2001 Yamaha XVS650

Routine

Owners filed 8 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the power train › manual transmission. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Power Train › Manual Transmission2
000
Wheels › Rim1
000
Wheels1
000
Structure1
000
Service Brakes, Hydraulic1
101
Seats › Motorcycle1
001
Power Train › Axle Hubs1
100

What owners reported

Newest filings
Seats › Motorcycle1 injured
Filed Nov 13, 2008IL

CONSUMER PASSENGER SEAT CAME A LOOSE AND CONSUMER FELL OFF WHILE TRAVELING AT 55 MPH. *NJ THE CONSUMER RECEIVED A RECALL LETTER FROM YAMAHA ON APRIL 16, 2007 BUT THE LETTER WAS DATED MARCH 3, 2005. THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THE RECALL WAS SENT TO THE ORIGINAL OWNER. THE CONSUMER STATED THE BIKE WAS PURCHASED FROM A YAMAHA DEALER SO THEIR NAMES SHOULD HAVE LISTED AS THE NEW OWNERS. RECALL 05V067000 *JB

Wheels
Filed May 15, 2006NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 55MPH EIGHTEEN OF THE REAR WHEEL SPOKES SNAPPED. ALTHOUGH, THE VEHICLE WOBBLED IT WAS DRIVEN SAFELY FROM THE ROAD. THE SHORT SPOKES BECAME LOOSE PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT AND WERE TIGHTENED AT AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP. AFTER THE INCIDENT THE WHEEL WAS REPLACED BY THE MECHANIC. *AK

Wheels › Rim
Filed May 15, 20067,000 milesNM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH THE MOTORCYCLE STARTED WOBBLING WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS MOVED OFF THE ROAD AND TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THE SPOKES WERE LOOSE ON THE REAR RIM. THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC RECOMMENDED TAKING THE MOTORCYCLE TO A SERVICE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, BUT NO ARRANGEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE WITH THE DEALER.

Structure
Filed Oct 30, 200420,000 milesAZ

THE FRONT FENDER ON MY 2001 YAMAHA V-STAR CLASSIC [XVS650AN(C)] STARTED MAKING A SQUEAKING NOISE FROM THE FRONT FENDER AREA. WHEN I STARTED LOOKING FOR THE REASON FOR THE NOISE I NOTICED THAT THE FENDER HAD DEVELOPED A CRACK ON THE RIGHT SIDE RIGHT BEHIND THE SHOCK. I'M SURE THAT THE CRACK OCCURRED BECAUSE OF THE VIBRATION OF THE FRONT FENDER DURING NORMAL OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE. *JB

Service Brakes, HydraulicCrash1 injured
Filed May 10, 20044,000 milesNE

I WAS TRAVELING AT >30 MPH ON PAVED SURFACE ROAD. I HAD JUST MADE A LEFT TURN AND WAS GOING THROUGH GEARS TO ACCELERATE TO CRUISING SPEED. A DOG ENTERED THE ROADWAY AND I APPLIED BOTH BRAKES TO SLOW DOWN. REAR BRAKE IMMEDIATELY WENT INTO A LOCKUP SITUATION AND WOULDN'T RELEASE, RESULTING IN LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE MOTORCYCLE AND THE BROKEN LEG I AM STILL FIGHTING. I HAVE RIDDEN MOTORCYCLES SINCE 1973 AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THIS HAS EVER HAPPENED TO ME. *LA

Power Train › Axle HubsCrash
Filed Nov 28, 200329,000 milesCA

REAR AXLE HUB BROKE OFF WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 TO 10 MPH, CAUSING THE MOTORCYCLE TO HIT THE REAR END OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. *AK

Power Train › Manual Transmission
Filed Sep 19, 200330,000 milesCA

I HAVE A 2001 YAMAHA V-STAR 650 CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE. OVER TIME I BEGAN TO HEAR A "MAJOR" HOWL COMING FROM THE ENGINE AREA. YAMAHA CLAIMED THEY HAD NO INFO. ON ANY HOWL PROBLEM!! LATER, ON THE YAMAHA V-STAR FORUM, I LEARNED THAT THERE WAS A BATCH OF 5TH GEARS FOR THE TRANSMISSION, THAT WERE NOT HEAT TREATED CORRECTLY. AS THE GEARS GOT OLDER... THE HOWL BEGAN. MANY FOLKS WERE FORCED TO HAVE THE REPAIRS DONE AT THEIR OWN EXPENSE BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE MFG. DEFECT!!! AFTER THE DEFECT WAS UNCOVERED... YAMAHA STILL WOULD ONLY PAY FOR THE "PARTS" !! PARTS ARE WORTH MAYBE $100... COMPARED TO THE TOTAL BILL OF $1,500 OR MORE. I ALSO HAD TO HAVE MY TRANSMISSION REBUILT, SO PLEASE ADD ME TO YOUR LIST OF COMPLAINTS ON THIS PROBLEM. THE SAD PART IS THAT YAMAHA STILL REFUSES TO ADMIT ANYTHING!!! MANY PEOPLE ARE PAYING LARGE REPAIR BILLS BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE PROBLEM. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP IN THIS MATTER. WAYNE CORNELL. *JB

Power Train › Manual Transmission
Filed Sep 3, 2003KY

FIFTH GEAR HAD TO BE REPLACED ON MY 2001 YAMAHA V STAR 650 CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE AT 7000 MILES. WHILE CRUISING IN FIFTH GEAR YOU WOULD HEAR A LOUD CHATTERING SOUND COMING FROM BENEATH THE BIKE. THE DEALER WHO DID THE REPAIR STATED THAT THE GEAR AND THE DRIVE GEAR WERE DEFORMED AS IF SOMETHING HAD RAN THROUGH THEM. THERE WAS NEVER AN ACCIDENT BUT THE DEALER WARNED ME THAT IT COULD LOCK UP. COST OF REPAIR 545.00. *AK

8 of 8 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2002
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20101000Routine
20091000Routine
20054000Routine
200213000Routine
2001 — this page8000Routine
20008000Routine
19994000Routine
19982000Routine

Compare every XVS650 year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.