Altitude surging on 07 fix

[dwilli]

I talked to the Service Writer at Altus Motorsports where I got my 07 FJR, he called Yamaha then called me back.

Thirdhand information? Sure would be nice to have an actual name at Yamaha that said this.

I don't know why he would lie to me. I'm on the phone with Yamaha now.

 

[Ignacio]

I don't know why he would lie to me. I'm on the phone with Yamaha now.

I don't either, but it would add immense amounts of credibility if they backed their claim up with a name. Otherwise it's a pseudonym on a forum (you), claiming some person at a dealer (unnamed), claiming something said by somebody at Yamaha (another unnamed).

I've seen Sopranos episodes that are more plausible.

 

[EasyRider]

I thought we had someone in the string that had talked to Yamaha reps and they responded that they will have new ECUs sometime soon to replace the defective units in the 07 FJRs?

My bike had the altitude sickness wile climbing Mt. Washington in New Hampshire last August. The accent to the top starts at 2,000 feet and runs up to 6,288 feet. It ruined my ride to the top and back down because I was scared sh**tless that it would happen again next to one of the thousand foot drop offs in a turn.

It only happened once because; we stopped several times on the way up and down. I had seen the topic header for the string on this forum before I left but did not read the thread until I got back from vacation with the bike. But it quickly came to mind when I got the several second delay before the surge . Luckily, I did not turn the throttle back more wile I waited for the bike to respond.

Thank god we did stop several times. I did not know I was resetting the ECU when I turned it off till I got back to read this thread. If we had not stopped several times on the way up and down, I might have gotten the express trip back to the bottom of the mountain.

I am ok with riding it with this issue now that I know what is up with the bike thanks to this forum. But I am only willing to give them till next spring to get the fix out and installed in my bike. If they don’t get it together by then I sell the bike and never return to any Yamaha products again.

 

[dwilli]

I talked to the Service Writer at Altus Motorsports where I got my 07 FJR, he called Yamaha then called me back.

Thirdhand information? Sure would be nice to have an actual name at Yamaha that said this.

I don't know why he would lie to me. I'm on the phone with Yamaha now.

I'm getting a line of BS from someone. The Service Writer says one thing and Brian at Yamaha says another. Which one is right? I'm sick of dealing with this problem.

Am I getting the run around from the dealer or Yamaha?

Either way the POS still doesn't run.

 

[dwilli]

I talked to the Service Writer at Altus Motorsports where I got my 07 FJR, he called Yamaha then called me back.

Thirdhand information? Sure would be nice to have an actual name at Yamaha that said this.

I don't know why he would lie to me. I'm on the phone with Yamaha now.

I'm getting a line of BS from someone. The Service Writer says one thing and Brian at Yamaha says another. Which one is right? I'm sick of dealing with this problem.

Am I getting the run around from the dealer or Yamaha?

Either way the POS still doesn't run.

Brian at Yamaha also told me they expect something by the end of the month. Didn't say which month. But you would think he meant this month.

I don't know. Maybe that's a line of BS as well.

The Service Writer did a little backing up when I called back and got on his ass.

I wish I'd never got this POS.

But, somebody's going to fix it.

I'm one pissed off Fat Man.

 

[twowheelnut]

I'm one pissed off Fat Man.

Tony?

 

[painman]

Don't feel bad. Seems like most every time I have to deal with my stealer, they are looking for a way out of any issue. It is not a pleasant experience but I have found it to be true. Granted there are good dealers out there, but seems a minority for the customers. I try to resolve any issue myself and the stealer is always the last resort. Strange but true. I have had way more success dealing directly with Yamaha on issues and my 2006 FJR that has a surging issue (minor compared to some of the 07's), is documented with Yamaha and they are aware of this issue and they are working on it and I will be notified by mail or phone as to the outcome. And that was as of today. PM. <><

 

[Ignacio]

But, somebody's going to fix it.
I'm one pissed off Fat Man.

Hey Ton,

If you get some fazul's attention over at the Yamaha crew.......remind them they have a debt to pay. They needs to read this thread. It would be in their best interest..and all.

 

[dwilli]

I talked to the Service Writer at Altus Motorsports where I got my 07 FJR, he called Yamaha then called me back.

Thirdhand information? Sure would be nice to have an actual name at Yamaha that said this.

I don't know why he would lie to me. I'm on the phone with Yamaha now.

I'm getting a line of BS from someone. The Service Writer says one thing and Brian at Yamaha says another. Which one is right? I'm sick of dealing with this problem.

Am I getting the run around from the dealer or Yamaha?

Either way the POS still doesn't run.

Brian at Yamaha also told me they expect something by the end of the month. Didn't say which month. But you would think he meant this month.

I don't know. Maybe that's a line of BS as well.

The Service Writer did a little backing up when I called back and got on his ass.

I wish I'd never got this POS.

But, somebody's going to fix it.

I'm one pissed off Fat Man.

The Service Writer said he talked to the Tech Dept and Brian is a Product Specialist at Yamaha. I can't talk to the Tech Dept it's dealers only. Two departments within the same company and neither knows what the other is doing.

Yamaha or the dealer one is telling me a bunch of bullshit. Either way, nothing gained. Another run around.

Just got home from 12 days in the mountains I restarted this POS 40 or 50 times.

Why is a dealer's 1st response a dumb look and "what problem? we know nothing about it"? I've had the same reaction from 3 dealers.

So you wanted a Name, you got it.

Call Yamaha and talk to a Product Specialist and let's see what they tell you.

Bike is going to the dealer to keep until it's fixed.

And you bet your ass I'll be talking to Brian again the end of the month to hear the latest line of BS from Yamaha.

 

[rangerray]

The Service Writer said he talked to the Tech Dept and Brian is a Product Specialist at Yamaha. I can't talk to the Tech Dept it's dealers only. Two departments within the same company and neither knows what the other is doing.
Yamaha or the dealer one is telling me a bunch of bullshit. Either way, nothing gained. Another run around.

Just got home from 12 days in the mountains I restarted this POS 40 or 50 times.

Why is a dealer's 1st response a dumb look and "what problem? we know nothing about it"? I've had the same reaction from 3 dealers.

So you wanted a Name, you got it.

Call Yamaha and talk to a Product Specialist and let's see what they tell you.

Bike is going to the dealer to keep until it's fixed.

And you bet your ass I'll be talking to Brian again the end of the month to hear the latest line of BS from Yamaha.

I've had the same idea. If I haven't heard anything by the time the nice riding weather is gone, which could be after Christmas or so, I'm thinking about taking mine back to the dealer. They can have Yamaha advise how to fix it or I will check into invoking the Mississippi Lemon Law. If it can't be fixed, I won't my money back or one that runs correctly. I wonder if a letter to Yamaha advising of my intentions would do any good? This is crazy to tell us 2 weeks to a month and then hear nothing. I've already had the bike for over 6 months now and most of that time I have known about the problem. This is absolute BS!!!

 

[Ignacio]

And you bet your ass I'll be talking to Brian again the end of the month to hear the latest line of BS from Yamaha.

This is crazy to tell us 2 weeks to a month and then hear nothing. I've already had the bike for over 6 months now and most of that time I have known about the problem. This is absolute BS!!!

You both might want to get with TruWrecks and others affected and start pointing Yamaha to that web page with details. Anger, calling things BS, and indignation probably won't get you as far as pressuring the point that there's a growing stable of owners that are handing the issue to Yamaha on a silver platter via research.

An increasing parade of level-headed '07 owners politely asking Yamaha to resolve the issue...holding back threats....being as unemotional and business-like as possible.....is going to get this cause resolved far faster.

A pointed question. Have you shown them the website? Did they look at it?

 

[dwilli]

And you bet your ass I'll be talking to Brian again the end of the month to hear the latest line of BS from Yamaha.

This is crazy to tell us 2 weeks to a month and then hear nothing. I've already had the bike for over 6 months now and most of that time I have known about the problem. This is absolute BS!!!

You both might want to get with TruWrecks and others affected and start pointing Yamaha to that web page with details. Anger, calling things BS, and indignation probably won't get you as far as pressuring the point that there's a growing stable of owners that are handing the issue to Yamaha on a silver platter via research.

An increasing parade of level-headed '07 owners politely asking Yamaha to resolve the issue...holding back threats....being as unemotional and business-like as possible.....is going to get this cause resolved far faster.

A pointed question. Have you shown them the website? Did they look at it?

Sorry, but sometimes it helps to vent a little anger.

It was done PC and no threats as of yet.

Yamaha could care less about the website. It's internet rumor as far as they are concerned. A bunch of hotheads, like myself blowing off steam.

You'll still have to deal with your Yamaha dealer who will contact Yamaha to authorize the repair if and when it is ready.

 

[Ignacio]

Yamaha could care less about the website. It's internet rumor as far as they are concerned. A bunch of hotheads, like myself blowing off steam.
You'll still have to deal with your Yamaha dealer who will contact Yamaha to authorize the repair if and when it is ready.

A little history lesson. Yamaha used to think the valve ticking issue was an Internet rumor brewed up by a bunch of hotheads. Yeah, yeah, they never publicly admitted a change.....but we all know they got it eventually.

It required 1, 2, 3, 4.....a dozen....several dozen hotheads saying the same thing over and over. It also took a hothead turned into scientist to present a thread of empirical facts (Warchild since it affected him).

It was slow, maddening, infuriating.....but I believe strongly that all the Gen II folks don't have to worry about that little problem anymore due in large part to hotheads banding together chanting the same pieces of empirical information.

Next time you talk to them, I emplore you to get them to look at the website. I emplore you to get the dealer to look at it and believe in it. If they don't believe it..ask them why. It's a very important step in the process. WE have the power to make this happen, but WE have to align ourselves and attack the problem and not attack the company.

 

[Medium Al]

Not taking Yamaha's side here, but I would advise we wait and see what they come up with end of sept or thereabouts. They were not even able to reproduce the problem until late July or early August. The NHTSA is on their asses as well. I know of one former forum member here who has already sued them (and won), forcing them to buy back the bike and pay his legal fees. It's a big corporation and maybe careers are on the line so I am not surprised the problem is not widely known at all levels. What I do know is they needed all the help they could get just to replicate the problem. Couldn't find their asses with both hands comes to mind.

Anyway for myslef I plan to wait and see what they come up with, give them a chance to do the right thing. If it is nothing or does not fix it then a class action lawsuit, a campaign through NHTSA for a mandatory recall, or something along those lines is in order. At the very least get someone at Motorcyclist and CycleWorld clued into the issue to bring some wider publicity and maybe shut down sales of 08's until this is fixed conclusively. It is after all a safety issue first and formost, and we wouldn't want fellow motorcycling enthusiasts to buy a defective & dangerous product.

Medium Al

 

[charismaticmegafauna]

<snip>Not taking Yamaha's side here, but I would advise we wait and see what they come up with .... It's a big corporation and maybe careers are on the line .... they needed all the help they could get just to replicate the problem. Couldn't find their asses with both hands comes to mind.

first mentioned hereThe date is the first week in February and we were ignorant of the altitude issue then -- even though the bike was being ridden at altitude and changing altitude. The dealer and Cypress were appraised immediately -- way back then.

When reading what has transpired in the ensuing, almost, nine months; one is reminded of the demise of the British m/c industry. Maybe copies of Bert Hopwood's excellent book "Whatever Happened to the British Motorcycle Industry" should be presented to those folks in that "big corporation" (maybe, especially, those who's careers may be on the line?)? The British had cutting edge technology (for the day) and led the world in motorcycle design, engineering, and production. The directors housed themselves in the 'Center of all Wisdom', Umberslade Hall, (Cypress?) and communication and interaction with their dealers and customers deteriorated as a general senility took over.

The rest is history.....

 

[Medium Al]

<snip>Not taking Yamaha's side here, but I would advise we wait and see what they come up with .... It's a big corporation and maybe careers are on the line .... they needed all the help they could get just to replicate the problem. Couldn't find their asses with both hands comes to mind.

first mentioned hereThe date is the first week in February and we were ignorant of the altitude issue then -- even though the bike was being ridden at altitude and changing altitude. The dealer and Cypress were appraised immediately -- way back then.

When reading what has transpired in the ensuing, almost, nine months; one is reminded of the demise of the British m/c industry. Maybe copies of Bert Hopwood's excellent book "Whatever Happened to the British Motorcycle Industry" should be presented to those folks in that "big corporation" (maybe, especially, those who's careers may be on the line?)? The British had cutting edge technology (for the day) and led the world in motorcycle design, engineering, and production. The directors housed themselves in the 'Center of all Wisdom', Umberslade Hall, (Cypress?) and communication and interaction with their dealers and customers deteriorated as a general senility took over.

The rest is history.....

Good points. One might also ask what ever happened to Britain, but that's another book. Friggin' socialists.

I have said this before, there is a particluar reluctance among many engineering management types to spend money on control software, and a desire to fiddle around with gadgets and hardware instead. The motorcycle industry in many aspects is like the automobile industry when it first started trying to meet those new-fangled emissions req's. That is not an excuse of course, just an observation.

 

[painman]

I have to agree with Medium Al and Ignacio on this as we need to keep cool heads, not threatening, as much as we may want to, and those who are hotheads to just maintain for now but be diligent and if necessary keep the wheel squeaking. It is interesting to note that when I talked to the first person on the line from Yamaha customer service today I told him that my problem was a "surging" problem and was then connected to a "tech specialist" from customer relations at Yamaha to have my problem documented, he called the problem a "starving issue" which I thought was interesting. I pressed him for a time frame as to when Yamaha might resolve the issue and he would not commit, but just said they were aware of the problem on the 06 and 07 models and that they were working to resolve it. I was civil to the man and thanked them for helping to correct the problem. So if everyone who has this issue even if minor should contact customer service to "make sure" it is documented and not rely on a dealer to do it for you. I had another issue early on with the bike and was not getting any action from my dealer and the dealer's service manager told me to contact Yamaha directly myself as I would have more impact than them trying to resolve a issue that was difficult to get solved and it worked! I had armed myself with info gained from this site and with that presented my case to Yamaha myself and it was resolved. So I also believe if as many people who have this issue here to contact Yamaha directly and we will have more success and with the info we have therein getting this thing taken care of. There is strength in numbers. PM. <><

 

[rangerray]

I am quite tired of being nice. I thought it was nice on my part to buy the damn motorcycle...my second FJR for that matter. I have filed a complaint with the NHTSA and have sent copies to every salesman, as well as the service manager, at the sorry dealership where I bought my '07. I have been nice with them numerous times and the SOB wouldn't even place a call to Yamaha on my behalf. He didn't even put down the sandwich he was eating to give me the time of day. Screw nice. I'll be nice when they give me what I paid for.

For what it's worth, I was very pleasant when I called Yamaha myself and got the two-weeks-to-one-month saga. I've put up with this problem since buying the bike in Mar. of this year. Do you think they'll give me the six months back? I doubt it.

 

[dwilli]

Nice doesn't always work. Often nice people get walked on and taken advantage of. I've done nice for the last 3 months, it hasn't worked. So, it's time for a diffrent approch.

I got a date ("the end of the month") from someone at Yamaha let's see what happens. My guess is it'll pass and we'll still be waiting "nicely" several months from now.

Sometimes you gota' hit the mule between the eyes to get it's attention.

 

[Medium Al]

I am quite tired of being nice. I thought it was nice on my part to buy the damn motorcycle...my second FJR for that matter. I have filed a complaint with the NHTSA and have sent copies to every salesman, as well as the service manager, at the sorry dealership where I bought my '07. I have been nice with them numerous times and the SOB wouldn't even place a call to Yamaha on my behalf. He didn't even put down the sandwich he was eating to give me the time of day. Screw nice. I'll be nice when they give me what I paid for.
For what it's worth, I was very pleasant when I called Yamaha myself and got the two-weeks-to-one-month saga. I've put up with this problem since buying the bike in Mar. of this year. Do you think they'll give me the six months back? I doubt it.

You know, it couldn't hurt to have one or more sufficiently motivated FJR owners tear Yamaha a new asshole or two in court.