NHTSA Complaint #10350452 — 2007 YAMAHA YZFR1

2007 YAMAHA YZF-R1. MANUFACTURER DEFECT THAT CAUSES THE INTAKE VALVE IN THE NUMBER 4 CYLINDER TO RUB ON THE GUIDE AND CAUSES THE VALVE TO BREAK OFF INTO THE CYLINDER. I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO CATCH IT EARLY AND TOOK IT TO MY REPAIR GUY. HE DISASSEMBLED THE HEAD AND FOUND THE BAD VALVE. SENT IT OUT TO BE MACHINED AND THE MACHINIST WAS UNABLE TO GET A VALVE GUIDE TO PRESS IN DUE TO THE BAD MACHINING FROM THE FACTORY. HE THEN HAD TO MACHINE IT OUT AND REPLACE WITH A DIFFERENT GUIDE. I CALLED YAMAHA WHEN THIS WAS HAPPENING AND THEY TOLD ME THAT NO ONE ELSE HAD REPORTED A PROBLEM LIKE THIS. I LATER LEARNED THAT THEY DO KNOW ABOUT IT AND IT IS A RECURRING PROBLEM FOUND IN MANY OF THE 2007 R1'S PRIMARILY THOSE STAMPED 02/07 ON THE VIN. I CALLED YAMAHA BACK AND THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THAT THEY WOULD DO SINCE THE WORK WAS ALREADY DONE AND IT WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. MORE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND ON THE R1 FORUM UNDER THE MECHANICAL HELP THREAD. TITLED RECALL ON 07/08 SHOULD THEY? CAN WE PUSH THIS? I FIRST NOTICED THAT THE BIKE WAS LOSING A LITTLE POWER AND THEN IT BEGAN TO GET WORSE. *TR