Rabbi
Newbie
Our 09 RS Venture GT has been nothing short of a nightmare. It was delivered with oil pouring out of the motor, with the suspension set up totally wrong.
It produces a track howl that is louder than any 2 stroke without mufflers that I have ever ridden! Imagine the sound of an old bias ply snow tire on a semi on a hot interstate 6 inches from your ears. For those of you too young to know what that sounds like, maybe imagine a sound equal to a chain saw running full blast on your shoulder with no noise protection.
The suspension issues have been brought under as much control as a top heavy high center of gravity machine like this can be. But, after 7 trips back to the dealer, the oil leaks and the howl still persist. I could live with a little oil drip here or there, so I'm going to concentrate on the deal breaker, the howl, in this post.
The sled is nice and quiet up to 27 mph. that is usually when the howl overtakes the normal, expected track noise. It roars until you reach speeds in excess of 60 mph, when other ambient noises tend to drowned it out. The sound often does not appear until I have ridden 10 to 50 miles, but it always appears.
The dealer begged me to suffer thru the 500 mile break in period, promising that it would go away. It didn't. I did wear out a set of Hi-faxes by then. (in GOOD snow conditions, mind you). (my last Polaris went over 10,000 miles on one set of slides!) At about 1,200 miles we are on our 4th set of sliders now. I know that they are definitely A problem, but I am still not convinced that they are THE problem. To me, the sound seems to emanate directly underneath me, from the area of the drive wheels. It is really hard to pinpoint it exactly.
The dealer tried adding scratchers to throw more snow inside the track and cut out all the squares in the track that the drive wheels ride on, and added clips so that the Hi-faxes would ride on more metal than track. They tightened the track to specs (tighter than I'm comfortable adjusting them)
All of these things seemed to help temporarily - maybe just wishful thinking. The howl keeps coming back. Evidently the only time it doesn't make the howl is when the Yamaha mechanics test drive it. The dealer refused to give us our money back.
Our solution is to sue Yamaha to get our money back under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty act. It says that if you take an item back to the dealer 3 or more times for the same defect and they can't repair it, then you can return it for your money back, plus the cost of the lawyer. The "Lemon Law" does not apply to snowmobiles, by the way. Thank God we got the 5 year extended warranty. Gives us plenty of time to deal with these problems.
I have other issues with the sled, like if the track is iced up and fails to spin, the on board computer limits you to 5mph until it can be reset by a dealer. Not good if you are 50 miles back in the Canadian bush.
It is such a pretty sled too. And so comfortable to sit on. Such a pity!
It produces a track howl that is louder than any 2 stroke without mufflers that I have ever ridden! Imagine the sound of an old bias ply snow tire on a semi on a hot interstate 6 inches from your ears. For those of you too young to know what that sounds like, maybe imagine a sound equal to a chain saw running full blast on your shoulder with no noise protection.
The suspension issues have been brought under as much control as a top heavy high center of gravity machine like this can be. But, after 7 trips back to the dealer, the oil leaks and the howl still persist. I could live with a little oil drip here or there, so I'm going to concentrate on the deal breaker, the howl, in this post.
The sled is nice and quiet up to 27 mph. that is usually when the howl overtakes the normal, expected track noise. It roars until you reach speeds in excess of 60 mph, when other ambient noises tend to drowned it out. The sound often does not appear until I have ridden 10 to 50 miles, but it always appears.
The dealer begged me to suffer thru the 500 mile break in period, promising that it would go away. It didn't. I did wear out a set of Hi-faxes by then. (in GOOD snow conditions, mind you). (my last Polaris went over 10,000 miles on one set of slides!) At about 1,200 miles we are on our 4th set of sliders now. I know that they are definitely A problem, but I am still not convinced that they are THE problem. To me, the sound seems to emanate directly underneath me, from the area of the drive wheels. It is really hard to pinpoint it exactly.
The dealer tried adding scratchers to throw more snow inside the track and cut out all the squares in the track that the drive wheels ride on, and added clips so that the Hi-faxes would ride on more metal than track. They tightened the track to specs (tighter than I'm comfortable adjusting them)
All of these things seemed to help temporarily - maybe just wishful thinking. The howl keeps coming back. Evidently the only time it doesn't make the howl is when the Yamaha mechanics test drive it. The dealer refused to give us our money back.
Our solution is to sue Yamaha to get our money back under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty act. It says that if you take an item back to the dealer 3 or more times for the same defect and they can't repair it, then you can return it for your money back, plus the cost of the lawyer. The "Lemon Law" does not apply to snowmobiles, by the way. Thank God we got the 5 year extended warranty. Gives us plenty of time to deal with these problems.
I have other issues with the sled, like if the track is iced up and fails to spin, the on board computer limits you to 5mph until it can be reset by a dealer. Not good if you are 50 miles back in the Canadian bush.
It is such a pretty sled too. And so comfortable to sit on. Such a pity!
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Location?? US or CA? If you would fill in your location, it may be easier for us to help.
I have an 09 with 3000 miles and have zero issues.
I have an 09 with 3000 miles and have zero issues.
Rabbi
Newbie
I live in Northwestern Wisconsin, in the small town of Webster.
09nytro
TY 4 Stroke God
Try a diff. dealer may be they dont know what there doing . I would look at it but to far away from u
Rabbi
Newbie
The Yamaha RTA for the twin cities has looked at the sled twice. The next nearest dealer is 100 miles away. I truly believe that the machine we got has systemic failure issues.
At this point I just want my money back so I can buy another sled that works. I'm glad you got a good one...
How long do your slides last?
At this point I just want my money back so I can buy another sled that works. I'm glad you got a good one...
How long do your slides last?
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Rabbi said:
I have not changed them yet and by the looks of them I think they will go another 1000 miles. Did you take it to Rice Lake Yamaha Dealer? I had a small issue when I changed oil with the filter leaking but gave it a slight turn and it all was good. BTW, coming on this site and talking about suing Yamaha is not going to get you very far. We dont want to hear that here as I will not be summonsed to a case. I would suggest you take that up with Yamaha and edit your post.
Banks93
TY 4 Stroke Junkie
I agree with Mr Sled. You need to find a dealer that will make you happy and fix the sled or give you what you bought.
Where is it leaking oil?
Where is it leaking oil?
Rabbi
Newbie
The oil leaks have all been related to where the oil sensor screws into the engine case. It has had sealant applied to the threads, been replaced twice, and Yama-bonded. The mechanic told me that there is a known issue with the original sensors being made out of a different type of metal and that repeated temp swings will eventually loosen the seal.
Don't worry guys. I am not involving anyone else in the lawsuit, unless they want to be. I realize that there are many loyal Yamaha riders out there that probably don't like someone giving their products a bad name. I bought what I thought was the best sled on the market for my needs, expecting it would be the last snowmobile I ever bought. It has been unbelievably frustrating not having a sled I can enjoy riding and trust to go where I go.
Yamaha sold me a bum sled, can't fix it, and won't take it back. 11 grand is a lot of money for me. I just want my money back so I can try another mfgr. that will treat me better.
Don't worry guys. I am not involving anyone else in the lawsuit, unless they want to be. I realize that there are many loyal Yamaha riders out there that probably don't like someone giving their products a bad name. I bought what I thought was the best sled on the market for my needs, expecting it would be the last snowmobile I ever bought. It has been unbelievably frustrating not having a sled I can enjoy riding and trust to go where I go.
Yamaha sold me a bum sled, can't fix it, and won't take it back. 11 grand is a lot of money for me. I just want my money back so I can try another mfgr. that will treat me better.
Safety Sean
Extreme
I can understand that you feel frustrated. Where you got a lemon I must have got a RS Venture built by the best Yamaha guys there was. I read all the posts here with issues that I just don't have. 3500km on my hyfax & very little signs of wear, no overheating issues, the sled doesn't dart all over the place & nary a leak or problem whatsoever. I don't have any issue with your desire to sue Yamaha & don't understand why Mr. Sled would think he would get involved over it, even though he is a mod, but then again I'm not a lawyer. Personally I would rather hear all the problems that people are having to get better overall information about the product I am riding. Hope you get some satisfaction...
Banks93
TY 4 Stroke Junkie
Before I would offer to give your money back I would give you a replacement engine or sled. I would ask for that first. If they do that and you don't want it there has to be more to the story. Problems are frustrating and I am one for chewing some a$$ but you need to let them try and resolve the issue. If they wouldn't give you a new sled then I would go your route. My guess is by the time the legal thing plays out you wouldn't be happy and you would lose snowmobiling time.
tommyt5078
Expert
Mr. Sled is a mod, LMAO
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tommyt5078 said:
Right... MOD...LOL.
Gone Blue
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If your sled has the Ripsaw track; they all howl. I noticed it when I first got my sled and now it doesnt bother me. I think part of it is that the 3 cyl 4 stroke motor is so quite that you hear other noises that you normally wouldnt hear on a 2 stroke sled. G.B.
Safety Sean
Extreme
MrSled said:
Sorry boys...didn't notice that you were Site Admin/CEO as oppossed to a mod but the sarcasm is appreciated.
spike337
TY 4 Stroke Master
You have a beautiful sled. A good dealer and a little patience will get your sled where you like it and it will last years like you want it too.
Hope you get it handled soon.
Hope you get it handled soon.
