Yamaha YZF-R3 engine problems after recall fixed

I have to confess that these past few months have been a bit busy. Most of us have been on the road for the most part. This meant the Yamaha YZF-R3 has been a bit neglected of late. Hence the low amount of kilometers on the clock.

The last time you heard about the little blue machine, everything was hunky-dory, and I was just waiting for some new tires. Around the same time, Yamaha had issued a recall of Yamaha YZF-R3. This was to replace some faulty components – the oil pump assembly and the clutch pressure plates. To be honest, I hadn’t had any problems such as clutch slippage or oil pump failure, so I was considering ignoring the recall. But then I decided against that. Why take a risk? So off it went to be fixed.

Now that the motorcycle is back, I really can’t tell any noticeable difference. But considering you really don’t feel anything wrong with the clutch or oil pump till they start malfunctioning, this isn’t saying much. But since the motorcycle also got a full service along with the recall, it has become a lot smoother and feels a lot tighter. It’s come back with a nice layer of polish on it too, and it looks shiny and new.

But here’s the problem. A week into riding the motorcycle around, I’ve been having some issues with the engine stalling suddenly. At first I let it slide thinking it might be my doing. But every time I’m in slow-moving traffic, the motorcycle has been stalling. This is a completely new issue and has me a bit worried. It also turns out to be a huge annoyance. Especially since it isn’t an isolated incident. In fact, the problem crops up every time engine temperatures rise – in heavy traffic, for example. Needless to say I’m being a bit cautious. I’ve minimized usage to city commutes for now and have spoken to Yamaha to get the motorcycle checked.

I’ll keep you posted about what happens at the service center. Maybe by the time the motorcycle comes back from the inspection, the Pirelli tires that are long overdue will also arrive, and I’ll be able to let the Yamaha YZF-R3 stretch it legs properly.