| Author | Message | ||
     Lowflyer |
I called to set up an appointment to get the fan on my Uly replaced under warranty and 15 August was the earliest they would have the part. It quit on me this weekend. I have ridden this bike nearly every day for the last two years. 2 whole galldang weeks is going to hurt! A lot of things can happen in two weeks. I might buy another bike or something.  | ||
| Iugradmark |
I'm curious as to why the two weeks. Is it availability of parts, availability of dealer mechanics, or warranty claim delays? | ||
| Midnightrider |
Been there. If you are impatient like me, you can order the fan yourself for $73. It took about 5 days to get to the dealer. Took me a little over an hour to install. If I had waited for the dealer, it would have been about 10 days to get it into the service department and then another 5 days for the part to come in (they don't stock them and wouldn't order one until they determined it was needed), then another ? days for them to get it back together. That's why I decided to eat the $$ and do it myself | ||
| Lowflyer |
The issue is basically time to get the fan in stock plus an opening in their schedule. They supposedly went ahead and ordered one on my word that it failed. Some dealers will do that while others will not. I'm considering ordering one myself and swapping it out, then swap it back and go ahead with the appointment. At least then I will have a spare. | ||
| Midnightrider |
I had the same plan. Then the little boy in me just had to take the old fan apart. Of course I destroyed it in the process. Hope you have better luck! | ||
| Teeps |
Will you continue to ride the bike with the fan inop? | ||
| Lowflyer |
I would, but it is uncomfortable. The heat gets sort of outrageous after a while. I rode it home about 40 miles or so after it went out and my right leg was roasting the whole way. Update: Al will be sending me a fan shortly. I should get it early next week. Thanks Al!  | ||
| Midnightrider |
I rode with a dead fan for about 2 weeks. Highway rides were no problem. City driving was no good. Of course that's here in DC with 90+ temps | ||
| Teeps |
Midnightrider I rode with a dead fan for about 2 weeks. Highway rides were no problem. City driving was no good. Of course that's here in DC with 90+ temps Did you notice any difficulty with hot soak restarts? | ||
| Midnightrider |
Yes. The first time I took just a short trip in the city and I had to crank it 2 or 3 times to get it to fire back up. I planned to avoid low-speed traffic after that, but later that week I ran into unexpected jam ups on the beltway. I exited the highway early to pull off someplace and let it cool down when I accidentally hit the kill switch with my thumb. An immediate restart failed so I pushed it into the parking lot of a 7-11. I let it cool for a good 15 minutes before trying again. This time it caught but was sputtering. A couple throttle twists and it idled normally again. Two minutes later it started raining like heck and cooled us both off. I pulled the dead fan out that night, looked for any melted components, and let the bike sit for 2 days until the replacement fan came in. don | ||
| Lowflyer |
I noticed the heat before I knew the fan was the problem. I would ride it dead, but I get all wierded out about the effect of the unusually high temperatures on the oil. That fan plays a role in regulating oil temps so that it doesn't break down too soon. 'Tis why the fan runs after the bike shuts down - cools the oil rapidly so as to limit the amount of time it spends at high temp. Without the fan, I would feel compelled (right or wrong) to change my oil every few days. As it is, I will change my oil when I get the new fan installed and before my next ride. Paranoid maybe, but oil is as much about the warm fuzzy as it is about the lubrication/cooling for me. | ||
| Windrider |
Lowflyer, When my fan died my dealer needed 3 weeks to look at it and make sure that it was covered under warranty?? If they decided to cover it THEN they would order it. Nothing like customer service. Total time span for this "process" was estimated to be 6 weeks. They stressed to me though that they may not be able to cover it under warranty. I bought one from Al, had it in 3 days and installed it myself in about an hour and a half. I hope that this one lasts longer! | ||
| Teeps |
Windrider, you may be on to something with self repair. Fix it yourself, then submit the reciept(s) to Buell C.R. for reimbursement. | ||
| Lowflyer |
Teeps, That sounds like a good idea, but I doubt Buell would reimburse. Warranties are mostly written with some funny language about authorized repair facilities and personnel, etc... I'll try it anyway though. What have I got to lose? WR, I should get my fan from Al on Tuesday. (Message edited by lowflyer on August 03, 2007) | ||
| Bertotti |
I haven't had a problem yet but the recurring theme is dealers sit on warranty issues. I think a call to Buell may be in order before or during my visit to the dealer just keep keep them on their toes at the dealer. | ||
| Teeps |
Lowflyer Posted on Friday, August 03, 2007 - 09:32 am: Teeps, That sounds like a good idea, but I doubt Buell would reimburse. Warranties are mostly written with some funny language about authorized repair facilities and personnel, etc... I'll try it anyway though. What have I got to lose? WR, I should get my fan from Al on Tuesday. (Message edited by lowflyer on August 03, 2007) I'm not a fan of running to a company's customer service department. But you have some good ammo with the above statement. Ask them why a non Buell store, can supply the part faster than an authorized dealer? Then ask if they can explain how that is right. | ||
| Lorazepam |
I havent figured out why if I order and prepay for parts they show up within a week, and if they are ordered to do warranty service, they take two weeks to get. That has been the pattern at my dealer, and I am at a loss to explain it. | ||
| Lowflyer |
I have observed the same exact thing. This fan failure is not a freak event. It's no secret that these fans run almost constantly in an extremely harsh environment; thus, they are prone to failure. They should be in stock at any Buell dealer worldwide - along with air cleaners, spark plugs, drive belts, wheel bearings, etc. I'll be buying another bike in the next year to 18 months, but this along with my other dealership experiences will make me a VERY hard sell for any Buell in the future. I don't plan to enter an HD dealer again unless my motor explodes. | ||
| Teeps |
Lowflyer Posted on Sunday, August 05, 2007 I have observed the same exact thing. If by the exact thing you are talking about parts ordering. Me too. There is probably a priority order system, and the dealers order warranty parts on a low priority. Doing so, might maximize their profit on the part. By saving shipping costs. It's called a "stock order." Lowflyer Posted on Sunday They (fans) should be in stock at any Buell dealer worldwide - along with air cleaners, spark plugs, drive belts, wheel bearings, etc. Amen to that... | ||
| Lowflyer |
Yeah, I'm all for maximizing their profit on parts since they have to struggle to meet the flat rate on labor. That damn flat rate is what has cost me several trips back to the fargin dealer for re-work of what should be easy stuff for the newest of new technicians. This is how my 10k scheduled maintenance trip went: http://picasaweb.google.com/lowflyer00/DealerBuffo onery DISCLAIMER: Now, before anybody says it, let me make clear that my very limited and precious free time is worth more to me than the pride I would take in meticulously maintaining my own bike. Therefore, I pay the dealer to do it knowing I will suffer some here and there. I accept fully that nobody can maintain my bike the way that I would. Still, there are some things that I think are just plain negligent. The above is an example of that. The dealer did replace my damaged fork cap, but it cost me two hours of my time, half a tank of gas, and a momentary spike in my blood pressure. That, and they are still not perfect the way that they were when I left the bike there. | ||
| Greenagain |
Man you guys are scaring me. The fact that it's more advantageous to spend $ 75 out of pocket, and do the job at home than it is to go to the dealer. I just came back from a 4 day, 2400 rip on my 40,000 mile VFR. For tools I packed a can of chain lube, a rag, and roll of duct tape. I only needed the chain lube. | ||
| Midnightrider |
Great post. Makes me laugh at myself a little though - I'm surely obsessive-compulsive with the tools I carry even on short trips. It's funny because if something did break out on the road, I probably couldn't diagnose and fix it anyway. Well - at least if someone who does know how to fix it comes along, I'll have all the right tools. As for the fan itself - I guess it's a matter of priorities. I figured it would be 3 weeks minimum for warranty replacement. So $75 over 21 days is about $3.50 per day. For me, money well spent. Or look at at this way. You walk into the dealer to schedule the replacement. You are offered a choice - free repair but your bike is tied up for 3 weeks, or $75 and we'll fix it right now. Which would you pick? Plus we don't need any chain lube. | ||
| Windrider |
Greenagain, I just got back from a 2K mile spin on the Uly. I didn't use ANY chain lube.  There is something seriously wrong with Buell dealers though. Before I went on my trip I took the bike in the to get the drive belt replaced. Long story, but I got that failure covered under warranty, with the help of Buell CS and Court. I needed a new rear tire so I asked them if they could put on a Pirelli Scorpion Sync while they had the wheel off. The Service guy sent me to the parts counter. I asked the parts guy for a Pirelli Scorpion Sync but he didn't know what that was. He asked what year my bike was and I told him 06 but I don't want the Dunlop, I want the Pirelli so look up the 07. He poked around in the computer for about 10 minutes, finally found the magic number, then told me that they don't have any in stock. I said fine, no worries, I will just order it at a local bike shop like last time. Oh wait, he said, let me look it up for you and see where I can find it. He pokes around in the computer and then tells me that there is 1 tire that will fit a Buell Ulysses in the entire Northwest US!! It is in Colorado so I should order it because it is the only tire in the entire Northwest US that can fit my bike!!! Of course, they wanted just under $200 for the tire and I would have to pay shipping and a "special" order fee on top of that! I would have to pay all of these fees up front and they could get that tire from CO to Idaho in only two weeks! What a deal he was offering me. I told him no thanks, I was going to get the tire elsewhere and he then told me that there was a big tire strike on and there was probably no tires to be found in the world as we know it. Again, I thanked him for his "help" and walked away. I went over to the customer waiting area while they worked on the belt and called the local BMW/Triumph dealer where I usually buy tires. They greeted me warmly, remembered my name, looked up the tires that I had ordered last year, quoted me a very reasonable price, and ordered the tires that I wanted to be delivered in 3 days. The strike didn't seem to be affecting them. The call lasted 45 seconds. They didn't ask for any money up front and charged no shipping or "special" order fees. I had been at the HD parts counter for almost 20 minutes. The really sad part is this was at a brand new dealer with a HUUUGGGGEEEE store. This thing is obscene. It has a pool table, a putting green, more chrome than some countries and yet they don't see any need to stock a tire that is used on most of the Buell line. Everything is a "special" order with extra fees tacked on. I was told that the Buells would be better taken care once the new superstore was open but it appears to be more of the same. Long sigh. | ||
| Lowflyer |
Greenagain, No worries. The Buell is a rock-solid machine that really is VERY reliable. The problem is with getting service in the rare event that it needs service. Some things with the design are slightly more prone to failure than others. The fan is one of those things. | ||
| Teeps |
Greenagain Posted on Sunday, August 05, 2007 Man you guys are scaring me. The fact that it's more advantageous to spend $ 75 out of pocket, and do the job at home than it is to go to the dealer. And, so it went last year when the "battery took a crap" (http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/142 838/207872.html) in my Ulysses. | ||
| Orangeulius |
Yeah, after a certain point it's just easier to replace the part yourself. Like Teeps, I paid for my own battery replacement. Should I have had to? No. It was just easier and faster. Life on my uly has been great ever since. Badwebbers are just smarter than their dealers. We have the power of the collective. Dealers in general prefer to stay ignorant. | ||
| Lowflyer |
Took my fan out in about 15 minutes tonight. VERY easy. UPS says my new one should get here Tuesday. I found that the problem with the fan is that it has a lot of resistance to turning. Feels like bearings are bad. | ||
| Retired_cop |
Called my dealer and told him my fan ( at 17K miles ) was sounding stranger than normal. Service Mgr asked if it sounded like it had rocks it it. Reply was yes that is it. Service Mgr says, it is going to die and I will order you a new one and call you when it comes in. Got the call the other day, and was told to ride over and the fan would be installed while I waited. I am 45 miles from the dealer and they did not need to see the bike or hear the fan. Now I will try the same thing with the rear wheel bearings since they are getting notchy feeling. Way to go Lancaster Harley/Buell. | ||
| Teeps |
Lowflyer Posted on Sunday, August 05, 2007 Took my fan out in about 15 minutes tonight. It was that easy? Did you follow the s/m procedure or make it up as you went? | ||
| Retired_cop |
Called my dealer and told him my fan ( at 17K miles ) was sounding stranger than normal. Service Mgr asked if it sounded like it had rocks it it. Reply was yes that is it. Service Mgr says, it is going to die and I will order you a new one and call you when it comes in. Got the call the other day, and was told to ride over and the fan would be installed while I waited. I am 45 miles from the dealer and they did not need to see the bike or hear the fan. Turn around time from first call to notification was 10 days. Now I will try the same thing with the rear wheel bearings since they are getting notchy feeling. Way to go Lancaster Harley/Buell. |
