Rancho Cucamonga, CA - Yamaha of Cucamonga

YOC came recommended to me by Dave Hicks (aka Turbodave98), who has many years of good experience with the owner and service department. They took my eff'ed up previous tick repair from another dealer, (who I will comment about in another post) and carefully diagnosed and fixed all of the problems that the previous shop caused or failed to properly address.

Initially they were a little hesitant to go back into someone elses repair knowing there were issues, but after listening to my dilema, recieved the bike from me within 2 days.

While my bike was in the shop, the owner Jay would call me with updates on progress of the diagnosis, which I thought was a nice touch. They were very thorough with their diagnosis of the complete top end of my engine. To date the engine has been running very well.

As part of diagnosing/fixing my bike, Yamaha of Cucamongo also used half size incremental shims to set all valve clearances perfect, a leak down test and complete EGA check on all cylinders to verify the condition of the engine.

IMO, YOC are the standard that many others fail to follow. They are also more than 400 miles each way from my home, but worth every mile.

This company is 5 star Yamaha only dealership, with seasoned mature technicians (no kids wrenching on bikes) and I highly recommend them to anyone who is near enough to take advantage of their services.

www.yocracing.com

Here is a list of what was found and repaired, which was not made any easier for them, as the previous dealer had not filled any warranty paperwork with Yamaha.

3 valves were near maximum clearance

Valve cover gasket reused, laden with goop

#4 spark plug high tension lead was not connected to spark plug properly producing an audible high voltage arc and intermitent ignition failure.

Thermostat housing thread stripped out with no bolt present. Housing was just sitting loose, rattling around

TBS way out of spec.

Exhaust header bolts were over torqued which resulted in all brackets being bent.

No oil change after cylinder head replacement.

Amen to Skyway. YOC is a great dealer and they do a lot of mail order business.

YOC service is first class. I took my FJR there for the valve adjustment job and the bike runs even better now with 29k miles. The head mechanic who is the supreme Mullah of FJRs is one of the best I have seen. The work they did was exceptional. Even though the amount of time it took to repair the unit was longer than expected, and that is because an O ring that was needed was not in stock and had to be ordered from Yama Mama.

Yamaha of Cucamonga is the way to go for service. I do not have any experience with sales, but will definitely take any Yamaha unit there for repair/maintenance, even if it were a piano .

Just got by bike back from Yamaha of Cucamonga and have mixed feelings about the experience. Here is a chronology of the experience.

Dec-12 Called service manager and made appointment for 52,000 mile valve check, lube steering head/bearings, lube swingarm bearings, replace coolant, and TPS recall.

Dec-16 Dropped bike off and was told bike would be ready Dec-21

Dec-21 Called dealer - bike not ready, head mechanic had emergency at home and was out two days (service manager insisted the valve check had to be done by his best mechanic because of the complexity of the job).

Dec-28 Called dealer and they said bike would be ready Dec-29

Dec-29 Dealer called me and said bike was ready except for the TPS which they did not have in stock. I could pick-up the bike and bring it back when the TPS was in or I could wait for the part. They said they ordered the part and the bike should be ready Jan-2 so I told them I would wait.

Jan-2 Called dealer - no part but it should be in Jan-3

Jan-3 Called dealer - no part but it should be in Jan-4

Jan-4 Called dealer - part is in and bike will be ready by 4:00

The bike was ready at 4:15 (close enough) today. The service manager explained that the problem with the TPS part was that they did have it and it had been set aside for me but it was somehow installed on another bike. By the time they realized this and got another part ordered for my bike the New Year holiday closed things down early last week and of course everything was closed on Monday.

The service manager was very apologetic and said this was not the typical service experience at their dealership.

Generally this kind of experience would turn me sour on a dealer but there are a few mitigating factors. First and foremost the service manager came clean that it was their screw-up; honesty racks up big points with me so this was a good thing. Second, besides the ususal holiday schedule that interferes with riding anyway, I got the flu on Dec-21 so I wasn't really upset about the bike not being ready since I couldn't have ridden it even if I wanted. Third, the bike runs better than when I took it in; I can't say why but it does feel better (i.e., smoother, quieter, more responsive to throttle). Maybe they just adjusted the throttle cables (I don't think adjusting one exhaust valve would make that kind of difference - would it?)

So after dropping a grand and three-weeks in the shop would I use them again? I think so.

Larry

Maddog said:

Dec-21 Called dealer - bike not ready, head mechanic had emergency at home and was out two days (service manager insisted the valve check had to be done by his best mechanic because of the complexity of the job).

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If you only knew the cards that have been dealt this person, yowser.

I'm glad you heeded the advice of the S/M about who did the valves, as their #1 guy is really just that. B)

I am also planning on booking my bike in for the TPS, but since I live so far away, I need to make certain that they have the part in stock. Thanks for the heads up.

I as well have only positive feedback for YOC.

GZ

I had a XT600 that I had repaired there once. The chain had broken and ended up cracking the case. Jay told me that they could try welding the case w/ no guarentee's that it wouldn't leak. I elected for that, as it was a lot cheaper. Needless to say it didn't leak a drop and I ended up riding the bike through Idaho later that year w/o any problem.

I wish that I could report the same quality service and repair, but I cannot. I had the bike transported to YOC for the insurance repair after being rear-ended by my buddy's Triumph Trophy (we were stopped, his bike hit us at an estimated 35-40 MPH). To make a very, very long story short, the bike was there for 3 months. They tried to have me pick it up at the 2 month mark, but when I checked it over, the saddlebags would not even go on. When I did pick it up, I was already on the road when I discovered that my left front turn signal was inoperable. Once home, I also discovered several body panel rivets were missing, as well as several bolts still in need of tightening. In addition, in the process of "detailing" the bike before delivery, they managed to scratch my brand new CalSci windshield that was unbelievably still flawless after the accident.

When I called them about my findings, the shop owner questioned whether or not the rivets were even there to begin with before the accident, and went as far as to suggest that they must have "popped out" while I was riding home. Now I know, you are all probably saying to yourselves that it was my responsibility to check the operation of the turn signals before I headed off, and to that I would agree with you. However, when you take your bike to a repair facility that lauds itself for Yamaha 5-Star Tech qualifications and is paid $7300 for the repairs, one assumes that all the pieces would be in place, bolts tighten, and safety equipment functioning properly. Enough said.

Sorry to hear of your troubles RB337.

My experience has been similar to others... Absolutely AWESOME! I can't recommend them enough.

I've been there twice now, once to pick up brake pads (that no one in Vegas had on hand) and recently, my ignition switch recall. The brake pads weren't correct but Shane overnighted the correct ones, eating the cost of both shipments. Over a set of brake pads? That's pretty friggin' cool.

The Ignition Switch recall work was done without a hitch. They said they needed the bike all day and I was prepared for that but they called me, 1 1/2 hours later to say it's ready to be picked up. When I got back to the shop, the Tech was apologizing because he had to charge me for the tank bolts they replaced. While doing the switch work, they noticed the tank bolts were rounded (stripped)... I knew they were as I remembered the day I got it back from the Vegas dealer who swore I brought them in that way. :glare: Just another of the MANY reasons I won't spend a dime in a Vegas shop. Yamaha of Rancho Cucamonga even re-keyed the switch without being asked.

These guys ROCK and are well worth the two-hundred some-odd miles I ride to get there.

Thanks TurboDave! Your recommendation was spot on!