YAMAHA Complaints

THE SPEEDOMETER DISPLAY ON THIS BIKE COMPLETELY WASHES OUT IN THE BRIGHT SUN MAKING IT HARD TO SEE THE SPEED YOU ARE TRAVELING. WITH ADDITION IN NOT BEING ABLE TO READ THE SPEEDOMETER YOU HAVE ISSUES SEEING ANY INDICATOR LIGHT (BLINKER, FUEL LIGHT ETC..) THIS COMPLAINT COMES FROM ALL YAMAHA BOLT OWNERS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 YAMAHA V-STAR. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, AN ABNORMAL NOISE EMITTED FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE RING GEAR BEARING FRACTURED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,535.

VEHICLE SPEEDOMETER ERROR EXCEEDS 10%. THIS IS APPARENTLY BY DESIGN AND COMMONLY REPORTED BY OWNERS SINCE 2008. AN AFTERMARKET PLUG-IN ACCESSORY IS REQUIRED TO GET THE RPM DERIVED SPEED OR DISTANCE TO READ OUT CORRECTLY. IN THE STOCK CONFIGURATION THE OWNER IS GOING FAR BELOW THE INDICATED SPEED AND SUBJECT TO BEING RUN INTO OR EMERGENCY PASSED BY VEHICLES APPROACHING FROM THE REAR. *TR

THE PROBLEM I AM ABOUT TO DESCRIBE HAS BEEN OCCURRING SINCE THE MOTORCYCLE WAS NEW. HOWEVER, DUE TO RESEARCH, I AM ONLY NOW ABLE TO REPORT THE PROBLEM. ON HOT DAYS, WHEN THE MOTORCYCLE IS PARKED OUTSIDE, AFTER STARTING, IT STUMBLES AND CUTS OUT DURING ACCELERATION. THE LAST INCIDENT (WHICH I AM NOW REPORTING ON) ALMOST CAUSED ME TO GET HIT IN A PARKING LOT WHEN THE MOTORCYCLE DIED ACCELERATING FROM A STOP SIGN. A VEHICLE AT THE ADJACENT STOP SIGN ALMOST HIT ME WHEN I STALLED OUT. THE RESEARCH I'VE DONE POINTS TO THE EMISSION CONTROL CHARCOAL CANISTER AS BEING THE PROBLEM. ONCE IT BECOMES SATURATED, IT EFFECTS THE INTAKE, AND THEN CAUSES STUMBLING AND CUTTING OUT. IF THE MOTORCYCLE CAN BE RIDDEN AT HIGHWAY SPEED, THE CANISTER CLEARS AND THE MOTORCYCLE OPERATES IN A NORMAL MANNER. HOWEVER, A DANGEROUS SITUATION EXISTS PRIOR TO ITS CLEARING. *TR

SPEEDOMETER IS VERY DIFFICULT TO READ. REQUIRES TILTING MY HEAD UP OR DOWN AND/OR LEANING FORWARD OR BACK TO BE ABLE TO READ EVERY TIME, REGARDLESS OF SUN ORIENTATION. TURN SIGNALS AND THE ODOMETER HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. THIS ISSUE REQUIRES THAT I TAKE MY EYES AND CONCENTRATION OFF OF DRIVING TO BE ABLE TO READ THE SPEEDOMETER. THE ISSUE IS MORE PRONOUNCED WHEN WEARING SUNGLASSES AS I ALWAYS DO WHEN RIDING. THIS IS MADE EVEN WORSE BY MY HELMET'S BUILT IN VISOR WHICH I USE OCCASIONALLY. THIS OCCURS EVERY TIME I RIDE THE MOTORCYCLE. *TR

WHEN IN 3RD GEAR FROM 25-35MPH THERE IS A LOUD WHINING SOUND COMING FROM TRANSMISSION/ENGINE AREA. SOUNDS LIKE IT WILL BE BREAKING SOON IF I CONTINUE TO RIDE IT. $2,000 REPAIR. *TR

SEVERAL TIMES UPON COMING TO A STOP OR COASTING THE ENGINE DIES. THIS EVEN HAPPENED AFTER A SERVICE! THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE GETTING WORSE. I HAVE COMMUNICATED WITH OTHER STRATOLINER OWNERS AND THIS APPEARS TO BE A GROWING PROBLEM. IS THERE A KNOWN DEFECT? *TR

THE SPEEDOMETER IS DANGEROUS AND DIFFICULT TO SEE IN CERTAIN CONDITIONS. THE READ OUT ON THE SPEEDOMETER IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE WHEN RIDING WITH THE SUN BEHIND ME. IT IS DIFFICULT TO READ WITH THE SUN IN FRONT OF ME. THESE ARE AFTERNOON AND MORNING ISSUES. IT'S NOT BAD AT MID-DAY. ALSO, THE REFLECTION FROM THE SPEEDOMETER BEZEL TEMPORARILY "BLINDED" ME ONE DAY. BASICALLY I HAD STARED INTO THE SUN WHILE RIDING A MOTORCYCLE. THIS IS DANGEROUS. WHOEVER DESIGNED THIS THING SHOULD BE FIRED FROM YAMAHA. YAMAHA SHOULD CORRECT THESE FLAWS AND ISSUE A RECALL BEFORE SOMEONE IS BLINDED AND CRASHES. I'M NOT ASKING FOR A FANCY UPGRADE. JUST A SPEEDOMETER I CAN READ WHILE RIDING WITHOUT HAVING TO WORRY ABOUT BEING BLINDED. GUESS I'LL JUST KEEPING RIDING BY FEEL FOR NOW. *TR

PINCH BOLTS ON FRONT FORK HAVE LOOSENED (ONE WAS MISSING, ONE WAS 3/4 LOOSE). THE PINCH BOLTS ASSIST IN KEEPING THE FRONT AXLE IN LINE. CAUSED FRONT END WOBBLE. BIKE IS A LITTLE OVER ONE YEAR OLD. NO WORK HAS BEEN DONE ON THE FRONT END TO HAVE CAUSED THE BOLTS TO LOOSEN. THIS APPEARS TO HAVE HAPPENED THROUGH NORMAL RIDING. *TR

THE BEARING IN THE FINAL DRIVE SHAFT HAD TO BE REPLACED. WHEN THE MECHANIC TOOK APART THE HOUSING AND REMOVED THE RETAINING NUT TO GET TO THE BEARING. THE BEARING WAS COMPLETELY TORN APART AND MOST OF THE BEARINGS WERE MISSING. WHEN THE DIFFERENTIAL OIL WAS REPLACED WE FOUND OUT WHERE THE METAL PARTS WENT. THEY WERE GROUND DOWN AND FLOATING IN THE OIL. *TR