NHTSA Complaint #10163374 — 2004 YAMAHA YZF-R1

I WAS TRAVELING ON INTERSTATE 395 FROM THE WOODBRIDGE, VA. AREA DURING HEAVY TRAFFIC TIME IN THE MORNING ON MY WAY TO WORK. ABOUT A MILE AWAY FROM THE EXIT THAT I NORMALLY TAKE FOR WORK MY R1 STARTED TO JERK OR IT SEEMED AS IT WAS NOT GETTING ENOUGH GAS, BUT AS I DOWNSHIFTED THE BIKE DROPPED IT'S RPM REALLY RAPIDLY AND THE BIKE SHUT COMPLETELY OFF, AT THIS TIME I WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 60 MPH. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED THE CLUTCH AND TRIED TO HIT THE IGNITION STARTER SWITCH WHICH SEEMED TO DO NOTHING. SO I THEN TURNED THE KEY TO THE OFF POSITION AND THEN BACK ON, HIT THE STARTER SWITCH AND THE BIKE STARTED. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS DURING HIGH SPEEDS ON THE HIGHWAY. I DID NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BIKE AT THIS POINT. I THOUGHT THAT MAYBE IT WAS OVERHEATING BECAUSE IT WAS PRETTY HOT AND HUMID THAT MORNING. BUT IT DID THE SAME THING AS I GOT CLOSER TO MY WORK. ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK IT DID THE SAME THING SO AT THIS POINT I KNEW SOMETHING WAS REALLY WRONG. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE IT HOME SAFELY, BUT I HAD TO WORRY ABOUT MY BIKE CUTTING OFF AND SLOWING DOWN AND SOMEONE RUNNING INTO THE BACK OF ME BECAUSE THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO BEING THAT MY R1 WOULD JUST SHUT OFF SUDDENLY IF I DID NOT KEEP ON THE THROTTLE. DURING ALL OF THIS THE BIKE WOULD RIDE REALLY ROUGH AND SOUND LIKE A REMOTE CONTROL CAR, IN OTHER WORDS IT DIDN'T SOUND GOOD AT ALL. LUCKILY I MADE IT HOME SAFELY AND HAVE NOT RIDDEN THE BIKE SINCE THEN. I HAVE DONE SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET AND HAVE READ SOME OF THE STORIES AND EVERYTHING I READ SOUNDS JUST LIKE MY PROBLEM SO IT MUST BE THE SAME AS WHAT WAS LISTED HERE ON THIS SITE. THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR. *NM UPDATED 03/26/07*JB