I don't ride at night anymore so is the main concern the motor dying while riding? I've had this happen to me several times in the past with different bikes. I just pulled in the clutch and drove over to the side of the road. Is there something I'm missing? :huh:
FJRF009.2: "Intermittent Ground Wire Connection"
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ionbeam
2 FUN
Yes, having it happen in left lane of a highway during rush hour traffic or leaned over in a corner.
Plus there is the great game of Starter Roulette. I have a big ride that has been weeks in the planning -- will my FJR start on the morning that I'm planning to leave? I'm half way through the big ride that I've had planned for weeks. I'm in the middle of nowhere, it's cold and raining on a Sunday morning and I've just pulled off at an old abandoned farm road so I can put on my rain gear. And, for the first time since I've owned this FJR it fails to restart. My POS cell phone has no coverage here either.
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RavFJR
Well-known member
Yep, after reading the "Remedy" .pdf posted, it appears that Yamaha is doing a mini Brodie harness for just the S-4 connector. What a half-@ssed solution to a major grounding issue. When I installed Brodie's harness, I found the spider near the front left turn signal showing signs of corrosion. Chalk up Yamaha's solution as a cost-effective band-aid approach appearing to solve the problem - unbelievable! :angry2:
Or the bike dies just as I make a right turn off my country road onto a state highway where the stream of 60mph cars has left a gap just big enough for me to squeeze into as long as my FJR is capable of going from 0 to 60 in a few seconds. If the bike dies at that point it would be the equivalent to stepping out onto the freeway on foot and standing there to be hit by the next car.
If that's the case, I'm not impressed either. My spider failure was above the left headlight and it caused the headlights to die as I rode home on a dark, twisty country road. Maybe there haven't been enough failures of that spider to warrant fixing it? :angry:
Sorry, this was rather a selfish question. I don't ride on freeways or in heavy traffic anymore due to my age. Also, I'm pretty careful on the twisties these days. Was just wondering if there was some other reason they were calling it a "safety issue". Sorry for the confusion.
Three more...all low speed:don't ride on freeways or in heavy traffic anymore due to my age. Also, I'm pretty careful on the twisties these days. Was just wondering if there was some other reason they were calling it a "safety issue". Sorry for the confusion.
You're in a parking lot in 1st gear doing a sharp turn into a space. Engine dies and bike goes down. Could it fall over on you? Again safety.
You're in an intersection waiting to turn left and light starts to turn. Engine dies and you're left in the intersection with a changed light. Could other traffic hit you? Could a person behind you and hit you to clear the intersection? If so, a safety issue.
You're on an uphill at a light stopped and it dies. Can you muscle a 600 pound plus bike laterally to the side of the road without going backwards?
For that matter, just think of any scenario you're riding where the bike dies suddenly and you'd rather have it powered. All are probably potential safety issues. Some are just more dire and risky than others.
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ionbeam
2 FUN
No need to be sorry, I took it as a serious question and gave it a serious answer and others have provided additional real possibilities. Plus, there are many on this Forum that DO ride at night and would find the headlights suddenly going out to be more than a minor inconvenience late at night.
RavFJR
Well-known member
No one knows the 'pucker-factor' of your headlight going out on a dark, unlit road, except those that have experienced it. :cryingsmiley:
RavFJR
Well-known member
Yep, after reading the "Remedy" .pdf posted, it appears that Yamaha is doing a mini Brodie harness for just the S-4 connector. What a half-@ssed solution to a major grounding issue. When I installed Brodie's harness, I found the spider near the front left turn signal showing signs of corrosion. Chalk up Yamaha's solution as a cost-effective band-aid approach appearing to solve the problem - unbelievable! :angry2:
(Whomever) If you're going to give me a negative rep on my post, at least offer comment for the sake of understanding your position...
(Whomever) If you're going to give me a negative rep on my post, at least offer comment for the sake of understanding your position...
ionbeam
2 FUN
FJRski_2007
Well-known member
I called my local dealer here in Chicago and he informed me that he has no information on the recall.
I guess I need to wait till I get the recall letter from Yamaha Corporate.
I guess I need to wait till I get the recall letter from Yamaha Corporate.
There, evened it out for ya.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out. If it is indeed a band-aid type fix and not a true repair and people continue to have problems after the recall work has been performed on their bike, there will be some serious negative goodwill Yamaha will have earned for what is not a very expensive problem to fix thoroughly.
FiveG
Well-known member
Until our bikes are remedied in the recall, we are riding at the same "risk" as we were two weeks ago. I have felt (and still feel) pretty secure, as I had my local motorcycle service company (not a dealer) look at the harnesses and wiring when they did other work in the spring, and things looked fine. I'm going to have the recall done but I'm not more worried today than I was two days ago.
Re the recall -- I was at the dealer looking at the 14-page bulletin at lunch. It looks like this is a two-step process. Apparently they are take things apart, and look to see whether the harness is damaged. If it isn't, it's a pretty simple fix. If it is damaged, it's a biggy. The interesting question is whether Yammie is going to have the parts available for the bikes.
One other question I haven't seen anyone answer: does this affect all 2006-2009 FJRs, or will it be only the ones that actually get a notification letter? So far, my VIN isn't showing up on a recall search when it's done on line, but as it's a 2007, if the problem runs across all four years, I'd be right in the mix.
Re the recall -- I was at the dealer looking at the 14-page bulletin at lunch. It looks like this is a two-step process. Apparently they are take things apart, and look to see whether the harness is damaged. If it isn't, it's a pretty simple fix. If it is damaged, it's a biggy. The interesting question is whether Yammie is going to have the parts available for the bikes.
One other question I haven't seen anyone answer: does this affect all 2006-2009 FJRs, or will it be only the ones that actually get a notification letter? So far, my VIN isn't showing up on a recall search when it's done on line, but as it's a 2007, if the problem runs across all four years, I'd be right in the mix.
Probably very wise.
We're in that transition time of no recall, to a recall is imminent, to a recall that's being implemented. Having been through 3 or 4 of these now....GIVE YAMAHA AND DEALERS SOME TIME. Remember this particular forum is very likely ahead of most dealers on the issue because we often know more about the FJR than most in the world. Yamaha has thousands of different things they do a day...one of which is one model they make.....the FJR. And they do it in a variety of different countries.
Dealers have thousands of different things to do each day--one of which is answer questions from FJRForum dwellers wondering if they've heard the latest thing.
Give 'em all some time. You'll be much happier, the dealer will provide better service, Yamaha will spend more resources getting kits out the door than answering phone calls from you, and this forum will be a much better place so we can focus on the next issue.
And vilifying Yamaha or your dealer does nobody any good and gets tired very quickly here. Yes, Yamaha says not to ride it...they have to because it's potentially a safety issue. It's the world we live in.
Do you have to not ride it? No, because you have a brain and can make your own judgement how much safety actually changed as a result of the recall. And, you realize the status of the ground in your bike didn't actually change because of a letter.
A little patience folks....
Yes. It's listed in the links in post #7. One includes specific VIN's.
In fact, this is an example of where things like recalls are highly dynamic and we could get our forum act together better and post stuff as we know full details. Going to modify the first post to have more of a one-stop shopping experience.
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SkooterG
Purveyor of Crooked Facts
Guess I don't understand why everyone is calling their dealer already? Stuff like this takes time to work it's way through the system. Why not wait a week or two?
Woketman
Well-known member
Patience? Hard to be patient when you've been recently bitten, yet you wanna ride...... I have a bike that I love but Yammy says don't ride till we fix it.... SO FIX IT!!!
Joe2Lmaker
Well-known member
Believe me. I understand your frustration. Last Fall my wife and I were in Duluth for a nice ride with a buddy and his wife. I was bitten twice in one day. Two roadside repairs. Not fun.
Then, this Spring, I had to undo my roadside Jerry rig and make a permanent fix. Not fun.
Hang in there.
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Thanks for the replies, guys. In an attempt not to sound smartass, I have been riding and working on motorcycles longer than most of you have been alive, I imagine. Taught motorcycle Safety Courses and managed a Honda Dealership during most of the 80's.
There is hardly a situation I haven't experienced in over 50 years of riding.
Had an '81 Hardly Wide Glide that the motor shut down during a wide twisty on two lane HWY171 with traffic moving both behind and in front.
A front tire blowout on the Mississippi River Bridge in Baton Rouge.
A 1959 Triumph Trophy that had a habit of lights going out or becoming very dim. I lived in California then and had to commute on US101.
Could name a bunch more, but, you get the idea. I have never had a moving accident on a motorcycle.
There is hardly a situation I haven't experienced in over 50 years of riding.
Had an '81 Hardly Wide Glide that the motor shut down during a wide twisty on two lane HWY171 with traffic moving both behind and in front.
A front tire blowout on the Mississippi River Bridge in Baton Rouge.
A 1959 Triumph Trophy that had a habit of lights going out or becoming very dim. I lived in California then and had to commute on US101.
Could name a bunch more, but, you get the idea. I have never had a moving accident on a motorcycle.
DeweyIsgod
Well-known member
When I went in for the ignition recall, I wanted to talk through the procedure with the service tech. He indicated that the first couple gave him some problems, but then everything clicked and the last few he did (before mine) went smoothly. I'm pretty glad I wasn't one of those first couple and I won't be the first to go in now.GIVE YAMAHA AND DEALERS SOME TIME.
A little patience folks....
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