NHTSA Complaint #10748012 — 2014 YAMAHA FZ09

WHILE RIDING APPROXIMATELY 60MPH IN TRAFFIC, JUST PULLED AHEAD OF SOME VEHICLES, AND THE ENGINE STARTED TO LOSE POWER, SHUDDER, AND THEN IT MADE A LOUD SCREETCHING SOUND, AND LOCKED UP THE REAR TIRE WHEN THE ENGINE DIED. I PULLED IN THE CLUTCH, RELEASING THE REAR TIRE, AND THE ENGINE WAS STILL DEAD. TRIED THE STARTER, NOTHING. DOWNSHIFTED AS THE BIKE COASTED SLOWER INTO 3RD GEAR, AND SLOWLY LET OUT THE CLUTCH, AND IT "BUMP STARTED" THE ENGINE, BUT NOW IT WAS MAKING A MASSIVE TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK NOISE. (MUCH LOUDER THAN THE OTHER MINOR TICK NOISES I'D HEARD, MAINLY WHEN IT WAS COLD, RIGHT AFTER START UP BEFORE.) I VERLY SLOWLY AND AT LOW RPM MADE IT TO WORK, AND THEN SLOWLY AT LOW RPM MADE IT HOME ON THE BIKE, BUT THE ENTIRE TIME, IT IS MAKING A LOUD TICK TICK TICK TICK NOISE. I TRIED A COMMON FIX, OF USING A LONGER SET SCREW, ADJUSTED FINGER TIGHT, TO KEEP THE "AUTOMATIC" CAM CHAIN TENSIONER FROM BACKING OFF, AND MAKING THE LOUD TICK TICK TICK TICK NOISE. THIS SEEMED TO FIX THE BIKE. I RODE TO WORK AGAIN THE NEXT MORNING, AND BAM, JUST ABOUT THE SAME PLACE, ABOUT 65MPH THIS TIME, AFTER PASSING SLOWER TRAFFIC, AND GETTING INTO THE CLEAR, THE BIKE SHUDDERED AND THEN EVEN LOUDER THAN BEFORE, THE ENGINE LOCKED UP, SLIDING THE REAR TIRE. I PULLED IN THE CLUTCH, AND IT RELEASED, AND I WAS NEARLY RUN OVER BY THE TRAFFIC BEHIND ME THAT I'D JUST PASSED. THIS IS NO LONGER JUST AN ISSUE OF NOISE< NOW IT"S PUTTING MY LIFE IN DANGER. LET ME REPEAT: THIS TIMING CHAIN NOISE HAS GONE FROM ANNOYING, TO LIFE THREATENING DUE TO ENGINE SIEZE UP AT SPEED NOW MULTIPLE TIMES. PLEASE FORCE YAMAHA TO STEP UP, REPLACE THIS FAULTY AND LIFE THREATENING DESIGN FLAW IMMEDIATELY.