just bought an 07 venture from a Yamaha Dealer

[justfer tourin]

Hi Folks:

 

 

Before I get started, this is a post about the whining noise but not a request for information on how to fix it , as I have read about the clutch basket, the "I" basket and square cut gears. I'm new to this site and also new to the Venture motorcycle (owned one for two days). I love the bike in every way except for the unacceptably loud whining noise. I bought m bike used from a Yamaha dealer and I'm confused by the fact that they sold it to me without mentioning this problem and they won't take it back.

 

I just bought a 2007 Royal Star Venture (two days ago !) from a Yamaha Dealer in Connecticut (I live in NY state). I found the bike on the internet and went over there to buy it. I was told by the salesman(who was bearing the same last name as that of the dealership) that it was "the oldest Yamaha dealer in the United States, still family owned for four generations".

I wanted one of these bikes for touring, having ridden one only once, a year ago. I read many reviews on the bike and many comments from owners but never ran across anyone mentioning that one of the characteristics of the bike is an annoying whining sound at highway speeds, which can be termed unbearable. In fact, the one I rode a year ago didn't do this as I would have surely noticed. I didn't notice this noise when when I test rode the bike I just bought because its most noticeable at highway speed and the salesman coerced me into NOT taking the bike on I95 because "its a zoo out there at this time of day". It was only on the way home, after buying it that this unacceptable noise became apparent. The dealer represented the bike as a one owner bike which was in perfect running condition that had been ridden for 17,000 miles - the "cherry" that we are all always looking for. I got no great deal on the bike and basically paid top dollar for it because it was coming from a genuine Yamaha dealer who said he knew the owner and was purporting that the bike was a great bike. I had no problem paying that much for a bike in such great condition. Now, the dealer is telling me that this unbearable whine is a characteristic of the bike, like "they all do that". The one I rode last year didn't do this. In all of the rave reviews I read, not one of them mention that the bike has a characteristic annoying whine, so I don't think they all do it. But, probably, many of them do - but the ones that do are broken and need the "I" clutch basket. I was able to find out that SOME Ventures do this and the problem is fixable under warranty and there is loads of information about this problem going on for many years. Either the dealer knew about this or they aren't very good at being a dealer.I threw caution to the wind as I figured IF a Yamaha dealer was willing to sell me this bike (rather than dump it out the back door to a wholesaler), then it must be as good mechanically as it looks cosmetically (the bike is basically flawless in appearance and looks like new.

 

I complained right away to the dealer and he told me that it is a characteristic of the bike. I told him that I understand that these bikes have an inherent whine but this bike is very loud and in the unacceptable range (unsolicited, my wife asked what the annoying noise was very soon into her first ride on the bike. Its bad. The dealer told me to bring it in on Monday (2 hours away) and he will have his mechanic look at it. I've got the feeling that this isn't going to lead me anywhere and I'm going to be told it is normal.

 

The dealer says "He can't take the bike back because its been registered " I feel that this is a load of bull because he could buy it back for a dollar - he buys bikes all of the time. I feel that he either knowingly deceived me or has made a blunder that he should make good on.

 

What are your thoughts ?

 

Do you think, with all that is known about this problem, that a dealer could consider a bike that exhibits this noise to be sold as "perfect - just ridden for 17,000 miles " ?

 

If the dealer doesn't make me smile on Monday, do I have a case to bring to Yamaha Corporation ?

 

Your thoughts, advice and suggestions are appreciated.

 

Thank you.

[Godlover]

When was it put into service - it might still have warranty and then you can take it to your local dealer. Just a thought. It has a 5 year warranty.

[Mike G in SC]

Warranty? If yes then you have recourse. If no, then you probably don't.

Either way, any Yamaha dealer can check the warranty service record with the VIN.

They can tell if this was ever "corrected".

You should ask to see the bike history anyhow.

 

If still under warranty, and it has never been done, have them change out the I-basket under warranty. If they don't,,,, find another dealer who does not rest on their old name laurels.

 

Seems like someone on this forum said they made the dealer swap backets several times under warranty.

[Brake Pad]

my shops warranty ran out from date of it leaving the building were it was made. I bought mine in May of 07, The warranty expired in February 2012.

[justfer tourin]

Thanks for your Reply. The factory warranty is good until November 2012 but there's nothing to fix if the dealer says its normal. That's one of the sticky issues with this problem. All Ventures whine somewhat but at what point is it unacceptable/ something other than normal.

 

BTW - its a 2007 - did I post in the wrong area ? Should I be in Second Generation Venture Tech Talk ? Is there a way to remedy this ?

[Mike G in SC]

Jeff,

Warranty,, GREAT!

So, find out if this problem has ever been addressed on your new bike.

The dealer should be able to give you a print out of the warranty repair record. This is now your bike so he should have nothing to hide there.

 

Don't take the "known problem" approach as the solution. Probably 50%+ have been replaced under warranty, so Yamaha will indeed allow it. If there was nothing to fix,, that would not have happened. As it is under warranty, any factory Yamaha dealer can do the work.

 

Ask this forum bunch "Who is the best dealer in my area?"

I have two dealers within 50 miles of me,,, big difference in attitude.

 

My best dealer (Sumter SC, Extreem Sports) readily does warranty work. Often they have noticed something and told me about it and have already ordered the parts before I knew about it. So, because of him, I don't comprehend dealers avoiding warranty work,,, they get paid.

 

Don't let this slip past the warranty.

 

Good luck, Mike G

[jfoster]

Thanks for your Reply. The factory warranty is good until November 2012 but there's nothing to fix if the dealer says its normal. That's one of the sticky issues with this problem. All Ventures whine somewhat but at what point is it unacceptable/ something other than normal.

 

BTW - its a 2007 - did I post in the wrong area ? Should I be in Second Generation Venture Tech Talk ? Is there a way to remedy this ?

 

Yamaha is aware of the whine, they will replace the clutch basket once under warranty. It helped mine a lot and made it very tolerable. I would have a dealer look it up, but most likely its never been done.

 

Don't lose hope, I would give the dealer a chance to fix it and if they won't, find another dealer. If the dealer isn't aware of the clutch basket swap, tell him to contact his Yamaha rep. I personally didn't trust my dealer and requested to see the one that came out of mine and it had "G" stamped on it. The replacement should be the "I" basket.

 

Also, thick oil like 20w50 will make it worse.

Edited March 25, 2012 by jfoster

[Freebird]

Another thing to check on is that some 2007 models had a recall on the head bolts not being torqued properly.

[tonymassel]

i got an 08 venture new in08. I fuond the drivetrain to be unbearibly noisy had yamaha replace clutch basket but it did not help. after 4 years and many many complaints to 4 different dealers and no help from yamaha head office the 4th dealer put in a new rear end and problem solved. dont take no for an answer. the bike sounds great now

 

Tony.

[SilvrT]

As others have stated, since it is under warranty, have a dealer install an "I" basket. Be sure and verify yourself that it's an "I" basket that they are installing as they might attempt to put in a "G" basket (as they did on mine).

 

Keep in mind that this MAY NOT recify the problem. It's not a sure-fire fix in every instance and may only move the whine to a different RPM.

 

Good luck!

[Condor]

My '99 doesn't whine.... So they don't 'All' have the problem. Also straight cut gears on the clutch basket have been used since the 1983 Venture.. and maybe even before that.. and to my knowledge there has never been a report of an 'unbearable' whine on a 1stGen. If it's under warantee jump up and down and scream about the problem. If the 'I' basket doesn't help then look at the final....

[rickardracing]

Mine has the whine. It quieted down a little bit with full synthetic oil. Funny thing is, once I put the Samson pipes on it, I can't hear the whine anymore.

[RSTDdog]

my shops warranty ran out from date of it leaving the building were it was made. I bought mine in May of 07, The warranty expired in February 2012.

 

Yamaha's warranty runs for five years from the "In service date". The in service date is the date the motorcycle is first registered with Yamaha as Having an owner. So in your case there are two possibilities: Your bike was placed in service as a dealer demo, which should have been disclosed to you,or the bike was purchased, registered in February 2007 and returned to the dealer, then subsequently sold to you.

 

Something else that is done is if there is dealer incentive money available on motorcycles that will expire, some dealers will sell the bikes on paper to employees, and register them sold with Yamaha to collect the incentive money. When they do this, the warranty clock starts ticking, even though the bike is never ridden or titled/registered with the State. People buying "leftover" new motorcycles should confirm that they are the first "warranty registered owner"and that they have the full warranty in effect.

 

RSTDdog

[KIC]

.. and to my knowledge there has never been a report of an 'unbearable' whine on a 1stGen. ....

 

Not true... I have heard that once a second Gen owner rides a first Gen, there is an incredible "unbearable" whine of regret for having a 2nd Gen and not a 1st Gen....

 

Just sayin'........

[Condor]

Not true... I have heard that once a second Gen owner rides a first Gen, there is an incredible "unbearable" whine of regret for having a 2nd Gen and not a 1st Gen....

 

Just sayin'........

 

 

Geeze!! Ya know in psychology circles they have a term for folks that constantly degrade someone else, but since this is a PG board I can't post it.....

[octoberboy]

Jeff,

 

I test road that same bike about four weeks ago. Go it into 5th gear, but never took it over 50. A bit to cold that day for what I was wearing. He told me he knew the owner personally, the bike was babied, washed after every use and the bike was in perfect condition. Given that and the mileage he was still asking a pretty high price for it. I had done some asking around about the dealership and did not find anyone I knew who cared for them.

 

Even if it is still under warranty I would find another dealer. Their Better Business Bureau rating (on a scale of A+ to F) is an F, assuming you believe in those ratings. If it is not under warranty I would contact Star Motorcycles and see if they can provide some help. I don't think you are going to get much out of the dealer.

[37 bell]

I have a 06 and about 30000 I got a real bad whine . I talked to the saleman about it and he said there 4 different baskets. If one don't work have them put another one in. They replaced the basket and it is whine free for 35000 miles:322:

[XV1100SE]

Don't know what percentage of 2nd Gen's whine (bike).... if it was a tendency of all of 2nd Gens Yamaha would never be able to sell them.

 

Since someone opened the issue.... do you ride with 1st Gen'ers? Since the whine is coming from the rear... maybe it is the 1st Gen'ers trying to keep up.... that is when they aren't in the garage repairing plastic or trying to resurect old parts.

 

Seriously... the whine issue is a known problem on SOME of the 2nd Gens. Dealer should do it as a warranty replacement of the basket but make sure (even if you look at it) that it is an "I" basket. Run synthetic (Mobil 1 or Amsol). If they don't offer to try the basket change, go to another dealer and if they say no...then have them submit it to the Regional Rep for Yamaha.

 

Don't wait though. They should be able to do it before summer.

[Dave77459]

A couple things. If you decide to keep the bike, make sure you have the dealer transfer the warranty to you. This is a separate step that is important for your protection. But you may not keep it, sounds like. I'd be irritated with the dealer, and look at what "buyers remorse" statutes can protect you.

 

Second, my bike has a bit of a whine, about like a BMW, so not all are unbearable. I've not been tempted to pursue a basket side-grade... sometimes they don't work, and I have read that sometimes the new basket made it worse. The dealers in my area are so... dispiriting... that I don't trust them to touch my bike, unless the engine blows up or something.

 

I have managed what whine there is by managing my gear selection. There is a narrow band of worst whine, +/- 10mph in certain gears. I've found that there is very little whine when I run 70mph in 4th gear. I notice no whine at 75mph in 4th, whereas it seems like there is in 5th. So I run in 4th almost all the time, and get better gas mileage as well. You might try playing with gear selection. At the very least, you need to run it up to the rev limiter in each gear, so you know what the bike can do.

 

Dave

[SilvrT]

My '99 doesn't whine.... So they don't 'All' have the problem. Also straight cut gears on the clutch basket have been used since the 1983 Venture.. and maybe even before that.. and to my knowledge there has never been a report of an 'unbearable' whine on a 1stGen. If it's under warantee jump up and down and scream about the problem. If the 'I' basket doesn't help then look at the final....

 

My '85 used to whine right between 2900 and 3100 rpm .... hated it.

[Drreb]

Loud pipes help quite the whine...just saying.

[PBJ]

The Ventures have also had a rear end whine problem as mentioned before. But that can be identified because its louder when turning to the left t hat the right( or vice versa) its a problem that can be help with a good cleaning in the hub.

 

I only bring this up because its best to identify WHERE the whine is coming from before you start demanding dealers replace parts. good luck.

[mini-muffin]

Take your bike to your local yamaha shop they can run the vin and tell if the I-basket work has been tried or not and if any other warranty work has been done. It will also tell you when the bike was sold, where it was sold and who bought it. Not sure about this guys claim of the oldest yamaha shop in the states. I know there's one in OH that's been around a long time.

Good luck with the bike

Margaret

[justfer tourin]

Thank you all very much for your help......Its been a tough few days for me......

I've read all of your comments and appreciate everyone's input.

 

The bike will be brought back to the dealer and he promises to put in the "I" basket and fix my other complaints including inoperable horn, broken cruise control and cracked tail light lens. I'm a bit worried about the outcome on the cruise control but hoping for the best.

 

To complicate matters, I also have a problem with the power which seems fuel related.At first I thought it was the old gas from sitting. But at this point I've been through a couple of tankfuls of good premium but the bike still seems weak. To clarify, sometimes, I will feel a surge when I gun it and it hints at the bike's true capability but it fades out and returns to its more sluggish state. I understand about the power band being at the higher revs and I run the bike accordingly. Going up hill with a passenger, at 80 mph in 4 th gear, the bike cannot accelerate. It just stays at a steady 80 mph (with the throttle fully pinned). Should I be going down to third gear in order to get power at 80 mph ? Another way to put it - it feels like I have a passenger when I don't and when I have a passenger, it feels like I have two passengers..........

[SilvrT]

To complicate matters, I also have a problem with the power which seems fuel related.At first I thought it was the old gas from sitting. But at this point I've been through a couple of tankfuls of good premium but the bike still seems weak. To clarify, sometimes, I will feel a surge when I gun it and it hints at the bike's true capability but it fades out and returns to its more sluggish state. I understand about the power band being at the higher revs and I run the bike accordingly. Going up hill with a passenger, at 80 mph in 4 th gear, the bike cannot accelerate. It just stays at a steady 80 mph (with the throttle fully pinned). Should I be going down to third gear in order to get power at 80 mph ? Another way to put it - it feels like I have a passenger when I don't and when I have a passenger, it feels like I have two passengers..........

 

That kinda depends on the grade of the hill ....

 

On normal grades, it shouldn't be doing this. If the bike has sat for a long time, you should run a can of sea foam through the gas. If that doesn't cure it and if you've had the carbs balanced, I'd be taking that back to the dealer too!

 

They sold you a supposedly "The dealer represented the bike as a one owner bike which was in perfect running condition " ... then that dealer should stand behind his statement and make it so IMHO.

 

Dang, I hate to see someone get the "Royal Runaround" and because of that, be turned off to these great bikes.