NHTSA Complaint #10504301 — 2005 YAMAHA XVS650

I WAS AT THE BEGINNING OF MY TRIP TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 20MPH WHEN MY FINAL GEAR DRIVE STARTED MAKING NOISE. IT WAS CLINKING AND THE BIKE BEGAN TO LURCH AND SLIP' LIKE THE TRANSMISSION WAS GOING OUT. FORTUNATELY I WAS NOT FAR FROM MY HOME, AS I HAD TO PUSH MY BIKE ALL THE WAY BACK. I HAVE HAD MY BIKE TOWED TO A SHOP WHERE THEY ADVISED ME THAT THE PINION GEAR IN THE FINAL GEAR DRIVE WAS STRIPPED, APPARENTLY THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE 650 YAMAHA V-STARS. FORTUNATELY I HAD NOT YET MADE IT TO THE HIGHWAY YET AS THIS DEFAULT COULD HAVE CAUSED CATASTROPHIC FAILURE RESULTING IN A CRASH AND PHYSICAL INJURY. THIS IS A MASSIVE SAFETY ISSUE THAT MUST BE ADDRESSED BY YAMAHA BEFORE IT RESULTS IN A LOSS OF LIFE. *TR