NHTSA complaint: 2003 YAMAHA YAMAHA — POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
1. THE MOTORCYCLE, SINCE SHORTLY AFTER I PURCHASED IT NEW, HAD A QUIRKY CLUTCH THAT WOULD SOMETIMES ENGAGE AND DISENGAGE UNPREDICTABLY. IT WAS ADJUSTED AT INITIAL 600 MILE SERVICE AND WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THIS WAS NORMAL BEHAVIOR FOR THE CLUTCH. 2. THE CLUTCH WOULD BE MOSTLY ENGAGED WHEN THE ENGINE WAS COLD AND IN GEAR. ALLOWING THE ENGINE TO WARM WITH THE TRANSMISSION IN NEUTRAL ALLEVIATED THIS. TWICE THE CLUTCH FAILED TO DISENGAGE. THE FIRST RESULTED IN A SKID AND THE SECOND RESULTED IN A CRASH. 3. AN UNIDENTIFIED PART WAS FOUND IN THE CLUTCH BASKET OF THE MOTORCYCLE. IT WAS STEEL, APPROXIMATELY 0.5" IN DIAMETER, ROUNDED, AND WITH A LIP AT THE EDGE. THIS PART WAS NOT SHOWN ON ANY EXPLODED DIAGRAMS, SO IT WAS REMOVED. THE CLUTCH PLATES SHOW SIGNS OF WARPAGE, AND NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE CLUTCH BASKET SHOWS SIGNS OF DAMAGE, AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. PARTS DAMAGED IN THE CRASH NEED TO BE REPLACED. *TR
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation