YAMAHA Complaints

THERE WERE NO "EVENTS" LEADING UP TO THE FAILURE OF MY FUEL SYSTEM. WHILE RIDING IN TRAFFIC I NOTICED AN ODOR OF RAW FUEL. WHEN I PULLED OVER TO INVESTIGATE,I DISCOVERED GASOLINE POURING OUT FROM UNDER MY MOTORCYCLE! SHUTTING OFF THE FUEL PETCOCK AND RUNNING THE ENGINE @ AN ELEVATED RPM CAUSED THE SYMPTOM TO SUBSIDE AND LED TO THE CONCLUSION THAT A FAILURE IN 1 OR MORE CARBURETOR(S) HAD OCCURED. I CONTACTED MY DEALER AND WAS ADVISED THAT YAMAHA USA WOULD NOT WARRANTY A FAILURE OF THE CARBURETOR(S) CLAIMING THAT "POOR FUEL QUALITY" WAS THE FAULT,NOT A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. UPON QUESTIONING,I WAS FURTHER ADVISED THAT CORROSION OF THE NEEDLE AND SEAT ASSEMBLIES WAS A KNOWN FAILURE IN THIS PRODUCT AND THAT WARRANTY COVERAGE WAS CONSISTENTLY DENIED BY THE MANUFACTURER DESPITE THE OBVIOUS SAFETY ISSUE OF POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD. I ALSO ASKED IF YAMAHA HAD RELEASED ANY UPDATED COMPONENTS TO AVOID A REPEAT OF THE SAME FAILURE AND WAS ADVISED THAT CHROME PLATED COMPONENTS IMPERVIOUS TO THIS KIND OF FAILURE WERE AVAILABLE,BUT,NOT FROM THE MANUFACTURER. FOR OBVIOUS REASONS,I HAD THE DEALER REPAIR THE CONDITION WITH UPGRADED PARTS AND PAID FOR THE REPAIR SINCE THE DEALER WAS NOT AT FAULT. I THEN CONTACTED YAMAHA USA AND SPOKE TO MATTHEW WHO LISTENED ATTENTIVELY BUT,COULD ONLY TELL ME HE WAS SORRY THAT MY YAMAHA HAD NOT LIVED UP TO MY EXPECTATIONS! MATTHEW ALSO ADVISED ME HIS DATA BASE SHOWED NO OTHER COMPLAINTS OF THIS NATURE DESPITE THE FACT THAT THERE ARE SIMILAR REPORTS IN THE N.H.T.S.A. DATA BASE ON THE WEB. THE POSITION THAT FUEL QUALITY IS AT ISSUE IS BELIED BY THE FACT THAT IN THIS HOUSEHOLD ALONE 3 CARS,A SNOWBLOWER,2 LAWNMOWERS,A POWER EDGER,AND A CHAIN SAW WERE ALL OPERATED ON THE SAME FUEL WITHOUT INCIDENT. I FEEL THAT THE MOTORCYCLE PRODUCTS OF YAMAHA USA SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED FOR POTENTIALLY LETHAL DESIGN FLAWS IN IT'S FUEL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AND HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE COST OF CORRECTING A CONDITION THAT COULD COST SOMEONE THEIR LIFE.

THE REAR TIRE CONTAINED CRACKS IN THE SIDEWALL. *JB THE REAR TIRE WAS CRACKING ALL AROUND THE SIDEWALL. THE DEALER SUGGESTED THAT THIS WAS NORMAL. THE TIRE WAS DRY ROTTED. THE DEALER ALSO STATED THAT THERE WERE LARGE AMOUNTS OF STATIC ELECTRICITY THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED THE PROBLEM. *SC *JB

AIR INDUCTION SYSTEM (AIS), IN PARTICULAR, CHROME PIPE, RUSTED OUT LEADING TO AN EXHAUST LEAK. IT SEEMS THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM ON THIS MOTORCYCLE. MOISTURE COLLECTS IN THE TUBE LEADING TO RUSTING. SOME HAVE REMOVE THE SYSTEM OR PLUGGED THE AIS. SINCE THIS PART OF THE EMMISSION SYSTEM LEADING TO EXHAUST VALVES I AM CONCERNED. A SEARCH OF THE INTERNET SITES REVEALS THIS HAPPENS AND THE SYSTEM IS BEING REMOVED.

DT: MOTORCYCLE HAS 7,000 MILES ON IT, AND IT HAS A RUSTY HOLE ON TOP OF THE GAS TANK. DEALER SAID HE SHOULD HAVE IT REPLACED. CONSUMER CALLED YAMAHA, AND THEY REFUSED TO DEAL WITH HIM. THEY WANTED THE DEALER TO COMPENSATE HIM FOR REPAIRS. *AK CONSUMER STATES THAT MOTORCYCLE IS ALWAYS IN THE GARAGE AND IS IN BEAUTIFUL CONDITION OTHER THEN WHAT IS GOING ON.*SB

DT: FUEL TANK VENT ROLLOVER VALVE IS PLUNGING UP, CAUSING VACUUM TO COLLAPSE FUEL TANK. IT IS ALSO SUCKING WATER INSIDE. REAR WHEEL ALIGNMENT, MARKS ARE INCORRECT. THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM FOR THREE YEARS. MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO REMOVE FUEL CAP. ALSO, SUCKING WATER INSIDE UP THE TUBE IN RAINING WEATHER. THE MODEL IS ROADSTAR.*AK

DT: LOOSE BOLTS ALL OVER THE MOTORCYCLE NOT FROM THE DEALERSHIP, BUT FROM FACTORY. ALSO, FRONT DISC BRAKE JUNCTION BOX FELL OFF/ CASING MOTOR BOLTS WERE LOOSE, AND TAIL LIGHT WAS ABOUT TO FALL OFF. THIS MOTORCYCLE IS A COUPLE OF MONTHS OLD AND HAS ABOUT 1,000 MILES ON IT. CONSUMER OWNED THREE ROADSTARS, HOWEVER, THIS ONE HAS QUALITY CONTROL PROBLEMS. THE DAY AFTER THE MOTORCYCLE WAS PURCHASED DRIVER HEARD CLANKING NOISES. ROUTING OF CLUTCH CABLE WAS RUBBING AGAINST WINDSHIELD AND CHEWING UP THE CABLE. IN ADDITION, LOWER ROUTING, THE RETAINING CLIPS, WERE PUT ON UPSIDE DOWN AND WERE FALLING OFF. INDICATORS LIGHTS FILLED UP FULL OF WATER IN THE RAIN AND AFTER WASHING. SIDE CASING WERE NOT MOUNTED CORRECTLY. HOWEVER, 2001-2002 MOTORCYCLES WERE FINE, AND THE 2005 MODELS WERE CROOKED AND DID MATCH UP. THE ROAD STAR 1700CC IS THE MODEL.*AK

ENGINE HESITATION, MISSING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, ENGINE SHUTS OFF WITH NO THROTTLE. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH YAMAHA AS TPS FAILURE ON THE FZ6.

I WAS RETURNING HOME TO PLANO, TX FROM A WEEKEND TRIP TO COLORADO. I WAS ABOUT AN HOUR AWAY FROM HOME, WHEN I STARTED TO EXPERIENCE ENGINE HESITATION WHENEVER I RELEASED AND REAPPLIED THE THROTTLE. THE NEXT DAY, THE HESITATION WAS GONE, BUT I NOTICED THAT MY FUEL MILEAGE HAD GONE WAY DOWN (FORMERLY 42-45 MPG TO THE CURRENT 35 MPG). THE ENGINE IS ALSO RUNNING RICH, ENOUGH THAT I CAN SMELL UNBURNT FUEL IN THE EXHAUST. THE ENGINE ALSO HAS STARTED TO IDLE ERRATICALLY, FLUCTUATING IN RPMS.

THROTTLE "JUMPS" UNEXPECTEDLY DURING NORMAL OPERATIONS OF THE MOTORCYCLE. WHEN TRAVELING SPEED WILL DECREASE AND THE ENGINE WILL "SPUTTER", THEN THE ENGINE WILL JUMP BACK TO SPEED CAUSING A JOLT FORWARD. SYMPOTMS BEST DESCRIBED AND THE FUEL BEING CUT OFF THEN ON AGAIN.

CURRENTLY THERE IS A STORM OF CONTROVERSY IN THE SPORTRIDER COMMUNITY RELATING TO SAFETY ISSUES WITH 2003 YAMAH R6 MOTRCYCLES. THERE ARE SEVERAL SAFETY CONCERNS, 1. SHIFTING IN SECOND GEAR -PREMATURE GEAR WEAR IN THE TRANSMISSION, 2. MOTORYCLE'S SHUTTING OFF WHILE ENGAGED IN ROLLING STOPS, IN CURVES AND WHILE UNDER DECELERATIONS, I URGE THE NHTSA TO LOOK AT THE LINK I AM PROVIDING...HTTP://WWW.R6MESSAGENET.COM/FORUMS/FORUMDISPLAY.PHP?F=6....THIS LINK HAS DETAILED INFORMATION FROM MANY RIDERS EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH THIS SPECIFIC MODEL AND THE TREATMENT THEY HAVE RECEIVED , OR LACK THEREOF, FROM YAMAHA HAS ON 2 VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUES WITH THEIR 2003 R6 MODELS. MY MOTORYCLE IS SHOWING BOTH SIGNS OF PREMATURE GEAR WEAR ( BIKE HAS LESS THAN 4,000 MILES) AND SHUTTING OFF DURING OPERATION THESE INCIDENTS HAVE BEEN AS CLOSE AS 5-05-05 THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS ISSUE THAT YAMAHA IS IGNORING, PLEASE CHECK THE R6MESSAGENET.COM SITE THERE ARE MANY EXAMPLES FROM MANY RIDERS POSTED.