2007 Altitude Surging Problem - Members Wanted

[renink]

Tough part is you have to prove that there is a problem. If the dealer cant replicate the problem, how can you prove it?Yamaha is working on a solution. Just be patient. they ARE working on it.

You know, all my customers are happy and waiting for the solution. just something to think about.

Chris

Where are you at? I want to be a happy customer too.

I'll agree with you on one thing - they are working on it NOW. They WERE NOT working on it last week - you may have been, but Yamaha wasn't. The problem wasn't "replicated", as you say, until last Thursday when the information was finally "forwarded to the factory".

I am in Monroe, Adventure Motorsports.

My first contact with Yamaha was on 5-31 of this year. Again needing to replicate the problem we were unable to. Even with a representative riding with my customer, they were unable to replicate the problem. Now of course it seems they have some more information, possibly enough, to fix the complaint that everyone is having.

Chris - Thanks to your Dealership for helping resolve this problem.

Does anyone who is having the problem have some kind of video recorder? Maybe set up some kind of helmet cam so the video can show that no funny business is happening with the throttle while the bike is surging. That would be at least one bit of video proof that it is happening. I have an 07 but since I live in NYC there aren't any big elevation changes like that to test on mine and I don't have any trips scheduled that would take me to changing elevations as of right now. But I am worried about this problem.

Will

 

[Mick]

Does anyone who is having the problem have some kind of video recorder? Maybe set up some kind of helmet cam so the video can show that no funny business is happening with the throttle while the bike is surging. That would be at least one bit of video proof that it is happening. I have an 07 but since I live in NYC there aren't any big elevation changes like that to test on mine and I don't have any trips scheduled that would take me to changing elevations as of right now. But I am worried about this problem.

Will

Will,

That was done by TruWrecks back on 6/23 post #143. Search features work great.

https://s151.photobucket.com/albums/s160/Tr...nt=SNC10471.flv

 

[Last Chance]

Al the pal.I am not an employee of Yamaha corp. I am a dealer. I have information about one guy not telling the truth. You need to provide truth to someone when you are trying to figure out a problem.

Am I denying there is a problem? No. My customer do not give me misinformation.

Instead of providing lots of man hours writing smack and i am gonna sue, document your own information and give it to the dealer to pass on. Most of what you read on the net is crap, I think you know that, and can not be used as any real nformation.

What my customers are doing is documenting the issue when it happens, what alt. speed weather temp, all good info. than pass it on to me who passes it to Yamaha. Done.

They are working on it and will fix it but please understand that they or a rep of them must see a fault haoppen so they can understand what the problem is.

Months of posts that are similar but not exact is not good information. Hard copy proof or hands on is.

They have seen the problem and are working on it. They are considerate of your and others with the issue and if you do not have a dealer willing to help you, find a new one. Simple.

Chris

P.S. I do not charge my customers to try to help them, I understand the unit is new and want to help them.

You're not getting the whole STFU thing either. Please STFU.

Gee MA and company, hope you feel better, cuz you sure sound stupid! We know how you feel so, unless you have something "new" to say why don't you STFU?

LC

P.S. I have an '06 which may (or may not) have the Altitude problem. Yet to be determined. It does have a surging problem. So I'm monitoring this thread to see what the latest is... It's rather irksome to have to read your (and a few others) whining and crying. Shit happens, deal with it.

My dealer has handled EVERY warranty item quickly and fairly. I'm sure Yamaha will take care of the problem once they discover what it is. They don't like having customers like you shouting from the mountain tops, etc.

 

[Whichsideup]

I would like to know if the problem has been experienced at altitudes above about 6K ft.
From what I have seen reported, it seem like it occurs at mid range altitudes of around 2K-4K ft after a change in altitude of about 1,500 ft or more and fairly steady state throttle. If this is true, it might be one more clue that would help solve the puzzle.

It can definitely occur above 6000. Someone wrote in about the serious trouble they had getting up Pike's Peak, and the very base of the peak begins at over 6K. There are others (above 6K) as well, but that one stuck in my mind.

-----

Four wheels move the body, but two wheels move the soul.

 

[brb]

Sorry to report my fjr has altitude sickness as well. It has had a slight surge since mile one but a couple of weeks ago we went down I26 in North Carolina and had very heavy surging a sporatic throttle response. Yesterday my wife and I weny across the cherohala skyway here in Tennessee at 5350 ft. the slight surge turned into a buck. In heavy fog and rain I pulled over to let a car by and the bike refused to move it was bucking so bad then it started to move and got up to speed.Going around a 15 mph turn on a mountain top in fog and rain with little throttle one second and accel the next sure can be exciting. Not my idea of fun I will try to get into the dealer next week. btw my vin is 3712

 

[ELP_JC]

It can definitely occur above 6000.

IT HAPPENS above 6K'. I climbed from 4K to 9K. It started surging as soon as I started climbing (it's a steep mountain). And a little later, maybe 5K' in my estimation, it started bucking like crazy. It didn't get worse after that (it was BAD), but not better either after getting heavily on the throttle a few times, as it was reported here. The question is what would have happened if I hadn't gotten on the throttle.

Next time I take it there, won't do any heavy acceleration to 'clear' the problem, to see what happens. Curious if it gets worse the higher it climbs, or if it reaches a plateau and doesn't get worse. And I'll take it with stock CO numbers and a fresh TB synch, which I haven't done yet (need to buy another tool).

My other comment is surging starts much sooner than the reported '1,500 feet' when climbing a steep mountain. Rather than altitude change alone, it's also the RATE of change.

Hey, we're not going to get any 'heads up' from Yama-mama on this issue, are we? It'd be nice to know, regardless if fix is expected in days, weeks, or months. My guess is the last word. And A LOT of them. Hope I'm wrong. Later.

JC

 

[ELP_JC]

Sometimes I have to double check I'm not on an SV650, or a 600 sportbike board full of teenagers. And never seen anything like on this board even there. No wonder why so many folks opt not to post.

Whether anybody likes it or not, dealers, and other persons associated with Yamaha are our ONLY source of official information. If you were not born yesterday, you know very well by now dealers have a protocol to follow, whether we like it or not.

I think I can speak for the majority of decent people here (the ones opposing it are obviously not) in extending an apology to Yamaha dealers and their employees who have been personally insulted here. Most of us are frustrated with Yamaha, yes, but no need to take it on the wrong people, especially with personal attacks. Most intelligent people know they lead to nothing good.

Hope you continue to post updates, and keep us informed on what you know. And you're encouraged to use the 'ignore' feature; I've used it here more in a month than all other forums combined in the last 15 years. Good day folks.

JC

 

[tophog]

Chris,

The information you make reference of below is utterly and complete bullshit. Why don't you stop while you are behind.

Al the pal.I am not an employee of Yamaha corp. I am a dealer. I have information about one guy not telling the truth. You need to provide truth to someone when you are trying to figure out a problem.

 

[dragonchef]

First trip with any kind of altitude today. 8 to 10% grades going from under 1000 feet to @ 3500 in about 20 miles. Surging most noticeable at lower RPMS. Pretty good twisties, hairpins and switchbacks. When using second gear with RPM's in the 3000 - 4500 range (riding with pillion). It got choppy, especially at the top. Rode for awhile in first gear, 4000 to 7000 RPM, and problem was not nearly as bad. VIN# 3106.

 

[TruWrecks]

Check the sticky! Please don't post any replies there. They will be deleted.

 

[dgerharter]

... Yamaha Customer Service said "the regional Yamaha tech rep WAS able to duplicate the problem I reported and the information was being sent back to the factory". They have no other information than that at this time and they are contacting all customers that have reported the problem.

Anybody heard from Yamaha yet? :questionmark:

 

[artistonFJR]

2007A, about 900 miles on her, and yes I have felt the dreaded surge. I live in the Salt Lake valley and take regular trips up to Alta/Snowbird to run (incidentally, I personally do not surge at this altitude...8-10k ft, just the bike). At first I wondered if it was operator error, or bad gas, or air obstruction, etc... then I remembered someone mentioning this a while back. I will be discussing it with my Yammymonkey and see what he says. I didn't know that stopping the motor and restarting could "clear" the problem, potentially, but will try that next time. Ended up downshifting as to keep the RPMs up and maintain speed, seemed to work ok.

Thin air up there, and it's not like the bike was custom built for Tenzing Norgay... (obscure reference? I think not...) so I don't take the problem as a dealbreaker for loving my bike! (If you turn the bike off at the TOP of the hill and coast down I find there is NO surging, just quiet and smooth... clutch in at the botton of the hill and pop 4th gear! Just saved $0.38 in gas and I get to hear the birds singing in the trees all the way down!)

Naw, I will have it checked.

C

 

[rangerray]

What is the year of your bike, current mileage and city/state in which you live?

2007--10,000+ miles--Senatobia, MS

Has your bike surged at altitude? If so, have you noticed any pattern as to a particular altitude the surging occurs?

Yes, first occured on Cherohala Skyway. Thought I was running out of gas. It's happened this week all over northern New Mexico, Arizona, Southern Utah, and Colorado. Went to the top of Mt. Evans yesterday and it happened on the way down (14,000'+) According to my GPS, it could happen anywhere above 6,000'.

Have you experienced surging while changing altitude of 1000' or more without shutting motorcycle off?

Yes. It seems to come and go, though, and is way down on power in between.

Have you experienced surging riding at a steady elevation? If so, what elevation?

Yes. Have experienced surging related to the above while riding across the high plains of Texas.

When you experienced surging did you try turning bike off/on? If so, did it correct the problem?

Did not try that.

Have you contacted the dealer regarding the problem? If so, what has the dealer done to help resolve the problem?

No. I have little confidence in the dealer to sort this out.

 

[jackplanet514]

2007A, about 900 miles on her, and yes I have felt the dreaded surge. I live in the Salt Lake valley and take regular trips up to Alta/Snowbird to run (incidentally, I personally do not surge at this altitude...8-10k ft, just the bike). At first I wondered if it was operator error, or bad gas, or air obstruction, etc... then I remembered someone mentioning this a while back. I will be discussing it with my Yammymonkey and see what he says. I didn't know that stopping the motor and restarting could "clear" the problem, potentially, but will try that next time. Ended up downshifting as to keep the RPMs up and maintain speed, seemed to work ok.
Thin air up there, and it's not like the bike was custom built for Tenzing Norgay... (obscure reference? I think not...) so I don't take the problem as a dealbreaker for loving my bike! (If you turn the bike off at the TOP of the hill and coast down I find there is NO surging, just quiet and smooth... clutch in at the botton of the hill and pop 4th gear! Just saved $0.38 in gas and I get to hear the birds singing in the trees all the way down!)

Naw, I will have it checked.

C

artistonFJR,

I too live in Salt Lake City, Ut (Riverton to be exact) and have also felt the dreaded surge. It mostly occurs in the lower end (1500-3000 rpm). Maybe we should get together and see if we are bikes are doing the same thing.

I just picked up my bike from the dealer (Plaza Cycles) for its 600 mile checkup. I told them all they have to do is drive around in 1st or 2nd gear and they should feel it. They said "the bike runs fine", I'm thinking "are you guys nuts". This was my first dealings with the Plaza Cycle Service dept. and so far, not impressed.

Jack.

 

[WRichStrom]

I have the altitude sickness (minor) and my '07 was manufactured during 1/07.

What is the year of your bike, current mileage and city/state in which you live?

2007--2458 miles--West Richland, WA purchased in late May -07

Has your bike surged at altitude? If so, have you noticed any pattern as to a particular altitude the surging occurs?

Yes, when I rode from Weston, Or to Tollgate, OR., with an elevation rise of 3000 ft. in 22 miles. I would say that this is probably for me a minor hesitation more than anything. For example a truck pulled out in front of me and I had to slow down to 15 mph and then when hitting the throttle (1st gear) there is almost nothing for a brief moment then the engine seems to "engage". So instead of adding more throttle I kept the throttle steady at its ignition point then the engine seems to catch. I did this at each "hesitation". This is somewhat similar to my '06 ST1300 which also has the emissions restrictions like the FJR. For the most part I tried to keep my rpms higher than normal. Temperature at the top of the hill was 84 F and at top of Tollgate was 70F. Humidity was probably low during the entire ride.

Have you experienced surging while changing altitude of 1000' or more without shutting motorcycle off?

Yes, and it was as if I had very reduced power during these hesitation points.

Have you experienced surging riding at a steady elevation? If so, what elevation?

No

When you experienced surging did you try turning bike off/on? If so, did it correct the problem?

Yes at the top of the pass. I had some minor hesitation issues going back down the Pass.

Have you contacted the dealer regarding the problem? If so, what has the dealer done to help resolve the problem?

Yes and I expect to hear from them next week. Very good dealer in Prosser, WA.

Thank you for your help TruWrecks!

 

[rangerray]

I don't consider this a minor problem at all. The bike should run correctly under all normal riding conditions. My '03 ran fine before the TPS recall. My '07 has exhibited this high-elevation, surge, cut-out, sputtering, shit since new, and, believe it or not, this problem with the '07 exhibits quite a few of the symptoms of a bad TPS. The diifference is that the bad TPS caused problems at any elevation. I've got over 10,000 miles on mine now, 5,000-6,500 of those miles above 3,000' elevations, and there is definitely a problem with mine. I'm reluctant to take my '07 to any Yamaha dealer in my local area for fear of not having it put back together correctly.

Yamaha should address this problem with letters to dealers at the very least, and inform dealers of how they plan to deal with it without us having to go in and beg the dealer to straighten it out and have him tear it apart trying to diagnose by replacing parts left and right. The customer shouldn't have to figure it out and go through that stress! They need to handle it with a recall if needed--very soon! It's obvious that there's a problem and it's far more widespread than just the United States.

This is a deal killer if you like to ride the mountain roads (and I'm not sure why anyone wouldn't).

I expect a little loss of power at higher elevations, but the difference I experienced last week was PISS POOR AT BEST.

 

[Neil San Diego]

What is the year of your bike, current mileage and city/state in which you live?

2007 - 1000 miles - San Diego County, California

Has your bike surged at altitude? If so, have you noticed any pattern as to a particular altitude the surging occurs?

Yes. Haven't noticed a pattern since this was my first chance to go above 1000' altitude.

Have you experienced surging while changing altitude of 1000' or more without shutting motorcycle off?

Yes. Went from 500' to 4500' and experienced surging.

Have you experienced surging riding at a steady elevation? If so, what elevation?

No.

When you experienced surging did you try turning bike off/on? If so, did it correct the problem?

No, I didn't try turing the bike off.

Have you contacted the dealer regarding the problem? If so, what has the dealer done to help resolve the problem?

No. I'm hopng to see a resolution soon from Yamaha due to efforts from this post.

Another big Thank-You to Truwrecks for all this effort! I will PM my VIN to you later tonight.

A couple of notes to add about yesterday's ride. First, the surging I experienced happened around 2500'. It was fairly mild compared to what others have posted here, but still unpleasant. The change in altitude was very gradual as well. Second, I didn't didn't try turning the bike off at all because I wanted to see how bad it got. As I went up to the higher elevations, the surging seemed to go away. The main difference between the 2500' section and the higher section is that I was behind alot of traffic around 2500' and wasn't able to open the throttle up much beyond 3000rpm. After I got past the traffic and went up to the 4500' elevation I was able to get higher rpms.

 

[TruWrecks]

More news coming soon. I'm respecting a requested "gag" order from Yamaha until they announce what their going to do.

Later.

 

[alan sh]

More news coming soon. I'm respecting a requested "gag" order from Yamaha until they announce what their going to do.
Later.

Which probably explains why you haven't replied to my PM (assuming you got it).

alan

 

[vabrzn]

My 2007 has a moderate lack of throttle response once I hit 2,200 feet and then stops at 2, 600 feet; does it in the same place on the Blue ridge Parkway. The problem is 100% consistent on the same stretch of road. Had the same issue in West Virginia; seems to only happen when transitioning between 2,200 to 2,600 feet.