| Author | Message | ||
     Anonymous |
Keep the jacket. | ||
| Todd |
Court, I have been told by my dealer that the last part I need for my 99 M2 got shipped today. Then I read on the general discusion board that this may not be the case. With your infinte knowledge can you please give me and the others waiting some idea as to when or if we are going to get our bikes. I am feeling like the horse being led along by the carrot. I really am considering canceling my purchase(if the dealer will give me my $2000.00 down payment back). I know Buell is trying to make up for this with the $980.00 worth of free stuff, BUT it is 83 degrees and sunny here in Nashville and I can't help but think that if I had bought a differnt bike I would be outside riding instead of sitting here at the computer whining. Thanks in advance for the response.... | ||
| vik anderson (Eeeeek) |
Todd, I hear you; I'm getting awefully impatient, too. Having said that, I have one question to ask you: Would you really be satisfied with any other bike? Waiting on X1 CF #249, Vik | ||
| Clark Bertram |
I am new to the Buell list. I have purchased my 99 M2 on April 8. I received the 700 Buell dollars and 500 dollars off the sticker. Now I hear that Buell/HD is offering 1000 Buell dollars. I have suffered the side stand switch failure before the recall, my dealer fixed it. My question to the listers is would it be a good idea and approach my dealer on the extra Buell dollars. Even though I am one month out of the supposed time frame. I know it appears greedy but hey what the heck. | ||
| Todd N |
Vik, No I probably would not be happy with any other bike, BUT if Buell can not deliver my bike, what other choice do I have. After saying that I will probably wait a few more weeks before I ask for my money back. It seems to me that I have to draw the line somewhere; I just have not figured out where that line is going to be drawn. | ||
| dave gess |
Todd, hang in there, things are very close to being totally fixed. you will have a very good time in a couple of weeks. Be nice and pleasant to your dealer he is under a lot stress about this whole deal and will appreciate it. | ||
| Dennis Daskalakis |
The recall problem has taken my 1998 Buell out of the running for a month and a half already. I've had nothing but warranty problems from the get-go. I went through 2 engines, they are now putting the second header pipe on, I've cracked the chain guard, had an oil light short and have been off the bike due to repairs more than I've been on it! I have two months vacation every summer and this is the second summer with no bike due to repairs! All the repairs are covered by warranty. I ride with a buddy who has a 1979 Yamaha and he's always riding while I'm always in the shop! Then, Buell sends out a mass mailing with a $1000 coupon towards a trade-in. I can get $750 from Moto Guzzi on a trade in according to an ad. I bought the bike in Oct. 1997. I should get a better play on a trade-in due to my troubles. Any thoughts about it and can someone help me out? | ||
| John Makin (Jake) |
I bought my '98 S3 in July last year and have only had to disconnect the side stand switch. With the recall problems I have not ridden the Buell too much, instead riding my '88 B*W. Now I get a $1500 Canadian coupon for a new Buell because they are sorry about inconvenience of the recall. (My dealer does not even have all the recall parts as yet.) The jesture from Buell is nice, but misguided. I dont want a '99 Buell, I like the '98 better. Why doesnt Buell hand out a coupon for a smaller amount, say $500 US, to get accessories, etc, instead of a useless coupon I will never use? Just my opinion. See ya. | ||
| Court Canfield |
John: I am not familiar with the program you are describing and am still receiving recall letter, with something like 15 amassed to date. Buell has, apparently, put a couple programs in place but the definition of these seems to vary widely by dealer, geographic region and interpretation. Judging from what I am reading here it appears to be something between $400 an $1,000 in either free goodies coupons in various areas or, (reported by some owners) coupons for '99 Buells. I have heard of/recieved neither which has kinda surprised me after having bought LOTS of Buells. Dealer's, as evidenced in this forum and the ATC webiste, are a poor source of clearing up the confusion. I suspect as the recall gets completed that info will flow better. Best suggestion is to keep in close touch with your dealer and hopefully he can either get your bike running or answer your questions. Ride Safe, Court | ||
| jgsjr |
I also received a $1000 trade in certificate from Buell. I asked the local dealer about trading in my 97 S-1 on a 99. Well, ah, I'll have to check into it. I went to two other major cities and ask about trading in and got the well give us a call in a couple weeks. I best offer I got was "We can put it on consignment for $6000." Concerning the recall the dealership I bought the bike from said they would call me when the kits arrive. A couple weeks later, "oh, we just used our last kit, we'll cal you." Just yester they told me the same thing. I wish Buell would send the recall kits to the customer if they request it, of course with the legal waivers. What's the difference? None of the mechanics at the local shop have gone to Buell school. Some have gone to MMI others have not. I have been working on bikes for the last twenty years. Frankly I don't trust the dealership. Too many things have gone wrong. Adjustable push rods I bought never made it into the engine, warped front rotor and large chunk of front brake pad missing from when they removed the front tire w/o reading the manual and pryed the caliper off between the wheel and rotor because they did not take the pads out first. | ||
| Court Canfield |
O U C H Out of curiousity, why would you trade a 1997 S-1 for a 1999 ? The 1997 is a fabulous motorcycle. Be careful about the $6,000 consignment. I've seen new untitled 1997 Buells sold by dealers for $6K and I have personally been burnt BAD (can you say $$$ dissappeared) on a consignment deal. Make sure you retain the right to sell your bike, without giving the dealer a cut, if he fails to sell it in some reasonable time, like say 30 days. Court | ||
| Jim Witt |
Cheers, E'gad(s) ... I just had to share another dealer recall joke with you all. Just to refresh your memory ... the last time I took my 98 S3 into the dealership for recall fixes, it took over 2 weeks to get "almost" everything fixed. The only thing lacking was the swingarm. At that point in time they hadn't received any swingarms but of course they didn't tell me that. Anyway (now a month later) I called the dealer to make another appointment for the swingarm recall replacement. This time I thought I'd be a little tricky. I spoke with parts "first" to see if any swingarms were in stock. Guess what, the answer was yes. Now I was getting a woodie. So I then spoke with the service department. I asked to make an appointment for the swingarm recall and they said they didn't have any in stock. Humm ... this is getting interesting I thought to myself. I told the service dude that parts had informed me that swingarms were available. He then told me that all of them were spoken for (via other individuals). So I then asked, how does one acquire a swingarm (since I'm not allowed to order one for my bike). He said I would have to leave my bike in the shop until another swingarm came in (da,right). I then asked when another swingarm would be shipping and of course he didn't know. Customer service at its' best! -JW:>) | ||
| RayGun |
Hello Court, Any idea when the dealers are going to get all the parts in? Buell distribution said that they have been sent out (ran my VIN # and called the dealer). The dealers in Houston only have 2 of my 8 recall parts and it's been 2-1/2 month's since they announced the recall. October maybe???? Aerostitched down in Houston-Works Great! Keep the Wheel side Down! RayGun | ||
| Court Canfield |
Ray Gun: Something doesn't sound right here and I suspect a glitch. Buell's surprised everyone with the good job they've done. Aske dealer to follwo up with Buell Zone Manager and in the meantime, I'll push from this end. Ride....well, as soon as possible, Safe, Court | ||
| Bob Stubbs |
Long time no speak Court. My 97S1 has been in the shop since Aug2. I called today and they tell me they don't have all of the recall parts yet. Luckily I have another ride. I was really impressed with Buell when i got my letter and voucher for $1000.00 from Eric, but really let down when I see in the paper that the local dealers are all offering the same discount as a factory rebate. Bob Stubbs | ||
| Sam Nixon (Sam) |
Except for a faulty kick-stand switch and tank-vent, my bike has been fairly trouble free until recently when I found a crack in my swingarm. The problem is I can't get it fixed. My dealer (90 miles away) won't even schedule my recall work until late September due to a problem they are having obtaining a replacment frame spanner tool from the factory. As they suggested in May, I waited until all recall notices had been received. The 7th arrived about 3 weeks ago. I recently tried to trade my '98 S3T for another HD product but the dealer (not my Buell dealer) declined the trade. My original dealer told me that it would be 'pretty much impossible' to work something out on a trade until '00. Although I appreciate the $1K voucher, it has no real value because it only applies to '99 models - few of which are available AND it doesn't apply to HD-branded products at all. I've worked for Fortune 100 firms in the past and can appreciate the challenge that the Buell mgmt team is faced with. However, Buell is owned by HD and as such HD should be more involved in resolving this situation to the reasonable satisfaction of their customers. My belief in the HD/Buell business model is evidenced by the fact that I am also a stock-holder. I will remain invested in HD. However, it is becoming more and more difficult to stay invested in your product. Sam Nixon | ||
| Court Canfield |
Yikes....TWO, count'em TWO "can't get recall parts" situations. I'm gonna do a bit of snooping around. This is inconsistent with what we are being told publically and I'm wanting to beleive these are isolated incidents. Have either of the dealers offered to have the Buel Zone Manager intervene ? This is PRECISELY the purpose for which they were hired. I'll do some asking in other areas and in the meantime if you two could cut and paste these messages to my e-mail address and include model, year, VIN and dealer that'd help me. Good to hear....really, it is...from both of you again. Court | ||
| PaulEHD |
Court, I have two Buells and have been checking in with my dealer regularly regarding recall parts availability. As of last week they had singarms for S3's but no shocks. They had shocks for S2's but no swingarms. I have been waiting til cooler weather as Weiblers H-D Bettendorf, IA does not have an air conditioned shop and I do not want to make the mechanics suffer through this upgrade when its above 100. I think there are at least 6 or 7 Buells sitting waiting on parts. One very nice thing about being and old fart is that I can still keep riding my 99 FXDX which thanks to the mechanics skills is a total blast to ride. Paul Mad Duck | ||
| dennis |
Sam I'm also having trouble getting my dealer to take my '98 S3T in trade for the '99 model. I wonder if they know something about that model that they aren't telling us about. I bought the bike Oct. 1, 1997 and since then all repairs have been under warranty (good thing I bought 3 extra years coverage!). These include: two engines (I'm on my third), two belt guards,and two headers (two months and still waiting, but they completed all the recall work). The real kicker is I spent over 2 months waiting for the first engine fix, 2 months for the first belt guard and three weeks ago Buell sent my dealer a defective header pipe and I'm still waiting for Buell to send a good pipe to my dealer! Even my dealer asked me to see what I can do because they are no longer allowed to call Buell direct but have to go through Harley! In my endeavor to get Buell to do something by emailing them (last spoiled summer vacation and this one, too) I was told by Deanne Matthews (deanne_matthews@buell.com) that "The job of the Buell Zone Manager is to help the dealers sell bikes. They have recently been told to get out of the "customer service" business. The customer service business is my job". That was a direct cut and paste from her response to me. Now you all know where to send your Buell woes if you want to be heard. Why does shipping have to take so long? Why won't my dealer give me an answer on a trade-in when his store's newsletter specifically stated they no longer had used bikes and wanted customers to bring bikes in for trade-ins? | ||
| Jewish Lightning (Spiegan) |
Court, From conversations that I've had with my dealer, it seems that Buell is allocating the recall parts. The dealer doesn't really "order" the parts as they are automatically sent out to the dealer according to how many units the dealer sold. What this means is that there is no way one can setup a particular time to have the recalls done, unless there are extra parts(and we know there won't be extra swingarms and shocks!) laying around. Plus if a dealer has a good service department and has more service customers than bikes sold this leads to a shortage of parts. Buell(Harley?) has yet to understand this situation. Personally, I need a rear shock real bad. Mine has become a pogo stick. But the dealer doesn't have any. Just thought you'd like to know what I heard. Andy | ||
| Henrik; '98 S3T, V&H, Buell Race AC, Thu (Henrik) |
Court: I got the same message from my dealer (no, not that one - the good one ...). Buell recall parts trickle in, and the service dept. wanted me to come and drop off my bike in order for them to hold recall parts for me. No dice. Currently they only have tank vent and kill switch. No shock, no motor mount, no swingarm (not that I'd want to swap..) and no word when more parts are comming. | ||
| Chris Goodrich |
Court, You seem to be the man to ask about this. I bought an M2 new in '97 in the US. When the recalls came out I was stationed in Germany and took it to Wiesbaden HD/Buell(good people, by the way). They did all the recalls except the swingarm, which they didn't have in stock. They didn't take my recall cards or have me sign any kind of paperwork, so I'm concerned Buell may not have records of my bike having the work done. Aside from this jamming them up, I'm concerned because I've heard of them blacklisting the VIN#'s of bikes that haven't been serviced. I'm back in the US and plan on getting the swingarm done as soon as the snow melts. What can I do to make sure I don't have problems when I take it to the dealer? Thanks, Chris P.S. Can I get the rear isolator fix kit installed free when thay do the swingarm? | ||
| Chris Goodrich |
Court, You seem to be the man to ask about this. I bought an M2 new in '97 in the US. When the recalls came out I was stationed in Germany and took it to Wiesbaden HD/Buell(good people, by the way). They did all the recalls except the swingarm, which they didn't have in stock. They didn't take my recall cards or have me sign any kind of paperwork, so I'm concerned Buell may not have records of my bike having the work done. Aside from this jamming them up, I'm concerned because I've heard of them blacklisting the VIN#'s of bikes that haven't been serviced. I'm back in the US and plan on getting the swingarm done as soon as the snow melts. What can I do to make sure I don't have problems when I take it to the dealer? Thanks, Chris P.S. Can I get the rear isolator fix kit installed free when thay do the swingarm? | ||
| Chris Goodrich |
Court, You seem to be the man to ask about this. I bought an M2 new in '97 in the US. When the recalls came out I was stationed in Germany and took it to Wiesbaden HD/Buell(good people, by the way). They did all the recalls except the swingarm, which they didn't have in stock. They didn't take my recall cards or have me sign any kind of paperwork, so I'm concerned Buell may not have records of my bike having the work done. Aside from this jamming them up, I'm concerned because I've heard of them blacklisting the VIN#'s of bikes that haven't been serviced. I'm back in the US and plan on getting the swingarm done as soon as the snow melts. What can I do to make sure I don't have problems when I take it to the dealer? Thanks, Chris P.S. Can I get the rear isolator fix kit installed free when thay do the swingarm? | ||
| Court Canfield |
Chris: No problem....Buell has the ability to insure that the records for your bike are up to snuff. Here we go....... Now that you are back in the U.S. of A. have your local dealer contact his S.P.O.C. representative and provide a detailed list of the recalls that have been done. Have the same dealer, at that time, make arrangements to get the swingarm on the way. The isolators should be replaced in the normal course of changing out the swingarm. Be sure to check with your dealer in advance....it's a nickel and dime thing to do in concert with the swingarm....and fairly significant later. If there are any snags with the above drop me a note and I can get you hooked up with the right folks. Welcome back........ Court USMC | ||
| Anonymous |
Court, On the general discussion board I wagered all of your motorcycles and Lost! Give them up! I'M SORRY! :) | ||
| Court Canfield |
Easy one to slip out of.......wager JUST the BUELL's in New York City.....that limits your exposure to one which is sitting covered with 8" of snow ! | ||
| Beags |
I recently took my S2 to the dealer and they confirmed that I have a blown shock.After waiting 3 wks the dealer says Buell will not replace the shock. My records show this is the 3rd shock that has blown on this bike and the dealer last replaced it in May 01.Down again for Bike Week!!!!Any help would be appreciated. | ||
| Josh |
Beags, I'd suggest buying a Penske. You might also look into the possibility of just fixing the shock you have (seal replacement). You might also try to find out why you're blowing shocks. What's the load on the bike? What preload are you using? You measured preload fully-loaded? "Buell will not replace the shock." you were expecting them to continue warranty coverage on a bike that's at least 6 years out of warranty? Why? | ||
| Court |
Beags: The shock programs, even the ones extended well beyond their intended duration in the name of goodwill, are all concluded. I'd suggest, as Josh said, that you "Carpe Shocki" which is Latin for seize the opportunity to spend a few extra bucks and get the best shock money can buy. Court |
