Rear shock leaking

Does anyone know what the failure rate is for the rear shock on the 2nd gen ventures?

I have a 2004 with 30000 kms on it and the rear shock is leaking oil.

Any and all advice is appreciated!

Cheers!

Unfortunately, the rear shock seems to be a weak link. Ours gave up the ghost in June on the last part of a 3200 mile road trip. Made for an uncomfortable ride the last few hundred miles. Our bike had 40,000 miles at the time of complete failure. Our bike is still under warranty so Yamaha fixed the bike for no charge.

The shock lists for nearly $700, so it's not a cheap repair. You can beat that price from on-line Yamaha dealers, but it still isn't cheap.

It's a pretty common failure. I replaced mine with a Work Performance shock. Expensive, but worth it.

I just got my 2000 RSV back from the local Yamaha dealer. It has 42000 miles on the clock, not sure how many KM's that is, I think it's around 56000. The shock was blown, so it had to be replaced to pass PA state inspection. The dealer could not even locate a Yamaha shock, so I had to go with an after market. I chose the WORKS shock. A bit pricey (almost $700!), but worth every penny! If I had known it was going to be this much better than the stock one, I would have done it much sooner. Don

Just curious, but has anyone taken one of these things apart to figure a way to replenish the oil?

You would have to come up with the right seals first to try and fix the shock. That is what goes out is the seals.

I am on my 3rd shock on my 2006 Venture all 3 leaked the oil out. My ride only had 35000 miles on it . Not good but if happens in the future and if off warranty I would get the Works shock also. The yamaha parts just does not last.

Just my 2 cent:thumbsup2:

Just curious, but has anyone taken one of these things apart to figure a way to replenish the oil?

It's welded shut.

It's welded shut.

Drill, tap, add oil as needed and plug??????????????

You can add all the oil you want but it will just run out, and like what FIB_78 stated it is welded shut. You will never get it apart in one piece:confused24:

You can add all the oil you want but it will just run out, and like what FIB_78 stated it is welded shut. You will never get it apart in one piece:confused24:

What a disappointment, that a manufacturer with a name as prominent as Yamaha would create such an expensive apparatus with no known way to repair it.

Inasmuch as 'everything is relative'.....this is kind of the equivalent of say, BMW, saying "Nope, sorry......you're going to have to throw away your starter motor......it's impossible to repair, even for an experienced journeyman mechanic." (I say that thinking that would never happen.......but, hoping I haven't just jinxed my 325's starter motor!!)

Has anyone EVER taken Yamaha U.S.A. to task on this issue? Any results in writing? I'd love to see their justification (if they even deemed it worthy of a reply/argument).

Signed: leaking oil......and pissed!

I have about 32k miles on my '05 and she's blowing shock oil right now.

Boomer!

You are alive!? Beth and I were around your neck of the woods earlier in the week, would have popped in for a visit.........too bad we missed ya!

gunk:smile5:

I have about 32k miles on my '05 and she's blowing shock oil right now.

32k on a 05?

My 09 is pushing 25k.

Are ya not riding much these days?

Boomer!

 

You are alive!? Beth and I were around your neck of the woods earlier in the week, would have popped in for a visit.........too bad we missed ya!

 

gunk:smile5:

What part of the woods was you in?

I had a dealer tell me about 50k is all theses shocks are good for...

What part of the woods was you in?

he was so far in ....that he was actually on his way out ..............

he was so far in ....that he was actually on his way out ..............

That's what happens to people when they vist here, get way out in the woods to far, we have git them hounds for them.

I have about 32k miles on my '05 and she's blowing shock oil right now.

Thanks for your feedback, Boomer.

Please let me know how/when you plan to proceed. Based on the amount of oil I see coming out of mine........we can't ride for long once it starts. (almost makes me HOPE for snow so I don't have to feel bad about not being able to ride!)

Anybody know how long these things typically take to go COMPLETELY south? I was out on my '03 for a bit today.....and it was either already starting to sound a little "mechanical".....or, it was just my imagination running wild in anticipation of have ZERO suspension.

So......will I be able to squeeze another 600 miles (1000 kliks) out of it?

I have a little over 15000 on my 08 and I think its leaking oil and the rear is feeling funny, i called the dealer and unless its leaking air preasure then its not bad?

Just curious, but has anyone taken one of these things apart to figure a way to replenish the oil?

Rick Butler has a write up on the original shock in the Second Gen Tech section.

On the older shocks you could remove the schrader valve you add air to and squirt a little oil in there.

The shocks made since '05 appear to be different. Yamaha added a vent tube that routes up along side the battery. They pretty much have to be made differently internally or the preload air would just vent out the hose. Assuming (with all the danger inherent to that) the vent is to let the oil chamber breathe without losing oil, it would seem that one could put oil in the vent tube. I have not tried this, though.

I have a little over 15000 on my 08 and I think its leaking oil and the rear is feeling funny, i called the dealer and unless its leaking air preasure then its not bad?

Westfield? That's what the kid up there told me. In my case he might be right that the oil I'm seeing isn't from the shock. There are hoses in front of the shock he's blaming it on. Since the oil isn't simply on the clevis and the relay arm he may be right.

The problem I have with this is that there's more to the shock than just air and oil. There's a spring that can fatigue, and there's basically a standard style shock inside the whole thing with parts that can wear out. Leaking air and oil don't necessarily tell the whole tale.

Irene's complaining about bumps. Now, this could be because of her back being broken in a sledding crash many years ago, or it could be the shock not working as well as it once did. I figure I have six months left on the warranty. There's a good chance I'll hit 50k miles by then. If the shock lasts longer than that I'll just buy an aftermarket shock.

If it's oil on the corrugated rubber boot on the bottom of the shock, he may be righ. Today. If it's bouncing, keep pushing him.

Oh, and when he looks at it make sure there's no air in the shock. I suspect that may help make the point.

Thanks for your feedback, Boomer.

 

Please let me know how/when you plan to proceed. Based on the amount of oil I see coming out of mine........we can't ride for long once it starts. (almost makes me HOPE for snow so I don't have to feel bad about not being able to ride!)

 

Anybody know how long these things typically take to go COMPLETELY south? I was out on my '03 for a bit today.....and it was either already starting to sound a little "mechanical".....or, it was just my imagination running wild in anticipation of have ZERO suspension.

 

So......will I be able to squeeze another 600 miles (1000 kliks) out of it?

I rode for a little over 2 months (and ~2k miles/3218kms) on my shock after I had a large puddle of oil under the shock (pushed up the boot on the shock and it was obvious that the oil had come from the shock). Contrary to what most seem to post here, mine had been leaking a little over the course of at least 1 month (If I recall correctly it was more like 3 or 4), and I strongly suspect much longer than that because I would occasionally wipe off the bottom of the shock and find a little bit of build up (verifying the origination of the leaking source by pushing up the boot and finding some oil inside the boot).

I have heard form others though that their shock just went out over night and theirs was un-rideable. So . Stay within your comfort zone, know your limits and you should be fine.

I have a little over 15000 on my 08 and I think its leaking oil and the rear is feeling funny, i called the dealer and unless its leaking air preasure then its not bad?

This is not necessarily true. As discussed in many places here (so I will give the very abbreviated version), the air and oil are contained in two separate areas. Either one can fail separately. Mine still holds air and it blew oil 2 months before I replaced it.

As stated though, you ought to verify the origin of the oil leakage because one of the tubes in front of the shock is overflow/breather from the crankcase. However, if you have oil build up on the bottom of the shock - it would be awfully tricky for the oil to go from the bottom of the hose to the bottom of the shock, considering the hose sticks down a good 2-3 inches.

To make sure, just push up the boot a little bit on the bottom of the shock and take a look. If you see oil on the inside of the boot, your shock is definitely gone/on its way out.

Does anyone know what the failure rate is for the rear shock on the 2nd gen ventures?

 

I have a 2004 with 30000 kms on it and the rear shock is leaking oil.

 

Any and all advice is appreciated!

 

 

Cheers!

So.........at the end of the day........(as "they" like to say)......is there a CHEAP/SMART/ALTERNATE way to fix this thing other than paying 700 bucks to have the dealer do it? (Or am I guessing way to low.....and the part ALONE is 700???)

Thanks for any tips/tricks from my fellow cheapskates!! (Read: rather spend it on beer!)

I have been thinking about writing Yamaha about the rear shock. How many people have done this before?

So.........at the end of the day........(as "they" like to say)......is there a CHEAP/SMART/ALTERNATE way to fix this thing other than paying 700 bucks to have the dealer do it? (Or am I guessing way to low.....and the part ALONE is 700???)

 

Thanks for any tips/tricks from my fellow cheapskates!! (Read: rather spend it on beer!)

Last I looked, partshark had the shock for ~450 or so.

The Works performance shock goes for ~700 shipped.

The work - if you have a jack and the adapter or an overhead winch (some way to lift the rear of the bike) doing the shock is frighteningly easy. When I did mine, I had the old shock off in something like 20 or maybe 30 minutes (including getting out tools, jacking bike up, etc). If mine had fit right the first time I would have had it done, start to my test ride within 45 mintues to 1 hour.