Northern Virginia Ticker

I'm pretty sure that my '04 has become a ticker. Started noticing the sound at about 7,800 miles. Traveled to Americade last week. Now at 9,200 miles the sound is louder and across a wider range of RPM. I have and extended warranty that will expire in August. I bought my bike at Coleman Powersport in Falls Church VA. Before I take it in for diagnosis, I want to find a dealer that has dealt with a ticker before. Coleman has never seen one according to two of the mechanics, one of which has been at Coleman about 10 years.

My question is, do any of the forum members know of a dealership in the Northern Virginia area that has satisfactorily diagnosed and fixed a ticker before?

Thanks.

(Man, am I dreading this process.)

I am not sure about anyone in NOVA having a ticker fixed. I put a word in the Dealer Feedback awhile ago about mine being fixed in Norfolk, VA. Perhaps do a search for it if you're interested. About 8,000 miles later, I can say the dealer seems to have done a good job on the engine. I can't say as much for them reassembling the plastics.

If you take it to that dealer, there isn't anything to dread. Gordon, the service manager knows what to look and listen for, now. I had a hell of a time but got it worked out.

I told him once upon a time that he might get more business when I spread the word.

Good luck, Heidi

Leghorn, did a search for you. I see a guy in Reston, VA that had his bike fixed. It's in the first few posts on this. Look here

While it's certainly a good idea to get some positive recommendations for Yamaha dealers who are adept at "ticker" repair, I would be surprised if Coleman Power Sports didn't have the wherewithal to do a good job. IIRC, they're one of the largest dealers in the country (if not the largest?) and have been around a long time. Of course, that may be no guarantee in this case -- but, it could mean that they have (generally) a successful track-record.

Good luck....

Thanks for the search, Heidi. The Tidewater area is a bit too far away from me, but I have been in touch with the Reston gentleman. In fact, he used Blalock Cycle in Warrenton (about 45 miles from me) for his tick fix and he seems very pleased. I also plan to let Coleman give it a listen, per Charismatic's suggestion, and we'll see where it all goes. If Coleman will get behind it, that would be the most convenient because it's in the neighborhood.

Al

I figured that my area would be a real hike... but maybe not so far if you're looking for someone who knows what their listening & looking for. Could save you a tremendous amout of legwork. Good luck w/ Coleman or Blalock, though. Sounds very promising. Actually, Blalock is where my bike was originally purchased from by the original owner, Heidi

I bought my 07 at Blalock and have been very pleased so far with their service. Have not had any major repairs done (yet) but they have been great to work with. John, the service manager is very accessible and seems knowledgeable. You may want to just give him a call before you make any commitments. Both of the Coleman shops are much closer to me but I prefer Blalock even though it is a pain to find a ride back (the ride down is very pleasant!).

SS

Leghorn - someone (not sure if they're on the forum) bought an 04 from Blalock's, a ticker, and Blalock's fixed it. I can't speak to how good they are, but at least they've had experience on 1 ticker. I'm in Stafford and they're the only folks I've considered taking my bike to in the area. I've done all my own work, but if something is beyond my skills I'll take it to Blalocks for what it's worth.

I have talked with John at Blalock Cycle and he sounds really knowledgeable and easy to talk to. However, he indicated that Blalock is unable to work on a ticker until the winter, because of the backlog of work that he has now and during the prime riding season vice his repair facilities. I would wait, but my warranty runs out in August so waiting is not an option. John did offer an unconditional recommendation for Cycle Center in Culpeper. That's a bit of a hike, but close enough to consider.

Coleman (Falls Church) is still an option and there is also Battley Cycles in Gaithersburg. I've checked the dealer recommendations section of the forum and the one comment about Battley (that I could find) was that they are very "professional." Battley has apparently fixed several tickers, while Coleman didn't recognize what I was describing.

Thanks to all for the continued input.

Al

Leghorn,

What I would do is get it Diagnosed first as such and then ask Yamaha Customer Service to allow the work to be done after Warranty expires per Special Conditions....and in Writing.

I have done this and my warranty work is going on after the original expiration.

Good Luck on your repair.

Personal opinion, I wouldn't let Coleman's clean my windscreen let alone do anything more complicate on ole' Matilda.

All,

My experience with FC Coleman ( and where I bought my first bike, a cruiser) has not been good. I had the first 600 mile check up done there and was not happy with all the valve noise afterward and increased engine vibrations. The SM did not want to check it again and suggested I buy the next bike up in the line that would not have as much vibration due to the engine design. Keeping my cool, I encouraged the SM to check the bike out again. For 600 bucks they could have done it a third time and made money. They kept the bike for the two more weeks and Im not sure they ever looked at it again. Anyway, just my experience.

I have had good luck at Battley. They have a service manager that know Yammies in and out. I dont know his name but have talked to him on several occasions. Im having problems with my ABS on my FJR and will take the bike over there or maybe to the shop that Jon used.

I have good relations with Champion in Sterling but they have never done any work on the bikes. Just inspections etc.

This a great forum. Thanks for everyones input

Rick

Leghorn said:

I'm pretty sure that my '04 has become a ticker. Started noticing the sound at about 7,800 miles. Traveled to Americade last week. Now at 9,200 miles the sound is louder and across a wider range of RPM. I have and extended warranty that will expire in August. I bought my bike at Coleman Powersport in Falls Church VA. Before I take it in for diagnosis, I want to find a dealer that has dealt with a ticker before. Coleman has never seen one according to two of the mechanics, one of which has been at Coleman about 10 years.
My question is, do any of the forum members know of a dealership in the Northern Virginia area that has satisfactorily diagnosed and fixed a ticker before?

Thanks.

(Man, am I dreading this process.)

Click to expand...

I've got a diagnosis appointment this coming Saturday at Battley. Lots of good info, especially the specifics from RickyRey on two shops that were in the running. HiYoSilver, it's good to know that it would be a viable option to fix it after the warranty expires, but I want that feeling that everything is working properly, if I can get it fixed now without too much of a hassle.

Thanks to all for commenting and I'll let you know how it goes in Gaithersburg.

Leghorn,

Glad to hear you got your appointment setup. Hope they can help you out and Can't wait to hear how your repair went.

Good Luck!

Just wanted to toss a BZ to Blalock's while I'm here. Just had my '06 in for its 8K service and a new set of PR2's mounted, and they did swell. Also discovered Vint Hill Road on my way back and that made it even better!

I bought my first riding jacket at Coleman's many years back, great selection of clothing/accessories, but for service I prefer the smaller shops.

Brian

Centreville, VA

'06 FJR1300

Glad to hear that Brian. Vint Hill road is nice, is that 619? Sometimes I'll ride N or Rt 1 and get on 619 just across from the MCB Quantico and ride it out to Rt 28. Very nice road.

Well, I guess it turns out that I'm a bit of a hypochondriac on behalf of my bike. Battley road tested and checked the FJR and found no unusual noises at the stated RPM or otherwise. This was the conclusion of a mechanic who had diagnosed and repaired a previous ticker.

I'm relieved on the one hand, but nagged about the sounds that I don't recall being there before. Perhaps it's nothing to worry about; perhaps it's the beginnings of something to worry over later. The warranty expires in August, so if anything more definitive develops, I'll have to rely on the fact that the issue is on record and hope for the best treatment from Yamaha.

I was quite impressed with the personnel at Battley. Very positive attitudes on the part of all and very accomodating, especially with the little details. I was able to stow my gear (including the big Aerostich), brew a coffee, surf the web, watch TV. I even dozed off for a few minutes on the 8' sofa.

Checked out the medium-oval Vemar Jiano helmets -- it's a flip up with good features. Salesman Paris was willing to disassemble the liner and cheek pads to demonstrate tweaking the fit of the helmet. Also learned that Vemar is coming out with a bluetooth version this fall that is ready to operate -- no more parts to buy or install, just synch to phone or whatever and ride.

Battley sells Yamaha, H-D, Ducati and BMW, so there's plenty to see.

In conclusion, I felt well treated and I would return to Battley for any service that I can't perform myself. I thought that everyone was professional, upbeat, knowledgeable, and a general pleasure to deal with.

Thanks to the Forum for the input and suggestions on selecting a dealership. I've now got a good feel for what's out there for the Northern Virginia region. I do almost all of my own bike work, so when I have to venture out for the more difficult projects, it's nice to do so with some confidence that the job will be done properly.

Al

Leghorn,

Glad to hear about your happy ending.... many Happy Smiles and Miles to ya!

JimLor said:

Glad to hear that Brian. Vint Hill road is nice, is that 619? Sometimes I'll ride N or Rt 1 and get on 619 just across from the MCB Quantico and ride it out to Rt 28. Very nice road.

Click to expand...

Vint Hill is 215, runs between 28 and 29. You can pick it up from 619 with a zig and a zag. Yep, I take the exact same route down to Blalock - one of the reasons I don't mind taking my bike there.

Leghorn, glad to hear you avoided repairs for now. No matter who works on the bike, it is always nerve racking thinking about it being torn apart and hopefully put back together correctly.

ss