YAMAHA Complaints

THIS IS ON A 2006 YAMAHA FJR1300AE MODEL MOTORCYCLE WITH ABOUT 26K MILES ON IT. I STARTED THE MOTORCYCLE, IT RAN FOR ABOUT 1 TO 2 SECONDS THEN SHUTDOWN AND WOULD NOT RESTART. THIS WAS THE FIRST AND ONLY OCCURRENCE. UPON INSPECTION BY AN AUTHORIZED DEALERSHIP SERVICE TECHNICIAN IT WAS FOUND TO HAVE AN OVERHEATED, MELTED GROUND JUNCTION IN THE MAIN ELECTRICAL HARNESS. THE MANUFACTURER IS GOING TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE MAIN HARNESS UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY I HAVE. THE OLD HARNESS IS BEING SENT BACK TO THE OEM FOR INSPECTION. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING FROM MONITORING CERTAIN INTERNET FORUMS FOR THIS MACHINE THAT OTHER OWNERS ARE HAVING IDENTICAL FAILURES. INASMUCH AS THIS DEFECT CAN CAUSE THE MOTORCYCLE ENGINE TO SUDDENLY STOP RUNNING, THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR A SERIOUS OR FATAL CRASH INJURY. *TR

1. IGNITION SWITCH WOULD SOMETIMES NOT WORK. 2. IF TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY AND DOWNSHIFTED, VIBRATION WOULD KILL IGNITION SWITCH AND ENGINE WOULD DIE AND CARS BEHIND YOU CAME UP FAST AS THE BIKE WAS SLOWING DOWN. VERY UNSAFE...JIGGLED KEY AND ENGINE STARTED BACK UP.3. CONTACTED YAMAHA SINCE BIKE WAS 6 MONTHS OUT OF WARRANTY. THEY SAID THEY WOULD REPLACE THE SWITCH AND I HAD TO PAY FOR THE LABOR TO REPLACE OLD SWITCH. EVEN THOUGH THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE SWITCHES ON THE VENTURES... *TR

YAMAHA FJR MOTORCYCLE. MOTORCYCLE ENGINE WILL NOT CRANK OR START. PROBLEM WAS FOUND TO BE A DEFECTIVE ELECTRICAL GROUND SPLICE LOCATED NEAR THE LEFT FRONT UPPER CORNER OF THE ENGINE. INSPECTION REVEALED THE ELECTRICAL GROUND, GROUP SPLICE HAD OVERHEATED AND BURNT WITH ASSOCIATED BURNT WIRES. THIS MOTORCYCLE HAS SEVERAL OF THESE TYPES OF ELECTRICAL GROUND SPLICES AND THERE HAVE BEEN INTERNET REPORTS OF MANY FAILURES, NOT ALL OF THEM THE SAME SPLICE I HAD A PROBLEM WITH. THE POTENTIAL DANGER IS AN ENGINE STALL OUT AND OR NUMEROUS ELECTRICAL FAILURES AT ONCE. THE OTHER POTENTIAL DANGER IS OF AN ELECTRICAL FIRE UNDER THE GAS TANK DUE TO THE MELTED AND BURNT WIRES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS FAILURE. *TR

2008 YAMAHA R1 MOTORCYCLE, ENGINE DIES WITHOUT ANY WARNING. OR ANY CLEAR CHAIN OF EVENTS, DIES RANDOMLY. AND NOT EVERY DAY, OCCASIONALLY. THEN CAN BE STARTED RIGHT UP, LIKE NOTHING WAS WRONG. I HAD TO FILE THIS UNDER MIDNIGHT WARRIOR AS THERE WAS NO CHOICE FOR R1...ALSO HAVE SEEN THIS SAME COMPLAINT ON MANY MOTORCYCLE FORUMS, AND HAVE HEARD FROM OTHER FOLKS THAT YAMAHA WILL NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM. THIS CONDITION COULD LEAD TO A SERIOUS ACCIDENT OR EVEN DEATH. THIS CONDITION HAS BEEN HAPPENING SPORADICALLY SINCE I PURCHASED MY BIKE OFF THE SHOWROOM FLOOR. *TR

MAKING A RIGHT HAND TURN ON MY 2006 YAMAHA FJR -1300A AND THE BIKE DIED WHILE IN MID TURN. THE START BUTTON WOULD NOT WORK, THE LIGHTS WERE ON, EVEN THOUGH THE KEY WAS TURNED OFF. WHEN THE IGNITION SWITCH WAS TURNED ON, THE GAUGES WERE ERRATIC. I TOOK THE BIKE APART ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO TRY AND LOCATE THE PROBLEM. I FOUND A BURNED GROUNDING CONNECTOR. APPARENTLY YAMAHA FEEDS 5 18 GAUGE WIRES INTO A CONNECTOR WITH ONE 18 GAUGE WIRE COMING OUT TO GROUND. THERE ARE SIX OR SEVEN CONNECTIONS LIKE THIS IN THE WIRING HARNESS. CLEANING THE CONNECTIONS WAS A TEMPORARY FIX TO GET ME HOME. I AM NOW LOOKING FOR A BETTER FIX THAT WILL BE PERMANENT. HAD THIS HAPPENED AT SPEED IN THE MOUNTAINS, THE RESULTS COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 YAMAHA GRIZZLY 700 ATV(NA). THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH AND COMING TO A STOP THE ATV CONTINUOUSLY SHUTS OFF. THE ATV WOULD RESTART AND SHUT OFF REPEATEDLY. THE ATV WAS REPAIRED BY THE DEALER 13 TIMES; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 720.

FAILURE OF GROUNDING COUPLER (SPIDER) CAUSING LOSS OF ALL POWER WHILE MOTORCYCLE IS IN MOTION. FAILURE CAUSED BY ENVIRONMENTAL (RAIN, DIRT, ETC) FACTORS ENTERING THE COUPLER AND CAUSING CORROSION AND FAILURE TO CONDUCT ELECTRICAL GROUND. MOTORCYCLE IS DISABLED UNTIL COUPLER IS REPAIRED OR WIRING HARNESS IS REPLACED. *TR

STARTING IN MID 2009, THE HEADLIGHTS ON MY 2007 YAMAHA FJR1300A MOTORCYCLE WOULD OCCASIONALLY FLICKER OFF AND ON. ON DECEMBER 21ST, 2009 THE HEADLIGHTS FAILED COMPLETELY WHILE RIDING HOME FROM WORK IN THE DARK! PROBLEM WAS FOUND TO BE A GROUNDING CONNECTION ABOVE THE LEFT HEADLIGHT THAT HAD CORRODED AND OVERHEATED THE CONNECTOR AND SPIDER INSERT. THE FAULTY CONNECTOR WAS REMOVED AND THE WIRES WERE SOLDERED TOGETHER TO FIX THE PROBLEM. *TR

I OWN A 2008 YAMAHA RAIDER MOTORCYCLE AND THE BACK TIRE A METZLER 210/40/18 IS A DIRECTIONAL TYPE OF TIRE HOWEVER THE TREAD IS SUCH THAT IN A WATER CONDITION THE TIRE DOES NOT PUSH THE WATER AWAY AS IT SHOULD IT ACTUALLY PULLS IT TOWARDS THE MIDDLE UPON CHECKING OUT THE TIRE FOUND IT TO BE BACKWARDS THE DIRECTIONAL ARROW POINTS TO THE FRONT BUT TREAD IS BACKWARDS . I NOTICED THIS IN A VERY SMALL AMOUNT OF WATER HYDROPLAINING SEEMS TO BE A REAL ISSUE I CONTACTED METEZLER AND THEY JUST SHRUG IT OFF AND SAY ITS NO PROBLEM. MOTORCYCLE FORUMS I'VE VISITED HAVE A LOT OF ARTICLES ON THIS. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF SOMEONE HAS TO BE KILLED BEFORE METEZLER IS MADE TO FIX THE PROBLEM BY RECALL. PERSONALLY I'VE RIDDEN MOTORCYCLES FOR 30 YEARS AND IT WAS QUITE A HANDFUL TO STAY UPRIGHT WITH VERY LITTLE WATER INVOLVED . A NOVICE RIDER MAY NOT BE SO LUCKY I HOPE SOMEONE CAN MAKE METEZLER TIRE COMPANY REMEDY THIS PROBLEM WITH A RECALL. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 XVZ13 YAMAHA MOTORCYCLE . THE MOTORCYCLE LEAKS FUEL. HE TOOK THE MOTORCYCLE TO THE DEALER FOUR TIMES. THE DEALER CLEANED THE CARBORATOR; AND REPLACED A FEW PARTS; HOWEVER THE FAILURE WAS NOT CORRECTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER DIDN'T TAKE A REPORT AND WILL NOT ASSIST WITH THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 9,000. UPDATED 01/26/10 *BF GASOLINE LEAKED OUT THE OVERFLOW AND INTO THE EXHAUST PIPE WHICH CAUSED THE ENGINE TO BACKFIRE. UPDATED 01/26/10.*JB