SHFT_26 AGAIN! - AS OF JULY 1, FJRHELL IS OVER!!

[Big Sky]

It has been suggested that Yamaha mucky mucks read this web site. (They'd be stupid not to.) Let's hope someone from the company IS paying attention and understands the costly damage a thread like this can do to a company's image, not to mention to future sales. It would be cheap (and honorable) for Yamaha to figure out a way to satisfy Mr. Stump, rather than leave all the rest of us with the impression that Yamaha is an unreliable and uncaring corporate partner to its product owners.

 

[Shane Stump]

It has been suggested that Yamaha mucky mucks read this web site. (They'd be stupid not to.) Let's hope someone from the company IS paying attention and understands the costly damage a thread like this can do to a company's image, not to mention to future sales. It would be cheap (and honorable) for Yamaha to figure out a way to satisfy Mr. Stump, rather than leave all the rest of us with the impression that Yamaha is an unreliable and uncaring corporate partner to its product owners.

Big Sky,

I have asked (actually begged) repetitively for the janitor to PLEASE have a manager call me so we could put an end to this nightmare... I have even sent two long emails (letters) to corporate Japan. My pleas have gone unanswered. Every time I have called and said I wanted to talk with a supervisor or manager, I am always redirected to same janitor. The unfortunate thing for me and the janitor is he is only empowered to have parts shipped to the dealer if the Yamaha tech agrees to it. The other unfortunate thing now is that I find myself being very uncivil with the janitor because I never get an ACTUAL answer to my questions (i.e. When is my bike going to finally be fixed? Why won't you cover my expenses since this problem keeps happening? Why doesn't a manager call me? How is my situation acceptable? etc).

I am left in limbo. As I have mentioned in other messages, I don't expect Yamaha to do anything for me other than to supposively finally get the bike fixed (which I am not willing to gamble my safety or $$$ any longer).

If a manager had only been willing to call me, this matter I believe could have been solved privately and satisfactorily for both parties. Yamaha NEVER GAVE IT A CHANCE :angry2: :angry2: :angry2: !

I am hoping this nightmare will be over for me by the end of July as I don't have the time to go new bike shopping now before my family vacation (my bike is still sitting in the Yamaha dealer's garage in Huntsville) :blink: :blink:!

As far as corporate Yamaha reading this forum, I seriously doubt it.... or they just don't give a damn.

Best regards,

Shane

 

[Shadow]

As far as corporate Yamaha reading this forum, I seriously doubt it.... or they just don't give a damn.Best regards,

Shane

they just don't give a damn would be my guess.

 

[Shane Stump]

As far as corporate Yamaha reading this forum, I seriously doubt it.... or they just don't give a damn.Best regards,

Shane

they just don't give a damn would be my guess.

Shadow,

I almost guarantee you are CORRECT! One of the conversations I had with the janitor a couple of weeks ago when he was dangling the prospects of Yamaha giving me a good trade-in one day went completely off the table the next day. When I asked why, he told me because he had been told they know they could fix the bike :dribble: :dribble: :dribble: :dribble:!

Best Regards,

Shane

 

[BikerGeek99]

Dang, Shane, you've been through the wringer.

It's disappointing hearing that Yamaha isn't taking ownership of this situation. Very disappointing.

Don't blame you one bit for kicking the FJR to the curb. I think if I were in your situation, I would not have been as patient for as long as you have been. Riding a motorcycle has it's own inherent dangers; riding an unreliable motorcycle... Well, BTDT. (Not the FJR, though.)

Also, glad to hear your wife is doing well.

Take care,

BG

 

[Shane Stump]

Dang, Shane, you've been through the wringer.
It's disappointing hearing that Yamaha isn't taking ownership of this situation. Very disappointing.

Don't blame you one bit for kicking the FJR to the curb. I think if I were in your situation, I would not have been as patient for as long as you have been. Riding a motorcycle has it's own inherent dangers; riding an unreliable motorcycle... Well, BTDT. (Not the FJR, though.)

Also, glad to hear your wife is doing well.

Take care,

BG

Thank you! Sandi is doing much better and I am so glad to see her smiling again (I am not 100 percent sure if it is because she is done with chemo/radiation or the the fact that school is out (she teaches 8th grade science)) :yahoo: !

Best regards,

Shane

 

[dsmack]

Thank you! Sandi is doing much better and I am so glad to see her smiling again (I am not 100 percent sure if it is because she is done with chemo/radiation or the the fact that school is out (she teaches 8th grade science)) :yahoo: !
Best regards,

Shane

I'm thinking either one would be cause for smiles! Sure glad she is on the mend. I'll bet that vacation is just what she needs right about now!

Shane, regardless of which bike you end up with, I hope you'll keep in touch here on the forum. I've really enjoyed your posts and look forward to hearing about how you finally reach motorcycle nirvana! :yahoo:

Some pictures from the trip would be nice, too!

Don

 

[Fred W]

Shane, I hope you take this in the constructive spirit in which I offer it.

As I said previously, I empathize with you and your situation greatly, and agree that you should try to move on.

But maybe you do not have to take such a huge financial loss in the process. I also want to clarify a few points for any folks that are stumbling into this thread late.

We are talking here about a model year 2006 motorcycle. I think that many others here, including me, may have been thinking this is (was) a new bike that developed all of these "chronic" problems. I think that might be why everyone is suggesting invoking "Lemon Laws" and such.

I still believe that the main problem with your bike is very fixable, and I sense that you do too, which has to be hugely frustrating. The bike has a problem that should have been troubleshot and addressed early on. But instead, through whatever twisted series of events, the dealerships have avoided addressing the root cause instead blaming your aftermarket accessories.

The fault here is primarily with the technicians that have (not really) worked on your bike, not with the bike itself. Corporate Yamaha has been going along, following the information from the service techs at the 3 dealerships because they had a plausible explanation of the problem, being your accessories. You can't blame them for that. They have to trust their dealer techs to give them the straight info.

I do not believe that anyone has properly troubleshot the problem. Maybe now they will, since the accessories were removed and the problem recurred. Other than removing your accessories, they have made no actual repairs, so naturally the bike still has the original intermittent problem.

My suggestion: Let them fix the bike. Now that they know the problem is in their bike, one would assume that they will finally throw some resources and talent at diagnosing the problem. They should get it repaired. If their explanation of what they find is plausible, you can sell the bike in good confidence it has been fixed and with with a clear conscience that it will run as well as all the other FJRs out there.

The main problem you have had, as I see it, is a series of bad experiences with the repair facilities. From your vantage point there is no difference between that and a "badly designed" bike. But from the forum collective's standpoint, there is a significant difference. The bike is not a "lemon". The dealers have been lemons.

Here's hoping you have better luck on your next bike.

 

[Shane Stump]

Fred W,

If you read most of my posts, I think you will be able to summarize:

1) I REALLY wanted to keep my bike.

2) I honestly believe the bike is fixable.

3) I do believe my problems are not epidemic amongst FJRs (hell, a simple GOOGLE verifies that)!

The problem for me now is that Yamaha has declared victory several times and I am the one left with:

1) No bike for a good length of time

2) Depending on where the bike dies, I am the one picking up the expense of getting myself and the bike home.

This past time when Yamaha was telling me that they know they can fix it (for me to just give them another try), I asked them to guarantee me in writing that they would take financial responsibility for getting me / bike home if the recurring problem left me stranded. I was told that they wouldn't do that because if was not REASONABLE or their responsibility. I told them I believe my situation is EXTRAORDINDARY and not ordinary. They still refused.

And the sad part is there is NO way for me to know if they actually fixed it this time or not. The last time I got it back in March, I rode several long day trips within a certain radius of my home. When I finally did venture off, the net result was me stranded 400 miles from home and another $247.50 on my credit card for the extra towing to get me home.

I do believe my problem is fixable and probably something very simple.

The bottom line is that this situation could have been resolved months ago but Yamaha chose to treat my case as any other.

Either way, Yamaha NEVER had anybody with decision making ability call me to make this nightmare end!

Best Regards,

Shane

P.S. I am going to comment whether the dealers are incompetent or not.... they are agents of Yamaha and thus this should still be Yamaha's problem and NOT mine.

 

[Fred W]

Sounds like we agree on everything.

Best of luck. I hope this round goes quickly for you

 

[Shane Stump]

Sounds like we agree on everything.
Best of luck. I hope this round goes quickly for you

Thank you!

Best Regards,

Shane

 

[FJRScorpion]

Shane,

Thanks for sharing your experience in this posting. You seemed to have crossed all of your "T's" and dotted all of your "I's". Your patience is admirable, especially in light of the other issues. I'm looking forward to any positive resolve of the situation, even if that means you end up on a different 'mount'. I'd probably go so far as to say if you don't get satisfaction, I'll probably not consider a Yamaha again to replace my '05 next year! After all, making a well designed, technically superior product is only as good as the service and support behind it. -Later

 

[Shane Stump]

Shane,
Thanks for sharing your experience in this posting. You seemed to have crossed all of your "T's" and dotted all of your "I's". Your patience is admirable, especially in light of the other issues. I'm looking forward to any positive resolve of the situation, even if that means you end up on a different 'mount'. I'd probably go so far as to say if you don't get satisfaction, I'll probably not consider a Yamaha again to replace my '05 next year! After all, making a well designed, technically superior product is only as good as the service and support behind it. -Later

Scoripion,

Thanks!

I do honestly believe the FJR is BEST IN CLASS (the reason I bought it)!

I, NEVER, I repeat NEVER, thought I would have these kind of problems. When I first started experiencing the problems, I didn't worry too much as I thought "I have an extended YAMAHA contract"! I also didn't worry about them questioning my electrical farkles or servicing because all of the electrical farkles had been on my bike since Sept 2006 and bike had been serviced by Woods Fun Center in Austin every 4,000 miles as scheduled.

But this experience has left me with so much anger towards Yamaha that I won't ever waste my time even looking at their products ever again - which is a real shame because I do believe Yamaha makes an EXCELLENT product.

At this point, Yamaha and the associated dealers just want me to away. I keep telling them to get the bike back to me without the SHFT__## code and I will gladly oblige them and take my business elsewhere. After all, they shouldn't have to put up with someone constantly asking when is their bike going to be fixed and "stay fixed". I also won't have to listen to any more Yamaha service jingles about "Customer Service is our top priority" or my favorite one "At ____ (dealership), we aren't happy unless you are happy!".

I will keep everyone updated until I get trade the bike in! I am hoping to get back to RIDING and NOT COMPLAINING :dribble: :dribble:!

Best Regards,

Shane

 

[Mcgyver74]

Shane you certainly have a lot more patience then I do, and you certainly were a lot nicer then I would have been....

Have you tried writing letters to Yamaha, sending them certified mail pointing out how they are in violation of federal law by claiming your farkles caused the issue (the Magnuson Moss act) as they have to PROVE the farkles CAUSED the issue before saying that they did. and threaten to report them to the local attorney generals office etc...

Heck perhaps even take em to small claims court.....

 

[Shane Stump]

Shane you certainly have a lot more patience then I do, and you certainly were a lot nicer then I would have been....


Have you tried writing letters to Yamaha, sending them certified mail pointing out how they are in violation of federal law by claiming your farkles caused the issue (the Magnuson Moss act) as they have to PROVE the farkles CAUSED the issue before saying that they did. and threaten to report them to the local attorney generals office etc...

Heck perhaps even take em to small claims court.....

Mcryver74,

I haven't sent any REGISTERED MAIL letters to corporate Yamaha; in hindsight, I should have. I honestly never EXPECTED it to come to this.

Trying to sue Yamaha on getting my bike fixed would be a losing battle for me.

Unfortunately, my best option is to get the bike back "fixed", de-farkle it, and trade-it in.

Sadly, I am willing to capitulate to Yamaha Customer Service at this point and let them declare VICTORY that they ran off a customer who

1) Really liked their products

2) Had service done at a Yamaha dealer

3) Bought tires from a Yamaha dealer

4) Spoke highly of Yamaha and my bike before this.

I am obviously the KIND of customer Yamaha and its dealers don't need :dribble: :dribble:!

Best Regards,

Shane

 

[johnny80s]

Shane you certainly have a lot more patience then I do, and you certainly were a lot nicer then I would have been....


Have you tried writing letters to Yamaha, sending them certified mail pointing out how they are in violation of federal law by claiming your farkles caused the issue (the Magnuson Moss act) as they have to PROVE the farkles CAUSED the issue before saying that they did. and threaten to report them to the local attorney generals office etc...

Heck perhaps even take em to small claims court.....

From what I have read in this thread it sounds like Yamaha has moved past the farkels and is not blaming the problem on those. They are just not wanting to make this right with Shane.

 

[Shane Stump]

Shane you certainly have a lot more patience then I do, and you certainly were a lot nicer then I would have been....


Have you tried writing letters to Yamaha, sending them certified mail pointing out how they are in violation of federal law by claiming your farkles caused the issue (the Magnuson Moss act) as they have to PROVE the farkles CAUSED the issue before saying that they did. and threaten to report them to the local attorney generals office etc...

Heck perhaps even take em to small claims court.....

From what I have read in this thread it sounds like Yamaha has moved past the farkels and is not blaming the problem on those. They are just not wanting to make this right with Shane.

I believe they have moved past the farkles.... as far as "making it right with me", I believe they feel that as long as they are trying to fix my bike, I should be appreciative. If they had gotten it right the first maybe even the 2nd time, I would have been happy & appreciative.

I have a good friend who is an insurance underwriter and he basically told me that if Yamaha could have "proven" beyond a doubt that my farkles had caused all these problems, they would have said so a long time ago....

Any how, I just want it over!

Thanks for letting me rant!

Shane

 

[Mcgyver74]

Rant away my friend!

This is a terrible situation and is making me really wonder if I want the 09 I'm supposed to pick up Saturday... I like the bike, but I'm not sure I want to worry IF I should have a problem if Mamma Yamma is going to put me through hell (Or try to)

As for suing them, that's the nice part about small claims court, as long as the amount in question is less then a specified amount (here it is 5k) then it's not a major deal.

I believe what you do is document all your woes, and keep all the receipts for all the times you had to get the bike towed, lodging etc, (within reason) then file a complaint in small claims court to get reimbursed for all of that, also since they finally admitted it wasn't the farkles, bring the receipts for what you paid to have them installed and try to get reimbursed for that too.... You don't need lawyers for that and it's a pretty speedy process. and I think it costs like 30 bucks to file depending on your municipality...

Then you go before the judge, and explain your story, they explain theirs and the judge decides if they are just, and if they feel that they have put you through excessive ageda etc then the judge will rule that they have to reimburse you for expenses etc..

I would imagine that it would be cheaper for them to just settle with you since it would cost them dough to send someone to the court...etc...

..of course i"m not an attorney nor do I play one on TV.....so take my advice for what it is..

Ps, have you reported the dealers AND mamma Yamma to BBB for this?

 

[Shane Stump]

Rant away my friend!
This is a terrible situation and is making me really wonder if I want the 09 I'm supposed to pick up Saturday... I like the bike, but I'm not sure I want to worry IF I should have a problem if Mamma Yamma is going to put me through hell (Or try to)

As for suing them, that's the nice part about small claims court, as long as the amount in question is less then a specified amount (here it is 5k) then it's not a major deal.

I believe what you do is document all your woes, and keep all the receipts for all the times you had to get the bike towed, lodging etc, (within reason) then file a complaint in small claims court to get reimbursed for all of that, also since they finally admitted it wasn't the farkles, bring the receipts for what you paid to have them installed and try to get reimbursed for that too.... You don't need lawyers for that and it's a pretty speedy process. and I think it costs like 30 bucks to file depending on your municipality...

Then you go before the judge, and explain your story, they explain theirs and the judge decides if they are just, and if they feel that they have put you through excessive ageda etc then the judge will rule that they have to reimburse you for expenses etc..

I would imagine that it would be cheaper for them to just settle with you since it would cost them dough to send someone to the court...etc...

..of course i"m not an attorney nor do I play one on TV.....so take my advice for what it is..

Ps, have you reported the dealers AND mamma Yamma to BBB for this?

Mcgyver74,

If I don't get my bike back before I go on vacation, I will check into the small claims court.

The BBB might be an avenue against Yamaha.... At this point, I wouldn't drag the dealers down to Yamaha's level because they have been very sympathetic and courteous to me. I have had several friends in the motorcycle industry tell me that the dealers are at the disposable of Corporate Yamaha.

The dealers out here (especially the small town dealers) don't see very many FJRs so on tougher cases they have to rely on guidance from Yamaha.

As far as your purchase, I am not sure if you really want the bike that I would use my experience as "typical". Other than I and a few others, most riders seem to be very HAPPY (HELL, I was very happy the first 1.5 years)!

Yamaha definitely, through, won't be getting any more of my time or $$$ after this experience.

Best Regards,

Shane

 

[happyPuppy]

I understand your frustration. Yes, you can go to Small Claims court , send certified letters etc. However, I assume you want a reliable bike to ride that you can count on it working. I agree with letting them "fix it" and trading it in another bike. Life and the riding season is too short for these hassles.