YAMAHA Complaints

PAYED $13,000 FOR A MOTORCYCLE THAT DOES NOT RESPOND APPROPRIATELY...2ND GEAR AT 5500 RPM. MOTORCYCLE WILL NOT ACCELERATE UNTIL A GOOD TIME AFTER I'VE ACCELERATED. CONTINUES TO HAPPEN AND WILL NOT BE ELIMINATED UNTIL ECU IS CORRECTED BY YAMAHA! COULD COST SOMEONE THEIR LIFE OR LIMB IF INJURED. *TR

2004 YAMAHA YZF-R6 SHUT OFF WHILE RIDING THE MOTORCYCLE. THE RECALLED WAS NOT EXTENDED TO YEAR OF MOTORCYCLE, ONLY 2005 MODELS.*AK

IN THE MORNING I GO THROUGH A NORMAL STARTING PROCEDURE OF MOTORCYCLE RECOMMENDED BY THE DEALER AND BY YAMAHA. WITHIN 1 MILE THE ENGINE CHOKED/POPPED, AND BUCKED, ALMOST DIED ON ONE OCCASION ON THE ROAD. AFTER ANOTHER HALF MILE TO A MILE THE ENGINE CLEARED UP AND WILL START AND RAN FINE THE REST OF THE DAY. RECENTLY THE PROBLEM GOT MORE FREQUENT AND SOMETIMES HAPPENED, THOUGH MILDER SYMPTOMS DURING THE DAY. I WAS SCARED THAT THIS WILL HAPPEN IN TRAFFIC ,AND POSSIBLY CAUSE A CRASH AND INJURY. FROM MY DISCUSSIONS WITH OTHER YAMAHA ROAD STAR OWNERS I WAS NOT THE ONLY ONE HAVING THIS PROBLEM. *AK I HAVE BEEN TO TWO YAMAHA DEALERS ABOUT THE PROBLEM. THE FIRST DEALER SAID IT IS NORMAL FOR THIS MODEL BIKE AND WAS QUITE RUDE, SO I DIDN'T GO BACK TO THEM. THE SECOND DEALER WANTED ME TO SPEND MY MONEY TO REPAIR THE ROOT PROBLEM AND SAID YAMAHA WOULD NOT COVER IT UNDER WARRANTY, THEY ALSO TOLD ME TO RUN RING-FREE (A YAMAHA FUEL ADDITIVE) IN MY FUEL TO CURE THE SYMPTOMS BUT THIS WOULD NOT CORRECT THE ROOT PROBLEM. I HAVE USED THE RING-FREE PRODUCT AND THE PROBLEM PERSISTS FOR 3 OR 4 MORE DAYS UNTIL THE RING-FREE HAS HAD TIME TO DO ITS THING. IT THEN GOES AWAY FOR 3 OR 4 THOUSAND MILES THEN RETURNS. I NOW HAVE APPROXIMATELY 12000 MILES ON THE BIKE, I HAVE OWNED IT FOR 1 YEAR AND HAVE WENT THROUGH THESE ISSUES ON 3 SEPARATE OCCASIONS. THE RING-FREE DOES MASK THE SYMPTOMS FOR A SHORT TIME BUT THERE IS APPARENTLY AN INTERNAL ENGINE PROBLEM AS THE ROOT CAUSE.

WHILE PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC, THE MOTORCYCLE 2006 YAMAHA ROADSTAR LOST POWER, BACK FIRED AND ALMOST DIED. THERE WAS TRAFFIC APPROACHING, AND I WAS ABLE TO PULL INTO A DRIVEWAY TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT. THIS HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES. I HAVE CONTACTED THE LOCAL DEALER , AND WAS TOLD THE STEPS TO STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING. WHAT WAS CAUSING THE PROBLEM WAS A STICKY INTAKE VALVE. THE DEALER STATED , PER TSB FROM YAMAHA, IT WAS DUE TO TOO MUCH OIL IN THE ENGINE, 4.5 QUARTS, WHICH WAS WHAT YAMAHA PUT IN THE MOTORCYCLE , AND THE CARBURETOR WAS SET TO RICH. I DID AS THE TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (TSB) STATED. I RAN A BOTTLE OF RING FREE THROUGH THE GAS TANK, AND DID AN OIL CHANGE, PUT IN 4.0 QUARTS PER TSB, AND IT WAS RUNNING LEAN, NOT RICH. THE PROBLEM WAS STILL THERE. THE GAS MILEAGE DROPPED AND BACK SPARK PLUGS WERE WET WHEN I REMOVED THEM. *AK

2007 YAMAHA YZF-R1. WHILE RIDING IN SECOND GEAR AT 5500 RPMS AND WHEN FULL THROTTLE WAS USED THERE WAS A LAG OF AROUND 4 SECONDS. WHEN DROPPING DOWN TO 5000 RPMS OR 6000 RPMS, AND USING FULL THROTTLE RESPONSE WAS INSTANTANEOUS. *AK

FOR OVER A YEAR 2004 YAMAHA ROADSTAR MOTORCYCLE HAD THE VALVES STICKING WHILE RIDING IT , CAUSING IMMEDIATE LOSS OF POWER. IT HAD 8000 MILES ON IT . THIS HAPPENED AT 4500 MILES. I DID WHAT YAMAHA ADVISED TO DO TO AVOID THE SITUATION, IT DIDN'T HELP. THEY KEPT GIVING ME THE RUN AROUND. THEY KNEW IT WAS A PROBLEM WITH THIS MOTORCYCLE HAD TWO CARBURETOR FIRES AFTER IT LOST POWER, AND I HAD TO HIT THE THROTTLE HARD TO GET THROUGH AN INTERSECTION. *AK

DRASTIC POWER FAILURE WHILE CROSSING TRAFFIC . ALSO, POWER FAILURE WHILE MERGING ONTO INTERSTATE IN HEAVY TRAFFIC WAS DUE TO STICKING VALVES, LOSS OF REAR CYLENDER COMPRESSION. *AK

WHEN RIDING ABOUT 5500 RPMS IN SECOND GEAR THE THROTTLE SYSTEM BECAME COMPLETELY UNRESPONSIVE. THE ENGINE WILL NOT GAIN RPMS NO MATTER HOW FAR THE THROTTLE WAS TURNED. ONE MUST LET THE THROTTLE RETURN TO THE STARTING POSITION AND THEN SLOWLY TURN IT BACK TO ACCELERATE. THIS WAS A STARTLING EVENT, EVEN WHEN IT IS KNOWN TO HAVE OCCURRED BECAUSE IN THE COURSE OF RIDING THERE WERE SO MANY OTHER FACTORS TO BE CONCERNED WITH, SUCH AS NOTING THE POSITION OF OTHER TRAFFIC, STEERING, ETC. THIS WAS A SAFETY ISSUE, AND WAS MOST DEFINITELY A DEFECT IN THE DESIGN/MANUFACTURING OF THE VEHICLE.*AK

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 YAMAHA YZFR6. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE IS A CRACK THAT RUNS FROM THE LEFT SIDE TO UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE'S FRAME. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THIS WAS CAUSED BY A STRESS FRACTURE WHICH IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT. THE MECHANIC ALSO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE SHOULD NOT BE DRIVEN BECAUSE IT COULD CRACK OPEN WHILE IN MOTION. THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT RESPONDED TO THIS MATTER. THE ENGINE SIZE WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 83,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 33,000.

IN SECOND GEAR GOING ABOUT 50 MPH WHEN OPENING THE THROTTLE THE MOTORCYCLE STAYED AT 50 MPH FOR APPROXIMATELY 3-4 SEC BEFORE SLIGHTLY ACCELERATING AT THAT POINT. THE OTHER DAY IT ALMOST CAUSED ME TO GET INTO AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE I COULD BARELY GET OUT OF THE WAY OF A VEHICLE. I HAVE SINCE LEARNED THIS HAPPENED WITH ALL 2007 YAMAHA YZF VEHICLES. WHEN I CONTACTED YAMAHA THEY SAID THEY WERE AWARE OF IT, BUT HAVE NO PLANS ON FIXING IT YET OR IF THEY EVER DO! *AK