YAMAHA Complaints

2003 YAMAHA VSTAR1100 MOTORCYCLE TRAVELING APPROX 55 MPH WITH TWO RIDERS ON BOARD. LOUD SQUEALING NOISE BEGAN COMING FROM BOTTOM OF MOTORCYCLE IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY LOUD CLANKING AND LOCKUP OF REAR WHEEL. VEHICLE SKIDDED OFF THE ROAD ONTO EMERGENCY STRIP ALMOST EJECTING PASSENGER. DRIVER SUFFERED BACK INJURY TRYING TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF VEHICLE. FIRST AND ONLY OCCURRENCE OF THIS, NO PRIOR INDICATIONS, VEHICLE NOT DRIVABLE, TOWED TO OWNER?S RESIDENCE. VEHICLE STILL NOT REPAIRED. LATER EXAMINATION REVEALED THE END OF THE MIDDLE DRIVE SHAFT SHEERED OFF AT THE INBOARD EDGE OF THE NUT THAT SECURES THE UNIVERSAL JOINT CONNECTING TO THE FINAL DRIVESHAFT. ESTIMATED DEALER REPAIR $2,000 - $3,000 ENGINE MUST BE REMOVED AND DISASSEMBLED TO REPLACE THE BROKEN SHAFT. *TR

WHILE RIDING MY MOTORCYCLE I EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN SHUTDOWN OF THE ENGINE AND LIGHTING WHILE RIDING IN TRAFFIC. INVESTIGATING I FOUND A FAILURE ON AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR IN THE WIRING HARNESS WHICH OVERHEATED. THERE WAS NO WARNING. RESEARCHING ON THE INTERNET I HAVE FOUND THIS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH MY YAMAHA FJR1300 MOTORCYCLE. *TR

MY MOTORCYCLE ENGINE STOPS RUNNING UNEXPECTEDLY AND WITHOUT WARNING. IT HAPPENS APPROXIMATELY EVERY 50 MILES OR SO. THE WORST CONSEQUENCE SO FAR IS THAT IT MADE ME FALL TO THE PAVEMENT RESULTING IN INJURIES TO MY KNEES, ELBOW AND BACK. MY BIKE CONTINUES TO STALL WITHOUT WARNING AND I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO RECTIFY THIS SITUATION. *TR

I HAVE A 2006 YAMAHA STAR STRATOLINER THAT STALLS WHENEVER I ENGAGE THE CLUTCH AND DOWNSHIFT WHEN APPROACHING A STOP CREATING A HAZARD AT A BUSY INTERSECTION. INCIDENT AS BEEN 2007 TO PRESENT. *TR

YAMAHA ROADLINER XV 1900 I HAVE A 2006 YAMAHA ROADLINER XV1900 ON WHICH THE ENGINE WILL DIE COMPLETELY WHEN COMING TO A STOP FREQUENTLY AFTER PULLING IN THE CLUTCH. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE I FIRST BOUGHT THE BIKE BACK IN NOVEMBER OF 2006. IN FACT IT HAPPENED THE FIRST DAY I DROVE IT HOME BUT I THOUGHT I WAS OUT OF GAS AND AFTER FILLING UP IT DID NOT OCCUR FOR SOME TIME AFTER. AS THE MILES ROLLED UP THIS PROBLEM WOULD OCCUR RANDOMLY WHEN COMING TO A STOP SUCH AS EXITING A FREEWAY OR PULLING UP TO A STOPLIGHT. ONE DAY I WAS ACTUALLY ABLE TO REPLICATE THE ACTION OVER AND OVER AGAIN OVER THE COURSE OF MY DAYS RIDE. I BELONG TO AN ONLINE COMMUNITY OF FELLOW STAR MOTORCYCLE OWNERS OF SPECIFICALLY THE YAMAHA STRATOLINER, ROADLINER AND RAIDER MODELS. THE BIKES USE IDENTICAL COMPONENTS AND WE HAVE NOTED THAT THERE ARE A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF US WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS EXACT SAME PROBLEM. IN THE COURSE OF OUR DISCUSSIONS ABOUT IT WE HAVE NOTED THE FOLLOWING: #1 - IT ALWAYS HAPPENS WHEN COMING TO A STOP WHETHER DOWN SHIFTING OR NOT. #2 - IF THE CLUTCH SAFETY INTERLOCK SWITCH IS REMOVED FROM THE SYSTEM THE PROBLEM NO LONGER OCCURS. THIS WAS DISCOVERED BY MYSELF AND A COUPLE OTHER FELLOWS WHOSE SWITCHES HAD FAILED AND WERE NO LONGER FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. WITH A FAILED SWITCH THE BIKE WILL NO LONGER START UNLESS IT IS NEUTRAL AND THE KICKSTAND IS RAISED. SINCE THE SWITCH CONTROLS THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE THIS MEANS THAT THERE IS SOME KIND OF ISSUE WITH THE MAPPING THAT YAMAHA USES TO CONTROL THEIR ENGINES PROBABLY FOR CONTROL OF EMISSIONS. WHEN THIS HAPPENS MANY OF US HAVE BEEN STUCK AT INTERSECTIONS OR OTHER LOCATIONS WITH TRAFFIC COMING BEHIND US DESPERATELY TRYING TO RESTART OUR BIKES WITHOUT GETTING KILLED DOING SO. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN REPORTED TO MANY DEALERS AND WITH MANY CALLS TO YAMAHA CUSTOMER SERVICE. WE HAVE ALL GOTTEN THE SAME RESPONSE. "THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE BIKE OR THE SWITCH NEEDS CLEANED OR REPLACED. *TR

MY 2006 YAMAHA STRATOLINER XV1900 STALLS WHEN I PULL THE CLUTCH COMING TO A STOP. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE I FIRST GOT MY BIKE. IT HAPPENS REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT THE BIKE IS HOT OR COLD. I CALLED YAMAHA TO COMPLAIN AS IT STALLED WHILE COMING TO A STOP AND CAUSING AN EXTREMELY UNSAFE SITUATION FOR ME AND MY PASSENGER. I WAS TOLD THAT THEY WERE NOT AWARE OF A PROBLEM, YET WHEN I TOOK THE BIKE TO THE DEALER, THERE WAS A TECH BULLETIN DESCRIBING THE PROBLEM AND SPECULATING ON POSSIBLE RESOLUTIONS. MANY OTHER OWNERS HAVE COMPLAINED OF THIS ISSUE. MANY SPECULATE THAT IT IS A DEFECTIVE CLUTCH SWITCH AND THE METHOD BY WHICH THE CLUTCH SWITCH INTERACTS WITH THE ECU. *TR

TOTAL LOSS OF POWER AND CONTROL WITH FAILURE OF THE MOTORCYCLE GROUNDING HARNESS SYSTEM. *TR

ENGINE STALLED AND CUT OFF AT ~25 MPH THREE TIMES WHEN DECELERATING IN MAR 2008 (~5,500 MILES), OCT 2009 (~11,500 MILES), AND APR 2011(~15,200 MILES), JEOPARDIZING THE OPERATOR'S SAFETY. PER YAMAHA/STAR ROADLINER OWNERS BLOG THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL AND REQUIRES MANUAL UPWARD ADJUSTMENT OF ENGINE IDLE RPM.

MOTORCYCLE: 2006 YAMAHA STRATOLINER, PROBLEM: STALLING WHILE SLOWING FOR A STOP. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 YAMAHA XVS-1100 V-STAR SILVERADO MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH WHEN A BOLT FRACTURED FROM THE MIDDLE GEAR DRIVE SHAFT AND BEGAN RATTLING AROUND INSIDE THE YOKE OF THE U-JOINT AS THE BOLT LODGED INSIDE THE YOKE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED YAMAHA DEALER AND THEY REFUSED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER ADVISED HIM THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE ENGINE AND THAT THE REPAIRS WERE ENTIRELY TOO COSTLY TO REPAIR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE REPAIRED THE VEHICLE HIMSELF AND REPLACED THE MIDDLE GEAR SHAFT, U-JOINT, YOKE AND CASKETS AT A COST OF $800. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED TO REPORT THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 20,000.