Just venting, but I'm just a little dissapointed with my 07 Road Star and my dealership right now. I took it in on Tuesday because of a strong smell of gas after every ride. I was relatively sure it was puking but I figured that the bike is new, under warranty, and its best at this time to let the dealer fix it.

I advised the dealer that it had a strong smell of gas after every ride and that it farted and stalled from a light every once in a while. Got the call tonight that it was repaired and picked it up. When I saw the dealer rep, he stated that the carb had in fact puked into the air filter. They replaced the filter, adjusted the carb and told me that it was running better. They further advised not to overfill the gas tank in the future because that is what made the carb puke the gas. He said he knew it ran better because they road tested it before and after the repair.

After taking off from the dealer, I saw that it only had one more mile on it than it did when I dropped it off. That wasn't good, but the bad news was that the gas smell remains and once again I had to leave the garage door open for 30 minutes to air the place out when I got home. The smell of gas is as strong as ever.

I'm certainly dissapointed with the dealer, but bummed about the bike too. This 07 Silverado is the first Japaneese motorycle I have ever owned. After owning Triumphs (old and new), Harleys, Moto Guzzis, and BMWs, I had reached a point where I just wanted a good bike that was going to be reliable and would provide miles of enjoyment with proper maintenance and frequent oil changes. I thought, reluctantly, that a Japaneese bike would probably be the way to go.

However, after reading all the threads on this site about SVS, and dealing with this problem with no apparent help yet from the dealer leads me to begin to think otherwise.

A buddy of mine bought a Vulcan Nomad the same week I bought the Silverado. I thought his bike was ugly and the Star was beautiful. He's had no problems and I'm dealing with this. My brother owns an 03 VYX1800 Honda and has had absolutely no problems whatsoever. I guess the question becomes, are some Japaneese brands better than others? Where does Yamaha/Star fit into the group as far as engineering and quality goes? Is lack of quality the reason that Star only comes with a 1 year warranty?

If you changed brands but stayed with a Japaneese brand, what brand would you go to? I'm interested in your thoughts on this because I'm really considering changing bikes. I'm too old to put up with this crap. I just want to ride.

Your thoughts on the "brands" subject is appreciated.

In recent years I have ridden '95 Kaw Vulcan 800, no problems but too small, '96 Honda ACE 1100 almost 10 years with no problems at all, now '01 R* and no problems.

The obvious recurring theme here, all Japanese and no problems.

Hang in there with R*. You just need to right mechanic/dealer to get your bike straightened out. I am convinced you'll love your new star.

I won't try and say the Roadie is a perfect bike. It ain't. I won't say it doesn't have isssues that shouldn't be. It does. I also won't try and tell you that the service you get from Yami dealers or Yami itself is anything to inspire confidense or loyalty.

But. Surf around at other bikes forums and you will see people bitching about the same issues we do. Might not be SVS. Might be the engine runs to hot to ride the bike. It might be the shaft drive vibrates too much. And The dealer says it's normal and can't be fixed. An Honda / Kawi / or whoever won't help me out.

If you switch brands hoping to avoid issues you might be disappointed. But I sure do understand how you feel. I've felt the same way more than once.

You can do a search here for "Puking" and get a lot of info on what to do about the problem. And how much gas you have in the tank doesn't matter.

Well I'll have to agree you've had a crappy time so far.
I have had mine puke gas and have the gas smell after a ride in warm
to hot weather. I found that if I shut the gas off and let it idle for a few seconds before shutting down I don't get any puking and very little
smell. I also changed out the stock air filter with a K&N replacement as
my stock filter fell apart after 3000 miles. Did they say how the carb was adjusted. Despite it's problems I still like mine alot.
I guess if I didn't by another Yamaha would probably get a goldwingBut they have a shimmy problem in the front.
I know a fellow that has a nomad and has nothing but trouble.
As for svs not alot get it.mostly the 04-05s and not all.
You might talk to the dealer about your concerns and see what he says.
Hope this helps some,but sometimes it just helps to vent and take it a step at a time . .

You guys are probably right. I'm just venting. I had known issues with the other brands from Europe... Triumph, Guzzi, and BMW. I suppose I just assumed that buying a Japaneese bike would solve that problem.

I'll take it for a few rides this weekend and turn the gas off for a minute or two before turning the bike off and see if that solves the problem. It would be great if the solution was that simple.

If that doesn't work, I'll take it back to the dealer on Monday and see what they do. Maybe they will fix it. Maybe they won't. If they do, then I'm all set. Other than this ridiculous gas smell, I really like the bike. But I'm not going to continue to own it if the problem doesn't get worked out by the dealer during the warranty period. Life is too short to get pissed every time you come back from a ride (and listen to your wife complain about the gas smell in the garage).

Steve

I just wonder if your gas cap is seating properly? I have not had any fumes from mine in the past 2 months i've owned mine.

good mechanics turn a bad deal into a good one and a bad one will turn a minor one into a major one. do you have any other options in your area?

Hi, New kid on the block. Have a 2005 canadian special edition roadstar & never had a gas smell. But had the SVS. Dealer installed competion valve springs. End of problem.

Eh!

Where in Canada?

Doc

SMGray, I also have an '07 (kinda obvious with the sig pic) and haven't had the problems you're having with yours. I'm truly sorry to hear you're having this nagging issue with what I consider to be one of the best bikes I've ever owned, and I've owned a bunch. Hopefully you can convince your mechanic to take a harder look into the situation, since it's still under warranty. Sometimes the dealership needs a good 2x4 between the eyes to get the point. I wish you success in getting this beautiful piece of machinery back on the road smelling "sweet" once again.

Tom