Well after a few weeks of seeing various posts related to altitude related surging problems I thought it would be best to post a single thread to collect information from anyone who has experienced surging related problems on a 2006 or 2007. While I think most of the reports are from 2007 owners I won't exclude 2006.
Please understand the surging issue is strictly related to altitude. The purpose of this thread is STRICTLY to track/report people who have altitude related surging issues and nothing to do with rough/abrust throttle, jerkiness, etc. It would be helpful if all 2007 owners posted regardless if you have experienced this problem.
PROBLEM DESCRIPTION: Many owners of 2007 FJR's have experienced mild to severe surging issues when riding their bikes thru altitude changes. The bike feels sluggish and acts as though it's running out of gas for anywhere from 1-4 seconds. Once the surging begins it usually continues until the bike is ridden to lower altitudes (approx. < 1000') or the bike is shut off/on. Some have reported that stopping and turning the bike off/on resets the ECM or at least appears to fix the problem. Some have claimed turning bike off/on only temporarily fixes the surging problem for a few minutes until bike see's sub-1000' altitudes.
Yet many 2007 owners have indicated they have not experienced the surging issue at all. Perhaps this is directly related to the problem only occurs when a bike is ridden thru and altitude change vice a person that lives @ 2500' that typically rides at/around 2500' without riding various altitudes.
On some bikes the surging is so bad it impacts safety as the bike will loose all power for 1-3 seconds at a time which has occurred in the middle of corners, etc. I have personally contacted Yamaha on this problem and yet they claim it's the first they have heard about it!? Yeah, right. My bike also surges ...badly and did on the very first trip I made with it with a whopping 300 miles on the bike. Over the course of a 4 day trip (1577 miles) I quit counting after 30+ times it acted up...to the point where it nearly spoiled the trip. TBS sync doesn't appear to have any impact on the problem.
Perhaps Yamaha or dealers will read this thread and realize the problem actually exists and it's time to fix it before someone gets killed.
Mods, can we make it a sticky?
EVERYONE needs to report this problem to their dealer and call Yamaha customer service (1.800.962.7926) and report it as a safety problem.
Here's my experience: This past weekend (June 8, 9 & 10) I went on a weekend trip from Burbank, CA to Sequoia National Park - a trip I've made several years on different bikes. This year, I noticed the first sign of trouble as I was at the top of the Tejon Pass (altitude 4500') - what can be described as surging. Nothing on the way up, mind you - only some surging at freeway speeds. I chalked it up to possibly some bad gas, or operator error (that throttle spring is way too tight).
On Saturday, The whole group left Bakersfield, CA and began our way up to the 6000' north entrance to the park. We took a very twisty road (CA 245 - try it, you'll like it) that goes through many elevation changes. My group consisted of 3 Goldwings (1800s), a Roadliner, a BMW R1150RT, a rented Harley (Heritage Softail, I believe) and my '07 FJR1300A. All but 2 bikes were being ridden 2-up, me included. Not exactly speed demons, but we like to scoot pretty good. What I experienced was that the tighter the twisties got (requiring more throttle adjustments and shifting), the worse this fuel delivery problem got. I finally got to the point where I was riding ONLY in first gear, and even then was having to feather the clutch to keep pulling at least 4500 RPMs, or else I'd get up to a 4 second lag between opening the throttle and getting any fuel delivered.
It got so bad I almost lost my wife off the back a couple of times! Good thing she's a pretty experienced passenger, and was in tune with what was happening. Sunday, we rode from 6500' down to 2500' on CA 180, from Grant Grove to the end of the highway, along the Kings River (another great road!). I was leading, and took the downhill ride at a moderately aggressive pace without incident. Coming back up I rode much more sedately, and experienced the same fuel delivery problem, but this time to a much lesser degree.
Some have suggested that this is operator error- the bike is designed for power at higher RPMs, so we should change our riding style. That is definitely NOT the case with my bike. I've been riding for 30 years, and know when to downshift. I'm not the most agressive rider in the world, but I am by far the fastest in my regular group. And by my experience, what reduced the problem was actually being LESS aggressive. And by Yamaha's recommended shift points (see page 5-3 of your owner's manual), you should be able to ride this bike comfortably between 1500-3500 RPMs - you shouldn't have to try to keep it above 4000 to get the requisite power.
When I got back last night, I was going to post my experience - that's when I found this thread.
Questions:
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What is the year of your bike, current mileage and city/state in which you live? 2007, 1463 Miles, Burbank, CA
Has your bike surged at altitude? If so, have you noticed any pattern as to a particular altitude the surging occurs? YES! I wouldn't call it "surging" so much as a nearly complete loss of of fuel delivery (worst case) to simply "stumbling" (best case). It seems that the more aggressive the riding (swings in RPMs), the worse the behavior becomes. Seems to happen at any altitude above 1500'.
Have you experienced surging while changing altitude of 1000' or more without shutting motorcycle off? YES! It was so bad last Saturday that I nearly lost my wife off the back of the bike a couple of times. This issue, coupled with the fact that a top box (read: back rest) from Yamaha is not currently available may end up costing someone dearly.
Have you experienced surging riding at a steady elevation? If so, what elevation? YES! Last Friday (6/8/07) at about 4500' I experienced the first signs that something was amiss. At freeway speeds (75-80 MPH indicated) I experienced what I would call episodes of periodic reduction in fuel delivery, to the point that I was having to make constant adjustments to throttle position to try and maintain speed. I descended back down to the 300-400' elevation range shortly thereafter (within 1/2 hour) and did not have any further problems while at the lower altitude.
When you experienced surging did you try turning bike off/on? If so, did it correct the problem? Yes. Shutting the bike off for a few minutes seems to temporarily fix the problem.
Have you contacted the dealer regarding the problem? If so, what has the dealer done to help resolve the problem? I will be contacting my local dealer AND Yamaha USA about this issue. I work only minutes from Cypress, CA and would be more than happy to take a Yamaha representative on the EXACT ride I took last weekend to replicate the problem.