2012 YAMAHA WR250R — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

ONE MONTH AGO, I HIT A SMALL DEER ON MY MOTORCYCLE THAT JUMPED OUT OF THE BUSHES AND GAVE ME NO TIME TO REACT. IT WAS AN UNAVOIDABLE ACCIDENT. AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT I DIDN'T THINK ANYTHING WAS BROKEN BECAUSE I WAS ABLE TO PULL MY ARM FORWARD ON MY OWN WITHOUT MUCH PAIN. I DIDN'T NEED AN AMBULANCE AND THOUGHT I HAD MAYBE PULLED A MUSCLE, BUT I WAS WRONG. WHEN I SEPARATED FROM THE MOTORCYCLE, MY LEFT ELBOW GOT CAUGHT ON THE RIGHT MIRROR AND DISLOCATED MY ARM CAUSING A FRACTURED GLENOID, TORN LABRUM AND BICEP TENDON THAT REQUIRED A SURGERY TO FIX. YEARS FROM NOW, I MAY NEED A SHOULDER REPLACEMENT IF THE CARTILAGE WEARS OUT. MY COMPLAINT IS THAT THE MIRROR'S CREATE AN UNREASONABLE AMOUNT OF RISK FOR INJURY FOLLOWING AN ACCIDENT. THE MIRROR IS LACKING ANY KIND OF PIVOT POINT AND THE BASE OF THE MIRROR ARM THAT ALLOWS THE ARM TO MOVE OUT OF THE WAY UPON IMPACT. MY INJURIES WERE CAUSED BY A DEVICE REQUIRED BY LAW, BUT THERE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE ANY LAW'S THAT DICTATED HOW TO SAFELY MOUNT A MIRROR ON A MOTORCYCLE. SOME MIRRORS CAN BE MOUNTED BELOW THE HANDLEBARS, AND POSE NO RISK FOR DISLOCATION OF AN ARM. I COULD ONLY IMAGINE THAT IN OTHER TYPES OF ACCIDENTS THAT A PERSON GOING OVER THE HANDLEBARS WOULD BE TAKING THIS MIRROR ARM ASSEMBLY IN THE GUT. YES, MOTORCYCLES ARE A RISKY FORM OF TRANSPORTATION, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THEY CAN'T BE BUILT WITH SAFETY IN MIND. I WISH GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT WOULD GET UP TO SPEED ON THIS SUBJECT TO AVOID OTHER RIDERS LIVES GETTING RUINED BY A GOVERNMENT MANDATED SAFETY DEVICE.

RECEIVED RECALL NOTIFICATION TELLING ME NOT TO DRIVE MY MOTORCYCLE UNTIL REPAIR MADE. (MIDDLE OF SUMMER, BTW) . CONTACTED DEALER, TOLD PART WAS BACK ORDERED. GOT A CALL ONE MONTH LATER , SAYING PART WAS IN. TRIED TO SCHEDULE REPAIR, AND WAS TOLD I HAD TO LEAVE MY BIKE FOR DAYS (PLURAL) FOR A REPAIR THAT IS SUPPOSED TO TAKE ONE HOUR. I INSISTED I WAS NOT GOING TO LEAVE MY BIKE FOR MORE THAN 8 HOURS, FOR SUCH A REPAIR, AND WAS TOLD BY "[XXX]" AT ARCHIES CYCLE NEW BEDFORD, MA "WE DON'T DO DRIVE UP SERVICE." I CALLED THEIR OFFICE AND COMPLAINED OF THIS, AND REQUESTED THE PART # SO I COULD OBTAIN THIS COMPONENT AND DO IT MYSELF. THEY WOULD NOT PROVIDE THE INFO. CALLED YAMAHA AND EXPLAINED I WAS NOT GOING TO LOSE A DAY FROM WORK OVER THIS, AND REQUESTED PART #. THEY GAVE ME A NUMBER THAT TURNED OUT TO BE NO GOOD, AND UN AVAILABLE IN THE US. AFTER MY EXPERIENCE, ARCHIES CYCLE WILL NOT BE TOUCHING MY MOTORCYCLE. THE NEXT CLOSEST DEALER IS OVER AN HOUR AWAY, MAKING IT NOT WORTH LOSING A BUSINESS DAYS PAY OVER THIS. NEITHER ARCHIES OR YAMAHA FOLLOWED UP ON THIS, AND NEITHER HAS GIVEN ME THE INFO I NEED TO FIX THIS POSSIBLE ELECTRICAL FIRE ISSUE ON MY BIKE. I WANT THIS UPDATED PART MADE AVAILABLE TO ME, AND I NEED THE NHTSA'S HELP IN OBTAINING THE APPROPRIATE INFO, AND POSSIBLY THE PART ITSELF. I AM AN ASE CERTIFIED MASTER AUTO TECHNICIAN WITH OVER 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE, AND CARE NOT ABOUT THEIR WARRANTY PROVISIONS, BUT I DO CARE ABOUT UPDATED PARTS THAT HAVE POSSIBLE FIRE IMPLICATIONS INVOLVED. YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS IS GREATLY APPRECIATED. THANK YOU..... [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR*JB

AFTER REFUELING AT A GAS STATION ON MY WAY BACK FROM WORK I MERGED ONTO THE FREEWAY AND NOTICED MY SPEEDOMETER WAS TELLING ME THAT I WAS GOING 125MPH. I WAS RIDDING WITH A FRIEND THAT CAN VERIFY THAT I WAS INDEED NOT GOING ANYWHERE NEAR THE 65MPH SPEED LIMIT. I ALSO REALIZED THAT MY ODOMETER WAS COUNTING AS THOUGH I WAS GOING 125MPH SO THAT MY 15 MILE TRIP ENDED UP BEING A 45 MILE TRIP ACCORDING TO THE ODOMETER. I HAVE MAINTAINED MY BIKE ACCORDING TO THE MANUFACTURERS RECOMMENDATIONS AND HAVE NOT MODIFIED MY MOTORCYCLE IN ANY WAY.