YAMAHA Complaints

I HAVE A 2006 YAMAHA VSTAR CUSTOM MOTORCYCLE. THE OUTPUT SHAFT BROKE IN SEP 2009, WITH ONLY 30,000 KILOMETRES ON THE BIKE. I HAVE DONE SOME RESEARCH AND DETERMINED THAT THE PROBLEM IS MORE COMMON THAN YAMAHA IS WILLING TO ADMIT. NUMEROUS DEALERS HAVE TOLD ME THAT THEY HAVE SEEN THE PROBLEM ON OTHER BIKES OF THE SAME YEAR. ALSO, I AM TOLD THAT THE REPLACEMENT OUTPUT SHAFT THAT IS SENT TO DEALERS IS LARGER AND MORE SOLID THAN THE ORIGINAL PART THAT WAS USED ON THE BIKES. THIS INDICATES TO ME AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE PROBLEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 YAMAHA ROADSTAR. HE EXPERIENCED DIFFICULTY WHEN ATTEMPTING TO RAISE THE VEHICLE USING THE JACK. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION HE NOTICED THAT THE SHOCK SPRING ASSEMBLY MOUNT HAD FRACTURED. HE CALLED SEVERAL DEALERSHIPS AND WAS TOLD THAT THE FAILURE WAS NEVER REPORTED. HE CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS NOT PROVIDED WITH ASSISTANCE BECAUSE THE WARRANTY EXPIRED. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 29,500.

YAMAHA V STAR XVS1100 MIDDLE GEAR SHAFT BREAKS OFF AT NUT SECURING U-JOINT ASSEMBLY TO SHAFT. THE GEAR SHAFT BROKE WITH OUT WARNING WHILE TRAVELING AT ABOUT 30 MPH. THE BIKE HAS 60K MILES. THE NUT CAN GET LODGED BETWEEN UJOINT AND SWINGARM PIVOT BOLT THIS CAN CAUSE THE DRIVE SHAFT TO LOCK UP, ALSO LOCKING UP THE REAR TIRE, SENDING THE MOTORCYCLE IN TO A UNCONTROLLED SKID. I KNOW OF 4 BROKEN SHAFTS WITHIN LAST 6 MONTHS. OLD PARTS ARE AVAILABLE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 YAMAHA ROAD STAR. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH THE REAR WHEEL LOCKED. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION HE NOTICED THAT PINS THAT CONNECT THE FOURTH AND THE FIFTH GEAR HAD FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED, BUT NO ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 67,000.

ON YAMAHA 1100 VSTAR MOTORCYCLES IN THE MIDDLE DRIVE GEAR WHERE THE UNIVERSAL YOKE CONNECTS TO THE SHAFT THE SHAFT IS PRONE TO BREAKAGE CAUSING THE NUT AND END OF THE SHAFT TO BECOME CAUGHT IN THE UNIVERSAL JOINT WHICH AT 55MPH CAN BE DEVASTATING. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET I HAVE FOUND NUMEROUS CIRCUMSTANCES OF THIS DEFECT. *TR

MY WIFE HAS A 2006 YAMAHA V-STAR 1100 CUSTOM. THE BIKE HAS JUST OVER 15,000 MILES ON IT. AS WE WERE COMPLETING A RIDE ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY 4-LANE BRIDGE, MY WIFE WAS RIDING THE BIKE ALONGSIDE ME WHEN I SUDDENLY HEARD A LOUD CHATTERING NOISE FOLLOWED BY A BANG. THE BIKE CONTINUED TO CHATTER LIKE AN OLD WRINGER-WASHING MACHINE. WE PULLED TO THE SIDE AND LOOKED FOR SIGNS OF TROUBLE BUT COULD FIND NONE. SHE WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT HOME WITH THE BIKE, AT A GREATLY REDUCED SPEED. AFTER SOME DISASSEMBLY I DISCOVERED THAT THE NUT HAD BACKED OFF OF THE MIDDLE GEAR DRIVE SHAFT AND LODGED ITSELF BETWEEN THE FRAME AND THE SHAFT SNAPPING OFF THE END OF THE SHAFT. I AM NOW TWO DAYS AND BETTER THAN $500 WORTH OF PARTS INTO THE REPAIR. WHEN I CHECKED ON-LINE, I LEARNED THAT MANY OTHER V-STAR 1100 OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. I FEEL FORTUNATE THAT MY WIFE SUFFERED NO INJURY AS A RESULT OF THE FAILURE. THE LOCATION AND NATURE OF THE PROBLEM COULD EASILY HAVE LEAD TO CATASTROPHIC RESULTS, UP TO AND INCLUDING HER AND POSSIBLY MY DEMISE. THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. *TR

MOTORCYCLE IS A 2005 YAMAHA V-STAR 1000 WITH 23,000 MILES ON IT, AND IT BEGAN MAKING A LOUD WHINING NOISE, WHICH SEEMED TO BE AT IT WORST DURING THE FIRST 2-3 MILES OF OPERATION. AFTER CONSULTING WITH A WEB FORUM DEDICATED TO THESE MOTORCYCLES, I DISCOVERED THE THREADED END OF THE INTERMEDIATE DRIVESHAFT HAD BROKEN, AND THE NUT WHICH RETAINS THE U-JOINT YOKE WAS FREE TO MOVE AROUND INSIDE THE U-JOINT. THERE WAS ALSO LIMITED DAMAGE TO THE U-JOINT YOKE, WHICH WAS CAUSED BY THE NUT MOVING AROUND WHILE THE MOTORCYCLE WAS OPERATING. THIS APPEARS TO BE A FAIRLY COMMON PROBLEM AMONG THESE YAMAHA MOTORCYCLES, AND CAN LEAD TO MAJOR REPAIR WORK IF THE SHAFT GETS BENT FROM NOT BEING SECURED CORRECTLY. OF THE THREE OPTIONS RECOMMENDED ON THIS FORUM FOR REPAIRING THE PROBLEM, I CHOSE THE CHEAPEST AND FASTEST TO REPAIR OPTION OF DRILLING AND TAPPING THE END OF THE SHAFT TO ACCEPT A BOLT IN LIEU OF REMOVING THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION TO REPLACE THE BROKEN SHAFT. I WAS ABLE TO SMOOTH OUT THE DAMAGED AREAS ON THE U-JOINT YOKE. *TR

2006 YAMAHA FJR 1300 A. WIRE CONNECTION NEAR FUEL TANK CORRODED AND WAS MELTING. HEADLAMPS QUIT, ALONG WITH HORN, TURN SIGNALS. ENGINE WOULD MISS WITH THE TURN SIGNAL SWITCH IN THE LEFT OR RIGHT POSITION. I WAS IN THE DARK, WHEN THE LIGHTS QUIT. I HAVE HEARD OF OTHER FJR 1300 OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

RE: COMPLAINT # 10290507 TOOK MY 2003 ROADSTAR TO YAMAHA DEALERSHIP FOR TRANSMISSION PROBLEM (5TH GEAR GONE). WAS TOLD THAT IT HAS BEEN AN ISSUE AND YAMAHA WILL REPAIR ON A CASE-BY-CASE SITUATION. ON FRIDAY NOV.6TH I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT IF THE RECALL HAS BEEN DONE THAT YAMAHA WILL PAY TO FIX IT.THEN TODAY NOV.10TH,THE DEALER SAID THE DISTRICT REP SAID HE WILL NOT AUTHORIZE THE REPAIR BECAUSE THE BIKE IS OUT OF WARRANTY. THIS MOTORCYCLE ONLY HAS 8,700 EASY MILES ON IT AND THIS SEEMS TO BE A YAMAHA PART DEFECT THAT THEY DO NOT WANT TO FIX. I HAVE BEEN READING ONLINE FORUMS FOR THE ROADSTARS AND HAVE FOUND THAT A LOT OF OWNERS HAVE HAD THE EXACT PROBLEM WITH 5TH GEAR. SOME HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET YAMAHA TO FIX THEIRS AND OTHERS HAVE HAD TO PAY TO FIX IT THEMSELVES. I HAVE ALSO FOUND OUT THAT WHEN 5TH GEAR GOES OUT,THAT IT DAMAGES OTHER TRANSMISSION AND ENGINE PARTS. SOMEBODY IS GOING TO GET KILLED BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM AND IT IS A SHAME THAT YAMAHA WON`T BACK UP THEIR PRODUCT. *TR

THE INCIDENT OCCURRED WHEN RETURNING FROM A SHORT RIDE IN MY HOME AREA WHEN I MADE A TURN ONTO A SIDE STREET AND THE AND MY 2009 FJR1300A STOPPED RUNNING. I PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD (CURBS WITHOUT A BERM OR PARKING AREA) AND ATTEMPTED A RESTART. THE TACHOMETER AND SPEED GAUGES INDEXED AS THEY SHOULD HAVE. THE ABS AND LOW OIL LIGHTS TURNED ON THEN OFF AS THEY SHOULD HAVE. HOWEVER, THE HAZARD INDICATOR LIGHTS WERE ON (CONSTANTLY) AS WELL AS THE HIGH BEAM LIGHT INDICATOR. ALL OTHER ELECTRIC DEVICES WOULD NOT FUNCTION INCLUDING TAIL LIGHTS, STOP LIGHT, HAZARD LIGHTS, TURN LIGHTS, RUNNING LIGHTS, STARTER, FUEL PUMP, HORN AND WIND SCREEN HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT. THIS APPEARS TO BE A NEAR COMPLETE ELECTRICAL FAILURE WITH NO WARNING AND WITHOUT ANY PRIOR INDICATION OF IMPENDING FAILURE. THE EVENT OCCURRED DURING THE DAY WITH GOOD VISIBILITY ON A LIGHTLY TRAVELED CITY STREET AT LOW SPEED. VERY LUCKY THAT IT WAS NOT AT NIGHT ON A HEAVILY TRAVELED INTERSTATE IN ONE OF THOSE CONSTRUCTION ZONES WHERE THERE IS NO BERM ON WHICH TO MOVE. WE HAVE THOSE IN THIS AREA AND I DO TRAVEL IN THOSE ZONES FROM TIME TO TIME. THE MANUFACTURER (YAMAHA) IS REPLACING THE WIRING HARNESS AS THE SOLUTION. IT APPEARS AS THOUGH A GROUND WIRE COLLECTOR HAS FAILED IN SOME MANNER - NO DETAILS FROM THE DEALER. PLEASE REFERENCE THE FOLLOWING URL FOR A DISCUSSION OF THIS PROBLEM: HTTP://WWW.FJRFORUM.COM/FORUM//INDEX.PHP?SHOWTOPIC=119017. *TR