A list of known problems on the Second Gen Venture

[Freebird]

Please add to this list if you think of something that I have missed.

 

Chirp. There has been a lot of discussion on the "chirping" sound on the second gen Venture and Royal Stars. There is often some confusion about this sound. These bikes use straight cut gears which create a whine that is best described as the sound made by an old granny gear truck when you are letting it coast. That is a normal sound that is characteristic of the straight cut gears. The sound that is NOT normal is a high pitched chirping sound. This is a result of improper clutch basket clearances. Yamaha has replaced many clutch baskets under warranty and many people have reported that this has greatly reduced or eliminated this noise.

 

Dry drive splines. Yamaha seems to be very stingy with the grease that they use on the rear drive spines on these bikes. There have been many reports of noise from the drive area. Yamaha has lubed some of these as a warranty issue but many of us have done the job at home. It requires a lift to remove the rear tire and then pulling the drive shaft to lube the front splines and also removing the rear drive from the wheel hub to grease the "fingers".

 

Trunk Cracks. The 1999 model RSV had an issue with the trunk bottoms cracking. Yamaha came out with a support kit to address this problem and installed it under warranty.

 

Audio Problems. Many people have had problems with the audio system due to back connections of the 5 din plugs inside the fairing. The fix is to split the fairing, unplug the connectors and apply a bit of dielectric grease to the pins.

 

CB Antennas. The 1999 model RSV came with very poor CB Antennas. Many were replaced under warranty. The design was changed with the 2000 models. Many have replace the '99 antennas with aftermarket units.

 

Backfiring. Upon deceleration, many have experienced a loud backfire. This actually sounds like a cannon going off. Some have corrected the problem by syncing the carbs but many of us have plugged the AIS system to stop this problem completely. There is a tech article here on plugging the AIS.

[Eck]

Here are a few more:

• Rear shock leaking
  
• shifter linkage bolt coming loose
  
• Helmet lock attach screw coming loose or falling out and then the lock falls off and is lost....
  
• Center trunk lid "slide arm" attach screws coming loose falling out

[BradT]

How about the side saddlebags, bolts coming loose on the lid, sometimes preventing the opening of the lid.

 

The hinge came off the lid of my bike bike on the way to vogel. Took 5 minutes to put back on but still a bummer.

 

Brad

[gibvel]

How about the side saddlebags, bolts coming loose on the lid, sometimes preventing the opening of the lid.

 

The hinge came off the lid of my bike bike on the way to vogel. Took 5 minutes to put back on but still a bummer.

 

Brad

 

 

Always knew you had a few screws loose Brad.......thanks for confirming it!!!

[BradT]

Always knew you had a few screws loose Brad.......thanks for confirming it!!!

 

Little slow today? Maybe it is early for you. I thought everyone that knew me, did not need a confirmation.

 

Brad

[gibvel]

Well, you're Canadian......didn't know if there was an exchange rate type thingie going on that put you just under the line.

[Sleeperhawk]

The exhaust Y junctions on both sides having leaks.

 

Both of mine have been replaced under warrenty.

[V7Goose]

The lower fairings (cowlings) in front of the crash bars crack on the outside edge near the mounting bolt that is inserted from the rear. I believe this is more common on the left side.

Goose

[V7Goose]

The saddle bag and trunk latches stick so bad they seem broken and you cannot open the lid. Problem easily solved by applying a little grease to the mechanism - see tech library.

 

Oh, and don't forget about the chrome windshield trim retainer tabs breaking. They WILL break. In fact, if you have so much as given a passing thought to removing the trim, even if you have not attempted it yet, I'm pretty certain they are already broken!

Goose

[V7Goose]

If the rubber bumpers behind your fork-mounted wind deflectors do not touch the fork covers, the mounting brackets WILL break and the deflectors will escape the surly bounds of your bike.

Goose

[Stoutman]

I would add that the rear brake locks way to soon. See Rick Butler's posts on this.

 

Also, I've not heard the backfire as loud as a cannon. You guys must have had it bad. Mine sounds more like my pocket pistol. Here in Texas it doesn't even scare anybody.

[BuddyRich]

It may have been mentioned but. Both sides, mounting bolts for the grab bars and the trunks mount bolts vibrate loose and go bye bye. USE loctite even on a new one.

[Yammer Dan]

And the Number One Complaint-

 

1. OWNER WHINE:rotfl:

 

 

:rotfl:

 

This happens when that 20+ year old 1st Gen blows them off the road.

[BuddyRich]

:moon::moon::moon::moon:

 

:stirthepot:

[Nighthawk II]

I've had to have the rear end aligned. The audio controls have been replaced due to a short circuit. And the rear brakes wearing unevenly.

 

The only whine I have is that I don't get enough riding time......

[WilCruise]

Front tire wobble - hits me around 25-35mph. I'm usually 2-3X that speed so I don't run into it too much:whistling:

[Gary N.]

I may have missed it, but I didn't see the ignition switch problem mentioned. Thought Brad T would have jumped on that one.

Also the loose steering head bearings.

[BradT]

I may have missed it, but I didn't see the ignition switch problem mentioned. Thought Brad T would have jumped on that one.

Also the loose steering head bearings.

 

Jeepers forgot all about it. But was it not just on the earlier models

 

Brad

[Guest Pilgrum]

I thought I bought a pretty quality machine. You all got me thinkin it may be junk.

Are these problems really common?

[rylstr]

Hey Pilgrum,

I got my RSV used and have'nt had any mentioned problems. Maybe !st owner had everything fixed before I got it. I've owned other bikes and had issues with some of them, from goldwings to vulcans, like my RSV best.

[V7Goose]

Front tire wobble - hits me around 25-35mph. I'm usually 2-3X that speed so I don't run into it too much:whistling:

WilCruise, I'd suggest you need this bike looked at. To my knowledge, a front end wobble is NOT common on the RSV, and it is probably an indication of a potentially serious problem for you. If you are lucky, it will just be tire balance or loose steering bearings, but I'd have it checked. Good luck,

Goose

[Stoutman]

I thought I bought a pretty quality machine. You all got me thinkin it may be junk.

Are these problems really common?

 

Don't mistake common with frequent. These are problems that more than one of us has experienced. It does not mean that everybody has these problems, or that all bikes will develop these problems. Also, you have a five year warranty. Yamaha could not make money offering a 5 year warranty on a piece of junk. Best case, you'll be aware that these things have happened to others, so if something should go wrong with your bike you will hopefully recognize it before it causes you any inconvenience.

 

That said, these are complex machines that need maintenance, and will break now and again. They have many of the same systems that a car has, and a few more, all in a compact package that is exposed to the elements. The way I look at it, if it doesn't break, you aren't riding it hard enough.

[V7Goose]

I thought I bought a pretty quality machine. You all got me thinkin it may be junk.

Are these problems really common?

Pilgrum, looking at all of these possible things together here can seem a bit disconcerting, but put it in perspective. Virtually all of these issues are easily and quickly handled by any competent dealer under the 5 year unlimited mileage warranty, and very few of us, if any, have had to deal with all of them. In comparison to the known problems with other big touring rigs, these problems seem quite minor. For example, what about the broken frames and dangerous front-end wobble on the GL1800s?

 

Perhaps the most significant issue here (to me) is the known weakness in the rear shock. There is no excuse for these repeated failures, but at least Yamaha stands behind them, and even out of warranty in some cases. Worst case is that if you keep the bike longer than 5 years, you may have to invest in an after-market replacement once to solve it forever. And even at $400, you saved WAY more than this on the original purchase when you compare it to alternative machines.

 

I have 25,000 miles on my 05 RSV, and I am still convinced it is the best buy available for what I want in a bike. Good luck,

Goose

[Sailor]

1. screws falling out of trunk lid support

2. low fuel indicators not coming on until after I have run out of gas. Since I live on an island where I must take a ferry to a bigger island to take a ferry to the mainland I used to keep the display on the clock setting. This seemed to block the low fuel indicators from working properly. I now keep it on the odometer which seems to help somewhat but I still cannot trust the low fuel indicators.

3. Howl in clutch basket.

4. just developed low howl in rear end. probably needs grease. Next servicing soon.

 

Shure do like the bike though. Was just at our local toy run, only 63 bikes but not bad for a small island. There were some nice harleys there but they got ignored as soon as I pulled in on the venture midnight.

[rayswearingen]

Does anyone know if it's "normal" for the downshifting to be rough? Or can I fix somehow? (maybe with oil change or something?) Sometimes, I have a heck of a time finding neutral at a stop sign or red light...