Feed Back

FEED BACK

Readers, as well as those involved in the motorcycle industry, are invited to have their say about motorcycles they own or have owned. Anything is fair game: performance, handling, reliability, service, parts availability, lovability, you name it. Suggestions: be objective, be fair, no wildly emotional but ill-founded invectives; include useful facts like mileage on odometer, time owned, model year, special equipment and accessories bought, etc.

YOSHIMURA'S SALT-FREE DIET

Enclosed is a copy of a letter I sent to the president of Yoshimura Racing Inc. I feel the small investor should be aware of the problems he will face when

dealing with this company. I hope to save others the frustration and money that I spent.

Dale O. Alexander - President Yoshimura Racing, Inc.

Dear Mr. Alexander:

I had heard that Yoshimura built good engines. I am locally involved in motocross (Honda Elsinore 250) and the drags (Honda 750), but because the salt was a form of racing that I had not tried, I was entered in the lOOcc classification (MC 100). Generally, to gosee—learn. I have plans for the 200-mph club within a few years. I also decided to go all with one company to get the most engineering benefits.

I called Yoshimura in early June and talked to Jeff Gehrs. I outlined my plans and was told by Jeff that if I sent in an engine, Yoshimura would make it very competitive and ship it back within three weeks. I sent along $300 as a deposit.

I waited five weeks and became alarmed at the little time left to test, etc. and called your company again. I was told by Steve Snyder that you were moving, you were not working on my engine, and furthermore, they didn’t know where it was and wouldn’t be able to promise me anything. I called many times after that, explaining how Bonneville was run only once a year, how you

had promised the engine would be done, your guarantee said I would be notified in 21 days and I wasn’t, etc.

Finally, on Aug. 4th when I ^^led once more, I was told that the ^Plne had been found and you were waiting to see what I wanted done. (No telephone call-just waiting). I asked them to ship the engine back along with the performance parts I had ordered. At this time I could still build the engine and iron out the kinks on the salt. I asked that it be shipped United Parcel Service as my experience indicated three or four days at most.

I finally called again today, Aug. 13th and was told that the engine had been shipped yesterday, Aug. 12th— EIGHT days later. And then not by UPS but by Smith Trucking. Why, when it is such an important thing to a customer and time is really critical, couldn’t the package be split up, so as to be less than 50 pounds, and shipped UPS? Trucking always takes two to three weeks from California.

I have waited as patiently as I ^Pw how. I tried to call you personally and was always told you were busy. In one of my phone calls, I was told that Yvon DuHamel had used up all your mechanics’ time and no one else got any parts for the last few weeks. I can only assume that the paying customer means (Continued on page 28) naught to you or your compan^^Jnce you had my engine and my mor,^P you didn’t care whether you delivered the goods or not.

Continued from page 26

I won’t get to race at the salt this year, but I will be there looking around anyway. I will be able to send a letter to the Better Business Bureau and to a number of national magazines. I will be able to wear my “Yoshimura Is A Rip-Off” T-shirts to the National drag meet at Martin Dragway here in a few weeks.

Next year I will be riding the little 100 and the new 750 for which I already have the frame and some goodies ordered. The 750 will not be Yoshimura.

James Sowie Grand Rapids, MI

BMW BELIEVER

I thought you might be intere^|d in my impressions of my 1974^PmW R75/6, which now has about 2000 miles on it. I must say that when moving up from a 1973 Suzuki TS250K, I was more than a little apprehensive about the BM’s “Torque reaction” that I had read so much about and the alleged misbehavior of the shaftie while traversing sizable bumps. I stuck with my choice primarily because of the shaft, however, and have not regretted it.

The bike was surprisingly easy to get used to, although I must say that low-rev vibration is in fact present, but is a minor annoyance because when the bike gets to speed, the ride is simply outstanding.

Other outstanding features include the instruments, though the neutral light occasionally deceives and the tach light is dim (but not unreadable) at night. The brakes are of the highest c^Äity; the disc is forgiving and progressi^^ith no pulling to either side while the rear is slightly touchy but very effective.

Acceleration in first gear leaves something to be desired, but the power ranges in the higher gears are wellchosen and entirely sufficient. My wife and I have just begun touring; believe it or not, the bike handles as well (or better!) with two up as it does solo. Despite its bulk (it’s equipped with the touring tank), the bike simply does not fight back even when the cornering gets spirited.

Problems: the tank came through with a paint job that looked as if it had been applied at the CZ factory. Though the dealer was slightly reluctant, he finally agreed to replace it; the new one sports a first-class finish.

The forks are driving me bananas; at 600 miles, the fork break-in oj^^/as changed and everything was fine for (Continued on page 30) Continued from page 28 about 500 miles. Then the damping started to deteriorate, which was particularly irritating while cornering. The dealer’s solution was to fill them with 40-weight oil and decrease tire pressure in both tires by five pounds. I have since increased the pressure again and plan to experiment with ATF, LubriTech or possibly Penton’s new silicone fluid. Finally, very slight seepage has occurred from engine case joints and, surprise, the pipes are turning blue.

In summary, handling, comfort, reliability and overall quality are as advertised. Minor annoyances I have experienced certainly have not changed my opinion that the purchase was worth the price.

Thomas M. Sullivan West Hartford, Conn.

HIS DEALER IS TOO MUCH

This letter is prompted by what I consider to be customer service “above and beyond the call of duty” by my local Yamaha dealer. But first a few details. After two years (my first two) and 10,000 miles on a Honda CBIOO, I traded in March of 1973 to a Yamaha DS7 (250 street). The only non-stock items are a luggage rack and Bates fairing. The bike now has 11,000 miles and has had what I would consider about its normal share of problems— plug fouling early in life, a bad condenser or two, and so on.

But the latest experience is what really gets to me. Long after the warranty period was passed, the engine started to seep oil at the head gasket. At first, I thought it was a bad cylinderbase gasket allowing oil to be pumped up the studs (this had happened once before). But upon reassembly I noticed matching cracks on the inside cooling fin of each head. Upon examination the dealer assured me they were merely mold marks and to try it again. Several weeks later it was weeping again and this time the dealer magna-fluxed the heads and agreed they were cracked.

Last week he presented me with a pair of new heads, free of charge! His explanation was that he “services what he sells.” He had always been helpful, be it answering a question, selling parts, or servicing the bike. But this is too much.

The dealer, by the way, is Pawtucket Cycles, Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

I might add a few more comments regarding the DS7, as this is what I enjoy reading in Feedback.

I use it for everyday transportation, commuting about 50 miles a day, cruising at 60-65 mph. The bike averages 53-55 mpg and about 400 miles per quart of oil. I now replace plugs about (Continued on page 32) every 2500 miles, more because l^Rel like it than because I have to. I do periodically clean and gap the plugs, however. The chain and sprockets were completely gone at 8500 miles and the rear tire will need replacing before long.

Continued from page 30

All in all, I’m very pleased with the Yamaha. It is quick, handles well, is quite economical, and is low on vibration, It is a bit tough on the ears at 65 mph with a fairing (intake noise, not exhaust), but that is a small price to pay for everything else I get.

John F. Harkness

Wrentham, Mass.

HE HASN’T BEEN IDLE

Over the past few years I have read articles about the British bikes that have had bad things to say about the Amal concentric carbs. It seems that most people think that this is what cause^^e erratic idling problems found on me British bikes. I have owned two BSAs and now own a ’71 Norton and I will admit they do have an idling problem.

After the Norton was well broken in, it seemed that it would only idle at about 500 rpm or about 2000 rpm. Sometimes a blip of the throttle would bring the rpm down, but it would only be a few seconds until they were back up to about 2000.

A Norton dealer told me that the trouble might not be in the carbs, but in the auto-advance assembly. The trouble with the advance assembly is that the springs aren’t strong enough. At an idle speed of 500 rpm, the advance unit might start to advance, which will cause the engine to speed up, which will in turn cause the advance unit to advance even more and the engine to spee^ip more. This may keep up until the er^pe is running considerably faster. The way I corrected the problem on the Norton was to install a set of springs on the advance unit that had been taken off of a BSA, which has a much stronger spring. This cured the idling problems on my Norton.

Andy Estes Van Buren, Ark.