YAMAHA Complaints

I FIRST NOTICED A PROBLEM WHEN THE SPEEDOMETER STOPPED WORKING AND THEN WHILE DRIVING HOME THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND I HAD A GRINDING NOISE UPON RELEASING THE THROTTLE. THE BIKE WAS TAKEN TO REPAIR AND THE NUT THAT HOLDS THE DRIVE SHAFT IN PLACE CAME OFF AND THE DRIVE SHAFT WAS LOOSE. I HAVE A YAMAHA VSTAR 1100 CLASSIC 2005 WITH 7800 MILES ON IT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 YAMAHA MOTORCYCLE V-STAR. THE MIDDLE GEAR LOCKED CAUSING THE REAR TIRE TO LOCK WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH. SHE WAS ABLE TO DRIVE TO THE EMERGENCY LANE AND THE MOTORCYCLE WAS TOWED TO A GARAGE. THE TOTAL COST OF REPAIR WAS $2,500.00. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THEY ARE NOT AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 26,559 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 26,600.

MIDDLE DRIVE SHAFT SNAPPED OFF RELEASING RETAINING THE NUT INTO UNIVERSAL JOINT. THE RETAINING NUT COULD HAVE MOVED OUT OF THE UNIVERSAL JOINT AND JAMMED THE UNIVERSAL JOINT RESULTING IN THE REAR WHEEL LOCKING AND LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE MOTORCYCLE. IN ADDITION TO CONTROL LOSS, MAJOR GEARBOX DAMAGE WOULD HAVE OCCURRED. *TR

MY SPEEDOMETER STOPPED WORKING ON MY 2006 VSTAR 1100 CRUISER MOTORCYCLE. WHEN IT WAS WORKED ON, IT WAS FOUND THAT THE RETAINING NUT HAD COME LOOSE FROM THE DRIVE SHAFT ALONG WITH SOME WASHERS. THIS OCCURED AT APPROX. 9600 MILES. THE CONSEQUENCE WAS THAT IT WAS FIXED WITHOUT A MAJOR REPLACEMENT BUT IT WAS A COSTLY MECHANICS BILL OVER $400.00. *TR

I OWN A 2006 V STAR 1100 THAT I PURCHASED USED LAST YEAR. A WEEK AND A HALF AGO I WAS LEAVING WORK AND HEARD WHAT SOUNDED LIKE METAL SPINNING WHENEVER I LET OFF THE THROTTLE I TOOK IT TO MY DEALER AND THEY SAID THAT THE DRIVE SHAFT SPLINES NEEDED GREASED AND THE REAR TIRE WAS BAD. I TOOK IT BACK A WEEK LATER AND HAD THEM GREASE THE SHAFT AND CHANGE THE REAR BRAKE PADS BECAUSE THEY SAID THAT WAS CAUSING THE NOISE. WHEN I LEFT I NOTICED THE NOISE WAS STILL THERE BUT NOW MY SPEEDOMETER AND ODOMETER WASN'T WORKING. WHEN I GOT HOME I TRACKED DOWN THE SENSOR REMOVED IT AND NOTICED THAT THE MIDDLE DRIVE SHAFT NUT HAD SHEERED OFF AND WAS LAYING BETWEEN THE TWO HOG HEADS. I THEN CONTACTED THE DEALER AND ADVISED THEM OF THE PROBLEM AND SHOWED THEM IN THE ENGINE DIAGRAM BOOK, THEY HAD NO CLUE. I THEN ADVISED THEM TO LOOK AT THE BIKE THAT WAS IN WITH MINE THE PREVIOUS NIGHT BECAUSE SHE WAS HAVING THE SAME TYPE OF PROBLEM. I'M JUST AMAZED THAT ME A NON MECHANIC FOUND THE PROBLEM IN LESS THAN 5 MINUTES. IT'S EVEN MORE DISCOURAGING THAT I ONLY HAVE 10,800 MILES ON THE BIKE AND WAS TOLD TO RIDE IT INTO THE SHOP EACH TIME WITH THE NOISE IT WAS MAKING. PLEASE HELP WITH THIS, YAMAHA HAS BEEN MADE AWARE OF THIS AND THERE RESPONSE TO THE PROBLEM IS UNACCEPTABLE, THEY HAVE SAID IT MAY ONLY HAPPEN TO A FEW BIKES AND THAT'S OK WITH THEM. WELL IT'S NOT WITH US!!!! *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 YAMAHA VENTURE MOTORCYCLE. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND THE CONTACT SMELLED A STRONG ODOR OF FUEL. HE ALSO OBSERVED FUEL LEAKAGE COMING FROM THE FUEL TANK. THERE WERE NO PRIOR WARNINGS. WHENEVER THE VEHICLE WAS IN OPERATION OR STATIONARY THE FAILURES OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THE FUEL DISPENSED IN THE VEHICLE CONTAINED AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF ETHANOL WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO INTERNAL FAILURES IN THE CARBURETOR. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS REPAIRED FOR THE MALFUNCTIONS. THE CONTACT HAD CONCERN THAT THE FAILURE COULD POSE A FIRE HAZARD RISK. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,700. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 3,100.

RIDING A 2003 YAMAHA ROADSTAR, RIDER AND A PASSENGER, ON 57N (SO. CALIFORNIA), CRUISING AT 70 MPH IN FIFTH GEAR, BEGAN LOSING SPEED AND BIKE STARTED TO REV AS IF IN NEUTRAL. DOWNSHIFTED TO 4TH, NORMAL, UP-SHIFT TO 5TH, NO POWER, BIKE ACTING AS IF IN NEUTRAL. PULLED OFF FREEWAY. EXAMINED FOR ANYTHING OBVIOUSLY BROKEN BUT FOUND NOTHING WRONG. DROVE MOTORCYCLE TO REPAIR SHOP WHEN IT HAS BEEN EVER SINCE. REPAIR SHOP HAS DISMANTLED TRANSMISSION FROM ENGINE. PINION GEAR THAT HOLDS 5TH GEAR IN PLACE HAS SHEARED OFF CAUSING SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO OTHER ENGINE/TRANNY PARTS. BROKEN PARTS COULD HAVE CAUSED ENGINE TO LOCK-UP CAUSING A POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING ACCIDENT. YAMAHA CONTACTED ON TWO OCCASIONS AND WAS TOLD THAT THE MOTORCYCLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY, RECALL HAD BEEN PERFORMED AND THIS WAS NOT THEIR PROBLEM. MAJOR GEAR THAT FAILED HAS BEEN SUPERSEDED AND REPLACED WITH A NEW PART NUMBER! COST TO REPAIR THE DAMAGE WILL BE IN EXCESS OF $4000.00 ANOTHER LOCAL 2003 ROADSTAR OWNER/RIDER HAD THE SAME EXACT EXPERIENCE ONE WEEK LATER, ALSO AT 70 MPH ALSO ON A LOCAL SOCIAL FREEWAY- NHTSA COMPLAINT FILED AS WELL. ONE INTERNET FORUM INDICATE AT LEAST 7 ADDITIONAL INSTANCES WHERE 5TH GEAR HAS FAILED. *TR

FREEWAY DRIVING AT 50 MPH, I HEARD A POP AND MY SPEEDOMETER QUIT. HEARD GRINDING IN THE DRIVE TRAIN. I PULLED OVER TO A STOP. UPON ROLLING MY BIKE ONTO A TRAILER THE REAR END LOCKED UP. THE MIDDLE GEAR SHAFT SNAPPED OFF AT REAR END WITH THE RETAINING NUT FLOATING LOOSE WITH THE FRONT U-JOINT IN THE HOUSING. AT LEAST 20 REPORTS OF THE SAME DEFECT CAN BE FOUND HTTP://FORUMS.DELPHIFORUMS.COM/YAMAHA1100/MESSAGES?MSG=42934.1 YAMAHA NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM BEFORE SOME GETS KILLED. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 YAMAHA XVS65Y. AFTER THE VEHICLE HAS COOLED DOWN IN THE PARK POSITION, THE VEHICLE JUMPS FORWARD FOUR FEET ONCE IT HAS BEEN RESTARTED. THE FAILURE HAS OCCURRED TEN TIMES. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT ASSIST BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS DESIGNED IN THAT MANNER. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED HER NOT TO START THE VEHICLE IN FIRST GEAR, BUT RATHER TO START IT IN NEUTRAL. THE CONTACT FEELS THAT THE VEHICLE IS UNSAFE AND NEEDS TO BE REPAIRED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 230 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1.

I WAS TRAVELING DOWN THE FREEWAY WHEN SUDDENLY 5TH GEAR WAS GONE CAUSING ME TO SUDDENLY LOOSE SPEED IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. I WAS ABLE TO DOWNSHIFT INTO 4TH GEAR AND CONTINUE MOVING AT A SLOWER SPEED, BUT 5TH GEAR IS COMPLETELY GONE. THIS IS THE ONLY TIME IT HAS OCCURRED TO ME, BUT THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO 5TH GEAR. APPARENTLY IT HAS HAPPENED TO NUMBERS OF OTHER YAMAHA ROAD STAR OWNERS. THIS TRANSMISSION HAD A RECALL ISSUED ON IT A FEW YEARS AGO THAT WAS DIFFERENT THAN THIS ISSUE, SO THIS IS A SECOND PROBLEM WITH THE SAME TRANSMISSION. *TR