Rayne

No worries, Everyone is entitled to an opinion..... mine just doesnt agree with yours

Yes Jim. The bike was purchased from another dealer out of area as Smith's could not supply the colour I wanted. I did not hear them moaning about it not being purchased from them when I had the servcie done there. you can not have your cake and eat it so to speak. This was a warranty claim. It states in the warranty that you must take it to a Yanaha dealer. Bill Smith's inspected the bike, were quite happy to accpet the work (thus entering into a contract) but decided that I was to wait, they would do the work at their own pace and if I did not like it I could collect the bike and take it else were. Excellent customer services.....NOT!! The YMUK accept their amswer and say sod the customer.....again...very poor customer servcie. I know not of any other company who would treat a customer so badly. We, as a family, have used Bill Smiths for many years. We, along with many others, will not be returning. We will aslo not be purcahsing Yamaha again either as the response from them was extremely on the side of the dealer.

Thanks for your comment Alex. It does seem that the YZF R125 is vastly over rated by Yamaha. I have spoken to other owners who all say the same that it struggles for top end. The main problem for me is the level of service...... absolutely crap in my opinion. YMUK have no control or influence over their dealers. In fact they seem to be afraid of them! My nephew has a Chinese 125 that can actually outstrip it on top end. Considering that these bikes are close to £4K to buy new, the warranty appears to be a big joke. Warranty claims must be made through a Yamaha dealer. If you have not purchased the bike from that dealer then they can do as they please and YMUK can’t or won’t do anything about it. I have contacted trading standards, watchdog and the national press in the hope that other people don’t get into the same situation as me. Four and a half weeks is a ridiculous amount of time to wait and then YMUK seem to appear happy with it? I will wait until this has run its course and dispose of the bike ASAP. I will not recommend Yamaha to anyone and will take every opportunity to inform bikers of the pit falls of both YMUK and the dealer involved.

I received a letter from YMUK today from a Nick Girling, Manager, service Department. This is what it said: “We thanks you for your letter regarding your Yamaha YZF-R125 which Andrew Smith, the YMUK Managing Director has asked me to look into the circumstances of and respond to, on behalf of the company. We do of course understand the disappointment of any Yamaha owner who experiences problems and their frustration, while awaiting any necessary repair to take place. Clearly however, before any such matters can be resolved, the problem needs to be diagnosed by a dealer, any necessary parts ordered and supplied and all the time there will be the need to schedule any tasks into their workload and at busy times of the year, with long lead times, this is not always easy. In this particular case, we understand that it was about a week before Bill Smith Motors were in a position to submit the first warranty claim for a new cylinder head and associated parts, all of which were available for despatch within three working days. Unfortunately, once the scheduled repair had been started it was found that further parts were required, necessitating a second warranty claim on the 12th June for a crankshaft and miscellaneous other parts, all of which were available for immediate despatch to the dealer. We would expect any Yamaha dealer to be able to undertake a warrantable repair, irrespective of whether it was on a machine they originally supplied. We do however, understand that any point in time, a dealer is liable to be already committed to the service and repairs of their owner’s machines and in such circumstances, it may be considered unreasonable to expect them to disappoint all those customers and give priority to a machine purchased elsewhere. With regards to the performance of your machine and the operation of the side stand switch, we understand that Bill Smith’s have no reference on their job card as to there being an issue. Nevertheless, if you wish to book your machine in with them again, they would be happy to investigate any concern you may have. We would suggest that having just completed an engine rebuild it would not in any event have been appropriate for Bill Smith Motors to be testing your machine’s maximum performance when last with them. In closing, we trust that any outstanding concern may be addressed through Bill Smith motors. Alternatively, if you wish to approach another authorised Yamaha dealer, they are equally able to handle any issues you YZF-R125. “ So, what to make of that? So, if you buy a car in Scotland, move to London and you want quick issues sorted quickly, take it back to Scotland? Well sorry Mr Girling that is not a satisfactory response. All that tells me is that you have no control over your dealerships. Dealers will do as they please and there is nothing you can do about it. You couldn’t give a toss for your customers and you find it perfectly acceptable for Directors of you Dealerships to say to customers “…. If you feel we are not dealing with this to your satisfaction we have no problem if you want to arrange collection of the motorcycle and take it to the supplying dealer who is responsible for your warranty”. Si it seems that YMUK and Smith’s are not singing from the same Hymn sheet so to speak. Presumably, the bike was in pieces on a bench as the email was dated 12th June 2009. Excellent customer service………NOT Comments appreciated.

Beyond belief Oldtimer. A 17 year old can past a car test and propel him/herself at unlimited speeds (OK, the insurance costs usually dictates a small CC engine) but they can do more damage to pedestrians and cyclists than a bike. It has (not is) turning into a nanny state when they propose banning bikes from certain areas. Making more rules and regulations will push people into cars and not public transport or electric bicycles.

Hazel Blears is the only one I can think of that rides a Bike. Some excellent replies there chaps and definitely something to ponder over. Gas- it-up…… you say that skills can be lost so this is the reason that the CBT has to be retaken. But would this not also be the case for those that have passed their test? I understand that riders should be safe and CBT training does provide this to a certain extent but why is it needed that for some who does not want to ride a big bike and wants to potter around is seen as less road savvy as some one who has passed a test? Baitfan……. I never really thought about what bike type I was generalising about but we have all types of cars with different engine sizes so would that not offset a Harley or sports bike? A 3 litre sports car against a Harley? Don’t newer bikes have to pass emissions test same as cars? I’m not being pedantic here. Just wishing for views.

Do you have price comparrison website there? If you do then it might be worth shopping about a bit but the price you have been quoted is well over the top in my opinion. We have Go Compare and Compare the market sites and quotes can vary alarmingly. Hope this helps. Take care.

I am not sure if this subject has been covered on here before but I think it is worth a bit of discussion (or to be ignored if that’s what people want) so I will vent anyway. Seeing how the Government is always banging on about climate change and we need to exude fewer emissions I would have thought that they would want to encourage more people into biking. Any motorbike will have less impact on the environment than any car (excluding electric vehicles) so why put barriers in the way? Let’s look at the CBT. This was basically introduced as a cycling proficiency test to make sure that youngsters don’t buy a bike and get splashed as soon as they go out on the road. Now, I’m all for that but then they have to move the goal posts every couple of years. Once you have been deemed as “proficient” enough to take to the road then why, after two years, is it necessary to have to retake the course? Would you become “un-proficient” in that period? Of course not, as the CBT course has already stated that you are safe to ride on the road. Many people just want to stick to a 125 or 50cc with “L” plates as a form of cheap and cheerful transport to get to work and back. They have no interest in moving up to a bigger bike or carrying passengers. Thus taking cars off the road and leaving a better carbon footprint. Logical? Then there comes the new test. I asked my MP and MEP why a new test was required when the old one had served us so well in the past. I was told that it was to bring us in line with all the other EU countries and to standardise/introduce safer laws. What a load of old twaddle. The new test has put many people off biking due to the time it takes to train and the cost to the individual. In my opinion the new test was introduced with out much thought as the test centres we already had were not equipped to apply the new rules. So, why all the waffle you may ask. I see all the interference from the EU and our Government as going against all common sense and another way of hitting bikers old and new in the pocket. I am all for making sure that riders are safe and competent enough not to hurt them selves or others but in an age were petrol prices are high, traffic is increasing I would have thought that it would have been prudent to encourage more people into biking of all kinds. I would like to know what others think. If it has been discussed before then I apologise or am I just whinging.

So if it only takes a day down time then why did it take them four and a half weeks? Still nothing back since the acknowledgment from the Yamaha MD and I'm growing a little impatient. Surely, in the world of emails and telephones, they could investigate in days rather than weeks? They only need to work out what parts were ordered, when they were delivered, why it took so long and what work was actually carried out. Not rocket science is it

What you should always remember (and this is what your Dads worrying about) is that it does not matter how good a rider you are it is "them and us". Were ever you ride a bike, in what ever part of the world riders are looked at as nusiances and targets. The faster you go ...... the more it hurts. Your Dads only moaning because he cares. He wants you to be safe and to come home at night. Everything that everyone has said to you above is honesty. A 250 or 600 cc is plenty. I had a KH250 at 17 and enjoyed it just as much as any other bike I ever owned. Start small....go big in time. Build up and have a goal. If you jump to an R1 then eventually when you want a change your stuck. Get as much training as you can and try to get your dad involved as much as possible. Biking is not about speed. Its about enjoying it and being safe whilst enjoying it. I lost my best mate to the power of an R1 with a broken neck. He left a wife and a young daughter. There is a lot of common sense spoken on this thread so please listen as its meant to help you stay alive.

Maybe so Jim but that means that I am out of pocket and with out a bike....again. Catch 22 isnt it

Hope so Jim. Will keep you up to date as to whats going on. Hopefully it can be resolved soon and I can stop going on about it. I do value the opinions though BUT I am the stage were I think I should have purchased the XT125 as it looks much less complicated.

Very very Nice Barwell. Is this your dads or yours??

Update for you Jim. I recieved a reply yesterday from the yamaha MD. Says he apologises for the delay as he has been abroad on business. He will have his people talk to the dealership who "fixed" the bike and will get back to me as soon as he can. I appreciate the response from the man himself so lets see what comes of it. Someone has also said to me that it may be a case that the exhaust system is not working properly....hence the lack of power. I opened it up a bit yesterday morning at 5 am on a dual carriage way with hardly any traffic. it absolutely struggled to hit 64 MPH going DOWN a steep hill. It has a bit of power on acceleration but will not go past 8000rpm in 6th. Not right is it. The bike is in beautiful condition as I have looked after it. The build quality is superb and everyone loves the style and looks of the bike (as do I). Not a lot of bikers I know are happy about what has happened though. They say they will reserve judgement on who or what is at fault and what happens after the investigation by Yamaha is complete as will Trading Standards and the rest. Time will tell on who says what and who points the finger at who. Emails and a diary of events will show up who is telling the truth and we will see what happens after that. Pardon any spelling mistakes as its daft oclock in the morning.

All I can tell you Jim is that the bike developed an engine knock....sort of sounding like when tappets need doing on an old car. When you came to a stop you could hear it more. The side stand switch wasnt working and it struggled to reach 65 or so even down hill. They inspected the bike and said there was a problem and to bring the bike back and they would do a further inspection and order the parts and fit them. When I picked the bike up (after four and a half weeks) all I got out of the manager was that it had a new crank and head. They had quoted a wood ruff key was on order but other than that they never told me anything else. The side stand switch still does not work, ts still struggling for top end power and no one will tell me why it took so long, what exactly was replaced, when the parts were ordered, when they were delivered and why, that a bike less than a year old can have so many problems when it had done less than 2000 miles. Still waiting for a reply from yamaha. If it is not forth coming shortly then I really am going to go off on one. I will not be ignored and I want answers.

Thats OK chaps. Always admire a good bit of off topic banter I have just been reading through this and would just like to say to Jen that not all Yamaha's are bad or not all Yamaha dealers are as bad as the one I have recently had dealings with. Get back on to your dad. Moan at him until he comes round. There is nothing wrong with the CBR 125 but compared to the R125 there is no competition..... well... when they work Ok anyway!

Thats all I can tell you at the moment Jim. The air at the dealership was a little bit frosty and not a lot of words were spoken. I was annoyed to say the least at all the delays and I do not think that me being in the shop was appreciated. I dont really want to take the bike to another dealer as it is miles away, could take god knows how long and I could be without my bike again. Plus, if I go messing with it, it could weaken my case. Still waiting on something from yamaha. Again, very very slow!! This topic is sure getting some watches isn't it.

Well, it developed a bit of what I can only describe as a slight knocking sound. I know it doesn’t have tappets but it was akin to that (similar to an old car when the tappets are goosed). The side stand switch stopped working and the bike lacked power on the top end. It could accelerate but once it reached 58 or 59 MPH it would not go any faster unless it was down hill. It would (and still will) only reach nearly 70 mph on a long steep hill. The dealer tells me it had a new crank and head and all that goes with that. They were not very helpful when I picked the bike up so I am unsure as to exactly what the problem was. The bike was ridable but sluggish before I took it to the dealer for inspection. Now the bike is ridable, still sluggish and a bit grindy (?). The side stand switch does not work still. So, what do you think Jim? What annoys the most is the fact that the build quality is second to none and the aesthetics are superb. I don’t know if I was just unlucky and got a bad bike or the fact that the length of time it took to fix has made me very bitter or are they susceptible to breaking down a lot? They are by far the best looking 125 I have ever seen but now feel as though my money has been wasted. I bought Yamaha for the reliability factor as well s the looks and size of the bike. These bikes are not cheap compared to bigger bikes and you would expect the odd one to be a little off. Having said that, if it required that much work to be carried out after less than 2000 miles and very carefully ridden, it does not fill me with confidence for the future and would think extremely hard before recommending them to anyone else.

Got you now Jim. Lets hope he can provide some answers and get to the bottom of it all. The bike still isnt performing. Extremely lacking in top end, the side stand switch still doesnt work and it feels rough to ride. These bikes are not cheap so you would expect them to last a little longer than 2000 miles before all of these problems. I do hope they do not try to say the bike has been thrashed as it most certainly has not!

Who is this Andy Smith Jim?

It now transpires that Yamaha are taking an eternity to answer a letter of complaint. Absolutely brilliant arent they.

Cheers Jim. I have written to Yamaha to ask for a timescale of what parts were ordered, when they were ordered and when they were delivered. I have also asked them why the side stand switch is still not working as per the original inspection, why the bike struggles to hit 70mph downhill and why a bike under a year old, less than 2000 miles on the clock and ridden extremely carefully can cock up in such a big fashion? Surely it would have been much easier and cheaper to have replaced the engine? Seeing as these bikes cost £3700 new I would have thought that they would not want the bad publicity or the loss of sales over a poor dealer or one rogue bike? They have definitely lost custom over this and the word about the dealer is spreading fast. By the way..... I'm in my forties, definitely not a boy racer and only way 11 stone so the bike has not been thrashed. I did my home work before I bought this bike and talked to a lot of people who said the bikes were of good quality, the after sales was good and the dealers were good. I would not recommend the R125 to anyone and as for the dealerships....... to tell some to collect the bike (presumably in bits) when they have agreed to complete the works (thus entering into a contract) is beyond belief! It may not be Yamaha's fault but I want to know who is at fault and why the qualty of the bike is so poor. I can then take the appropriate steps.

Jim, all comments are welcome as I asked for advice at the beggining of the post. Well, got the bike back on Saturday. The manager said it had a new crank and cylinder head. The side stand switch STILL doesnt work and I asked for this to be done at the same time. The bike still seems ropey. theres no top end and the manager said that it wont do much more than 65mph..... err wrong!! So, its time to push on and see what happens from here. Some one is to blame for the delays so we will see who points the finger at who. Four and a half weeks is rediculously long.

There was a contract entered into as soon as they accepted the bike and agreed to conduct the inspection and work so they have shot themselves in the foot. That is what the 1982 act is for. But, by trying to put it back on Yamaha's doorstep, well that’s a big mistake. Trading standards, the press, watchdog and the whole legal profession say that they are in the wrong legally and morally. I am in contact with a very nice lady at Yamaha customer services but this is going way higher than that I’m afraid. Yamaha, the dealer or both are at fault. It’s up to the law to decipher which. I know who I put the fault with but its not going to be my call.

I don’t want to name and shame as this could affect the outcome. There has been a development, and one that was sooooo predictable. I have been contacted by one of the Directors of the Dealership who apologises for the length of time etc and says another new part has to be ordered yet again. He also says that, seeing as how the bike was not purchased from them but from another dealer, they are not obliged to actually carry out the work. So, they have halted all work until I give them the go ahead (in other words they will finish it when they finish and I have to wait) or I can collect the bike (presumably in bits as they have allegedly been working on it to find all these problems) and take it to the original dealer (which is a long way away) or I can deal with Yamaha direct and have them repair it. Yamaha state that for a warranty claim you have to take it to a dealer who will inspect the bike, assess it and if needed make a claim on your behalf. I can not deal with Yamaha directly but, the bike is that bad a shape, maybe they should fix it now and I can pursue the dealer separately. In essence, they dealer is saying wait until we are ready or come and collect the bike in bits. It was ridden to the dealers and had a slight engine knock. Now it seems that the bike has a multitude of problems that needs many, many parts to fix. So, what would you do now and, once again, am I being unreasonable in my requests. Due to the high volumes of people reading this topic, Yamaha and the dealer are not doing them selves any favours are they.