WORD FROM YAMAHA ....KEY SHEARING

[xr600r]

Has anybody talked to anybody from yamaha as to wether or not their saying this is is a real problem.....i'd really like to get to the bottom of this before i'm 20 miles out in the woods with a dead bike. ?

[ddialogue]

I'm sure Yamaha isn't going to admit to anything, just like with the grabby clutch issue. They have provided a fix for the clutch, though and the fix for the woodruff key issue is to loosen and re-torque the flywheel nut to 47ft-lbs and go ride! Everyone that has done this (including myself and my bro-in-law) haven't had this happen. I haven't heard of anyone re-shearing the key after having it repaired. Good luck!

[adamwagar]

I asked the guys at Extreme Powersports and they said Yamaha has not issued any recalls or service bullitins. I guess Yamaha "Officially" has no woodruff key problem???

If I get stranded out in the middle of BFE, I'm going to be "Officially" PISSED!!! ?

[ddialogue]

Adam,

Get your bike broken in yet? What are your impressions? Mine's in the shop for the shifting problem and getting the clutch kit installed to fix the grabbiness.

[xr600r]

shifting problem ??????? what shifting problem ??????????

:D ? :D :D :D

[adamwagar]

Dave I got you PM thanks. Finally have it. Only problem I have is the three feet of snow here in beautiful Northern Lower Michigan. Going to be April before I can ride. Gives me time to set it up. Hope by then all the glitches are worked out, as my 30 day warranty will be useless.

[DennisT450]

I called my dealer who inturn called yamaha. Yamaha told him that there was some isolated cases of the flywheel torque. They suggested that the dealers check them before they sold them. I was told to bring mine back and they would check it. Mine was fine.

[ddialogue]

xr600r,

Yes, my WR450 has a problem with the shifter sticking when shifting down from any gear. I can tap it with my foot and it will return to center like it should but it won't do it on it's own. I'm still waiting to hear back from the dealer on what the problem is. It did it right from break-in and I was hoping it just needed the oil changed. Nope. Oh well. At least the woodruff key wasn't an issue for me. ?

[foursmoke]

Told my Dealer about possible incorrect torque setting on flywheel.They were not willing to even check it for my own peace of mind.So I will check it myself when I have time & buy a torque wrench.Can I get a good one at sears?

[00 DRZ400E- sold 2/2/03

03 WR450f-Picked up Tues.,14" of snow on Wed. Pissed on Sun.Have not rode yet :mad:color:blue]

[xr600r]

about 5 years ago i used to use a beam type torque wrench,

then i snapped off a triple clamp bolt on my xr....then i went to sears and bought the best one the had. ?

[BEAN329]

buy one that clicks, no guess work at all. TIFM

[Storch]

Just picked up my WR450 in Dallas the day the shuttle crashed.

Asked the shop about the flywheel torque issue and he knew nothing about it. 10 minutes later he had the info from Yamaha and torqued it per the new spec. Service manual with the bike had a service notice for the same.

[Alabama_Rider]

It looks like the problems I referred to in January under the heading "BAD NEWS FOR WR450F" ? have all come to be true. The only difference is that instead of holding the bikes back and doing the repairs in house, Yamaha shipped em. Now its the buyer and the dealers problem....

[IceBox]

Did you have a custom made pot stirring stick? You are just too good at it!

Give me a break, retorque a nut, whoopty fricken doo!

[beezer]

I ain't saying a word!

[WR450F_RDR]

Been riding mine since Jan 31 no problems with key shearing, grabbie clutches or shifting problems. the only problem I have is keeping the rear end hooked up in the mud, but working on that as we speak. ?

[neWRiver]

It looks like the problems I referred to in January under the heading "BAD NEWS FOR WR450F" have all come to be true. The only difference is that instead of holding the bikes back and doing the repairs in house, Yamaha shipped em. Now its the buyer and the dealers problem....

Let's not go down that road again. Please stay on topic. The issue being discussed is how Yamaha is handling the woodruff key problem not whether or not they are going to hold production.

Sounds like a minor service issue and so far all indications seem to point to making sure that your dealer is aware of the possible issue and that Yamaha may have a pre-delivery service item to be performed by the dealer. It would seem to be a simple matter to address this with your dealer before taking delivery. If you've already taken delivery it still should be a pretty straight forward matter to get the dealer to follow up on this for you.

This is important info, so please withhold speculation and let's share the facts we actually know.

?

[huskyrider]

Foursmoke, sounds like your dealers attitude toward service leaves a lot to be desired. If I had just dropped the coin on a new bike and heard about these things I'd of demanded that he checked for the proper torque. If he refused I'd of called Yamaha USA and snitched him out. This sounds to me like a legitimate concern and they're aware of it. They would probably be willing to pay another dealer the price of checking torque as opposed to paying for the entire fix after it might have sheared. BTW, a clicker torque wrench is the only way to go.

Storch, sounds like you've got a good dealer.

Alabama Rider, if your waiting for the bugs to be worked out of a new motorcycle you'd be better served waiting until the second year run of the bike. They always address little things like these in the 2nd production run. I don't see how practical it would be to ship (already behind delivery) motorcycles back to Japan, or break open hundreds of crates to perform the repairs prior to delivery at the dealer.

Give your dealer the test at delivery and see how he responds. I hope you've got a good dealer like Storch's.

We don't have to worry about you keeping us posted.

I have the utmost in confidence that you will.