Clutch Problem Yamaha Canada vs Yamaha USA

[Yamaman]

Could be the same issue with my bike. My biggest concern is a loud clack when changing gears (up or down). Some have suggested that I'm not revving the bike high enough or shifting fast enough. I figured that I was, but had to respect the more experienced opinions found here. It some times shifts smooth and quiet but not often. There is a noticeable clunk and lurch forward when engaging first from a stop as well. If I start it in 1st gear it pull forward slightly. I thought I'd try a clutch soak to see if it cures things. It's possible that I won't be able to road test the bike till spring as the snow has arrived in these parts already.It sucks that the owner should have to perform this procedure. I have a shop manual so I'll give it a try. What kind of oil do you soak the clutch plates in and for how long?

I am in the same boat as you Zolton we have snow now so I wont be able to test drive it until spring. Yamaha said they would trailer my bike home for me. I still can't believe that Yamaha Canada don't have clutch plates in stock that they have to have them dropped shipped from Japan.

 

[road runner]

Could be the same issue with my bike. My biggest concern is a loud clack when changing gears (up or down). Some have suggested that I'm not revving the bike high enough or shifting fast enough. I figured that I was, but had to respect the more experienced opinions found here. It some times shifts smooth and quiet but not often. There is a noticeable clunk and lurch forward when engaging first from a stop as well. If I start it in 1st gear it pull forward slightly. I thought I'd try a clutch soak to see if it cures things. It's possible that I won't be able to road test the bike till spring as the snow has arrived in these parts already.It sucks that the owner should have to perform this procedure. I have a shop manual so I'll give it a try. What kind of oil do you soak the clutch plates in and for how long?

My dealer soaked them for 3 days. You should soak them in the same oil as you put in the engine. In your case, running in cooler climate you should be using 10w30 or 10w40 motorcycle oil. I don't want this to turn to oil topic so you do what you think is best for you. I did soak in 10w30 motorcycle oil & put same in engine. At next oil change I put 10w40 synthetic motorcycle oil in it & it shifts great now.

 

[Yamaman]

I have the bike back from dealer today, had to trailer it home which the dealer did for me. Anyways I started the bike up in the garage and the bike was cold.

It was -15 today I pulled the clutch in and put the bike into first gear and I was amazed how smooth the clutch was. It fell into first gear like it was meant to be. I know I cant' give a true test to the clutch because of the weather but I can tell you this it was perfect so smooth through all the gears.

Well now it will sit until spring which I hope comes early. Yamaha Canada would not pay for the clutch but the dealer came through for me. Like I said the problem was from day one.

I thought I would update everyone

 

[road runner]

I have the bike back from dealer today, had to trailer it home which the dealer did for me. Anyways I started the bike up in the garage and the bike was cold. It was -15 today I pulled the clutch in and put the bike into first gear and I was amazed how smooth the clutch was. It fell into first gear like it was meant to be. I know I cant' give a true test to the clutch because of the weather but I can tell you this it was perfect so smooth through all the gears.

Well now it will sit until spring which I hope comes early. Yamaha Canada would not pay for the clutch but the dealer came through for me. Like I said the problem was from day one.

I thought I would update everyone

Yamaman

Glad to hear you got it fixed. I was wondering did they soak the plates ? What oil do you have in it now ?

 

[road runner]

I have the bike back from dealer today, had to trailer it home which the dealer did for me. Anyways I started the bike up in the garage and the bike was cold. It was -15 today I pulled the clutch in and put the bike into first gear and I was amazed how smooth the clutch was. It fell into first gear like it was meant to be. I know I cant' give a true test to the clutch because of the weather but I can tell you this it was perfect so smooth through all the gears.

Well now it will sit until spring which I hope comes early. Yamaha Canada would not pay for the clutch but the dealer came through for me. Like I said the problem was from day one.

I thought I would update everyone

Yamaman

Glad to hear you got it fixed. I was wondering did they soak the new plates ? What oil do you have in it now ?

sorry about double post

 

[Yamaman]

Yes they soaked the plates and they put in Yamalube which I will run until the next oil change. The mechanic told and showed the Area rep the clutch plates and told him that they were dry from day one but the area rep could care less. I will upate in the spring.

Take care

 

[ijay]

I have a 2006 I bought new in July, I have 11,000 KM on it. Right from day one I said my clutch was acting funny and the dealer said it is new just ride it. Just to let you know I am having the same clutch problems like everyone else who posted.
I have had the bike jump forward two feet when the clutch lever was pulled in and I put the bike into gear on numerous times. I have the hard down shifting and have to double and or sometimes triple clutch so the clutch works properly. It happens when the bike is warm and or cold. I have told the dealer the the clutch plates are sticking from lack of oil and that the US bikes are having the same problem and Yamaha USA is looking after the customers.

The dealer kept telling me that there is nothing wrong with it just ride it it is under warranty. I go on a trip and pull into a gas station to fuel up, I pull in the clutch as I approach the pump and the bike still keeps going so I have to hammer on the brakes and stall the bike to stop from hitting the gas pump. Again I go to the dealer and tell them my story so this time they have my bike for a week and when I go in and ask them what was the problem they said nothing. I ask if they even took the bike apart and they said no, I said to them that they had my bike for a week and did nothing to it and now you tell me there is nothing wrong. They replied they contacted Yamaha Canada and they said they have not heard of the clutch problem and that they are not authorizing the dealer to take apart the bike.

After arguing with them I leave with my bike and continue to ride it and it is still doing the same thing. So about two weeks ago I fire my bike up in the garage and let it warm up to 3 bar on the temp gauge and I double clutch my bike about four times I put the bike in gear and the bike shoots forward another two feet but I just stop it from hitting my garage door. Now I am pissed, I put the bike up on the center stand and while holding the clutch in I put the bike in first gear and guess what the tire is rotating like it was in first gear with the clutch released. I put my foot on the tire to see how much pressure it would take to stop the tire from rotating and I could not stop it. THE CLUTCH PLATES ARE STICKING.

I take my bike to the dealer and I tell them to fix the damn thing like I said from day one. I get a phone call from the dealer later in the day and they advised me that the area rep for Yamaha Canada said that if they tear it apart and find nothing wrong then I would be paying for the bill. I go in the next day to see what was going on and I asked the service manager what is happening. The service manager looked up at me and said we took your clutch apart and I said what was the problem. The service manager looked me and said that I was right that there was no oil on the clutch plates and they don't know why they were dry. So I tell the service manager that I have put 11,000 Km on the bike and my clutch plates were not getting any oil. So I had to get in a I told you so, then she told me that the rep from Yamaha Canada says it is a wear item and not covered under warranty. I told the service manager if it is not getting oil like it is supposed to it is not caused by wear, it is caused by poor engineering or that the clutch was not soak in assembly. The problem with no oil on the clutch is Yamaha's fault and it caused the clutch problem. It is not wore it broke because of no oil. They don't no why the plates were not getting oil.

Apparently the head mechanic hopped on my bike to bring it in and the bike shot forward on him. It is amazing after all the bitchin I did and nothing was done and then the mechanic hops on and low and behold they tear it apart. I said how was the clutch and I was told that two cogs were broke off one plate and that there was no oil between the clutch plates period. I ask if all the metal was found and they said yes, they said it did not do any damage other than the two chucks of metal off the one clutch plate. I told them that I was concerned that the metal would get into the motor and they said no they have the broken pieces.

So from day one clutch was not getting any oil. Then they tell me that the clutch is not a warranty item. It is a wear item and it is not covered. I told them to call back the area rep and talk to him again.The area rep said that they will cover the labor and gasket which is good but I have to pay for the clutch. The story before was if there was nothing wrong with it then I would have to pay, now there is something wrong and it was from day one and I still have to pay for the clutch. Well I loose it and tell them that as soon as took the bike off the showroom floor that there was a problem and that they said keep driving it. If my bike was off warranty I would not have an issue I would pay but this was from day one and Yamaha said there is nothing wrong and I proved to them that their was a problem and now I have to pay for a clutch. I told them of the sticking plates and that the clutch was not releasing, I told them about the accidents this could have caused and they kept telling me that there is nothing wrong and now they want me to pay for the clutch.

I have to say this to all the FJR owners out there at least YAMAHA USA looks after there customers, here in Canada they treat us like dummies and make it sound like they are doing us a favor. They don't want to do a recall to fix the no oil on the clutch problem because it is to costly. Just look at the 2008 model they changed the clutch in the motor to fix the lack of oil the 07 and 06 are getting. The dealer cant tell me why the clutch is not getting oil and numerous calls to Yamaha Canada customer service cant tell me either.

I tell them when they charge me for the clutch bill and give me my bike back and the oil problem has not been fixed then new clutch would be the same as the original one. TOTALLY DRY AND STICKING waiting for an accident to happen. I do not understand Yamaha Canada and their rational it just boggles the mind. Or are they waiting for someone to get killed or seriously injured. My bike was like this from day one, the FJR is a great bike but it is obvious that Yamaha in Canada does not care if someone gets hurt or injured. Yamaha put a bike on a show room floor that was faulty and they still sell it to people and then they expect us to pay for their incompetence and poor engineering. Come on Yamaha you changed it on the 2008 to fix the problem how about fixing the problem on all the 2006 and 2007 bikes that were sold.

I have a 2006 I bought new in July, I have 11,000 KM on it. Right from day one I said my clutch was acting funny and the dealer said it is new just ride it. Just to let you know I am having the same clutch problems like everyone else who posted.
I have had the bike jump forward two feet when the clutch lever was pulled in and I put the bike into gear on numerous times. I have the hard down shifting and have to double and or sometimes triple clutch so the clutch works properly. It happens when the bike is warm and or cold. I have told the dealer the the clutch plates are sticking from lack of oil and that the US bikes are having the same problem and Yamaha USA is looking after the customers.

The dealer kept telling me that there is nothing wrong with it just ride it it is under warranty. I go on a trip and pull into a gas station to fuel up, I pull in the clutch as I approach the pump and the bike still keeps going so I have to hammer on the brakes and stall the bike to stop from hitting the gas pump. Again I go to the dealer and tell them my story so this time they have my bike for a week and when I go in and ask them what was the problem they said nothing. I ask if they even took the bike apart and they said no, I said to them that they had my bike for a week and did nothing to it and now you tell me there is nothing wrong. They replied they contacted Yamaha Canada and they said they have not heard of the clutch problem and that they are not authorizing the dealer to take apart the bike.

After arguing with them I leave with my bike and continue to ride it and it is still doing the same thing. So about two weeks ago I fire my bike up in the garage and let it warm up to 3 bar on the temp gauge and I double clutch my bike about four times I put the bike in gear and the bike shoots forward another two feet but I just stop it from hitting my garage door. Now I am pissed, I put the bike up on the center stand and while holding the clutch in I put the bike in first gear and guess what the tire is rotating like it was in first gear with the clutch released. I put my foot on the tire to see how much pressure it would take to stop the tire from rotating and I could not stop it. THE CLUTCH PLATES ARE STICKING.

I take my bike to the dealer and I tell them to fix the damn thing like I said from day one. I get a phone call from the dealer later in the day and they advised me that the area rep for Yamaha Canada said that if they tear it apart and find nothing wrong then I would be paying for the bill. I go in the next day to see what was going on and I asked the service manager what is happening. The service manager looked up at me and said we took your clutch apart and I said what was the problem. The service manager looked me and said that I was right that there was no oil on the clutch plates and they don't know why they were dry. So I tell the service manager that I have put 11,000 Km on the bike and my clutch plates were not getting any oil. So I had to get in a I told you so, then she told me that the rep from Yamaha Canada says it is a wear item and not covered under warranty. I told the service manager if it is not getting oil like it is supposed to it is not caused by wear, it is caused by poor engineering or that the clutch was not soak in assembly. The problem with no oil on the clutch is Yamaha's fault and it caused the clutch problem. It is not wore it broke because of no oil. They don't no why the plates were not getting oil.

Apparently the head mechanic hopped on my bike to bring it in and the bike shot forward on him. It is amazing after all the bitchin I did and nothing was done and then the mechanic hops on and low and behold they tear it apart. I said how was the clutch and I was told that two cogs were broke off one plate and that there was no oil between the clutch plates period. I ask if all the metal was found and they said yes, they said it did not do any damage other than the two chucks of metal off the one clutch plate. I told them that I was concerned that the metal would get into the motor and they said no they have the broken pieces.

So from day one clutch was not getting any oil. Then they tell me that the clutch is not a warranty item. It is a wear item and it is not covered. I told them to call back the area rep and talk to him again.The area rep said that they will cover the labor and gasket which is good but I have to pay for the clutch. The story before was if there was nothing wrong with it then I would have to pay, now there is something wrong and it was from day one and I still have to pay for the clutch. Well I loose it and tell them that as soon as took the bike off the showroom floor that there was a problem and that they said keep driving it. If my bike was off warranty I would not have an issue I would pay but this was from day one and Yamaha said there is nothing wrong and I proved to them that their was a problem and now I have to pay for a clutch. I told them of the sticking plates and that the clutch was not releasing, I told them about the accidents this could have caused and they kept telling me that there is nothing wrong and now they want me to pay for the clutch.

I have to say this to all the FJR owners out there at least YAMAHA USA looks after there customers, here in Canada they treat us like dummies and make it sound like they are doing us a favor. They don't want to do a recall to fix the no oil on the clutch problem because it is to costly. Just look at the 2008 model they changed the clutch in the motor to fix the lack of oil the 07 and 06 are getting. The dealer cant tell me why the clutch is not getting oil and numerous calls to Yamaha Canada customer service cant tell me either.

I tell them when they charge me for the clutch bill and give me my bike back and the oil problem has not been fixed then new clutch would be the same as the original one. TOTALLY DRY AND STICKING waiting for an accident to happen. I do not understand Yamaha Canada and their rational it just boggles the mind. Or are they waiting for someone to get killed or seriously injured. My bike was like this from day one, the FJR is a great bike but it is obvious that Yamaha in Canada does not care if someone gets hurt or injured. Yamaha put a bike on a show room floor that was faulty and they still sell it to people and then they expect us to pay for their incompetence and poor engineering. Come on Yamaha you changed it on the 2008 to fix the problem how about fixing the problem on all the 2006 and 2007 bikes that were sold.

 

[ijay]

I Just had my clutch replaced with 3200 mi on the odo. I had the same problem as everyone else. Tech told me the clutch was burnt. Probably from running it with no oil when theye tested it. What a diffrence, it shifts smoother than any bike i've owned Including my wing.I just hope it stays that way.

Ijay

 

[Dusty]

Anyone know if there is a simple test to determine if your clutch plates have enough oil?

I have had an 06 for two months now and it's been great - but it does go "hard" into first with a forward lurch (more so if the bike has just been started) with that characteristic "klunk".

No problems in dissengaging the clutch for slow speed turning but want to prevent any future correctable problems.