YAMAHA Complaints

ON OR ABOUT 03/01/2010. THE FINAL DRIVE ASSEMBLY FAILED WHILE TRAVELING 60-70MPH ON THE INTERSTATE. RESULTING IN A BEARING FAILURE, EATING AWAY OF SEAL AND GEAR OIL BEING SPLASHED THROUGHOUT REAR WHEEL. *JS MANUFACTURED REFUSED TO EVALUATE FAILED COMPONENT. ATTEMPTED TO PURCHASE ORIGINAL FINAL DRIVE ASSEMBLY. MANUFACTURE NO LONGER SOLD THAT SPECIFIC PART NUMBER AS IT HAD BEEN DEPRECATED AND REPLACED WITH A NEW PART NUMBER. PURCHASED REPLACEMENT COMPONENT FOR APPROXIMATELY 589.00 (OEM) (NEW PART NUMBER - ASSUMED TO HAVE IMPROVED SPECIFICATIONS OVER OLD PART NUMBER). ON 05/18/2014 AT APPROXIMATELY 78,000 MILES. THE FINAL DRIVE UNIT FAILED AGAIN. HOWEVER THIS FAILURE WAS CAUGHT IN TIME AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED HOME WITHOUT A SEAL FAILURE RESULTING IN GEAR OIL SATURATING PRIMARY DRIVE WHEEL. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE RELEASE OF GEAR OIL ON A MOTORCYCLE DRIVE WHEEL CAN RESULT IN A FATALITY AND/OR SEVERE INJURY. IN THE CASE OF THE BEARING FAILURE AND SEAL FAILURE THE RELEASE OF GEAR OIL FROM THE CASE AREA WAS ABRUPT AND WITHOUT NOTICE. THE FAILURE IS NOT ONE WHERE A USER WOULD EASILY SEE A SLOW LEAK AND BE ABLE TO SERVICE THE AREA IN QUESTION. WHEN SEAL FAILURE OCCURS THE GEAR OIL IS FLUNG ACROSS THE ENTIRE RADIUS OF THE REAR TIRE (LEFT SIDE). COATING THE ENTIRE SIDEWALL AND LEAKING ONTO THE BANKING RIDGE OF THE TIRE. PLEASE NOTE THAT BASED ON INFORMATION FROM FORUMS, YOUTUBE AND GENERAL KNOWLEDGE IN THE MOTORCYCLE COMMUNITY. FINAL DRIVE FAILURES ON VARIOUS YEARS OF VSTAR'S/XVS650/1100 MODELS ARE KNOWN TO EXIST. *JS

WHILE ACCELERATING, THE REAR TIRE LOCKED UP FOR NO APPARENT REASON. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS OCCURRED, BOTH AT LOW SPEEDS. WHAT IS THE FIX FOR THIS BEHAVIOR? *TR

I HAVE A 2004 VSTAR 1100 CUSTOM (XVS11000) WITH 52,000 MILES. I STARTED HEARING A WHINING NOISE COMING FROM THE TRANSMISSION WHEN I WOULD DOWN SHIFT (SIMILAR SOUND YOU HEAR WHEN BACKING UP IN A MANUAL TRANSMISSION CAR). SOON AFTER THE NOISE STARTED THE SPEEDOMETER QUIT WORKING. JUST AS I WAS GETTING READING TO PULL INTO THE GAS STATION UP AHEAD (ABOUT .5 MILES) TO CHECK ON IT I HEARD WHAT SOUNDED LIKE LOOSE BALL BEARINGS JUST RUNNING AROUND IN THE TRANSMISSION. NEEDLESS TO SAY I STOPPED IMMEDIATELY. TOOK THE BIKE DOWN TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP/SERVICE SHOP AND WAS GIVEN A QUOTE FOR $5200. WHAT ENDED UP HAPPENING IS THE NUT ON THE END OF THE MIDDLE GEAR SHAFT HAD SHEARED OFF THE END OF THE SHAFT AND BOUNCED AROUND IN THE U-JOINT. THAT'S WHAT HAD MADE THE TERRIBLE NOISE. IN THE SAME PROCESS IT DESTROYED THE SPEED SENSOR AND WARPED THE CYLINDER (PART OF THE SWING-ARM) THAT HOUSES THE U-JOINT. LUCKILY THE NUT DID NOT LODGE ITSELF INSIDE U-JOINT AND CAUSE THE BIKE TO LOCK-UP. THIS IS CLEARLY A PROBLEM THAT YAMAHA KNOWS ABOUT, BECAUSE THE NEW MIDDLE SHAFT THEY HAVE AS A REPLACEMENT PART IS MADE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT AND IS MUCH STRONGER. YET THEY REFUSE TO ADMIT IT TO US STRANDED BIKERS THAT ARE HAVING TO COME OUT OF POCKET THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR WHAT APPEARS TO BE A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT. IT CLEARLY HAS HAPPENED TO BIKES WITH ONLY A FEW HUNDRED MILES ALL THE WAY ON UP. THIS COULD VERY EASILY CAUSE FATALITIES IF THE RIDER IS DOING HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND TRANSMISSION SEIZES. *TR

THE DIGITAL SPEEDOMETER ON THIS MOTORCYCLE IS UNREADABLE UNDER CERTAIN LIGHTING CONDITIONS. ANGLED SUNLIGHT (MORNING, EVENING WHEN LIGHT IS COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE) CREATES A CONDITION WHERE THE SPEEDOMETER READOUT IS UNREADABLE. THE ONLY METHOD OF MEASURING SPEED IS BY SURROUNDING TRAFFIC. THIS CREATES A DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR MOTORCYCLE DRIVERS, ESPECIALLY ON EXPRESSWAYS AND URBAN ENVIRONMENTS WHERE THE SPEED LIMIT CHANGES BY LOCATION. *TT

DURING BRIGHT LIGHT CONDITIONS, THE DIGITAL DISPLAY SPEEDOMETER BECOMES UNREADABLE. THIS PROBLEM CREATES BOTH A SAFETY RISK AND POSSIBLE LEGAL ISSUES FOR THE OPERATOR AS A RESULT. *TT

THE SPEEDOMETER IS DARN NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO READ IN CERTAIN DAYLIGHT DRIVING SITUATIONS. THIS CAN BE A SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE OF NOT KNOWING YOUR SPEED AND SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME LOOKING DOWN AND NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO THE ROADWAY. *TT

PURCHASE NEW YAMAHA BOLT(XVS95CEGY) ON MY WAY HOME I COULD NOT SEE THE DIGITAL LCD SPEEDOMETER WHEN TRAVELING WITH THE SUN SHINING ON IT. I UNDERSTAND YAMAHA HAS KNOWN OF THIS PROBLEM SINCE THE BIKE WAS MADE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE BY CONSUMERS IN 2013. IT IS A DEFINITE TRAFFIC HAZARD TO NOT BE ABLE TO SEE YOUR SPEED IN SCHOOL AND HOSPITAL ZONES ALONG WITH GETTING TRAFFIC CITATIONS FOR SPEEDING. I CALLED YAMAHA AND WAS TOLD THAT YAMAHA WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT WAS NOT AWARE OF A FIX FOR THE PROBLEM ACCEPT TO PURCHASE ACCESSORIES THAT MIGHT MAKE THE PROBLEM BETTER. *TR

WHEN THE BIKE SLOWS DOWN, OR WHEN I ENGAGE THE CLUTCH TO DOWNSHIFT THE BIKE STALLS. THIS SEEMS TO HAPPEN MORE FREQUENTLY WHEN THE TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE IS COLD OR COOLER, BUT DOES HAPPEN IN THE SUMMER TIME AS WELL. *TR

YAMAHA FOR 2013 REDESIGNED THE FRONT PLASTIC COWLING IN A MANNER THAT PROHIBITS THE USER OF THE MOTORCYCLE TO HAVE ACCESS TO THE BATTERY OR FUSES. THIS IS A SAFETY AND MANUFACTURING DEFECT. YAMAHA HAS RELEASED A "TECH EXCHANGE" TO DEALERS REQUIRING THE OWNER TO PAY FOR A NEW PLASTIC COWLING AND LABOR. THE TECH EXCHANGE NUMBER IS "M2013-13 10/25/13". I FEEL THAT YAMAHA SHOULD PAY FOR THIS DEFECT UNDER WARRANTY. I CALLED AND THEY SAID NO. IT COST ME $188.10 AT MY LOCAL DEALER TO HAVE THIS PLASTIC REPLACED. YAMAHA CUSTOMER RELATIONS NUMBER IS 800/962-7926 , OPTION 0. THIS IS MY SECOND FJR1300 MOTORCYCLE PURCHASED FROM THEM, THAT DID NOT SEEM TO MATTER.

THE REAR SUSPENSION ARMS ARE WARPED/BENT. THEY ARE VISIBLY DEFECTED TO A HIGH DEGREE. *TR