| Author | Message | ||
     Michael1 |
Well I must say, I really love my Uly. Today's ride started out GREAT. Nice roads, clear sky, hardly any traffic. I hit some great back roads and some really sweet dirt trails. The first issue, was flying over a crest on a dirt trail doing about 45mph and seeing a road grater smoothing the surface. No time to brake on the soft dirt..so into the ditch I went. It was only about a 2ft drop off into the ditch..but I popped out just fine..with style! (BTW...Avon Distanzia's..ROCK). I proceeded to put on about 350 miles of sheer joy...the ride made me reaffirm my love for the Uly. Until.... 50 miles from home my clutch cable broke. As I shifted into second, I pulled the lever in and POP...lever to the bar. Right at the lever. The ferrule has about 1/8" of cable attached to it. Almost looks like the cable was too short (pulled strands on the main cable part). So I figured, maybe...just maybe I could ride the 40 some miles home. Nope... My belt blew then. All of this crap with under 15,000 miles on the pig. Bearings..exhaust actuator..clutch cable..rusty muffler..BAS..I wonder what's next??? I don't mind the stuff going bad..but why does it have to strand me? Makes me wonder about taking long rides. My SV650 has NEVER left me stranded... Shit it's never had any sort of mechanical failure. And I track ride the bike frequently. I am now thinking of either: A) Selling it and getting a Tiger1050 B) Fixing it and renting a Ultra for my future long rides.... Boy, I love my Uly, but why does it leave me feeling uneasy whenever I push the starter button... Oh and the kicker... Today is the LAST DAY for my warranty... Figures...doesn't it. | ||
| Chas1969 |
All my bikes on longer rides, I carry a clutch cable and chain (with chain bikes). Also would have parts that are a weakness in design (Voltage regulator ...). Part-n-parcel with biking. In 5K or so I will order the new 'improved' belt and carry it along with wheel bearings and tire patch kit .... IMHO buy 2 new cables and 2 belts, feel good about the adventure of motorcycle travel  Chas | ||
| M_singer |
I ear you Michael1. It is a shame that Uly's are so lacking in reliability. All bikes have some issues but Uly's have WAY more then their share! | ||
| M_singer |
"IMHO buy 2 new cables and 2 belts, feel good about the adventure of motorcycle travel" That won't do you any good when your: wheel bearings, voltage regulator, stator windings, bank angle sensor, wiring harness or electrical connectors fail. It is ridiculous how many practically new Uly's have left their owners stranded. Having to pack a ton of spare parts just to make it home is NOT part of modern motorcucle travle unless you ride a Buell. | ||
| Chas1969 |
BMW: airheads: diode boards, clutch cable, push rod seals, final drive ... oilheads: computer probs, CANbus, and again final drive probs .... yes shaft seals. KTMS: coolant pump seals, clutch basket, by-pass oil valve, Clutch hydralic leaks... All bikes have some factor of adventure/possible realiblity troubles. Chains fail, belts fail ... bring a belt and easy fix. BAS fails take a laptop and turn it off with ECM spy to get another one. Bearings take little room, but good maintence and replacing them regularly no problem. The VR and stator is tuffer (very common fault on bikes). Carry a used VR on you and have a used stator at home to be mailed if needed. #1 preventive measure is to have a voltage meter. If you are traveling in mexico or BFE a car battery can get you home. I guess bikes are bikes either BMW, even honda will fail without notice. If you want super reliable, travel by Toyota. Chas | ||
| Greenamp |
It's a great bike but it's still in it's early production years. Every new iteration of a machine will go through its beta hiccups. The Uly has really only been in production for 3 years now, and the 08's have mostly ironed out the kinks of the 06 and 07s. Micheal most likely hosed his clutch cable on that 45mph ditch detour. And it may have already been frayed some, considering the wireform on the 06 sucks and needs to be up upgraded to the new part. And from what I've been reading, 15k miles on a belt, especially if driven hard, is about it's lifespan. The Uly is based on the XB platform yes, but was largely a complete rebuild aside from the frame and engine. Any new production iteration of a machine model will have hiccups. Hell, ask me about my wife's 07 Honda Civic SI (or any 06+ SI owner for that matter) and it's nearly unusable 3rd gear, and how Honda has taken nearly two years to just now issue a service bulletin about it. And Honda makes some damn reliable machines, no? Just sayin. (Message edited by greenamp on August 03, 2008) (Message edited by greenamp on August 03, 2008) (Message edited by greenamp on August 03, 2008) | ||
| Tipsymcstagger |
Just curious if anyone has converted to a hydraulic clutch to mitigate broken cables? Tipsy | ||
| Rocketsprink |
I had my first issue yesterday. I believe it was the bank angle sensor. I was turning left and pow, the bike died. Pulled in the clutch, hit the starter, bike turned over, but wouldn't fire. Pulled over and turned everything off. Turned it back and and it started and ran fine. Sound like the BAS to you guys? I have the recall notice sitting right in front of me. Never had it done because I've never had an issue with the bike until now. Think the dealer will still honor the notice? Maybe time to get it done. | ||
| Michael1 |
I understand that ALL bikes tend to have issues. But I must say, that in all my years of riding, the only bike to have ever left me stranded, is my Uly. I carry a spare belt and extra tools everwhere I go. But I figured, what's the point of putting on a brand new $140 belt, with no clutch...only to ruin it in a few miles??? And popping into and out of the ditch ruined my clutch cable...please tell me how? If that's the case, then the bike should have fallen apart by now. I'm using the bike as advertised and intended. My buddies GS hasn't left him stranded, nor has another's V-Strom, nor has another's Tiger. Guess the unreliable Buell ribbing will commence and continue. | ||
| Crusty |
But I must say, that in all my years of riding, the only bike to have ever left me stranded, is my Uly. My CB 750 Honda died on I-70 in the middle of Kansas. My Moto Guzzi V7 Sport had its charging system go kaput at Daytona Bike Week, 1976. My Moto Guzzi 850 T ate its U-joint while passing through Minneapolis. My H-D FLHS snapped a belt on I-71 in Ohio. My FXE snapped a clutch cable in Lafayette, LA. My Yamaha XJ900 ate its U-joint in rural New South Wales. My BMW R60 quit on the side on the Massachusetts Turnpike. My R100 had to be on a battery charger whenever it was at home, or else it wouldn't have enough juice to start in the winter. There are more... I had over 34,000 miles on my 2006 Uly. It never left me stranded. My 2008 XT has 7,200 totally trouble free miles on it so far. I expect that trend to continue. I'm very pleased with it. (Message edited by Crusty on August 03, 2008) | ||
| M_singer |
Crusty it sounds like you have been riding for a long time as the bikes that you mentioned are mostly older bikes. I'm curious how many of these bikes stranded you with less then 15k miles on the clock? Lets be fair and not compare old worn out bikes that have not been maintained to a practically new motorcycle. Not saying that is the case. Just want to clarify. No one trying to make the argument that Uly's are then ONLY bikes that leave people stranded. All I'm saying is that I have spent lots of time on other bike forums and have owned lots of bikes myself and by far Uly's have more break downs then is the norm for a modern motorcycle. As for your BMW comments, for the most part I agree with you. I wouldn't buy one of those either. I think the cost of such a bike I would expect more. I love riding my Uly and it has not left me stranded yet, although I have had to use the Warranty twice in less then 2 k miles. Ever time I hear a low millage Uly leaving its owner stranded I loose confidence in mine and that takes away from my enjoyment of the bike. If I had it to do over again I would have bought a V Strom and I may be trading my Uly in on one. I personally know a Buell/HD salesman who traded his 08 Uly in on a V Strom b/c of reliability issues. His Uly is now on its THIRD starter not to mention the list of problems that this 2008 bike has had! | ||
| Court |
>>>>His Uly is now on its THIRD starter not to mention the list of problems that this 2008 bike has had! I know his pain. I bought a brand spankin' new Mercedes-Benz convertible for my wife. First starter motor within 500 miles, then the 2nd. I just had them fixed (took less than 2 hours) and keep driving the car. . . . she loves it. If the salesman you know allows his emotional train to be derailed over the starter on a motorcycle I hope he never has teenagers, owns a business or is a top executive with lots of responsiblity. . . it'll kill him. If you get rid of you Uly it'll sell quickly. It's a very popular bike. By the way, I see you have a Bandit 1200. I have one here and it's one of the most under rated bikes ever made . . . great power. super reliable and fun to ride. Enjoy life and carefully select those things you allow to upset your tummy. By the way . . .we've had a guy attending our local Porsche functions who drives a Ferrari. .. talk about unreliable! . . he's getting ready to swap or a Porsche. | ||
| Panhead_dan |
I think about this a lot. My wife and I are planning to take a road trip soon and just yesterday she said "I don't want to take the Buell. It might break down and ruin the trip". I told her that is part of the adventure but it didn't help. I honestly believe that a big part of the reliability issue is preventive maint. For example; you need to lube the ball at the end of the clutch cable so it will pivot freely or else the cable will bend and eventually break on ya. There are a lot of other little things that must be done which will keep failures to a minimum. The Uly has the nasty habbit of having failures in the electrical/electronic department which can't be forseen and will leave you afoot period. In my opinion, this is just too damned bad because it is otherwise the perfect bike for me. I'm still working out plans to de-electronic mine. (looking for a suitable downdraft carb etc.) I have lived a long time without bank angle sensors, kik stand safety switches, clutch safety switches, fuel pumps and ECM's. (I know I will still need a fuel pump) Solid state ignitions would be better than points by a long shot and belts are better than chains too, for me. I'm also going to look into the new belt when the time comes and I am well aware that that time is coming... | ||
| M_singer |
It's like this Court. Every time I ride my Uly I love it and when I get home I think to myself that this has to be one of the best sport touring bikes ever made. The Uly handles as well or better in the twisties then any sport touring bike that I have rode and yet it still works well off pavement like no sport touring bike does. There was certainly some brilliant engineering that went into it. Then I get on Badweb and read about all of the problems people are having and I think man I need to get rid of this POS b/4 it leaves on on the side of the road. Thats my dilemma. I love to ride the bike but I don't have confidence in it. I am planing on taking a cross country trip in the fall. Being broke down thousands of miles from home and having to potentially wait weeks for a repair to be completed would be a disaster and cost me a lot of money. Not sure what I'll do as far as selling or keeping the Uly. Right now I am going to take the Uly for a ride though the dragon and then into a secret shooting range ;o) and maybe over the skyway on the way home. | ||
| Nevrenuf |
i still believe in the built on a monday morning or a friday evening and your gonna get a lemon no matter what kind it is. | ||
| Tstone |
NEWS FLASH: Clutch cables break. That's why you see them hanging from the walls at the dealerships (you may also notice that replacement clutch & break cables are available for Japanese bikes). If you're going to ride the thing like a dirt bike, you should expect to maintain it like a dirt bike. Two years and 15,000 miles is more than I've ever got out of any dirt bike, or for that matter, chain driven street bike chain & sprocket set. The muffler rusted? Give me a break. Anybody worried about the reliability of their Buell should read Michael1's post, line-by-line, and place it in context. And yes, Michael, you probably should dump the thing at a Triumph dealership before the break pads wear out. | ||
| Etennuly |
M_singer, I recently ran a rescue mission on my Uly to replace a wheelbearing/hub assembly on my '03 Denali. It was 400 miles away, where my wife and kids went to a family reunion and it stranded them. I bought the part, loaded the tools, and other stuff for four days and headed out. My bike went sixty miles up the slab and went stupid. Didn't overheat but showed all the symptoms. Turned it around headed back home for some WTF do I do now inspection. The only thing I had done different to the bike was change brands of oil and filter. It uses oil to help cool itself so I figure mebby that is it. Change oil real quick like and head up the slab again. I got about twenty miles further and damn if it doesn't start again. It would run about 68 mph avoiding run skip, but that sucked! Pulled off for a quick look under the seat. Moved some wires around and figure what the heck, I'm going even if I have to run slower. Wahoo! It takes off and runs perfectly. Stop for gas a 80 miles later, pull out and hit the slab. It comes back, crap. run with slower traffic, stop for a break. I moved the ECM wires around and twist them away from each other and its back off to the races. Rode 200 miles to my destination with no more problems. Fixed the truck, leave the tools and other stuff with the kids to drive back. Load up the wife and head back two up and had the best weekend of the year! It ran perfectly the rest of the trip. It just did that 'thing' again Friday so it is time to get serious about nailing down the cause. It did not leave me stranded but might as well had. The only time in 30,000 miles it had to be hauled back was when the clutch cable broke and I learned that it needed lubed more than once every 12,000 miles. I think that you will find that the list Crusty has compiled is that of new bikes he has had over the years. They were new when he had them. I have a similar list of new bikes, new cars, and especially new pickups that had excessive warranty issues and even one new truck that tried to kill me. I know the former Uly owner of which you speak, and can say that when it was right he loved riding that Uly. But he is a man whom had expectations of perfection and got one with issues. He was helped by BadWeB on some issues and the service guys kept shaking their heads. His patience wore too thin and he, rightfully so, or not, thought it was nuts to have to resort to the internet to fix a bike that should have been right to begin with. I wish him well on his Strom and I still want to ride with him.  | ||
| Rr_eater |
For what it may be worth, I have converted to hydraulic on both my XBs, and will never be without it on an XB. SO SMOOTH and yes, no more cables. Try it, you will like it!! Bruce | ||
| Panhead_dan |
Bruce, What do you use? which kit? Is it a kit? Thanks, Dan | ||
| Rr_eater |
Check American Sport Bike, heres the link http://www.americansportbike.com/shoponline/ccp0-p rodshow/A9154.html Its worth it if you ask me, period. This is the way it should always have been (IE like the 1125...) Bruce | ||
| M_singer |
>>>>>NEWS FLASH: Clutch cables break. That's why you see them hanging from the walls at the dealerships (you may also notice that replacement clutch & break cables are available for Japanese bikes).<<<<<< Very true. No need to be sarcastic when making your point. >>>>>>If you're going to ride the thing like a dirt bike, you should expect to maintain it like a dirt bike. Two years and 15,000 miles is more than I've ever got out of any dirt bike, or for that matter, chain driven street bike chain & sprocket set. My Bandit had 29k on the original chain and sprocket set when I traded it. There were no kinks in it and it was perfectly serviceable. By the way not one single part ever needed to be replaced on that bike in 29k miles except for tires, light bulbs spark plugs etc. I wouldn't have a problem replacing a belt every 15k miles. The problem is that even doing so won't make it a reliable drive system. Belts have been known to fail in less then 15k miles. Unlike chains which show signs of wear long b/4 the leave you walking belts rarely give any indication that they are approaching the service limit before the completely fail. | ||
| M_singer |
Etennuly, I agree with you that our mutual nameless friend had high expectations. I also agree that his bike had more problems them most although his bike is far from an isolated case. That said, it is noteworthy that he is very happy with the V Strom which is a much cheaper bike then the Uly. I don't believe that his standards/expectations were any different with the V Strom. He did say that the Uly handles much better though at least when it was running  | ||
| Rocketsprink |
Best advice I can give is if you don't trust it, sell it/trade it for a bike you consider to be more reliable. Seems to me you're trying to have people here convince you into keeping a bike you don't like. For every point you have a counter point. i.e. belts .VS. chains. I wouldn't hang onto a bike I didn't trust. Maybe it's time to move on?  | ||
| Michael1 |
I find this thread pretty funny. Some interesting points in return... I am not trying to make you guys justify in why I should get rid of the bike. Just my displeasure with it leaving me stranded more than once in 15k miles. And what gets me the most is that I do maintain it like I should. More so than any dealer would ever do. Clutch cables break...yes I know that..but I have never had one break in less than 30k miles on any street bike. I am still on the original cable on my 1982 Yamaha XT enduro with tons of miles. If I am going to have to carry spares for every wear item on the Uly..where would I put my camping gear, let alone me? I love my Uly and it makes me smile when I ride it...I just hate the fact that there has been so much that I have had to fix within the first 15k miles. Some of the fixes are easy...other not so. | ||
| Tstone |
"Very true. No need to be sarcastic when making your point." Michael you are right and my attitude was uncalled for. You had a rotten day and have every right to be irate, and I could have made the same points in a more supportive manner. Hope there're no hard feelings. | ||
| Neurorider |
I love my Uly, with 10k miles on it. Last 800 miles was in Texas 105 degree heat going to Dallas and back! still fun... This is such an effective forum sometimes I wonder...if the problems are a bit over-represented. Anyone who surfs the Web for a problem resolution is going to find Badweb and post a problem here. What's the actual percentage of problems? Other bike brands often don't have such a forum, exc maybe BMW and we know about their issues too. I'm not convinced the percentage of problems is any higher than other brands in the end, just the reporting of them in one forum makes it seem so. I bought the Uly instead of a BMW or a Honda Interceptor because it has a lot more character to me. More fun to ride and less of a sewing machine experience. Doesn't mean the other bikes suck as life could be worse than to ride them-just that Buells make it more fun, for me. If part of that is occasionally having more of an adventure due to a breakdown, that's ok too. It isn't always about getting there, it's about what I went through and still succeeded in getting there. I left a perfectly good Honda car and Suburban in the driveway to ride 800 miles in the heat. It is about the adventure for me. | ||
| Hooper |
Neurorider, you might be onto something. I've wondered about it myself: the Uly pages on BadWeb are incredible, but I wonder how many "unique" posters there truly are, and what the percentage they are of the total number of Uly owners. Are we just hearing from the "squeakiest wheels" (man, that's a bad analogy), and are the vast, vast majority of the bikes doing just fine? Are there hundreds of Uly riders out there suffering in silence? I hate the thought of a certain kind of "lemon" - something made on Tuesday that has a defect that won't be in the product made on Thursday (uh oh, I think I'm going to use this analogy at my job on Monday!), and I'm getting a little paranoid about bearings and belts (and the last thing I want on a road trip is a breakdown "adventure" - no thanks...I don't like those kinds of adventures - mine usually involve meeting troublesome females at the bar after dinner). But is that paranoia kind of like the media-driven stuff of duct taping our windows and duck and cover and Code Orange, or are we all doing pretty much okay, as long as we do some preventative maintenance? | ||
| M_singer |
>>>>>This is such an effective forum sometimes I wonder...if the problems are a bit over-represented. Anyone who surfs the Web for a problem resolution is going to find Badweb and post a problem here. What's the actual percentage of problems? Other bike brands often don't have such a forum, I disagree. Plenty of other bikes have similar forums and you simply do not see "this many" problems with ANY other bike. Not all Uly owners are represented here but there is simply no reason to think that it is not a representative sample. Even scientific studies are based on representative samples and not ever single case. | ||
| Buelldualsport |
FWIT Look at the BMW GS sites scattered acrossed the world. Talk about problems YRMV Buells to Alaska ALCAN 5000 2010 | ||
| Court |
This is not a representative sample. To get a sense of the "global" picture watch the NHTSA recall site and monitor, if only for a day or two, about any other manufacturer. The Buells are extremely reliable in the big picture. The current standout is the Blast, it's an amazingly reliable bike. What this is . . . is a great early indicator. Properly used Badweb is a fabulous tool for early detection and resolution of problems. Internet forums tend to exacerbate, fueled by emotion and the "me" issues, many problems. Buell, like all other bikes has concerns. No other manufacturer has ever put in place the means to respond so quickly as Buell. If you have a minute today give BMWNA a ring and ask them how they are coming along on the resolution of the fuel injection problem. . . . from 2000! |
