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LEAKY YAMAHA

On Jan. 4, 1973, I bought a new 750 Yamaha. On July 27, 1973, the casing began leaking oil. I took the bike to Hy-Jinks in Norwalk, the dealer from whom I bought it. They replaced the point seal. This did not solve my problem, since, on Nov. 7, 1973, oil was leaking.

This time they replaced the balancer, shaft ring and seal and case. Two months later there was again oil leaking from the case. I understand that the problem is created by two small holes that were drilled in the case for something else, but that Yamaha then changed its mind and sealed the holes. But the oil still leaks. Now Yamaha has a new Engine Case Kit that stops the leak. This kit came out after January 1974. I talked with someone at Yamaha International and he said that they would not fix my bike because the warranty was no longer good. However, I feel that they did not satisfactorily stop the oil leak while the bike was under warranty, which means that it will only go about 500 miles before it stops running. As a consumer, I feel that this is very unfair on Yamaha’s part. The motorcycle runs well for about 500 miles, then I have to have it cleaned up, which costs $20.95.

John Coltharp Anaheim, CA

HAPPY WITH HONDALINE

Following is a letter that we received from one of our satisfied customers. This letter is something that doesn’t happen in business often enough, so I thought that if I sent you a copy you might be able to use it in some way.

Raymond J. Papp Wonderland Sales, Inc. Livonia, Mich.

It is a very rare occasion that I find myself writing such a letter. But a recent traumatic experience has left me with such a tremendous amount of respect and appreciation for Honda Motor Co. that I would like to share it with you as my favorite Honda store.

In September I was shopping for some motocross boots in your store and Ray recommended the Hondaline boot to me. It is higher than most boots and is thoroughly reinforced. On my first trip out with the boots on my XL350, some friends and I were riding trails around West Branch, Mich. I was traveling approximately 45 mph when I hit a rise and became airborne. For some reason, while in the air, the bike’s front end came up almost vertically and turned to the right toward trees beside the trail. I decided to slide off the rear end and let the bike go.

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But apparently the forward momentum was too much and the ground kicked my foot up and into the rear spokes. The odds had to be about 100 to one against my foot doing what it did, but I was not so lucky that day. The spokes carried my foot past the rear shock, bending the shock about 30 degrees, and wedged the toes between the brake cable and frame, of course freezing the rear wheel. At the same time, this twisted me to the right and off the bike. My friends had to finish breaking the rear shock to get my foot out and we immediately removed the boot, since the pain in my foot was indescribable and I was afraid that swelling would wedge the boot on.

I was then taken to the hospital in West Branch and found that I had seven broken bones in my foot, lacerations above the top of the boot around my knee and a broken right shoulder. A serious accident to be sure. But due to the nature of the accident and the cause of injuries, the doctor was duly impressed that my injuries were not worse. He gave direct credit to the boots I had been wearing, saying that if I had worn anything less, I probably would have lost my foot. Need I say more about the Hondaline boot?

Now that I’ve had a chance to think over what happened to me, I cannot describe the respect and appreciation I have developed for the Hondaline equipment. You will see me with nothing else. And, after having been a British biker for years, my XL350 (and my wife’s SL100), have convinced me what quality is supposed to be. It seems Honda has it all.

Good luck to you and your business. But with Honda, I don’t think you’ll need it. If I can ever be of any assistance, feel free to call.

Dave Snowden Livonia, Mich.

ANTI-RD350

In the November 1974 issue you tested the Yamaha RD350 and, as usual, gave it a very favorable review. However, being the unhappy owner of a 1973 model, let me present the other side. I can tell I’m not alone. In our area the RD350 is one of the most populari?) secondhand bikes; meaning to me that they are being unloaded by their owners. Most (like mine), have only 4-5000 miles on them.

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What’s wrong? On paper and in road tests it’s a very strong bike. However, in practice it just won’t run. First, they are improperly jetted as they come from the factory. Mine runs awful between zero and one-quarter throttle. It stumbles all over itself and when the throttle is closed, it surges so bad it’s like riding a bucking horse. If the plugs were very clean (like new), it would run okay above one-quarter throttle. When I first got it, I complained to the dealer.

He checked the timing (I had all ready done that with a dial indicator), changed the plugs and rejetted the carb by moving the clip to the bottom and dropping the main jet to a 120. It ran okay for about one mile and then it got worse than before. I then gave up on the dealer. I put the clip back in the middle and played with the main jet myself; a 140 or 150 seems to work best. I know the problem lies with pilot jet or slide cutaway, but the dealers around here don’t even stock these.

Now about plug fouling. I have fouled 27 plugs since I’ve had it. Lately I’ve been noticing it’s usually the right (transmission) side cylinder. I bought a CDI system and actually got two days riding on it before it fouled two right in a row. I suspect oil is leaking in from the transmission, but I can’t detect any leak from the trans breather tube (even with my tongue). Your article mentions that the 75 model has an additional O-ring to stop this, but what is the owner of a 1973 supposed to do, buy a new one? If this were a car, it would be recalled and fixed free for an engineering oversight like this.

This is not all. With only 4800 miles on it, the rear tire is almost gone, and the chain is shot even though it was lubed every time it was used. This bike (or any other for that matter), costs as much per pound as a Mercedes Benz 280 automobile. I don’t feel that I got one tenth the engineering or craftsmanship that goes into a first class car, and the RD350 is certainly not the worst bike ever made. You know that.

Douglas Weir Wilmington, Del.

ANSWERING DOBBIN

I am writing in reference to Andy Dobbin's tale about his 1974 Yamaha MX100A (October `74). Obviously, his new Yamaha got a lemon for an owner. I also own a Yamaha MX100A and have had no problems with it since the end of May when I purchased it. The only changes made to mine were to remove the autolube unit and switch to pre-mix VBA, 32 to one, and to replace the 19-in, front tire with a 21-in, tire. I also won my first trophy with it after almost three years of racing motocross.

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It looks to me as though Andy never did any kind of maintenance work on his bike at all, and then when it finally quit, he tried to blame the dealer and/or the bike! You just don't "tear out" a crank without getting some warning signs beforehand. Maybe he never filled the autolube unit or cleaned the air filter or checked to see that the air filter was installed properly. Then again, maybe he didn't know where to look for these things. Also, an MX bike is designed for a day's racing and then a thorough maintenance check; not for four months of riding and no care.

I'm sure his problem is the fact that he is too big for a 100cc anything and that an MX bike was not the least bit suitable for his type of riding. I can assure him that he'll have more prob lems with most any other bike than with his Yamaha; especially in the plug fouling category. And, when he gets another bike and abuses it also, wait until he gets his repair and replacement parts bills. He'll be too poor to buy gas for it!

Linda S. Poole Mentor, Ohio

I disagree with Andy Dobbin! I am 1 5 years old and female. I have been riding since I was nine years old. I have had many different motorcycles, and Yamaha is the best. I have a Yammie 125 and it's the best bike around. I've had it for a year and a half and it's only fouled one plug.

I think Andy Dobbin's story was exaggerated. I've had many other motorcycles and most of my relatives have Yamahas also. They have had NO trouble either. Maybe he just doesn't know how to ride one. He thinks Yamaha riders are foolish and I think he is. If he sells that Yammie, he needs help.

Donna Cranmer Pemberton, N.J.

I would like to say a few things in defense of Yamaha, per Mr. Dobbin's letter.

I am now 43 years old, so I don't do too much competitive riding at this time. I started riding bikes in 1947 and have owned, ridden or raced about everything from then to now.

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To make a long story short, I desert raced a Yamaha 80 in the 125cc class in the local desert from 1965 until 1967. The races were held in the Summit Valley area and I have seven trophies ranging from 2nd to 5th, with one DNF due to rider error.

At this time I own three Yamahas, 125 and 175 enduros and a 250 MX, which are ridden hard every weekend at Saddleback, Osteen Park, DeAnza Park, the mountains or desert, and I have never had a problem other than an occasional fouled plug or crash and burn. All maintenance is done by myself, which consists of normal air cleaner, chain and general nut and bolt twisting.

Mr. Dobbin, first of all you should not have bought a 1 OOcc for your size. Secondly, did you read the owner’s manual on changing to pre-mix for racing? If the pre-mix is right, the bottom ends are damn near bulletproof.

In closing, Mr. Dobbin, please don’t condemn the whole barrel of apples just because you found a worm in one.

Gary Kelly Corona, Calif.

TROUBLE MACHINE

All I have left after selling my Kawasaki 350 S2 are a lot of bad memories. I bought the thing new and it was my intention to break it in by the book. However, the manual doesn’t tell you that if you limit your rpm to 4000, the plugs will foul up at 50-mile intervals. Incidentally, switching to a hotter plug didn’t solve the problem.

Since the average gas mileage was around 25 mpg, there was no incentive to drive it for economy. For reasons unknown to me, engine vibration became abnormally extreme at around 5500 rpm, making long-range touring a bad idea.

What was my 350 good for? It was very fast. Through all of my frustrating hours, needless to say, I wasn’t impressed by speed. Where do I go from here? Ironically enough, my next machine will be a Kawasaki KZ400, a different horse altogether.

Gus Tsounis Milton, Vermont

INFLATION SOLUTION: RIDE A MOTORCYCLE