2002 Yamaha Xvs11 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train:driveline (6) · Power Train (3) · Power Train:manual Transmission (1)
Safety recalls (0)
No recalls on record for this model year (campaigns announced since 2010).
What owners report
2011-09-17 · Power Train · 53,000 mi“middle drive shaft snapped off where the nut goes on. this is very dangerous and has happened on many of these bikes. the back wheel can lock up and put the motorcycle into a skid causing an accident that could easily result in death. i was driving down the road and noticed a loud noise coming from the engine area of the motorcycle. the drive train…”
2011-08-07 · Power Train:driveline · 28,000 mi“while commuting to work i noticed a very loud whining sound coming from the drive shaft area during decelleration on my 2002 v-star 1100. after further inspection and research i learned it was my middle drive that had actually dismembered itself, causing a broken part to rattle around inside the assembly, which many other yamaha owners have experie…”
2011-06-26 · Power Train:driveline · 19,125 mi“motorcycle started making noise when letting off the gas. rear wheel locked up just as i got home. end of middle shaft broken off and nut jammed in u-joint. *tr…”
2011-06-08 · Power Train · 20,000 mi“when starting and shutting off the motorcycle, there tends to be a loud clunk. this has been going on since i purchased this bike from a private owner in 2010. i have all of the service documentation for this bike from the previous owner, all maintenance was performed on schedule. just recently, i had an issue where the bike would not turn over …”
2010-08-08 · Power Train:driveline · 74,000 mi“ the vehicle is a 2002 yamaha v star 1100 classic motorcycle with approx. 74,000 miles.the events leading up to the incident were just normal riding conditions for this motorcycle. the failure occurred when the tip of the middle drive shaft sheared off with the nut that holds it in place. this is a common problem from what i understand with this pa…”
2010-06-02 · Power Train:driveline · 25,000 mi · 💥 crash“had the middle drive shaft bolt shear off my 1100 v star. as a result of the bolt shearing of for no apparent reason it locked up the rear tire,lost control and nearly killed myself !!! *tr…”
2010-05-23 · Power Train:driveline · 28,273 mi“was driving in town around 30mph ,,,all of a sudden i heard and developed a whine (sounded like tire whine)., could only hear it during deceleration. noise gradually got louder. loud crunch was heard when nut holding u-joint to middle gear dislodged and busted speedo pickup. i am a technical mechanic for a car big car company ....so as soon as i…”
2009-01-22 · Power Train · 3,500 mi“i own a 02 yamaha vstar 1100 classica and it's has been known that years prior to 2003 that the starter and starter clutch will fail and need replacing. this would normally run over 800 dollars to replace at the dealer. this has been happening alot to these bikes and some have been successful of getting the parts for free from the dealer but many h…”
2008-07-23 · Power Train:manual Transmission · 40,000 mi“product is 2002 yamaha vstar 1100 motorcycle (xvs1100) purchased in 2002. after several years of riding, middle drive shaft assembly is in the process of failing, which could cause injury or death. many enthusiasts of this model report failure of assembly which is a known manufacturing defect. have not replaced the assembly yet. *tr…”
2008-06-21 · Power Train:driveline · 24,000 mi“the middle drive shaft bolt sheared of my 2002 vstar 1100 classic. *tr…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.