FJRF009.1: Intermittent Ground Wire

[creekstone]

I stopped at Katy (TX) Yamaha today. I wanted to see if they had a FJR available for an ergo check. (I currently ride a BMW R1100RT and I'm thinking about a used FJR. FWIW, they had a 2011 and the ergos were good.)

Right there on the bike (with the spec sheet and such), they had a notice stating the bike was not for sale due to a recall. But also attached was a notice of the pending recall for 2006-2009 models.

Kudos to the dealership for being somewhat on top of the situation. I was approached by a salesman while checking out the bike. I asked about the recalls (current and pending); he was clueless. But someone at the dealer is aware.

 

[RaYzerman19]

To expand on my wire gauge concern (apologies if I missed this in other threads).... with my limited electrical knowledge, and I defer to our electrical gurus like Ionbeam and others who can correct me.... my guess is the ground wires are 20 gauge, which should handle 10 amps max, and I thought it was mentioned somewhere we had fan and headlight loads which to me are significant. If there is not sufficient contact area between the female spade terminals in the spider connectors and the spider itself, it will overheat. These 20 gauge terminals are small, and if there is any corrosion in the contact surfaces, more load is placed on the remaining contact area, thus potentially overheating (compounded by the additional corrosion which may result from plating breakdown, i.e., will only get worse with time). To my layman's mind, lack of contact area is root cause, with overheating being the symptom which will only make it worse. The member who suggested conducting grease kind of had the right idea in my mind.

Possible contributors are dissimilar metal plating, resulting in corrosion. I do not know if there are 10 amp loads, but the wire size and matching terminal size should have some overdesign factor (a guess... 30%?) for the intended load. So, an 18 gauge wire would likely have larger terminals, and more capacity (15 amps?). That is why I always thought larger wires therefore would result in a more robust system, especially if the terminals were more heavy duty.

In my mind, I always wondered if the spider terminals were tight enough, as the spiders don't exactly have a high insertion effort unless you have squeezed the female terminal. Think back to the older bikes whose stator connector always melted... that connection had to be clean and tight, and to me it was always questionable why nobody put larger wires and more robust terminals on those. We solved the problem many times by just joining and soldering the wires together, eliminating the connector altogether.

What I also don't know is if only one of the spider wires has to take care of the load, or if it is shared between two or more of those wires. Going upstream in the harness, how are they connected, to what gauge wire and eventually to ground. again, if I have missed any of that discussion, apologies. The Brodie and Roadrunner fixes would appear to take the six wires and connect them to a much larger conductor that will take the total load, and of course, take it to a good ground source.

So, it will be interesting to see how Yamaha addresses the issue.....

Sorry for the interruption, and now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

 

[Woketman]

I stopped at Katy (TX) Yamaha today. I wanted to see if they had a FJR available for an ergo check. (I currently ride a BMW R1100RT and I'm thinking about a used FJR. FWIW, they had a 2011 and the ergos were good.)

Right there on the bike (with the spec sheet and such), they had a notice stating the bike was not for sale due to a recall. But also attached was a notice of the pending recall for 2006-2009 models.

Kudos to the dealership for being somewhat on top of the situation. I was approached by a salesman while checking out the bike. I asked about the recalls (current and pending); he was clueless. But someone at the dealer is aware.

Well, I stopped by my Slidell, LA dealer two days ago. They had the sheet, apparently mailed to them by Yammy, that stated the "intent to recall" for the 2011 recall. It was concerning the brake switch that activates the brake lights, 2011 only. They looked at me like I was nuts when I asked about the grounding harness recall. They have ZERO idea about it in any way. No letter, no notice at all.

So today I called Yammy and the guy told me to tell them to go to the Yamaha Dealer Service website, go to the Service tab, and it is the third item from the top. I called my guy and they could still not find it. I will head over there tomorrow..... (sigh)

The Yammy tech on the phone, however DID tell me that they had all of the parts needed for the recall in stock and ready to go! All they need is for the recall to be approved by the NHTSA and get the final go ahead and the dealers will then be notified. He estimated two weeks, but that was just his guess based on past performance.

I wanna ride!!!!!

 

[Ignacio]

They looked at me like I was nuts when I asked about the grounding harness recall. They have ZERO idea about it in any way. No letter, no notice at all.

Yes, exactly. You need to reread post #42 and the bolded material. ionbeam knows what he speaks. That's also why this thread is titled "recall coming soon" and "intent to recall". When an ACTUAL recall happens...you can well imagine a thread with those details.

AT THIS TIME THERE IS NO RECALL, DEALERS WILL NOT HAVE ANY MORE INFORMATION THAN WHAT WAS IN THE "INTENT TO RECALL" BULLETIN QUOTED IN POST #1 IN THIS THREAD. ANY INQUIRIES TO YOUR DEALER WILL NOT RESULT IN MORE DETAILS THAN WHAT YOU READ HERE

 

[Woketman]

But you failed to absorb the obvious: They did not even have ANY idea WHAT SO EVER that there was to be ANY ground harness recall IN ANY WAY at ALL!!!! That was my point! That my local dealership is without clue!!!

This worries me......

 

[Ignacio]

They did not even have ANY idea WHAT SO EVER that there was to be ANY ground harness recall IN ANY WAY at ALL!!!!

This worries me......

I think you're missing it. There is NO recall yet.

Why should a dealer know about "intent to recall" when only Yamaha corporate knows about it?

This worries me that you don't see the difference.

This forum knows about it because it's our specific motorcycle model and paying extra attention. No way a dealer should be judged because they don't know about something they haven't been advised of yet.

GIve them a chance and wait until an actual recall is done!

 

[Monty]

They did not even have ANY idea WHAT SO EVER that there was to be ANY ground harness recall IN ANY WAY at ALL!!!!

This worries me......

I think you're missing it. There is NO recall yet.

Why should a dealer know about "intent to recall" when only Yamaha corporate knows about it?

This worries me that you don't see the difference.

This forum knows about it because it's our specific motorcycle model and paying extra attention. No way a dealer should be judged because they don't know about something they haven't been advised of yet.

GIve them a chance and wait until an actual recall is done!

Well, not meaning to muddy the water, however, my dealer, Waco Yamaha, called last week to inform me that he had received the letter. I can undertand where Woketman is coming from if his dealer is that stupid. Sorry.

 

[Woketman]

But what is especially worrisome is that they had a color copy of the "intent to recall" letter for the 2011 brake issue that was sent to dealers sitting there, on the desk, but they cannot in any way find the one for the wiring harness. No physical letter, no page on the web site, nothing, nada!!!! I even told the guy in the service department what the tech on the phone told me "go to the Yamaha Dealers Web, go to service tab, and it is the third item from the top".

They are devoid of clue......

 

[FJRBluesman]

WOW! I'm glad my Gen1 doesn't have that issue...

Amazing! I guess Gen2's are the best now! Clicky

When they can't get it right for 6 years... they finally give in.

Glad they offered to actually fix this.

 

[Stan_M]

You are receiving this message because you have requested to be notified if there is a safety recall regarding Vehicles from NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Please click on the following NHTSA Campaign ID links to view the recall information.

NHTSA Campaign ID Number :

​

11V338

Manufacturer :

​

YAMAHA MOTOR CORPORATION, USA

Make / Model Years :

​

YAMAHA / 2006-2009

Subject :

​

GROUND WIRE JUNCTION

Thank you,

Recalls Subscription Team

Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)

 

[Joe2Lmaker]

I wonder if I'll hear anything back from Complaint Number: 10358153

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/complaints/

I'm grateful to the members of this forum.

• The detailed descriptions of the problem posted here

• The friends I've made through the forum, one who was right there with me, 150 miles from home working on the problem... another one was on the phone, relaying the info so I could make a roadside repair.

• This forum is where I learned about Safecar.gov so I could file my complaint.

• Brodie offering his help so that I will NEVER have this problem again.

• And I am absolutely blown away by the efforts of a few who persisted and got this problem resolved.

Thanks!

 

[SkooterG]

You are receiving this message because you have requested to be notified if there is a safety recall regarding Vehicles from NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Please click on the following NHTSA Campaign ID links to view the recall information.

NHTSA Campaign ID Number :

​

11V338

Manufacturer :

​

YAMAHA MOTOR CORPORATION, USA

Make / Model Years :

​

YAMAHA / 2006-2009

Subject :

​

GROUND WIRE JUNCTION

Thank you,

Recalls Subscription Team

Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)

Good info! From the NHTSA website on this campaign:

Remedy: YAMAHA DEALER WILL INSTALL AN ADDITIONAL WIRE SUB-LEAD OR, IF THE GROUND JOINT CONNECTOR HAS ALREADY BEEN DAMAGED FROM OVERHEATING, DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW MAIN WIRE HARNESS. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JULY 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT YAMAHA AT 1-800-962-7926.

Looks like a roadrunner/brodie type deal?

 

[Joe2Lmaker]

Remedy: YAMAHA DEALER WILL INSTALL AN ADDITIONAL WIRE SUB-LEAD OR, IF THE GROUND JOINT CONNECTOR HAS ALREADY BEEN DAMAGED FROM OVERHEATING, DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW MAIN WIRE HARNESS. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JULY 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT YAMAHA AT 1-800-962-7926.

Looks like a roadrunner/brodie type deal?

"an" & "the" = singular

S4??

The remedy might fall a little short of the Brodie & RoadRunner fixes

 

[RadioHowie]

Vehicle Make / Model: Model Year(s):YAMAHA / FJR1300 2006-2009

Manufacturer: YAMAHA MOTOR CORPORATION, USA Mfr's Report Date: JUN 24, 2011

NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 11V338000

N/A

NHTSA Action Number: N/A

Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING

Potential Number of Units Affected: 9,850

Summary:

YAMAHA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2009 FJR1300 MOTORCYCLES MANUFACTURED FROM FEBRUARY 2006, THROUGH MARCH 2009. THE GROUND JOINT CONNECTOR OF THE WIRE HARNESS COULD OVERHEAT AND BECOME DEFORMED, POSSIBLY CAUSING AN INTERMITTENT GROUND WIRE CONNECTION. IF THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM IS NOT PROPERLY GROUNDED, THE IGNITION SYSTEM AND/OR OTHER ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS COULD MALFUNCTION, WHICH COULD CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STALL.

Consequence:

IF THE MOTORCYCLE STALLS WHILE BEING RIDDEN, THERE COULD BE A CRASH RESULTING IN INJURY OR DEATH.

Remedy:

YAMAHA DEALER WILL INSTALL AN ADDITIONAL WIRE SUB-LEAD OR, IF THE GROUND JOINT CONNECTOR HAS ALREADY BEEN DAMAGED FROM OVERHEATING, DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW MAIN WIRE HARNESS. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JULY 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT YAMAHA AT 1-800-962-7926.

Notes:

OWNERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV .

I emboldened something that looked interesting to me...number of units affected....seems like, from what I surmise, Yamaha only sold 9850 FJRs over a 4 year span. Doesn't look like a good reason to keep the product line going if they're only selling less than 2500 units a year.

 

[bigjimbiker]

I emboldened something that looked interesting to me...number of units affected....seems like, from what I surmise, Yamaha only sold 9850 FJRs over a 4 year span. Doesn't look like a good reason to keep the product line going if they're only selling less than 2500 units a year.

Hey Howie, did I read earlier that it was only the AE models in question?

 

[RadioHowie]

I emboldened something that looked interesting to me...number of units affected....seems like, from what I surmise, Yamaha only sold 9850 FJRs over a 4 year span. Doesn't look like a good reason to keep the product line going if they're only selling less than 2500 units a year.

Hey Howie, did I read earlier that it was only the AE models in question?

Not to MY knowledge....it apparently affects ALL Gentooz.

Figures! :devil:

 

[palerider]

Vehicle Make / Model: Model Year(s):YAMAHA / FJR1300 2006-2009

Manufacturer: YAMAHA MOTOR CORPORATION, USA Mfr's Report Date: JUN 24, 2011

NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 11V338000

N/A

NHTSA Action Number: N/A

Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING

Potential Number of Units Affected: 9,850

Summary:

YAMAHA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2009 FJR1300 MOTORCYCLES MANUFACTURED FROM FEBRUARY 2006, THROUGH MARCH 2009. THE GROUND JOINT CONNECTOR OF THE WIRE HARNESS COULD OVERHEAT AND BECOME DEFORMED, POSSIBLY CAUSING AN INTERMITTENT GROUND WIRE CONNECTION. IF THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM IS NOT PROPERLY GROUNDED, THE IGNITION SYSTEM AND/OR OTHER ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS COULD MALFUNCTION, WHICH COULD CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STALL.

Consequence:

IF THE MOTORCYCLE STALLS WHILE BEING RIDDEN, THERE COULD BE A CRASH RESULTING IN INJURY OR DEATH.

Remedy:

YAMAHA DEALER WILL INSTALL AN ADDITIONAL WIRE SUB-LEAD OR, IF THE GROUND JOINT CONNECTOR HAS ALREADY BEEN DAMAGED FROM OVERHEATING, DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW MAIN WIRE HARNESS. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JULY 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT YAMAHA AT 1-800-962-7926.

Notes:

OWNERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV .

I emboldened something that looked interesting to me...number of units affected....seems like, from what I surmise, Yamaha only sold 9850 FJRs over a 4 year span. Doesn't look like a good reason to keep the product line going if they're only selling less than 2500 units a year.

I'm assuming this number represents only US and Canadian sales, not world-wide numbers.

 

[frito1]

I'm assuming this number represents only US and Canadian sales, not world-wide numbers.

I bet you're right.

 

[palerider]

I'm assuming this number represents only US and Canadian sales, not world-wide numbers.

I bet you're right.

You may be right. I included Canada because I know Canada is also requiring a recall, but since it's an NHTSA recall notice, there's really no reason for it to include Canadian numbers.

We'll have to wait until someone posts the Canadian version of the recall notice to see how many bikes were sold in Canada during the same perios.

 

[Woketman]

Anyone know for certain the actual FJRs produced by year by Yammy? Interesting to know, even if off topic.....