2016 YAMAHA FJR1300 — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

YAMAHA HAS ISSUED 2 SAFETY RECALLS FOR MY MOTORCYCLE 1/21/2021. VIN [XXX]. IT IS A 2016 YAMAHA FJR 1300. ONE IS FOR FRONT BRAKE SWITCH MAY FAIL, THE 2ND IS FOR THE TRANSMISSION'S SECOND GEAR NOT BEING STRONG ENOUGH AND THE GEAR COULD BREAK POSSIBLY CAUSING THE TRANSMISSION, REAR WHEEL TO LOCK AND NOT ROTATE. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT AND DROPPED THE BIKE AT A DEALER. IT HAS BEEN 50 DAYS, AND NO PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE. BOTH DEALER AND YAMAHA MOTOR CORP SAY PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE. YAMAHA STATED YESTERDAY THAT THE NEEDED PARTS ARE IN JAPAN. PARTS ARE EXPECTED IN JUNE 16, 2021. YAMAHA ALSO STATED THEY HAVE ALREADY DELAYED PARTS BY ONE MONTH, AND WILL MOST LIKELY DO IT AGAIN, A LITTLE BEFORE THE JUNE 16, 2021 DATE. HELP ME. THE RECALL STATES "YOU SHOULD NOT OPERATE YOUR AFFECTED MOTORCYCLE... UNTIL THE MODIFICATIONS ARE PERFORMED". SO, I AM STUCK WITH NO MOTORCYCLE, AND THERE IS NO COMPLETION DATE FOR YAMAHA COMPLETING THE REQUIRED RECALL REPAIRS. WHAT IS MY COMPENSATION FOR LOSE OF USE OF MY MOTORCYCLE FOR 50 DAYS ( AND MOST LIKELY UP TO 41 TO 70 MORE DAYS OF WAITING!)? SINCERELY, [XXX] PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

YAMAHA HAS ISSUED 2 SAFETY RECALLS FOR MY MOTORCYCLE 1/21/2021. VIN [XXX]. IT IS A 2016 YAMAHA FJR 1300. ONE IS FOR FRONT BRAKE SWITCH MAY FAIL, THE 2ND IS FOR THE TRANSMISSION'S SECOND GEAR NOT BEING STRONG ENOUGH AND THE GEAR COULD BREAK POSSIBLY CAUSING THE TRANSMISSION, REAR WHEEL TO LOCK AND NOT ROTATE. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT AND DROPPED THE BIKE AT A DEALER. IT HAS BEEN 50 DAYS, AND NO PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE. BOTH DEALER AND YAMAHA MOTOR CORP SAY PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE. YAMAHA STATED YESTERDAY THAT THE NEEDED PARTS ARE IN JAPAN. PARTS ARE EXPECTED IN JUNE 16, 2021. YAMAHA ALSO STATED THEY HAVE ALREADY DELAYED PARTS BY ONE MONTH, AND WILL MOST LIKELY DO IT AGAIN, A LITTLE BEFORE THE JUNE 16, 2021 DATE. HELP ME. THE RECALL STATES "YOU SHOULD NOT OPERATE YOUR AFFECTED MOTORCYCLE... UNTIL THE MODIFICATIONS ARE PERFORMED". SO, I AM STUCK WITH NO MOTORCYCLE, AND THERE IS NO COMPLETION DATE FOR YAMAHA COMPLETING THE REQUIRED RECALL REPAIRS. WHAT IS MY COMPENSATION FOR LOSE OF USE OF MY MOTORCYCLE FOR 50 DAYS ( AND MOST LIKELY UP TO 41 TO 70 MORE DAYS OF WAITING!)? SINCERELY, [XXX] PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

I RODE TO LUNCH WITH SOME FRIENDS ON SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 2017. AFTER LUNCH, WE GOT BACK ON THE BIKES TO GO HOME. WE CAME TO A RED LIGHT, IT TURNED GREEN AND WE PULLED AWAY. I'M RIDING WITH CRUISERS AND WAS THE SECOND BIKE. PULLING AWAY WAS NOTHING DRAMATIC OR "SPIRITED". THE BIKE MADE A FUNNY BANG, LOST POWER, AND STARTED KNOCKING. GOT IT PULLED OVER TO A SAFE PLACE IN ABOUT 100 YARDS. IT WOULD RUN, BUT THE LACK OF POWER AND KNOCKING CONTINUED. I HAD IT TOWED TO THE SHOP AND WENT BY TO VISIT WITH THEM APRIL 4, 2017. THE MANAGER CAME OUT AND ASKED ME TO JOIN HIM IN THE SHOP. THEY HAD DISASSEMBLED THE ENGINE THAT MORNING AND HAD IT ON A BENCH. HE SHOWED ME THE INSIDE. IT LOOKED LIKE A GRENADE WENT OFF IN THERE. THERE WAS SHRAPNEL EVERYWHERE. THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE WALL SEPARATING THE TRANSMISSION FROM THE CRANK-CHAMBER, THE CRANK SHAFT WAS CHEWED UP, ONE CON-ROD WAS BROKEN, AND THE UNDERSIDE OF THE PISTON WAS CHEWED UP. THEY SUSPECT THAT ONE OF THE GEARS DISINTEGRATED, DROVE THROUGH THE SIDE OF THE CASE, AND BROKE THE CON-ROD BEFORE BOUNCING AROUND AND CHEWING UP EVERYTHING ELSE. YAMAHA HAS ASKED HIM FOR PHOTOS AND A PARTS LIST. HE SENT THEM PHOTOS. WHEN THEY SAW THE EXTEND OF THE DAMAGE, THEY SENT A CRATE MOTOR TO REPLACE THE WHOLE THING.

YAMAHA HAS ANNOUNCED RECALLS IN A NUMBER OF COUNTRIES (CANADA, GERMANY, UK TO NAME A FEW) FOR A DEFECTIVE 2ND GEAR FOR ALL 2016 THROUGH 2020 FJR MODELS. THE SAME DEFECTIVE PART IS USED IN THE PRODUCTION OF FJR MODELS ACROSS ALL MARKETS WORLDWIDE. THE REPORTED FAILURES RESULT IN TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF THE ENGINE AND IN SOME CASES HAVE CAUSED THE REAR WHEEL TO LOCKUP WHICH IS A CONSIDERABLE SAFETY CONCERN FOR A MOTORCYCLE RIDER. I AM FILING THIS REPORT TO MAKE SURE THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE NHTSA SO THAT A RECALL WILL ALSO BE ISSUED HERE IN THE US IN THE NEAR TERM. I AM AWARE OF OTHER OWNERS HERE IN THE US THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS FAILURE AND HAVE REQUESTED THAT THEY ALSO FILE A VEHICLE SAFETY COMPLAINT. CANADA'S RECALL NUMBER IS 2020-571. THE LINK TO THE CANADIAN RECALL CAN BE FOUND HERE HTTPS://CANADAMOTOGUIDE.COM/2020/12/02/YAMAHA-RECALL-21/