Yamaha design flaw

[Serge Zoritch]

The letter, below, was mailed 09.10.05. To date, no response has been
received.
I will post any reply that is received.
Thanks

------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Serge Zoritch
Address deleted
Canada
09-09-22

Takashi Kajikawa
President & CEO
Yamaha Motor Co. LTD
2500, Shingai,, Iwata, Shizuoka
438-8501, Japan

Konnichiwa,

I am a long time customer of Yamaha motor products, having owned five
Yamaha motorcycles over thirty-five (35) years. The reason I am writing
you this letter is because of my most recent Yamaha motorcycle purchase.

In 2004, I bought a new FJR1300 and all of the available Yamaha
accessories. This was my dream motorcycle come true.

A short while ago I took that motorcycle to a Yamaha dealer in Salmon
Arm, BC, to have them diagnose a loud ticking noise coming from the
engine. I assumed it to be something that required an adjustment. A
few days later I received a telephone call from the service manager
(XXXXXXXX) of that dealership and was told that the exhaust valve guides
were failing and that it would cost about thirty five hundred dollars
($3,500) to repair. The gentleman explained that he had called the
local Yamaha Representative who explained that it is a known design flaw
in that year of FJR1300 motorcycle. Apparently the dealer's service
manager asked the rep. if Yamaha would cover the some or all of the cost
of the repairs, seeing as it was a manufacturer�s flaw. The rep's reply
was that the motorcycle is five years over the warranty period and that,
had the failure occurred within two years of the warranty, Yamaha would
have covered it.

I should add at this time that the motorcycle now has just over 17,000
km. The motorcycle is in pristine condition, has been dealer serviced,
according to the maintenance schedule in the owner's manual, and has
been garage stored for six months of the year, every year, since it was
bought. The winters where I live are harsh enough to make motorcycle
riding dangerous.

Having found the local Yamaha rep's response unacceptable, I called
Yamaha's Canadian headquarters in Toronto and talked to a two people in
the customer service department. I asked both of them if they thought
it reasonable to expect a twenty thousand dollar motorcycle to have a
motor life expectancy of 17,000 km? Neither of them would answer the
question and kept on repeating that it is five years over the warranty
period as if it were some kind of mantra.

This letter is an appeal to your sense of fairness. I refer to your
Management Principles from the 2009 Yamaha Corporation Fact Book. �We
strive to achieve our corporate mission by adhering to three principals.
#1. Creating value that surpasses customer�s expectations. We must
remain keenly aware of customer's evolving needs, in order to provide
them with quality products and services of exceptional value that
surpass their expectations. We can and will earn a fair profit by
making all-out efforts to satisfy our customers.� (The other two
principals refer to management objectives.)
I ask you:
- Do you think it reasonable to expect a $20,000 dollar motorcycle to
have a motor life expectancy of 17,000 km? Is this a reasonable
expectation?
- Does it sound like my expectations have been surpassed?
- Is this an example of your definition of either quality products or
services?
- Is this really an all-out effort to satisfy me as a loyal Yamaha Motor
Product customer?

I await your response.

Sincerely yours,

Serge Zoritch

P.S. The motorcycle was parked in my garage for almost three years (I
had seizures due to a brain tumor.) The tumor was removed in Feb. 2007
but I could not drive for two more years as I continued with more
seizures. This accounts for the low mileage.

The seizures are now under control and I would like to ride my
motorcycle.

S.Z.
Cc: Yamaha newsgroups

[TOG@Toil]

On 19 Nov, 04:14, Serge Zoritch <some...@spammagnet.com> wrote:
> The letter, below, was mailed 09.10.05. To date, no response has been
> received.
> I will post any reply that is received.
> Thanks
>

<snip whinge>

The bike was five years out of warranty. Get a grip. Get a life. Get
another bike.

[TOG@Toil]

*Cough* three years.

[anonymous]

> of the repairs, seeing as it was a manufacturerís flaw.  The rep's reply

> was that the motorcycle is five years over the warranty period and that,
> had the failure occurred within two years of the warranty, Yamaha would
> have covered it.
>
> I should add at this time that the motorcycle now has just over 17,000
> km.  The motorcycle is in pristine condition, has been dealer serviced,
> according to the maintenance schedule in the owner's manual, and has
> been garage stored for six months of the year, every year, since it was
> bought. The winters where I live are harsh enough to make motorcycle
> riding dangerous.
>
> Having found the local Yamaha rep's response unacceptable, I called
> Yamaha's Canadian headquarters in Toronto and talked to a two people in
> the customer service department.  I asked both of them if they thought
> it reasonable to expect a twenty thousand dollar motorcycle to have a
> motor life expectancy of 17,000 km?  Neither of them would answer the
> question and kept on repeating that it is five years over the warranty
> period as if it were some kind of mantra.
>
> This letter is an appeal to your sense of fairness.  I refer to your

> Management Principles from the 2009 Yamaha Corporation Fact Book.  ìWe

> strive to achieve our corporate mission by adhering to three principals.  

> #1.  Creating value that surpasses customerís expectations.  We must

> remain keenly aware of customer's evolving needs, in order to provide
> them with quality products and services of exceptional value that
> surpass their expectations.  We can and will earn a fair profit by

> making all-out efforts to satisfy our customers.î  (The other two

> principals refer to management objectives.)
>  I ask you:
> - Do you think it reasonable to expect a $20,000 dollar motorcycle to
> have a motor life expectancy of 17,000 km?  Is this a reasonable
> expectation?
> - Does it sound like my expectations have been surpassed?
> - Is this an example of your definition of either quality products or
> services?
> - Is this really an all-out effort to satisfy me as a loyal Yamaha Motor
> Product customer?
>
> I await your response.
>
> Sincerely yours,
>
> Serge Zoritch
>
> P.S.  The motorcycle was parked in my garage for almost three years (I
> had seizures due to a brain tumor.)  The tumor was removed in Feb. 2007
> but I could not drive for two more years as I continued with more
> seizures.  This accounts for the low mileage.
>
> The seizures are now under control and I would like to ride my
> motorcycle.
>
> S.Z.
> Cc: Yamaha newsgroups

Disclaimer alert....

"Ignore here, what you've already heard"

Although I also own an FJR, it's not of the same vintage as yours.
I've only read of this condition which, apparently are known as
"tickers".
I'm not at all familiar with Yamaha warranty operations, and cert-
ainly not with any of their Canadian operations.
"Yada"... "Yada"... "Yada"... "Blah"... "Blah"... "Blah"...

But, there are many FJR owner groups on the web. Here are just
a few of which I'm aware:

http://www.fjrforum.com/
http://fjr1300.info/index.html
http://www.fjrowners.ws/
http://www.fjriders.com/forum/index.php
http://www.fjrtech.com/

Personally, I follow the FJR Forum. But, only because that is
where I started. They're all great, detailed, helpful, etc.

So, the condition you describe is generally known as a "ticker".
You're already aware of this problem, but I've referenced some
of the relevant articles from the Forum regarding the topic, here:

http://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?showtopic=121976&hl=ticker

http://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?showtopic=120746&hl=ticker

http://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?showtopic=120576&hl=ticker

http://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?showtopic=119675&hl=ticker

http://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?showtopic=117600&hl=ticker

http://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?showtopic=119358&hl=ticker

http://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?showtopic=118447&hl=ticker

http://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?showtopic=118327&hl=ticker

http://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?showtopic=118251&hl=ticker

http://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?showtopic=118075&hl=ticker

And, the general search result on "ticker" is here:

http://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?act=Search&nav=&CODE=show&searchid=ae88656e2746e506c0046db661f037c0&search_in=posts&result_type=topics&hl=ticker&st=25

I suggest you do some reading on the Forum or any of the other
groups to gain as much dealer/manufacturer ammunication as
possible.

Additionally, I'm sorry that you're having such difficulty. That
really can sour an otherwise great experience with the bike.

And, grand congratulations for your surgical recovery. It seems
like those problems were very serious. Glad that you're better.

Good luck on your research.

[ratty...@nothere.com]

As its already out of warrantee I would get a good workshop manual, a set of
tools, source the bits and have a do myself. You can probably dismantle it
yourself 'take photos' get a auto engineer to pop out the valve guides, then
press the new ones in, (if it is guides that is? ) if its goosed anyhow your
not losing much. Betcha can get help from the Yamaha boards if its a common
problem. all the best.