I think I have had it with Dealers

[snakebitten]

Re: I think I have had it with Yamaha Dealers

I am sympathetic to the aggravation, but leaking fork seals are not a guarantee on a Tenere just because it's ridden offroad. Lots of beat-on Teneres have enjoyed flawless fork seals.

Admittedly, mine have been changed 3 times in 40,000 miles. But they were changed as maintenance measures. They have never leaked. And I don't have a reputation of even cleaning my bike.

And concerning that amazing 2015 GSA, (it IS an amazing machine) 7.5K miles hardly represents any guarantee that it will be as reliable and trouble free as a 2015 Tenere.
It might! But odds are not in its favor.

 

[Don in Lodi]

Re: I think I have had it with Yamaha Dealers

My '12 looked like that. Messy. Brakes kept working. Just over 40k though, rather than 4k. Have warranty left, didn't even think about it though. Wear item, my fault, blah blah. They went out for a re-spring and refurbish. Good to go.

 

[snakebitten]

Re: I think I have had it with Yamaha Dealers

Man I love trikepilot's bike. ::26::

 

[Tengai]

Re: I think I have had it with Yamaha Dealers

One of my seals starting leaking quite badly on my Superten, it took me 3 tries with hook like tool I made myself from a plastic milk jug.
The third time once I got the tool under the seal I also sprayed Wd40 under the seal at the same time to hope fully wash out the offending dirt. The third time was the charm, no more leak.

 

[squarebore]

I think I have had it with Yamaha Dealers

I treat fork seals like flat tyres. You can go thousand of miles without a flat then have three in a month. I replaced fork seals on the yz450f and had to them two weeks later. Then no issue for another 3 years.

 

[Checkswrecks]

Re: I think I have had it with Yamaha Dealers

This is my own summary of what it sounds like:


1. Shrek is not getting the Yamaha dealer responses he thinks that he should. That's subjective and kinda like describing a flavor, so what works for me might not work for another person. I had a Triumph and liked the bike, but sold it after the dealer dropped Trumpet and I had to order everything online.


2. Shrek has leaking fork seals.


First off, if I were Shrek, I'd be frustrated too because he has said a couple of times that he HAS ALREADY done what people keep telling him to do, in swiping with a SealMate or similar home-made tool. Maybe he did it right and maybe his technique isn't perfect, but he believes he did it right and none of us were there.


From a technical perspective, leaking upside down seals has nothing to do with the brand and this could be a brand new BMW R1200R which also has upside down forks.


Some people have this happen regularly, and others haven't had a leak in tens of thousands of miles. It doesn't matter if you wash the bike each outing, either. I'm going to jinx myself by saying that I'm going on 45,000 miles, occasionally wipe the fork tubes with a cloth but virtually never wash the bike, and have yet to have a sea leak on this bike. (Had it on others and agree with Squarebore that it's a bit like flat tires.)
btw - If you are in a place where the road surface is more of a tar and chip than hardened old asphalt, that black crud can adhere to a nice clean fork tube and get beneath or tear up the seals even if the bike is clean and brand new. About the only defense is something like Shok Sox.


Also from a tech perspective, seals being wear items means that unless the dealer wants to be nice at his own expense, I'm not sure how this one aspect is a strike against a dealer, again be it BMW, Yamaha, or anybody else. But it could be just one more stone on a pile that goes back to my first point about dealer responses.


3. All that said, motorcycles are emotion machines. If the emotion isn't there for a bike or a dealer, fare thee well, and we hope to see you down the road - happy on whatever blows your skirt up.

 

[Spaggy]

Re: I think I have had it with Yamaha Dealers

The one thing I got out of this thread is how important a good dealer is, and how much it hurts a brand to have a bad dealer. This is the main reason I went from a BMW (that had its issues but I loved it anyway) to a Super Tenere. Glad I flipped and not looking back. BTW, +1 on the sealmate.

 

[arjayes]

Re: I think I have had it with Yamaha Dealers

This is my own summary of what it sounds like:


1. Shrek is not getting the Yamaha dealer responses he thinks that he should. That's subjective and kinda like describing a flavor, so what works for me might not work for another person. I had a Triumph and liked the bike, but sold it after the dealer dropped Trumpet and I had to order everything online.


2. Shrek has leaking fork seals.


First off, if I were Shrek, I'd be frustrated too because he has said a couple of times that he HAS ALREADY done what people keep telling him to do, in swiping with a SealMate or similar home-made tool. Maybe he did it right and maybe his technique isn't perfect, but he believes he did it right and none of us were there.


From a technical perspective, leaking upside down seals has nothing to do with the brand and this could be a brand new BMW R1200R which also has upside down forks.


Some people have this happen regularly, and others haven't had a leak in tens of thousands of miles. It doesn't matter if you wash the bike each outing, either. I'm going to jinx myself by saying that I'm going on 45,000 miles, occasionally wipe the fork tubes with a cloth but virtually never wash the bike, and have yet to have a sea leak on this bike. (Had it on others and agree with Squarebore that it's a bit like flat tires.)
btw - If you are in a place where the road surface is more of a tar and chip than hardened old asphalt, that black crud can adhere to a nice clean fork tube and get beneath or tear up the seals even if the bike is clean and brand new. About the only defense is something like Shok Sox.


Also from a tech perspective, seals being wear items means that unless the dealer wants to be nice at his own expense, I'm not sure how this one aspect is a strike against a dealer, again be it BMW, Yamaha, or anybody else. But it could be just one more stone on a pile that goes back to my first point about dealer responses.


3. All that said, motorcycles are emotion machines. If the emotion isn't there for a bike or a dealer, fare thee well, and we hope to see you down the road - happy on whatever blows your skirt up.

You surprised me here, Checkswrecks. Judging from from your history I wouldn't have thought you would be sympathetic to Shrek's cause. Are you just in a charitable mood this morning?

I think Shrek is way overreacting to a very minor issue, especially after 40 years of riding. I'm not a psychologist (thank God!), but my guess is there's something else going on with Shrek and the leaky seals just gave him something to vent about. Like maybe he's just not happy with the bike and is looking for a reason to dump it.

Sorry to talk about you like you're not in the room, Shrek. Whatever is bugging you I hope you work it out. As for the seals, my unsolicited advice is to just clean or replace them and move on. Save your energy and whatever goodwill you have left with the Yami dealers for when something serious goes wrong.

 

[limey]

Re: I think I have had it with Yamaha Dealers

Nah, yami dropped the ball not putting sufficient protection on its seals out of the box. Had I planned on riding more dirt it is something that would have concerned me.
http://supertenere1200.com/2011/09/18/protecting-your-fork-seals/

They also dropped the ball with crapy engine protection, skid plate, luggage rack and so on. I dumped my 2012 before I went with Altrider bars and skid plate and did some minor damage to the right side and Yamaha refused to cover it under warranty. Damaged my exhaust header pipe because of Yamaha's crapy skid plate. Boy was I pissed of when they refused my warranty request. ::021::

 

[Big Blu]

Re: I think I have had it with Yamaha Dealers

...And you still hang around here why?

... why not?

Paul

 

[AVGeek]

Re: I think I have had it with Yamaha Dealers

I can see Shrek's point on this, which I think the majority has missed. The fact that the fork seals are the issue are irrelevant, it's the response of the dealers that has him concerned. I've been working in "customer service" since I was 14 years old, and rule #1 has always been that the customer is always right. In this time of cheap parts being available via a few mouse clicks and worldwide shipping, differentiating your business from the others is crucial to longevity. I would like to see Yamaha hold its dealers more accountable, because even though they are independent businesses, they are the face of Yamaha, especially here in the US.

 

[fredz43]

Re: I think I have had it with Yamaha Dealers

My experience is that there are very good dealers of any brand as well as not so good dealers, so you can't paint them all with the same brush. If you find a very good one, do all of your business there to help them stay in business. In my case, I have dealt with Niehaus Cycles in IL since my first new Yamaha in 1973. They also handle Hondas, which I rode for years and they have taken very good care of me over those years. Example, while others have been denied warranty repairs on CCT's and fork seals on their S10's, my dealer took care of these under YES with no questions asked. If shrek has less than what he expects from his local dealers and doesn't want to ride the distance to the one dealer who will take care of his warranty claim, it would seem reasonable for him to search for a brand and dealer that meets his expectations and support that dealer. If that happens to be BMW or any other brand, it makes no difference to me what he rides, as that is his personal decision and he will have to live with it.

 

[shrekonwheels]

Re: I think I have had it with Yamaha Dealers

I have zero intention of staying in this area. Furthermore I purchased the Tenere on the assumption there would be dealer support wherever I traveled.

No point in having dealers if you cannot use the damn thing. There is even less reason to purchase a new motorcycle and be tossed to the curb once it is out the door.

Apparently the 21st century has the harley attitude of old "Have wrench will travel"

 

[Doug C]

Re: I think I have had it with Yamaha Dealers

There is a difference between dealer support and manufacturers support. The dealer is in it to make a dollar. Either past,present or future. I have no idea how much the dealer would expect to recover from the manufacturer on a warranty defect like this but I don't imagine it would cover fully all their costs. If they had sold a customer several bikes over a few years and made some money on parts and service likely goodwill would make a difference. Parts are readily available the leaks can be fixed quickly, its just a question of who pays.

 

[TXTenere]

Re: I think I have had it with Yamaha Dealers

IF I buy new again, which is Unlikely, BMW will get hte Nod, if not I will simply go back to a bike I can do absolutely everything myself such as the KLR and build the motor and suspension for two up.

You may be interested in knowing that about four years ago, I was in an identical situation as you with my (then four months new) 2011 BMW R1200RT. I had two blown fork seals with 4,000 miles on the odometer. When I called the local BMW dealer to schedule the bike in for replacement, they immediately advised me that the fork seals would not be covered under warranty, as they are a wear item.

 

[Checkswrecks]

Re: I think I have had it with Yamaha Dealers

There is a difference between dealer support and manufacturers support. The dealer is in it to make a dollar. Either past,present or future. I have no idea how much the dealer would expect to recover from the manufacturer on a warranty defect like this but I don't imagine it would cover fully all their costs. If they had sold a customer several bikes over a few years and made some money on parts and service likely goodwill would make a difference. Parts are readily available the leaks can be fixed quickly, its just a question of who pays.

Totally agree with you on this.

 

[Checkswrecks]

Re: I think I have had it with Yamaha Dealers

You surprised me here, Checkswrecks. Judging from from your history I wouldn't have thought you would be sympathetic to Shrek's cause. Are you just in a charitable mood this morning?

I think Shrek is way overreacting to a very minor issue, especially after 40 years of riding. I'm not a psychologist (thank God!), but my guess is there's something else going on with Shrek and the leaky seals just gave him something to vent about. Like maybe he's just not happy with the bike and is looking for a reason to dump it.

Sorry to talk about you like you're not in the room, Shrek. Whatever is bugging you I hope you work it out. As for the seals, my unsolicited advice is to just clean or replace them and move on. Save your energy and whatever goodwill you have left with the Yami dealers for when something serious goes wrong.

LOL


I wasn't being charitable at all, just trying to stay understanding and separate the tech from the emotional and subjective portion. I pointed out that technically, seals leak and shit happens, even for Mama Yama, which has a great record for less problems. So no support for Shrek on the first point.


But I had two other points. One was about people trying to tell Shrek to do what he already did. We weren't there and HE is satisfied he took that step, so who are we to say anything more?


My third point was that Shrek strongly seems to be making an emotional case and our emotions are part of who we are. We interact with individual dealers and their regional reps, and just as with every brand, most are good and some of each stink. If some other bike or path makes you happy and you can make the change responsibly, why stay miserable?


I'll tack on that even if one of us switches brands, we've grown into a good group here, so consider sticking around like a few others already have.

 

[Expflier]

Re: I think I have had it with Yamaha Dealers

There is a difference between dealer support and manufacturers support.

This is a true statement of all manufactures found it out the hard way from dealing with Chrysler Corp for over a year now with my Dodge diesel. Like you Shrek I had to drive 180 miles to buy my bike even thou I have two Yamaha dealers within 30 minutes of my house - neither had a tenere or wanted to order one. Unfortuately for me neither of them has a good Yamaha mechanic so if I ever have anything major I know I will be trailering it back to the original dealership. I can understand your frustration but at least you have one dealership that is willing to work with you on it.

 

[Curt]

Re: I think I have had it with Yamaha Dealers

I've had a few seal leaks between the Tenere and my dirt bikes, and Seal Mate has always resolved it. I wonder how many thousands of forks get removed and disassembled unnecessarily. Sorry to repeat others, but I have a hard time imagining how a relatively young fork seal can really get damaged.

Seal Mate has a hook shape, and one has to work it as if to fish out some invisible grit. It did take some 4 or 5 tries on the Tenere. I had to push it in further than I would have thought and go around several times.

 

[shrekonwheels]

Re: I think I have had it with Yamaha Dealers

I need a dollar for every time someone tells me to clean my seals. ::002::

This is a true statement of all manufactures found it out the hard way from dealing with Chrysler Corp for over a year now with my Dodge diesel. Like you Shrek I had to drive 180 miles to buy my bike even thou I have two Yamaha dealers within 30 minutes of my house - neither had a tenere or wanted to order one. Unfortuately for me neither of them has a good Yamaha mechanic so if I ever have anything major I know I will be trailering it back to the original dealership. I can understand your frustration but at least you have one dealership that is willing to work with you on it.

lol are you in Montana? The Tenere when I bought mine was damned near a mythical Legend around these parts, most still do not know what it is. ::007::

I am saddened that so many people on this forum have had such crappy customer service over the years, they expect so little.

It is odd that those I know in person, most of whom have wrenching experience feel the same way as I do.