AI DamageYamaha XVS65: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Yamaha XVS65 across 8 model years: 21 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
What fails most often
- 1 Powertrain 76% of all complaints
- 2 Service brakes 10% of all complaints
- 3 Wheels 10% of all complaints
- 4 Electrical system 5% of all complaints
- 5 Engine 5% of all complaints
- 6 Engine and cooling 5% of all complaints
- 7 Fuel system 5% of all complaints
- 8 Structure 5% of all complaints
- Powertrain: 16 complaints (76% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Service brakes: 2 complaints (10% of all).
- Wheels: 2 complaints (10% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 1 complaints (5% of all).
- Engine: 1 complaints (5% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 21 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain | 16 | 2 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
The rear wheel of the motorcycle unexpectedly locked up while driving on a city street. I lost control of the motorcycle and hit the curb. If this would have happened on a busy interstate, I could have been killed.
The transmission of a 2007 yamaha 650 roadstar motorcycle locked up and caused the rear wheel to also lock and skid, causing an accident when the motorcycle flipped over on it's side. The lock up occurred at approx. 20 mph while shifting down from third to second gear while making a right turn.
The attached picture shows the defective part, which is the rusted piece in the center of the gray colored housing.
Final drive failure (differential) while moving on a straight country road, locking up briefly at 38,000 miles on the odometer with regular maintenance. And pinion bearings failed at 30,000 miles.
Bike drive failed at 16000 miles removed tire and rear drive assembly to inspect drive shaft and coupling. Coupling and rear gear assembly were completely stripped and lacking any signs of having ever been lubed even at the factory.
After a brief warm up, engine stalled and would not restart. No spark condition. Will restart when cool, then the problem repeats. A crash was avoided.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Wheels. Wheel runout, cracks, signs of a wheel strike.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
Other models of this make
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.