| Author | Message | ||
     Sidney E. Armer Jr (Sid) |
Court, Thanks for all the advice and insight you give to those of us new to the Buell world. Like many before me, I have a problem that I hope you can help me with. My 99 X 1 hasn't been the greatest pleasure to own (great to ride though). I have spent months dealing with the dealer and Buell. No complaints there (Joan & Jaime do all they can). My problem has been in contacting Chris Andersen. Joan and Jaime have referred me to her and I have been leaving messages (1-2 per week) for the past five weeks with no response, just a voice mail. Any ideas on how to get answers to my questions and concerns? Of course I'd like to hear from Erik Buell as my frustration has reached such a level that I can't even enjoy the bike anymore. I've been patient and reasonable and now I feel that I'm being taken advantage of. Thanks in advance for any help you can give. | ||
| konishki |
Dear Court, Help! I had a line on a SWEET deal for a new-old-stock S1-White Lightning. However, I am stationed in Japan and will be here for another 3.5 years. An S-1 White Lightning sold over here for about $16,000 US, so buying local is OUT of the question. Also, I'd ship one from CONUS but the local insruction will not allow me to have more than two registered U.S. spec vehicles. Apparently, this keeps down any incidence of bringing multiple bikes specifically to sell in the Japanese market. Now that the deal of the century is slowly slipping through my fingers, I need some advice. I was thinking about a Frakenstein S-1/X-1 hybrid. Is it possible to buy an S-1 frame from Buell(new-old-stock)? I'm pretty certain that Buell isn't in the business to make only frames, but it doesn't hurt to ask. Having said that, do you have a line on where I might get a straight '98 S-1 frame? You might see where I am trying to go with this. I'd like to then swap out my running gear from my X-1 onto the donor frame. I LOVE the look of the old frame, and would like to duplicate it. Hopefully, it can be done with a minnimum cost. I'm not in a huge hurry, so I have time to "collect" the proper additional bits to make it happen. Spread over time, it ought to be fairly painless. Please sanity check me on this, but the swap should be fairly straight forward, correct? I have heard about guys grafting '99 swingarms onto '98 S-1's as an "upgrade", and that was my biggest concern about compatibility. The only other concern would be the '99 triple tree fitting the '98 frame. Of course, unless a frame can be sourced, all these questions are moot anyway. Sorry for the long winded post, and I'd appreciate any help you might be able to provide. Regards, Dustin Pierson wingdmsngr@aol.com c01b@cfas.navy.mil | ||
| konishki |
Court, Ummm...sorry, but I went with the S-1 White Lightning. Rek over at Daytona H-D/Buell is one helluva salesman. Worked out a deal we could both live with. On an aside, do you know how many S-1 White Lightnings the factory produced? :-) Thanks! Regards, Dustin | ||
| jerry searles (Sloridr) |
court do you know where i might get parts for a master cylinder rear for 1989 rr 1200 ,my bike seems not to hold the prime and bleeds off completely. thanks | ||
| Aaron Wilson (Aaron) |
Oh! Oh! Oh! (raising hand) ... Jerry, I know the answer! Hopefully Court won't mind me stepping in here ... feel free to correct me or add info, Mr. Canfield. Call Tom Anglim at BMC, (414) 642-2020. There is a company set up to help you out with parts for your RR, and Tom is the guy to talk to. Your rear master cylinder is made by Grimeca, out of Italy, and imported by Cosmopolitan Motors. I think your Marzocchi forks came from these guys, too. But get the m/c through Tom, he'll give you a better price. Tom was one of the Buell Motor Company master techs that assembled bikes. He knows everything there is to know about your bike, I guarantee it. he's very helpful and friendly, don't hesitate to call him. I had a chat with him about that same issue, the rear brake. Seems it was quite the trick to get all the air out of the system, because the bottom of the pistons are cupped (is your caliper a Gambler also?). His recommendation, remove the two caliper bolts and the little screw that holds the adel clamp & hose to the swingarm. Invert it so the air trapped behind the outboard piston travels upward to the crossover tube, and bleed it a bunch. Then flip it sideways to send that air to the inboard side, bleed some more. Then finally, flip it with the bleed screw up to send the air out. He said it can be really difficult, sometimes it took them hours, but other times it took maybe 10 minutes. Personally, I think it might be worthwhile to extend the pistons a little. Good Luck! And congrats on the RR, I want one too! AW '90 RS1200 | ||
| jim cave (Caveman) |
Court... You gettin' my e-mails? Didn't know... thot I'd ask here. thx jim '97 S3T | ||
| dave gess |
Just an aside the Gambler caliper is made by Gambler a company that supplies brakes and other stuff for circle track guys. They do a lot of sprint car stuff. It is a tough well made unit but bleeding them is hard. DAve | ||
| Kit Donley |
Court, Just traded in my 97 S-3 at Tucson HD/Buell (25,000mi) and wanted to let you know that they are still one of the best dealers of any brand that I've dealt with in 30 years of riding!!! The trade in they allowed was very fair and the new S-3T is just awsome! Jim and Bonnie Robinson say Hi! Thanks to your input on the buell board in late 97 I've been enjoying my riding more than ever. Thanks again for showing me the WAY!! Please look Paula and I up if your get out this way....I owe you diner and a lot more. Regards, Kit... not leaning as much as you but grinning as much!! | ||
| Speed |
Court, Charlie G. and I are riding out to the homecoming in june and I've been shopping for luggage. So far the best deal I've found is the RKA 47 liter saddlebags. I wanted to know if you have any recommendations? I travel light but its still 6 or 7 days worth of stuff to carry. Thanks, Rich Kruger P.S. We'll need a few good warm up rides before we go maybe New Mexico or is this Conneticut? | ||
| Jim Higgins (Firemanjim) |
Rich,I have had the RKA bags and tank bag on my S-2 for 4_ years.They have held up well and the service from Richard and Kathy has been superb.F | ||
| Jim Higgins (Firemanjim) |
Rich,I have had the RKA bags and tank bag on my S-2 for 4+ years.They have held up well and the service from Richard and Kathy has been superb.FMJ | ||
| Speed |
Thanks Firemanjim! Rich | ||
| Buellish1 |
Court, Do you have,or can you get the codes for the powder coat on wheels and frames? It looks like I'm faced with purchasing a wheel with a different color. And powder coating it to match my 96 S2T dark gray. Thanks....Mike Powell Buellish1@yahoo.com | ||
| Buellwinkle (Buellwinkle) |
Buell Friends Can anyone help me ?. I am hearing rumors there is a Buell related mailing list and or chat room ?. I have not been able to locate such a site on the web. If anyone out there knows where a chat room or mailing list is located could you please let me know. Thanks Jim Parsons Portland Oregon "jparsons@ftconnect.com" "puddytats@juno.com" | ||
| Court Canfield |
Jim: You'll find no site more useful than this one. The General Discussion Board on this Badweather Biker's Board has evolved into the defacto meeting place of many knowledgeable Buell owners around the globe. The site is monitored, daily, by a designated "internet coordiantor" at Buell Motorcycle and much good has come from the discussions here. Welcome aboard and you might post your inquiry, again, on the GDB in the event of of the genera population are aware of anything. All the best for many happy miles.... Court | ||
| MikeJ (Mike) |
Jim Parsons, By any chance did you live in Renton Washington as a kid? If so, send me an email. If not, well then you must be another Jim Parsons, welcome to Buell Central in any case. Please excuse this interruption, now back to your regularly scheduled program. Mike J. (if you are the Jim P. formerly known as Bookworm, click on my name to get my email address.) | ||
| Rene Laframboise (Pianoman) |
I've just ordered a Blast...sight unseen..and a new rider to boot. I'm now trying to educate myself on Buell's. Now I'm getting spooked..everything I've read on the Blast says..low maint. tons of fun but if its a Buell should I expect yikes its broke and no can fix?? | ||
| mikej |
Hi, I'm not Court, nor do I play him on TV, If by "spooked" and "yikes" you mean you've been reading on this site and maybe elsewhere of the problems some Buell's have had, then bear in mind that people who don't have problems tend not to complain. Consider the net somewhat of a gathering place for people with problems, as well as a place for people without problems. I would assume that the Blast should indeed be relatively maintenance free, change the fluids and filter, watch the tire air pressure, keep a casual eye on the brake fluid level and brake pads, normal stuff you'd do with any vehicle. I have a 2000 Buell M2 that I got back in August, and it has been relatively maintenance free, no major or real problems to speak of. Just last weekend I adjusted the primary chain. The most labor intensive things I've done on it were to change the fluids (I removed the muffler to drain the primary lube), and installed an alarm system which entailed removing the gas tank and body work. Anybody with a little common sense, a basic tool set, a service manual, and a little mechanical aptitude would have no problems. Don't know your riding history, so the basic advice is to take a rider safety class, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) classes are highly recommended and regularly attended by vetran riders of all ages and abilities. Then just take it easy while you are breaking in the bike, and learning how it handles. Bottom line, it should be a great bike. Bottom line advice I could give is: The road is for riding, the track is for racing. The majority of problems I've seen on the road are from people of varying experience who are racing on the road. So, once you get some seat time on your bike, you might see if a local road racing track has a familiarization class that they offer. For an idea of what to look for, check here: http://www.learningcurves.com . Welcome to motorcycling in general, and to Buell specifically. I'm just some guy who happens to own a Buell. Bought it without even having a test ride on one. Best road bike I've owned so far. And I've been riding for over 30 years, started in my pre-teen years on dirt bikes. Post often, ask any questions no matter how simple they may seem. Ignore any negative responses from the more gruff attendies, and hope to read a road report of your first few days riding the Blast. Welcome aboard. One last thing, have you been to the Buell.com web site? Lots of interesting stuff there, as well as info on the Homecoming in June. mikej 2000 M2 near Milwaukee, Wisconsin | ||
| jasonledford |
Rene - welcome to Buelldom. I have a 97 M2 that has 9k miles on it. No probs. None. Thats ZERO. Enjoy your blast. | ||
| Court Canfield |
Rene: Welcome to the world of Buell ! In the past 12 years I have owned 6 Buells, ridden over a 1,000, and traversed over 150,000 miles in 44 states. You may expect your Buell ownership experience to be pleasant, carefree and rewarding. The BLAST has none of the things that have haunted a coujple of the previous models and was designed from the outset to be a motorcycle that is incredibly low maintenance and will welcome those new to the sport with friendly and open arms. BONUS: The people you will meet and the experience you have will be fantastic....I guarentee it ! Again, welcome and please keep me posted on yor experience. I want to know more about finding, buying, owning and riding a BLAST. TIP: First things first....proper gear and instruction will insure you ride safely and happily for years to come. Welcome, Courtney Canfield |
