1985 Yamaha VMX12: complaints, problems and recalls
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
1 owner complaints analyzed
1 distinct recall campaigns
Not available median reported failure mileage
Scope: 1985 model year. Data updated: . 0 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.
This selection has limited data. It remains available for lookup but is excluded from search indexing.
Most common problems
Suspension:Front is the most frequently named component, appearing in 1 of 1 complaints (100.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Suspension:Front | 1 |
Suspension:Front: 1
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 0 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 0 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 0 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 0 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 0 |
| 150,000 and above | 0 |
Under 25,000: 0; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0
No usable failure mileage is recorded. 1 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 1 |
1998: 1
Pattern summary
Suspension:Front leads the component reports. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Examples from the source records
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 822643 · 1998-04-21 (April 21, 1998)
WHILE DRIVING THE MOTORCYCLE AT ANY SPEED THE FRONT END SHAKES. THE BEARINGS WERE REPLACED WITHIN THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS. PROLBEM WITH THE MOTORCYCLE STILL EXISTS. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 822643 at NHTSA ↗
Recall history
1 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.
87V014000 · Suspension:Front
Reported: 1987-02-12 (February 12, 1987)
FRONT WHEEL BEARING COULD FAIL DUE TO LACK OF LUBRICATION.
Remedy: REPLACE BEARINGS AND AXLE COLLARS ON IN USE MOTORCYCLES; REPLACE AXLE COLLARS AND ENSURE PROPER BEARING LUBRICATION ON UNSOLD MOTORCYCLES.
NHTSA campaign record ↗Vehicle analysis explorer
Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.
Data completeness
1 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.
Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.
Problems by model year
Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.
| Component | 1997 | 2003 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension:Front | 1100.0%ODI 706263MOTORCYCLE DEVELPOED SEVERE FRONT END OSCILLATION RESULTING IN CRASH AND FIRE. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 1100.0%ODI 10264914 · 1,950 miIF YOU DO A SEARCH ON THE INTERNET OF "VMAX WOBBLE" YOU WILL GET A LOT OF EXAMPLES OF WHAT I HAVE EXPERIENCED. I HAD A ONE VEHICLE WRECK AND BROKE A RIB RECENTLY IN THE LARGE 2 ACRE PARKING LOT OF THE MOTORCYCLE DEALER WHERE I PURCHASE A NEW 2007 YAMAHA VMAX MOTORCYCLE THAT IS UNDER WARRANTY. I WAS TRYING TO DEMONSTRATE A DEFECT ON THE FRONT FORK AND THE FRAME. THE MECHANIC AT THE SHOP HAD BEEN UNABLE TO FIND THE DEFECT. THE DEFECT ON MY MOTORCYCLE IS MAINLY IN THE FRONT FORK. AS I HAD TOLD THE MECHANIC THE FRONT FORK WOBBLES WHEN GOING AR… |
| Engine | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 1100.0%ODI 11124456 · 76,000 miI WAS RIDING THE MOTORCYCLE ON SUNSET BLVD AROUND 5 PM DURING TRAFFIC WHEN SUDDENLY THE ENGINE STARTED BREAKING SO HARD, I PULLED THE CLUTCH AND COSTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, HAD TO CALL AAA TO TOW THE BIKE, I TRIED TO START THE BIKE BUT FOUND OUT THAT THE ENGINE HAS SEIZED, THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH THESE BIKES OIL DELIVERY SYSTEM O-RINGS FAILING & RESULT IN OIL STARVATION & ENGINE SEIZING. I BOUGHT THIS BIKE NEW FROM A YAMAHA DEALER AND HAD NO ENGINE MODIFICATION. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Structure | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 1100.0%ODI 10264914 · 1,950 miIF YOU DO A SEARCH ON THE INTERNET OF "VMAX WOBBLE" YOU WILL GET A LOT OF EXAMPLES OF WHAT I HAVE EXPERIENCED. I HAD A ONE VEHICLE WRECK AND BROKE A RIB RECENTLY IN THE LARGE 2 ACRE PARKING LOT OF THE MOTORCYCLE DEALER WHERE I PURCHASE A NEW 2007 YAMAHA VMAX MOTORCYCLE THAT IS UNDER WARRANTY. I WAS TRYING TO DEMONSTRATE A DEFECT ON THE FRONT FORK AND THE FRAME. THE MECHANIC AT THE SHOP HAD BEEN UNABLE TO FIND THE DEFECT. THE DEFECT ON MY MOTORCYCLE IS MAINLY IN THE FRONT FORK. AS I HAD TOLD THE MECHANIC THE FRONT FORK WOBBLES WHEN GOING AR… |
| Suspension | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 1100.0%ODI 10264914 · 1,950 miIF YOU DO A SEARCH ON THE INTERNET OF "VMAX WOBBLE" YOU WILL GET A LOT OF EXAMPLES OF WHAT I HAVE EXPERIENCED. I HAD A ONE VEHICLE WRECK AND BROKE A RIB RECENTLY IN THE LARGE 2 ACRE PARKING LOT OF THE MOTORCYCLE DEALER WHERE I PURCHASE A NEW 2007 YAMAHA VMAX MOTORCYCLE THAT IS UNDER WARRANTY. I WAS TRYING TO DEMONSTRATE A DEFECT ON THE FRONT FORK AND THE FRAME. THE MECHANIC AT THE SHOP HAD BEEN UNABLE TO FIND THE DEFECT. THE DEFECT ON MY MOTORCYCLE IS MAINLY IN THE FRONT FORK. AS I HAD TOLD THE MECHANIC THE FRONT FORK WOBBLES WHEN GOING AR… |
| Unknown Or Other | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 1100.0%ODI 10264914 · 1,950 miIF YOU DO A SEARCH ON THE INTERNET OF "VMAX WOBBLE" YOU WILL GET A LOT OF EXAMPLES OF WHAT I HAVE EXPERIENCED. I HAD A ONE VEHICLE WRECK AND BROKE A RIB RECENTLY IN THE LARGE 2 ACRE PARKING LOT OF THE MOTORCYCLE DEALER WHERE I PURCHASE A NEW 2007 YAMAHA VMAX MOTORCYCLE THAT IS UNDER WARRANTY. I WAS TRYING TO DEMONSTRATE A DEFECT ON THE FRONT FORK AND THE FRAME. THE MECHANIC AT THE SHOP HAD BEEN UNABLE TO FIND THE DEFECT. THE DEFECT ON MY MOTORCYCLE IS MAINLY IN THE FRONT FORK. AS I HAD TOLD THE MECHANIC THE FRONT FORK WOBBLES WHEN GOING AR… |
Darker cells indicate a larger share of submitted complaints. Components overlap. This measures complaint composition, not failure probability.
Failure mileage by component
Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.
| Component | Mileage range (25th–75th percentile) | Median | Usable records | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No usable records for this analysis. | ||||
Complaint and recall timeline
Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.
Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.
Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples
| Month | Complaints | Campaigns announced | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2024-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-10 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-10 (partial) | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
Emerging complaint spikes
Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.
This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.
No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.
Equal-age model-year comparison
Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.
2003: 0 complaints · 2007: 1 complaints
| Model year | Through age 0 | Through age 1 | Through age 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Date coverage across each selected cohort
| Year | Incident dates used | Filing date fallbacks | Excluded dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.
Components reported together
Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.
| Component | Suspension:Front |
|---|---|
| Suspension:Front | — |
Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.
Recurring narrative patterns
Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.
0 patterns with matching reports.
No narratives match the published patterns.