Canadians with USA Model FJR vs Momma-Yama

[Dusty]

I know that I'm not alone as a Canadian that purchased a used FJR from the US of A. Last October I purchased my 06A from an individual in Ohio and then imported it to Ontario. Part of the importation process involved getting a "Status of Recall" letter from Yamaha USA which was easily done at no cost by Yamaha in California. :clapping:

Now, I read about the "Attitude Surge Fix" and since I travel to mountainous regions of the US each summer this is something that I want completed.

I received no letter (probably went to the original owner) from Yamaha.

Upon calling Yamaha Corp. USA, I asked...

1) What would it take for me to receive any future safety recall letters to my Canadian address.

2) Can I go to my local Canadian Yamaha dealer for the Attitude Fix or must I go to a US dealer.

Lisa at Corp. said that I would have to register the bike with a US dealer to get notices and regarding the Altitude Fix, a Canadian dealer would be UNABLE to take care of this work. Only a US dealer can complete any recall work on a US model. She then indicated that some US dealers are unwilling to entertain Canadian customers with US bikes mentioning something about it being a hassle for them.

Any Canadians out there that can comment on this???

I would rather support my local dealer as much as possible - they are great, but didn't have nor ever had a new or used FJR plus there is a $7000 difference between US and Canadian list prices on the FJR. :blink:

 

[bramfrank]

Yamaha Canada is a different company than Yamaha USA.

They gave you what I consider to be a reasonable answer . . . . register your machine with Yamaha USA and they at least will know where to contact you.

Warranty? You have no warranty once you change the registered address to Canada. I strongly believe that Yamaha requires machines to be plated in the country of sale.

Recalls will have to be resolved by a US dealer because the parts are supplied by Yamaha USA and those guys will not compensate a Canadian dealer except, perhaps for a travellng rider's defect claim.

Apparently not all 06's were affected.

Last; You saved a lot by buying in the US. The inconvenience of dealing with recalls and possible loss of warranty are the costs for having done so.

 

[Dusty]

Fortunately I live in a border town with a Michigan Yamaha dealer within a 15 minute ride. Looks like I'll register it with them in the spring and ask about the ECU swap at that time.

The warranty was never an issue - there never was one, since the bike's an 06 without YES. I've checked the list of vin numbers and mine is on the Altitude Sickness list.

Not only did I save some serious cash, but there just aren't very many FJR's in Canada. Only one 06 (I'm partial to the Cobalt Blue) was for sale in the entire Province at that time at a BMW dealer - they were asking $15G!!

Even with the short time that I've had it on the road, I have had numerous people admire the bike and ask if it is a BMW - MAN, this is just like riding my RoadStar and having people ask me if it's a Harley!!

Thanks for your help!

 

[kid41]

I will be purchasing my FJR in the near future, when i spoke with customer relations from Yamaha US i did confirm if i can register everything to my Canadian address they said absolutly, as buddy said on the phone " we want to make sure you get any type of recall on our product" , so me to i am close to the border so recall or warranty work will and can only be done at a US dealer.

Eric

 

[Reggie]

Hey Dusty if you need a US address to register your FJR you can use mine. We are not that far apart. Terry or Jamie have my number, give me a call if I can help.

 

[madmike2]

If all else fails, Kaitsdad posted a "Do-it-yourself" thread about the ECU change.

Clicky here.

[SIZE=8pt](Whatever you do don't tell CDN FJR that I'm posting links. He doesn't like it and thinks we oldies should be typing out every answer to every question.)[/SIZE]

 

[bramfrank]

I will be purchasing my FJR in the near future, when i spoke with customer relations from Yamaha US i did confirm if i can register everything to my Canadian address they said absolutly, as buddy said on the phone " we want to make sure you get any type of recall on our product" , so me to i am close to the border so recall or warranty work will and can only be done at a US dealer.
Eric

Before you plunk your dollars down I suggest you verify that Yamaha USA will warrant your machine in the US if it is plated in Canada . . . you WILL get recall notices, but warranty service is another matter - they certainly were clear that they wouldn't cover a machine imported to Canada when I bought mine in 2006. Then again you may be willing to take the risk of not having a warranty for the money you will save.

In fact, the only manufacturer of the ones I was considering: Yamaha/Kawasaki/Honda/BMW that would extend coverage in Canda was BMW, though they wouldn't give me the unlimited miles coverage - and I had to declare to them that I was moving from the US to Canada and not simply importing a new machine.

I have a file full of the material (including contacts and so on) from this research somewhere around here.

 

[Zolton]

The warranty was never an issue - there never was one, since the bike's an 06 without YES. I've checked the list of vin numbers and mine is on the Altitude Sickness list.
Not only did I save some serious cash, but there just aren't very many FJR's in Canada. Only one 06 (I'm partial to the Cobalt Blue) was for sale in the entire Province at that time at a BMW dealer - they were asking $15G!!

That's funny. I was shopping for an Ontario based '06 FJR last October as well and actually called that BMW dealer to have a look at that bike. Turns out is was an '07 but they were trying to hook prospective customers in by advertising it as an '06. The cobalt blue bike was a big hit here but the cherry black '07's were not such a big seller. Sneaky fuckers eh? I found a mint used '06 in Kitchener and bought it but paid large bucks for it. Going to the US was a very attractive option that I wish I had given in to now, but I was in too much of a hurry to get my hands on an '06 at the time.

Where did you get the VIN list for the altitude sickness victims? I'd like to get mine changed if necessary.

 

[kid41]

I will be purchasing my FJR in the near future, when i spoke with customer relations from Yamaha US i did confirm if i can register everything to my Canadian address they said absolutly, as buddy said on the phone " we want to make sure you get any type of recall on our product" , so me to i am close to the border so recall or warranty work will and can only be done at a US dealer.
Eric

Before you plunk your dollars down I suggest you verify that Yamaha USA will warrant your machine in the US if it is plated in Canada . . . you WILL get recall notices, but warranty service is another matter - they certainly were clear that they wouldn't cover a machine imported to Canada when I bought mine in 2006. Then again you may be willing to take the risk of not having a warranty for the money you will save.

In fact, the only manufacturer of the ones I was considering: Yamaha/Kawasaki/Honda/BMW that would extend coverage in Canda was BMW, though they wouldn't give me the unlimited miles coverage - and I had to declare to them that I was moving from the US to Canada and not simply importing a new machine.

I have a file full of the material (including contacts and so on) from this research somewhere around here.

Thks Bramfrank , good advice i will contact them again before going ahead to confirm warranty !!

 

[Dusty]

Zolton, There have been a lot of threads about this issue. See the quote below...

Affected Range"

FJR1300AV/AW RP15E-0000003 ~ 0004056

FJR1300AVC/AWC RP15Y-0000001 ~ 0000744

FJR1300AEV/AEW RP16E-0000006 ~ 0001212

FJR1300AEVC/AEWC RP16Y-0000005 ~ 0000226

I know the first line is for 06 clutch models. Match the "RP15E as part of the first half of the VIN (this is the model and year) while "0000003 - 0004056 is the range of production models. Mine was about 635th out of 4056 produced.

Even if your's is not on this list, I'd still give the dealer a call and ask them to check.

 

[Dusty]

Hey Reggie,

Thanks for the offer. If I have any problems registering I'll get back to you... Hey, even if I don't have problems I can still get back to you in the spring to see if your up for a ride!

Dust

 

[dragonchef]

I bought my bike in TX, and brought it here to Seoul. The local stealer will not even look at my bike. I am still registered with family back in TX, and talked my dealer in to sending my ECU...took awhile, but I got it.

Keep a close eye on the forum to see if anything else pops up.

I was able to find what seems to be an excellent mechanic, gave him a FJR manual for Xmas...

 

[rocketdoc]

serioiusly thinking about a US purchase myself. Good info here, thanks guys. Hey Reggie, you stole my AVATAR ...wtf?

 

[CMB]

I bought my 06 out of the US in September. It didn't have the instantaneous fuel milage fix done but I was able to get a clearance recall letter no problem. When I called Yamaha USA about getting the fix done they said it would have to be done by a US dealer. I guess the same is true for the ECU. Guess I need to find a dealer near the boarder that will do the work and then plan a trip in the spring. Lots of nice riding in Montana, Idaho and Washington. :yahoo:

Based on what I saved on the base bike plus all the extras that were on it, it's still worth my while. Plus I couldn't find an 06 to buy anywhere around Alberta.