[Resolved]  Yamaha Fz16 — faulty rear tyre

THIS EMAIL WAS SENT ON 3 MARCH 2010 TO ALL THE EMAIL ADDRESSES MENTIONED ON THE MANUAL OF MY BIKE AND I STILL HAVE TO RECEIVE A REPLY. I WISH LAW AND ORDER FOR CONSUMERS IN INDIA WERE AS GOOD AS IT IS IN EUROPEAN AND WESTERN COUNTRIES.

Dear Sir,

I had bought this Yamaha FZ16 on November 10, 2008. I have been very pleased with this bike all this while and this is one very well taken care of bike.

I have never sped it up above 60KM/hr and have never been involved in any rash driving. No screeching brakes or no instant acceleration have ever been a part of my driving.

This is my third bike after Karizma and Apache, so I am quite a biker myself and I know how to look after my bike to make it run smoothly in the long run and I am also well-aware of the technicalities related to my bike.

However, there have been an ongoing issue which I had reported right after my second service. The rear tyre of my bike is of inferior quality. There have been too many wear and tear issues with it which a tyre of this quality should not have, THAT TOO so quickly which is within 3-4 months. It has deteriorated so quickly that I am astonished at this rate.

This tyre has lost all its friction and the bike wobbles and loses control if the bike is slightly tilted on the turns. This tyre gets punctured twice a month at least and the previous punctures keep leaking too. At the same time, the front tyre has never got punctured on the same road and on the same stuffs, so I fail to understand that how come the rear tyre can get punctures so very often.

I have spent almost close to Rs. 2000 only on punctures which I know nobody is going to compensate. Had I been aware that I was going to spend Rs. 2000 on this tyre and that I would have to keep spending like this, I would have purchased a new tyre at this cost. But now, I have already spent this much money and I feel that I have not got what I have paid for.

As mentioned above, I had reported this issue right after my second service. I kept on showing the condition of my tyre to the service staff at the Prince Automobiles, Nangloi, Delhi service showroom (where I purchased my bike from), but they kept on insisting it was normal and that they wanted me to get the puncture job done again and observe the tyre. Thus, I spent all my free services and the time when something could actually have been done. And when the bike was close to being a year old, I was finally advised to contact MRF service center. As a customer, AM I SUPPOSED TO TAKE MY BIKE AROUND AND LOSE THE PRECIOUS AMOUNT OF TIME THAT I NEED TO SPEND AT MY WORK AND WITH MY FAMILY? IS IT MY RESPONSIBILITY TO CARRY THE BURDEN AROUND OF A FAULTY PRODUCT THAT I PURCHASED?

If you have a look at the pictures mentioned below, you will find the condition that why this is so bad and why it is even so dangerous for my life to keep using it:

I have never received a satisfactory solution and I have rather got a run around all the time. Having visited the MRF center myself, I was told that this tyre was getting worse in condition but this was not the tyre quality and it was the bike’s design that made the tyre rubbing at such a fast rate that the rubber got damaged. They gave me a letter that it is not the tyre’s quality but the bike’s design that is at fault. Now, at this stage, who am I to decide who is at fault; Yamaha or MRF? For me, you are the service provider and you should take the ownership to resolve the issue. I am deeply hurt and flabbergasted at this treatment that I have received after I recommended FZ to so many of my friends and relatives.

You can have a look at the scanned letter that I received from MRF stating that it is not the tyre quality.

I need a solution!! I do not need a tyre replacement but I want my bike to be replaced, so that as a customer I finally get what I have paid for, A RUNNING BIKE. Please look into and don’t force me to look for legal options. This may be just a Rs. 2500 or Rs. 3000 worth tyre for you but for me, this has now become a matter of principles and being right. And I will not give up!!!!

I hope to receive a positive quick response as soon as possible.

Regards,
Rahul Gautam