The first time I realized something was wrong I started out and got about 2 miles from the house. The bike seemed to bog down and lose power as I gave it the gas. It started to snap crackle and pop and I had to gear down to keep it alive. Then Ka-BOOM mad backfire!! At this point the bike cut off. Now after the "valve job" it's doing the you-tube thing. Never did it before but the dealer is saying nothing is wrong with it. YEAH RIGHT!!!! I think they ran ring free through the motor to clean it up, but the valve in the rear head is still sticking untill it warms up. The fire is because the valve is open on the power stroke. Mine and the one on you tube both shoot flame out the top exhaust pipe.(rear jug the one prone to svs)

I talked with the dealership owner yesterday...he is waiting for the cleaner to be shipped to his shop. He wants to run the cleaner thru and then give her a test run and verify everything is cool. He said he can re-jet and adjust the carb if needed.

I asked him about the oil and he said there was no evidence of there being too much oil. He said the air box was clean and the oil level was okay!

I can't wait to get my baby back! Don't realize how much you actually love someone/something until its gone for a little while!

Oh, and the owner of the shop really is a great guy. Sounds like some of y'all out there have some really crappy dealers, I guess I'm lucky.

Biker4Life wrote:
he is waiting for the cleaner to be shipped to his shop. He wants to run the cleaner thru and then give her a test run and verify everything is cool. He said he can re-jet and adjust the carb if needed.

What cleaner is he going to use? The normal cleaners, Seafoam, Ringfree, MMO all clean as you ride. Unless you are going to do a shock treatment it takes several tanks of gas to get it done. I don't understand about running it through and then taking it for a test ride. If the cleaning does get it running right it will only be temporary if the jetting is wrong. It will come back. I'm not knocking your dealer so please don't take it that way. But this is pretty much the standard answer people who have SVS get. What they need to do is find out what caused it. Not just clean it up. Hope it all gets cleared up fast so you can get back riding

musky i think you are right on. he has told me the cleaner but i don't remember what it was. i asked him if i would need to run this cleaner thru for the next few tanks and then periodically after that; he said after he cleaned the valves and run the cleaner thru it would be fine and i would have to do nothing. i didn't ask any questions after that, just told him okay then if i have any more problems its on you!!

he said once i started runnin 87 octane that the carbon wouldn't build up any more, and he will check for this when i bring it back for future services. he said it was good that he caught it early on.

so i guess he is gonna do something to clean the valves and then check the carb settings, and i should be good to go.

i have seen on here and heard from other riders that i should let it tach the rev limiter every now and again...i have yet to ask the dealer for his opinion on the matter, but will when i speak to him next.

I try and hit the limiter at least once every ride So he is going to pull the heads and do the valves? He is right in saying that if everything is set right you shouldn't have to run anything in the gas to keep it clean. It doesn't hurt to run some now and then to help keep the carb clean but you shouldn't have to use it to keep the motor running.

got my baby back this morning!

talked with the dealer and he explained that he didn't remove the heads and clean the valves. he took it for a ride and it never acted up so he thinks it's not built up very bad. he put ring free in with the fuel and took it for several test rides and found nothing at all wrong. he give me a bottle of ring free and said to run a small amount with a full tank like every other month or so...as a preventative.

we had an in depth conversation about my riding habits, the valves, choke knob use, rev limiter, etc, etc. i have been assuming that i didn't let the bike warm up properly in the mornings and that may have led to the svs flaring up, so i have been choking it a little longer. well after owner explained some things to me, i understand that there is already unburned fuel due to my using 93 octane and then i choked it way too much and added more 93 octane so more unburned fuel deposits!!

he did say that the rev limiter was there as protection from reving too high, so theoretically it shouldn't hurt to hit it, and he actually recommended that after riding in the rain, to blow the water out (BAK, just sucks it in); and of course it rained practically the whole ride home today.

i think now that i have a grasp on what causes the svs, and what i can do to prevent it...i wont see it anymore!! my riding habits will change some (more romping, hey its good for it every now and again!)

oh, and he checked everything too...tightened levers, bolts, screws, etc. also lubed everything. bike was a little dirty (didn't have time to clean) but rode very well, considering the rain! nothing but good things to say about my dealer, he is a great guy!!

I don't mean to sound like a scrooge here at Christmas, but the thing that sticks in my head is the ring free every other month. You should not have to medicate a bike that is set up to run. If your happy that's all that matters, but realize these people do not have your best interest at heart. You may walk away feeling all warm and fuzzy but that is there intention. (to get you to go away!)

yeah i understand what you're saying but i honestly feel like my dealer is trully trying to help and wants to provide good quality service...and i am not be naive!

the dealership is about 45 miles from home and i dont have a trailer to haul my bike so its always an adventure to get it to him and then pick it up. i voiced all my concerns about having future problems and he said if i run a little of the ring free as a preventative then i shouldn't have any future issues.

he did, however, state that the problem with the valves is due to the 1700's heads being re-designed. he said he has never had any problems with the valves on a 1600! he is pretty honest with me about all that stuff, and i guess i trust him. he does acknowledge, like you said, that the bike shouldn't do this if its setup right; but then again what can you do if yamaha won't support the dealers??

i guess i am just very lucky to have a great dealer! i had a 650 v-star as my first bike and when the passenger seat was recalled because of the bolt breaking i was living in Tennessee, but i purchased the bike locally in south ga. the dealership in tennessee refused to perform the recall work, said i had to take it to the dealer i bought it from! after contacting yamaha, they informed that dealer that the were required by law to perform the recall work.

it is great to be back home and have a dealer that wants to help and is there for support...i call all the time with stupid questions!!

law, sounds like you have a real _$$hole for a dealer. sorry man!!

Hey Biker4Life

It sounds like you have a good dealer. Treasure them. They seem to be few and far between.