKEN SHAFT AND DAMAGE TO THE NUT FROM GETTING CAUGHT IN THE U-JOINT AFTER BREAKING. *TR

I WAS RIDING ALONG ON US 380 IN MCKINNEY, TX AND AS I APPROACHED A SIGNAL LIGHT, I BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN AND THAT'S WHEN I HEARD A MYSTERIOUS WINING SOUND. THE SIGNAL TURNED GREEN AND AS I BEGAN TO ACCELERATE, THE WINING PROGRESSED TO A LOUD CLANKING AND GRINDING SOUND SO I STOPPED TO CHECK THE DRIVE SHAFT, IT WAS FINE. I CALLED FOR A TRAILER AND TRANSPORTATION OF THE MOTORCYCLE BACK TO MY HOMETOWN OF DENISON, TX, 52 MILES ONE WAY. UPON RETURNING HOME, I DISMANTLED THE MOTORCYCLE AND FOUND THAT THE NUT ON THE OF POWER SHAFT (MIDDLE DRIVE GEAR) HAD BROKEN OFF. IN, DOING SO IT DESTROYED A FEW OTHER PARTS INSIDE THE GEARBOX AS WELL. I WAS QUOTED $3000.00 AT MY LOCAL YAMAHA DEALERSHIP. IF I PURCHASE THE PARTS AND DO IT MYSELF I'M LOOKING AT ABOUT $1500.00 TO FIX IT. EITHER WAY, I DO NOT HAVE THE FINANCES AT THE TIME TO FIX IT, THIS IS MY ONLY TRANSPORTATION. I HAVE TALKED TO SEVERAL PEOPLE IN PERSON AND THROUGH YAMAHA FORUMS THAT HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE! YAMAHA IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND REFUSES TO MAKE IT RIGHT BY THEIR CUSTOMERS. *TR

YAMAHA V-STAR MIDDLE SHAFT ENGINEERING DEFECT... THERE IS MANY CASES OF THIS FAILING ALL OVER THE NET TIME AND TIME AGAIN... DEFECT THAT YAMAHA HAS WITH THE MIDDLE SHAFT ON THEIR SHAFT DRIVE V STAR MOTORCYCLES... *TR

MIDDLE DRIVE SHAFT SNAPPED OFF WHERE THE NUT GOES ON. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND HAS HAPPENED ON MANY OF THESE BIKES. THE BACK WHEEL CAN LOCK UP AND PUT THE MOTORCYCLE INTO A SKID CAUSING AN ACCIDENT THAT COULD EASILY RESULT IN DEATH. I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND NOTICED A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE AREA OF THE MOTORCYCLE. THE DRIVE TRAIN WAS SKIPPING AND LOCKING UP. UPON INSPECTION I SEEN THAT THE DRIVE SHAFT HAD SNAPPED OFF. I PLAN ON CONTACTING YAMAHA TO SEE WHAT THEY PLAN TO DO ABOUT THIS. THIS WAS POOR DESIGN BECAUSE THE HAVE MADE A STRONGER DRIVE SHAFT TO REPLACE IT. *TT

WHILE COMMUTING TO WORK I NOTICED A VERY LOUD WHINING SOUND COMING FROM THE DRIVE SHAFT AREA DURING DECELLERATION ON MY 2002 V-STAR 1100. AFTER FURTHER INSPECTION AND RESEARCH I LEARNED IT WAS MY MIDDLE DRIVE THAT HAD ACTUALLY DISMEMBERED ITSELF, CAUSING A BROKEN PART TO RATTLE AROUND INSIDE THE ASSEMBLY, WHICH MANY OTHER YAMAHA OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED ACCORDING TO AN ONLINE FORUM. THANKFULLY I WAS NOT INJURED BUT SOME INDIVIDUALS VOICED THAT THIS CAN CAUSE THE REAR WHEEL TO COMPLETELY LOCK UP GOING AT ANY RATE OF SPEED. *TT

MOTORCYCLE STARTED MAKING NOISE WHEN LETTING OFF THE GAS. REAR WHEEL LOCKED UP JUST AS I GOT HOME. END OF MIDDLE SHAFT BROKEN OFF AND NUT JAMMED IN U-JOINT. *TR

WHEN STARTING AND SHUTTING OFF THE MOTORCYCLE, THERE TENDS TO BE A LOUD CLUNK. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE I PURCHASED THIS BIKE FROM A PRIVATE OWNER IN 2010. I HAVE ALL OF THE SERVICE DOCUMENTATION FOR THIS BIKE FROM THE PREVIOUS OWNER, ALL MAINTENANCE WAS PERFORMED ON SCHEDULE. JUST RECENTLY, I HAD AN ISSUE WHERE THE BIKE WOULD NOT TURN OVER AT ALL. THE STARTER MOTOR WOULD JUST SPIN AND WHINE, AND THE ENGINE WOULD NOT TURN OVER. I REMOVED THE STARTER MOTOR AND LOOKED AT IT, AND INSIDE, THERE ARE 4 BRUSHES. ONE BRUSH WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED AND WORN TO NOTHING. I REPLACED THE STARTER MOTOR, AND THE SAME ISSUE EXISTED. THE STARTER MOTOR WOULD JUST SPIN AND NOT TURN THE ENGINE OVER. I TOOK THE BIKE TO A LOCAL MOTORCYCLE SHOP, AND THEY OPENED UP THE LEFT ENGINE CASE AND LOOKED AT ALL OF THE STARTER CLUTCH GEARS AND FOUND THAT THE STARTER CLUTCH (OR SLIPPER CLUTCH) AS THEY CALLED IT WAS SHOT. THEY NEEDED TO ORDER A KIT THAT YAMAHA HAS TO SPECIFICALLY FIX THIS KICK BACK CLUNK ISSUE. THE PROBLEM IS, NOW I NEED TO PAY AROUND $800 TO FIX THIS ISSUE. I HAVE DONE SOME RESEARCH ONLINE, AND HAVE NOTICED THAT THIS IS A PRETTY WIDESPREAD ISSUE WITH THIS SERIES OF BIKES. I THINK YAMAHA SHOULD EITHER RECALL THE BIKES AND FIX THIS ISSUE, OR REIMBURSE ME FOR THE EXPENSE I NEED TO INCUR REGARING THIS MECHANICAL DEFECT. *TR

THE VEHICLE IS A 2002 YAMAHA V STAR 1100 CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE WITH APPROX. 74,000 MILES.THE EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE INCIDENT WERE JUST NORMAL RIDING CONDITIONS FOR THIS MOTORCYCLE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WHEN THE TIP OF THE MIDDLE DRIVE SHAFT SHEARED OFF WITH THE NUT THAT HOLDS IT IN PLACE. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND WITH THIS PARTICULAR MOTORCYCLE, WITH ALL OF THE BREAKAGE OCCURRING IN THE EXACT SAME SPOT. THIS DEFECT COULD LEAD TO THE DRIVE SHAFT JAMMING UP AND CAUSING SERIOUS HARM AND QUITE POSSIBLY DEATH FROM AN ACCIDENT. THUS FAR YAMAHA HAS FAILED TO RECOGNIZE THE ISSUE. IT IS A VERY COSTLY AND EXPENSIVE REPAIR INVOLVING BASICALLY DISASSEMBLING THE BIKE TO GET AT THE BROKEN PART. THE COMPLETE REPAIR WOULD COST AROUND $2000.00. AND IF THEY ARE REPLACING WITH THE SAME YAMAHA OEM PARTS I WOULD IMAGINE THE RISK IS THERE FOR THE FAILURE TO HAPPEN AGAIN. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS ISSUE AND SHOULD BE RECOGNIZED AND ADDRESSED BY YAMAHA. *TR

HAD THE MIDDLE DRIVE SHAFT BOLT SHEAR OFF MY 1100 V STAR. AS A RESULT OF THE BOLT SHEARING OF FOR NO APPARENT REASON IT LOCKED UP THE REAR TIRE,LOST CONTROL AND NEARLY KILLED MYSELF !!! *TR

WAS DRIVING IN TOWN AROUND 30MPH ,,,ALL OF A SUDDEN I HEARD AND DEVELOPED A WHINE (SOUNDED LIKE TIRE WHINE)., COULD ONLY HEAR IT DURING DECELERATION. NOISE GRADUALLY GOT LOUDER. LOUD CRUNCH WAS HEARD WHEN NUT HOLDING U-JOINT TO MIDDLE GEAR DISLODGED AND BUSTED SPEEDO PICKUP. I AM A TECHNICAL MECHANIC FOR A CAR BIG CAR COMPANY ....SO AS SOON AS I COULD TAKE IT BACK TO MY SHOP ,,,, I STARTED A DIAGNOSED OF THE PROBLEM....IT TOOK 10 TO 15 MINUTES TO FIND THAT THE NOISE WAS COMING FROM THE DRIVE PINION SHAFT (MIDDLE SHAFT) .. THE JOB STARTED ...SO I TOOK IT A PART AND FOUND OUT THAT THE MIDDLE SHAFT AT THE NUT WAS SHEARED OFF (BROKEN OFF TOTALLY) ....IT IS A VERY ENORMOUS JOB TO GET TO THAT GEAR AND CHANGE IT ....I HAVE TO TAKE THE DRIVE SHAFT OFF... AND EVERY THINGS AROUND THE ENGINE AND FINALLY TAKE THE ENGINE OFF THE MAIN FRAME OF THE BIKE TO GET TO THAT GEAR....AND EVENTUALLY I HAVE TO TAKE THE ENGINE APART ,,,SPLIT THE ENGINE TO CHANGE THAT DRIVE GEAR...... FURTHERMORE ,,,,I COULD HAVE BEEN HURT IF I WOULD HAVE BEEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY......GOOD LUCK THAT I WAS GOING SLOW ......I TAKE YAMAHA RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEFECT ON MY MOTORBIKE ...ALSO THEY SHOULD HAVE DONE A RECALL ON THAT DEFECTIVE PART OF THE BIKE .....I HOPE THAT ALL THE BIKERS THAT HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM WILL BE REIMBURSED FOR THE EXPENSE FOR THE REPAIRS AND TO MAKE THE BIKE SAFE FOR THE ROAD..... *TR