2006 Yamaha FJR1300A

SITTING ON MOTORCYCLE, STARTED MOTOR, BACKED OUT OF GARAGE, PUT KICKSTAND UP AND MOTOR DIED. TRIED TO RESTART, BUT NOTHING WORKED; NO LIGHTS, NO HORN, NO INFORMATION SHOWING IN DISPLAY, NO FLASHER LIGHTS OR TURN SIGNALS. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THIS INCIDENT HAS OCCURRED. TOOK TO LOCAL MOTORCYCLE DEALER AND AFTER HAVING TO LOOK ON A MOTORCYCLE FORUM ON THE INTERNET FOUND OUT PROBLEM WAS IN ONE OF EIGHT DIFFERENT GROUND SWITCHES LOCATED IN THE WIRING HARNESS. HE CLEANED SWITCH (CANNOT REPLACE INDIVIDUAL GROUNDING SWITCHES) AND GOT BIKE RUNNING AGAIN. MECHANIC STATED IT MAY OCCUR AGAIN AT ANY TIME AND COULD OCCUR WHILE RIDING. ACCORDING TO THE PARTICULAR MOTORCYCLE FORUM, SOME PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS OCCUR WHILE RIDING AT FREEWAY SPEEDS. IT SEEMS TO BE COMMON TO MY PARTICULAR MAKE AND MODEL OF MOTORCYCLE. THIS COULD BE A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE; THE MANUFACTURER SEEMS TO KNOW ABOUT THE ISSUE BUT HAS DONE NOTHING PUBLICLY TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM OR ADVISE OWNERS THE PROBLEM EXISTS. *TR

INVESTIGATION OF KNOWN ISSUE WITH OTHER YAMAHA FJR1300S. SPIDER GROUND #4, "S4" SHOWED SIGNS OF A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR IN THE WIRING HARNESS DUE TO OVERHEATING. CONNECTOR IS MELTED AND CORROSION IS PRESENT. FINDING THIS MELTED CONNECTOR BEFORE RIDING THE MOTORCYCLE PRECLUDED FAILURE OF THE CONNECTOR WHILE IN MOTION. NO ACCIDENT OCCURRED. I INSTALLED A 'GROUND SHUNT' WIRING HARNESS THAT I MADE TO RE-ROUTE THE GROUND CONNECTORS AWAY FROM THE FACTORY HARNESS WHICH IS OF POOR DESIGN, AND OF WIRE GAUGE SIZE TOO SMALL FOR THE POSSIBLE AMPERAGE OF THE CIRCUIT. MELTED CONNECTOR AND COMMON GROUND INSERT ARE AVAILABLE. *TR

GROUND SPIDER FAILURE. 2006 FJR1300 WITH 30,880 MILES ON THE CLOCK, BOUGHT IT USED FROM A LOCAL HONDA DEALER ON 4/8/10. STARTED NOTICING WEIRD HICCUPS LESS THAN A MONTH AFTER I BOUGHT IT. I FIRST STARTED TO NOTICE PROBLEMS ON THE WAY HOME FROM DEALS GAP, NC WHILE SITTING IN 98 DEGREE RUSH HOUR LOUISVILLE TRAFFIC. BIKE DIED ON ME: TURN SIGNAL INDICATORS LIT UP, GAS GAUGE FLASHED, WINDSHIELD STAYED PUT, NO HEADLIGHT OR TAILLIGHT, NO STARTER BUTTON, NO FANS, NO HORN. PUSHED BIKE TO SIDE OF ROAD AND FIDDLED WITH IT FOR A FEW MINUTES, THINKING IT HAD JUST OVERHEATED. AFTER A FEW MINUTES OF SITTING AROUND, IT FIRED RIGHT UP. THIS PATTERN HAPPENED TO ME EVERYDAY FOR ABOUT A MONTH. DECIDED TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER WHEN THE BIKE DIED ON ME IN A LOW SPEED, PUCKER-INDUCING TURN WITH MY FIANCEE ON THE BACK. DEALER SPENT 7 HOURS OF LABOR TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. HAD THE CHOICE OF REPLACING THE ENTIRE WIRING HARNESS ($$$$) OR CHANGING AND REWIRING THE GROUNDING BLOCK FOR FREE. I CHOSE OPTION #2. THANK YOU DREYER HONDA FOR PAYING DREYER YAMAHA'S LABOR TO CORRECT THIS ISSUE! IT IS A REAL SAFETY HAZARD THAT SHOULD DEFINITELY BE A RECALL FROM YAMAHA. AS A RESULT OF THIS ISSUE, I WAS STRANDED IN TRAFFIC 8 TIMES, DEAD ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TWICE, AND NEARLY WRECKED IN A TURN WITH A PASSENGER DUE TO THE POWER CUTTING OUT. *TR

THIS FAILURE OCCURRED ON A 2006 YAMAHA FJR1300A MODEL. AFTER RIDING MOTORCYCLE FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS I STOPPED FOR A MEAL BREAK. WHEN I TRIED TO START MOTORCYCLE IT WOULD NOT RESTART. INSTRUMENTS WERE FLASHING INDICATING AN ELECTRICAL ERROR. MOTORCYCLE NEEDED TO BE TRAILER HOME. UPON INSPECTION BY AN AUTHORIZED YAMAHA DEALER IT WAS FOUND TO HAVE AN OVERHEATED, MELTING, GROUND JUNCTION IN THE MAIN WIRING HARNESS. YAMAHA CORP. AUTHORIZED A REPLACEMENT OF THE MAIN WIRING HARNESS UNDER MY EXTENDED WARRANTY. IF THIS HAD OCCURRED WHILE THE MOTORCYCLE WAS UNDER POWER THE ENGINE WOULD HAVE SHUT DOWN POTENTIALLY CAUSING INJURY OR DEATH. *TR

YAMAHA FJR MOTORCYCLE. MOTORCYCLE ENGINE WILL NOT CRANK OR START. PROBLEM WAS FOUND TO BE A DEFECTIVE ELECTRICAL GROUND SPLICE LOCATED NEAR THE LEFT FRONT UPPER CORNER OF THE ENGINE. INSPECTION REVEALED THE ELECTRICAL GROUND, GROUP SPLICE HAD OVERHEATED AND BURNT WITH ASSOCIATED BURNT WIRES. THIS MOTORCYCLE HAS SEVERAL OF THESE TYPES OF ELECTRICAL GROUND SPLICES AND THERE HAVE BEEN INTERNET REPORTS OF MANY FAILURES, NOT ALL OF THEM THE SAME SPLICE I HAD A PROBLEM WITH. THE POTENTIAL DANGER IS AN ENGINE STALL OUT AND OR NUMEROUS ELECTRICAL FAILURES AT ONCE. THE OTHER POTENTIAL DANGER IS OF AN ELECTRICAL FIRE UNDER THE GAS TANK DUE TO THE MELTED AND BURNT WIRES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS FAILURE. *TR

MAKING A RIGHT HAND TURN ON MY 2006 YAMAHA FJR -1300A AND THE BIKE DIED WHILE IN MID TURN. THE START BUTTON WOULD NOT WORK, THE LIGHTS WERE ON, EVEN THOUGH THE KEY WAS TURNED OFF. WHEN THE IGNITION SWITCH WAS TURNED ON, THE GAUGES WERE ERRATIC. I TOOK THE BIKE APART ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO TRY AND LOCATE THE PROBLEM. I FOUND A BURNED GROUNDING CONNECTOR. APPARENTLY YAMAHA FEEDS 5 18 GAUGE WIRES INTO A CONNECTOR WITH ONE 18 GAUGE WIRE COMING OUT TO GROUND. THERE ARE SIX OR SEVEN CONNECTIONS LIKE THIS IN THE WIRING HARNESS. CLEANING THE CONNECTIONS WAS A TEMPORARY FIX TO GET ME HOME. I AM NOW LOOKING FOR A BETTER FIX THAT WILL BE PERMANENT. HAD THIS HAPPENED AT SPEED IN THE MOUNTAINS, THE RESULTS COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE. *TR