Dealer service says they Never do throttle body sync.

[britelitebob]

The dealer in Tucson has a lock on the market here. No other game in town and any repair shop might be worse. The one Yamaha shop asked why would I need a TBS. Their 2nd shop said, ok that's going to be this many hours labor, $300. I asked if I could watch. Hell no. I said good bye. I am going to ask instead if they can check the change in performance. Try that angle but I am sure they will say it's fine. I brought it in to same shop to check hard shifting under acceleration and they said it was because of my aftermarket levers. They took all the play out of the clutch and said 'fixed'. Cruizin, I wish I lived in your town. Tucson is kinda' lame. The Triumph, KTM dealer and the Ducati, Aprilia Moto Guzzi dealers closed this year. Phoenix has 5 times the population and many more choices.
 
*update* I called the independently owned Yamaha dealer in Sierra Vista, AZ and the service manager chuckled when I told my story and said they do the TBS sync for about 3/4 hour labor. I'll take the 50 mile ride down there. Maybe I have found the gem in the pile of....
Wish I had a motorcycle trailer and something a little more utility than my Honda Fit. lol

Why do you need a tbs?

[trokarr]

I stopped by my local dealer here in Canada to book my break-in 1000 km (600 mile) service and asked the service manager what would be done and specifically if they would do a TBS. He said the TBS is listed for the 1K service but they do a full diagnostics first to see if a TBS is required. He says they would only do the TBs if it was indicated by the computer diagnostics. Now I don't know if the diagnostics that they do would actually give you the TB readings or if it is just a TB mismatch error code (I will find this out when I bring the bike in for service on May 10th). Anyways, the manager said that they have never had a Yamaha that required a TBS at 1k km and that they usually don't need one until 16-17K km.
 
For background, the manager was pretty knowledgeable about the bike and the dealership is for Yamaha/BMW/Ducati, but they do sell a lot of Yamahas. Anyone know more about what the computer diagnostics can actually detect about the TB?

[vince]

I requested they do the TBS along with a couple other issues at the 1st service.
 
I highly recommend my dealer "Hillside Power Sports" in Lakeport CA.
 
I've lived in the area for 17 yrs and they still have a majority of the same crew.
 
If your in the area stop in! I buy 90% of my consumables from them. Yamaha had to build the FJ so I could buy a bike from them. Prices are usually the same or just a few $s difference from internet vendors.

[basstodave]

"Why do you need a tbs?"
 
I want the TBS for a baseline. The bike has 13700 miles on it. I'm at a point where I put $2-3K into it to make it driveable or sell it. My nerves are shot trying to ride in stop and go traffic, the throttle is so abrupt and I'm out of patience wondering if I'm going to do a wheelie just leaving the light. The power comes on in a rush so that I never relax when I need to be relaxed to navigate the traffic. I'm tired of the erratic shifting. Smooth, not so smooth, clunky this time not clunky next time. Sticky when accelerating useless when decelerating. Insane engine braking at inopportune moment.
The TBS sync is to eliminate something that isn't routine maintenance just to have it out of the way. There has been a change in the performance in the bike. It is either me as I am approaching 65 years old. Or Universal Japanese Motorcycle syndrome, owned for two years and all it's shortcoming (yes, on my bike only) are more obvious if not amplified. I had a Vstrom 650 and a Versys 650 before this and although the stronger engine in the FJ is delightful the wrapping it's packaged in is much too similar to the other two after a bit of ownership. And there is no one nearby to trust with questions let alone service.
Or I need plugs, coolant and brake flush, tbs sync, ECU flash, Suspension overhaul and possibly a pipe. $2-3K and maybe I will end up with a bike that is essentially the same but maybe with a more manageable throttle and compliant suspension.
Or I buy a Suzuki Gladius or a Honda 500 something or other for the city and get a BMW boxer for the road.
I like the FJ but I want to test ride the finished version before I sink money into it.
 

[Cruizin]

"Why do you need a tbs?" 
I want the TBS for a baseline. The bike has 13700 miles on it. I'm at a point where I put $2-3K into it to make it driveable or sell it. My nerves are shot trying to ride in stop and go traffic, the throttle is so abrupt and I'm out of patience wondering if I'm going to do a wheelie just leaving the light. The power comes on in a rush so that I never relax when I need to be relaxed to navigate the traffic. I'm tired of the erratic shifting. Smooth, not so smooth, clunky this time not clunky next time. Sticky when accelerating useless when decelerating. Insane engine braking at inopportune moment.
The TBS sync is to eliminate something that isn't routine maintenance just to have it out of the way. There has been a change in the performance in the bike. It is either me. Universal Japanese Motorcycle syndrome, owned for two years and all it's shortcoming (yes, on my bike only) are more obvious if not amplified. And there is no one nearby to trust with questions let alone service.
Or I need plugs, coolant and brake flush, tbs sync, ECU flash, Suspension overhaul and possibly a pipe. $2-3K and maybe I will end up with a bike that is essentially the same but maybe with a more manageable throttle and compliant suspension.
Or I buy a Suzuki Gladius or a Honda 500 something or other for the city and get a BMW boxer for the road.

 
My brother recommends having tbi sync done by 600 miles and says the first sync is the most important.

[olddawg]

Sorry to hear about so many problems with dealers. That said, I have to say my dealer is great . K&N Yamaha Sapulpa, Okla. as in K&N filters and K&N Racing oldest Yamaha dealer in the country. I have bought several bikes from them since 1988 and have always been very happy with them.

[texscottyd]

@olddawg - K&N is such a great place. I had the pleasure of working with Norm during my racing days, and you'll never find a better ambassador for our sport than the McDonald family.

[olddawg]

AMEN

[Cruizin]

Time to bump this thread.

[betoney]

Funny that I stumbled upon this thread, I was just reading several other motorcycle forums about this topic last night.
There seems to be many conflicting thoughts and practices concerning a throttle body sync. Yamaha seems to think it needs to be done every 4k miles, while some Honda owners were saying their owner manual states to never alter the factory sync.
Those who believe in syncing their throttle bodies have differing opinions on the rpm setting as well, some say sync it at idle, some claim B.S. you never ride at idle, the sync must be done at 5k or 6k (or your normal cruising rpm). (So much conflicting info. on message forums).
 
I have even asked several mechanics, some say "yes, do the sync". Others say "we can do the sync, but dont waste your money".
I dont know who to believe, so I choose to leave it alone. I have 17,000 trouble free miles with just changing the oil.

[norcal616]

throttle body synch is more of a placebo effect to vast majority of ppl...
 
throttle body synchs to me should be done if the throttle bodies got serviced/rebuilt or to help diagnosis a problem with the engine...

[martyl]

My experience is when my bike was breaking in it was jerky in the throttle response in first and 2nd. Gear. After the throttle body sync was done at my 600 mile service it was smooth. My view is if I get that issue again I'll have the sync done.

[trokarr]

Here is my experience with TB syncs.  I know the mechanic who services my bike quite well and he told me that he has never seen a Yamaha with under 20k km that needed a TB sync.  Usually, they don't require one until near the first valve adjustment service.  That being said, I had my TB checked at the 1k and 15k km services and they were fine at both.  I normally wait for my bike during the service so my mechanic will call me into the shop when he checks the TBs.  He will show me the TB values over the entire range of RPMs.  I can't tell if syncing the TBs does anything, since they have never been adjusted on my bike thus far.  I usually only take my bike in for service every second oil change (I do the other oil change myself), but I will probably continue to have them do a TB sync when I bring it in since the km are starting to stack up.
 
As an aside, the 15k km service is listed as requiring new spark plugs.  Since the mechanic had the bike apart for the TB sync anyways, I had new plugs put in and they didn't charge me labor for it.  Just my 2 cents.

[dbeau]

I asked the dealer where I bought my bike if they really sync the TB's every oil change and he said dismissively, "we do whatever the service calls for". He might as well have said "no".

[dbeau]

I asked the dealer where I bought my bike if they really sync the TB's every oil change and he said dismissively, "we do whatever the service calls for". He might as well have said "no".

huh?

Check your service manual