Hey Guys of Gearbox failures! I was one of the first guys to reply back in May about my 426 failing 4th pinion gear. Well, you can go back and read what I wrote, but I brought my bike to a race shop instead of a Yamaha dealer since the dealers were so backed up with work. Well, after I let Yamaha Consumer Affairs know this, they told me that they wouldn't even consider any replacement parts or labor reimbursement. Well, after waiting two months for the gear since it was back ordered, I finally got the bike back together by Aug. 1st. Two months and 800.00 later, my bike is for sale. I'm extremely disapointed with Yamaha and it's stance to ignore any major problem. Well, a friend of mine with a 2000 YZ 250, just failed 4th gear (same part number as the 426). I'd say that Yamaha better come clean and offer some explanation or things will get ugly. I would like to begin a forum for everyone that has had gearbox failures or knows of anyone that has. Does anyone have a good suggestion how we should start this? I can be reached at the e-mail address:

Ziggieg@aol.com

Thanks for reading and sorry to other 426 gearbox victims.

P.S.- Apparently, Yamaha states that the Clutch baskets will fail in 1% of total 426's produced. That means that 50 out of 5000 will fail. Well, I swear that many more than 50 have failed and someone should begin a forum for this too. These two problems need to be addressed by Yamaha Corp. and with enough pressure, we may be able to get some results. Thanks for listening.

Daveyg

Daveyg here again. My suggestion is this:

Let's open the site "www.426forum.com" and begin a movement against Yamaha Corp. to stand behind their defective products. Any web designers out there willing to help? I will register it if I can get some people to help develop and support it. Thanks.

Daveyg

Tell your friend not to make the same mistake you made and call Yamaha first.

People, If your bike is out of Warranty and it fails, Yamaha owes you nothing. The only reason they want to help you, is to keep you buying Yamahas, so if you aren't spending your money at the Yamaha dealer in Bikes, Parts and Accessories, they aren't going to help you. It doesn't sound right but, think about it. If I'm selling you a bike and you have a problem and you say, "I'm gonna sell this piece of crap and buy a Honda." why would they want to help you.

Good point Derwwod,
I think that Yamaha should only help You if You go to a Yamaha dealer.....
Please read my note under the topic "gear box doctor" to help prevent gearbox crashes in the future.

Numpsy

Hi!

I'm in the same group... it seems some European models (including mine) sufer the same problem.

Mine is a little worse because, after all, the gear bits scratched the Piston and Cilynder and the Crankshaft...

I think it was the 4th gear wheel (the most damaged) but there were some more damaged gears (maybe because of the 4th...).

I'm still waiting for my dealer news...

Let's see what happens.

(S.M.)
Portugal - Europe
s_m_c_m@hotmail.com

Derwood,

You sound like a Yamaha rep. I'm sorry you feel like Yamaha owes me or anyone else nothing, but I spent over 8000.00 on my 426 to get it race ready (Hinson, Upper Triple, suspension, etc..). Considering I change the oil religiously after every two rides along with the filter, the gearbox still fails? Sorry, but I'm the one that spent 800.00 on repairs and waited two months for my bike, not you. And to add to your point about switching to Honda's, I said that in a previous posting since the last Honda I bought wasted a cylinder after 3 months on the race circuit. Honda replaced everything, no charge, no quesions, and it wasn't contigent upon whether the dealer took the friggen bolts out of the cylinder to pull it off. The fact is that my gearbox failed regardless of whether or not another shop dismantled the bike. Also, this isn't about how much money you spend with Yamaha. This is about Yamaha standing behind their defective products....so please don't say, "Yea, if Yamaha knows that you are going to spend more money with them, they will help you..." BS. Your obviously affiliated with Yamaha. All Yamaha is doing is protecting their repuation, but that is turning a shade of brown due to all of these clutch and gearbox failures. So, yes, I will switch to Honda if Yamaha wants to take the stance they are insisting upon.

Also, I am still open to beginning a forum for anyone interested.

Daveyg

Daveyg,

I do not work for Yamaha. If someone came to you and gave you a $800.00 dollar bill and asked you to pay up, would you? Do you send off $800.00 dollars to the phone company without seeing a bill? If they can't see what failed and what caused it, which they could if you had gone to a Yamaha dealer, you might have had that bill paid. If the gearboxes continue to fail they will probably start paying for the repair.

Look the point is, it's their checkbook, call them first and find out what you should do!

I would be very pissed if I was in your shoes. I just had my Banshee stolen and was ready to kill someone when I heard, "Oh that's not covered!" After I calmed down and made a lot of calls and talked to everyone I could they covered it. I'm still out some money, but I got something.

Lastly, What kind of customer matters greatly! You got lucky with the Honda, (must have been a "Known" problem." Manufactures like to keep their money and their customers.

This was not a personal attack, just trying to help. Please read my post under, "BROKE MY YZ426 GEAR BOX !!!!" This might help you!

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Derwood,
trapped in IL.
I've escaped! I'm heading back to Cali and beautiful Jawbone and Glamis......
99YZ400

Derwood,

Listen. I don't think your comments are helping anyone. Obviously if I just sent an 800.00 bill to Yamaha they surely wouldn't pay it. Hey, common sense right? I called Yamaha right after the motor was dismantled and they told me "sorry". If they said, send us the parts, send us the motor, or bring it to a Yamaha dealer, I would have in a heartbeat. Their conclusion was based upon policy and that isn't right, I don't care who you are. I think your assuming that I would just call up Yamaha and say, "Hey guys, I have this bill for a broken gearbox that I want you to pay for." I have better things to do, like ride my 426. No one takes apart 426 motors for fun. Any Yamaha manager that talked to me knows that I was very serious and they should have taken steps to check out the situation. It was their nonchalant attitude to my plea that really bugs me. They didn't care enough to even take any steps to keep my business, to keep their customers satisfied, and to use positive public relation policies. So, I have learned a lession here. Don't do business with companies that don't stand behind their products 100%. I may be one that slipped through the cracks, but my brother has a 426, and so do about 5 of my friends. When they heard how Yamaha treated me, how long it took to get the parts (2 Months) and that I'm now hearing similar noises, they are very skeptical of keeping their bikes for the next season. Everyone I know has changed to a Hinson Basket and has to keep an extra ear open for strange noises. Along with my friend that just failed 4th gear in his new 250, that doesn't help either since it was the same part number.
Truthfully, the failures that I'm talking about here are not only possible defects in their products, but could pose a very serious risk to any racer that hits the big 60 foot double and comes down with a locked up motor. It can happen and would have happened to me if I was able to make two more turns before my motor crapped out.

I'm sorry that your Banshee was stolen and I feel for you. I had my mountain bike stolen back in Feb. and luckily homeowners Ins. covered it. If your Banshee failed 4th gear after owning it for 2 months and Yamaha laughed at you, then I think your rage would be more of regret for buying a Yamaha. Enough said. Thanks for your comments, but my message was really intended for those that feel what I feel, and that's betrayal by a company that should have done something to keep a paying customer, regardless of whether Yamaha took it apart or Bugs Bunny.

Dave,

I'm sorry you feel the way you do. I'm not here to "Calm anyones nerves." I'm trying to inform you and your friends on what they need to do to get help from Yamaha. If you couldn't find a Yamaha dealer to help you, you shouldv'e called Consumer Affairs right then. I couldn't find a dealer willing to take my money for servicing my YZ, it took six calls to find a dealer to work on it, and the dealer was 40 miles away, but they wanted my money and my business.

As far as the part issue. If Yamaha bulit 10,000 bikes they might have made 10,015 4th gear assy's. So when you come along and order the 16th, bam Backorder. Now they have to go back to their supplier and say, "I need 100 more" The supplier is in the middle of making a 2 million piece order for Honda and they tell Yamaha, we'll get to it when we can.

I was just trying to provide some insight into the goings on at a manufacture and why you were/are having trouble.

As far as the Banshee goes, it's a piece of crap and Yamaha knows it, they haven't sunk a dime into the bike since 1987, but because Honda is to scared to make a real Quad. I will continue to buy it and love it!!!!!!

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Derwood,
trapped in IL.
I've escaped! I'm heading back to Cali and beautiful Jawbone and Glamis......
99YZ400

WE are now deep; something has occurred to me while reading all of these gearbox postings that is probably quite obvious to most. TIME! Some of the difference in the responses from the manufacturers is the amount of time that they have had to decide on or modify their "policy". Some of you maybe read my post on the older YZ crank problem, I have had some experience with this defective (and I believe that is what it is when it is so common)parts problems, and it Bites. We, YES WE, are dealing with 2nd tier politicians here. For example: the Firestone/Bridgestone tire situation. Recent news tends to indicate that Firestone new about the problem UH, just a little while before they decided to do anything about it. YA that is more of a life threatening issue but the common denominator is still Customers and MONEY. Again, MONEY! WE all need to stick together on this one, spend a minute and go out on a limb for a fellow rider and tell these companies what WE think. I ride a 98 400 and an old CR and I get the willies when I think of what you guys are going through. We allready have the forum. The other web site is a great idea but a little too much of an attack in my opinion. We are here. If we group together on this one we can get them to give in to the idea that we will stick together and are more than willing to share information about who stands behind their products. Lets let them, in this case Yamaha know how we feel, and what we expect because the next time it might be you or I who is riding a Kawasaki with bad frame welds or ? Is there a Yamaha site to make ourselvs heard? Unfortunately these things take time. Yamaha replaced the lower end for me on a yz 125 that was 3 or 4 years old. Go figure. I will post whatever I can find!

I'm with you guys !!!



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(S. Mendes)
Portugal

Uplate,

I like your idea of letting Yamaha know. I first requested the separate web site to bring together Yamaha readers, but this site is already well established and I wouldn't even be apposed to talking to the administrators of ThumperTalk about how we could get a separate forum that would be for these kinds of issues. Just a thought. Thanks for your support and for understanding the plight of the unfortunate. Those of you out there that don't like this idea or you have a different opinion because your Yamaha's haven't disinigrated gears, clutches, or hubs yet, keep on riding and seek to understand before being understood.

Daveyg

I do WR conversions to YZ426 & YZ400.I have approx 15 complete YZ boxes in stock. Will be glad to dump them at retail less 50%.
E-mail braham@mweb.co.za

I'm with you guys, and I'll join the efforts in getting Yamaha to belly up to the "should have been" recalls.

I can't even get my bike to accept initial or full throttle. I took my bike back to the dealership mostly because I felt that I at least owed them the opportunity to correct the carb problem - they said "that's just how the bike runs" - which is what I expected them to say. I sent to Yamaha a registered letter and they called me back - they want me to haul my bike all over hell's half acre at my expense - I told them to have another dealer come and get it - end of discussion.

Needless to say this bike has been sitting with 3 hours on it since new in June.

Like I said, I'm with you guys.

Boomer