Okay, so, about this Yamaha YZF R4 thing… I’ve been digging around and messing with bikes for a while now, and this one’s been a real head-scratcher. I got my hands on one of these a few months back, thinking it would be a sweet ride. The rumors about this bike were crazy, like, it’s supposed to be some kind of a downsized R6, using the same engine but with a cylinder turned off, making it a 400cc. Sounds cool, right?
Initially, I started it up just fine. But then, things started to get weird. There were some odd noises, like a tapping sound, and I was like, “What’s up with that?” I took it to the dealer, and they had it for a few weeks. They said they couldn’t find anything wrong. I thought, “Great, let’s go!” But boy, was I wrong. Not even 2 miles down the road, that tapping turned into this horrible, broken noise. It was like the whole engine was falling apart. It was the transmission, for sure.
I did some more digging and found out that these bikes, especially the newer R1s, have had some serious engine issues. Like, really bad. People were talking about second gear problems, and it’s apparently a common thing. I even found this forum thread from way back in 2012 talking about it. It’s crazy that this is still an issue.
I started to go through forums, reading posts and stuff, and it’s like a whole community of Yamaha owners dealing with all sorts of problems. I saw posts about people having issues with their R6s too. One guy was even trying to compile a list of problems to send to Yamaha. It’s a mess.
My Experience
- Heard rumors about a new R4 bike using the R6 engine.
- Got my hands on one a few months ago.
- Started it up, and it was fine.
- Heard a weird tapping sound.
- Took it to the dealer, they kept it for a few weeks and found nothing.
- Picked it up, and less than 2 miles later, the tapping turned into a bad noise.
- Thought it was the transmission.
- Discovered that newer R1s have serious engine issues.
- Found a forum thread from 2012 discussing second gear problems.
- Realized it’s a common issue.
- Read through forums and found a community of Yamaha owners with various problems.
- Saw posts about R6 issues.
- Noticed someone compiling a list of problems for Yamaha.
My buddy has one of these bikes, and he had the same second gear issue. We tried to fix it ourselves, and let me tell you, it’s a pain. You have to split the cases and everything. It’s not a simple job.
So, yeah, that’s my story with the Yamaha YZF R4. It’s been a wild ride, and not in a good way. If you’re thinking about getting one, maybe think twice. Or at least be ready to deal with some potential headaches. This whole experience has been pretty frustrating, to say the least.
