| Author | Message | ||
     Ezblast |
Now theres a Buell t-shirt - Erik signing a Blast with the words arched over the picture saying - "Don't cube me Bro!" EZ | ||
| Ezblast |
Thoughts from another forum - I don't necessarily agree with the conclusion, still it is an interesting point made: Blast- Myths, Lies and Propoganda It's time again for me to state the Truth, like it or not. And those who may refute this- have NO Facts to back them up. On other Buell "Enthusiast" websites, certain "Kool-Aid" drinking- Bedwetting individuals continue to Propagate Myths and Lies that bolster the Blast as being a "Bulletproof" motorcycle or the most "Reliable" of all H-D/Buell bikes, but this my fellow members, is simply not true, and there are NO facts to back up such assertations, but there ARE quite a few facts to the contrary. Ok now, lets run down a common list of repeated failures that Plague the Blast. (in no particular order) 1) Intake boot/Manifiold coupler failures. (cracks/tears) 2) Exhaust system failures.(cracks in various locations) 3) Front motor mount failures.(some catastrophic) 4) Wheel bearing failures.(reputedly confined to early years) 5) Oil pump drive gear failures. (can be catastophic to motor) 6) High oil consumption- leading to early top end rebuilds because of excess carbon/oil fouling. 7) Ignition module failures(reputedly confined to early years) 8) Ultra Fast rear tire wear(especially now with OEM Pirelli tires) 9) Shifting failures, caused by a broken 50ยข (detent plate) retaining clip. 10) Should leaking rocker box gaskets be included? Because even the 2nd Gen upgrade "All Metal" rocker box gaskets are known to start leaking at higher mileages, thats why Harley has gone to the 3rd Gen rubber coated metal- "Cometic type" gaskets, for all oil sealing gaskets. Soooooo....there is the common list of things that sooner or later - Every Buell Blast will succum to. It's true, if you keep your Blast long enough, everyone of the failures WILL occur ! Granted, alot of those won't rear their ugly heads until probably after 20,000 miles, but no Blast is immune. Although another fact is, more than half of those failures cannot occur on a Harley of Bigger V-Twin Buell because they aren't designed the same, and/or they have upgraded parts in the critical areas (oil pump drive gear as an example). There is one common denominator for some of those failures, and that is- their occurance is related to excess engine vibrations, although somewhat isolated from the rider- the blast motor is the most severe vibrating engine that Harley builds, and sooner or later, parts failures occur because of these severe vibrations. And then there are the almost silent failures, that occur as you pile on the higher mileages, and the oil pump drive gear is the one that specifically comes to mind....oh there IS an upgrade part for this gear- which is OEM now on all Harleys and Buells- Except for the Blast! But it's omission in the Blast is another one of Buell's cost cutting features, as Buell Moco considers the Blast a Throw-away bike, and hopes you'll upgrade to a Bigger Buell(or Harley?) before your warranty runs out, so the next owner of the Blast will have to pay for repairs to the bike himself. So how does all of this add up to the Blast being "Bulletproof"? I mean geez... you can buy a brand new Ninja 250 or Honda Nighthawk 250 or Yamaha Virago 250 and only have the first break-in service done, and then never take it back for another service for 30,000miles and never have ANY of the failures listed above ! So if the Blast is Considered "Bulletproof" what does it make them- "Immortal" !? Yeah, I know a few of you are shaking your heads again, and ready to refute my statements, and if you have 100% Proof- go for it, if not- maybe you should guzzle your Kool-Aid and hang out with the other "Enthusiast" on the site that propagates such myths to newbies. I mean look at it this way- what do you expect from an "Enthusiast" site, did you really think that nay saying would be allowed there? Hell, you'll get banned from any enthusiast site for alot of the things that are said on this site, but I allow them to be said- because they are the truth, and THIS site is especially geared toward the newbie entering the sport, and they SHOULD know the WHOLE TRUTH before committing to purchase. Oh yeah, one last thing, and you've read this HERE before, and even on many other "Enthusiast" sites as well. And that is, Buell/H-D dealers HATE the Blast, they hate selling them, and they hate working on them, and don't forget- you'll pay those High Harley hourly service rates if you depend on the Buell Dealer to do all your maintenance and repairs....which is what alot of Newbies have no choice but to do. Seriously, those other "Kool-Aid" Buell sites want to make you into a Buell Tech so you do ALL your own service work, but come on- how many of you really want to become that dedicated ??? Here's just a few of Erik's past comments in his adverts of his motorcycles, which he later hoped we forgot... Era of the Tube Frames... 1)Buell will never go to Aluminum frames, as testing has shown us our welded latice type tube frame to be stronger, besides being a thing of beauty in craftmanship.(tell that to XB and 1125 Owners) 2)Buell's are Streetfighters not Road racers, and don't need to pretend to be, they are designed for Street riding, and thusly don't need to be covered in bodywork or use uncomfortable clip-on style handlebars. 3)Buell's uses standarad tubular handlbars so they can be easily changed to a style to better suits the riders size or preference(tell that to Buell XB Firebolt and 1125R owners). 4)Buell's use long stroke engines because the Torque that style engine produces is where Street riders spend most of their time, buells are high revving race bikes and we don't pretend to be. 5)Buell's use Sportster based engines, so parts and service will be easily had at any Harley Davidson dealership. (LOL) Era of the XB Buells... 6)The aluminum XB Fuel Frames(made in Italy)are a work of art, and much stronger than the tube Frames could ever have been. 7)The 2003 XB9R was designed using the all new short Stroke engine, which is the future of Buell, we find that these engines are smoother than the long strokers, provide cooler running, promote longer engine life, and are able to withstand higher RPM use, so we have discontinued the Long stroke style engines. 8) The NEW XB frames have a Gran Prix inspired short wheelbase, better suited to track Days and roadracing. 9)The XB9 belt drive system is now stronger than ever before, and now uses a dif pitch/tooth belt unlike previous sportster based models, and feel this belt is better. 10)2004-Ooops, we under-estimated the attributes of the long stroke engines and their poularity, so we are bringing BACK the re-designed long stroke engines, introducting the NEw XB12R ! 11) After careful consideration, we find the XB belt design to have flaws and are changing the belt pitch tooth design BACK to the older style which has proven to be stronger and better able to handle the torque. Note- that upgrade KITS will be availabe for the early model XB's to convert to the latest design. 12) Upon further testing, we have totally changed suppliers of our Drive belts and had them totally redesigned to last the lifetime of the bike and never need replacing, upgrade kits will be available... 13) Underestimating the larger size of some riders, we are introducing the new Buell Ulysses with a taller seat and more space for longer legs, this model can also be fitted with our touring package. 14) We are now introducing the XB12Ss for riders who want a longer wheelbase for a more relaxed seating position without added height(see #8). 15)We are recalling our latest XB models for a Factory Reflash of the ECM due to slow speed drivability problems. 16)We are recalling all Uly models with Dunlop tires and replacing them with Pirelli tires to eliminate complaints of wobbles. 17) We are recalling all Uly models to replace defective kickstands which have bolts that snap off causing the bikes to tip over when parked. 18)2008- we have redesigned the XB oil pump and cam drive system to eliminate the previous weak link inherent in the older design that led to oil pressure/pump failures. 19)-we are continuing our recall on the 1125R models to reflash the ECM's for better low speed ridabilty and cooler running. 20)2010- All XB's model recieve the NEW right side air cooling scoop as standard, and the ULY models have been upgraded to the Latest comfort package to eliminate the hot spots coming from under the seat when the cooling system is functioning, there will be retrofit kits for older Uly models.... I have left out many other items that contradicted what was first promoted and later de-moted or dis-regarded as inferior designs. Oh yeah, Buell is now a Pure Sportbike Manufacturer and backer of Race teams...kinda goes against item #2 listed above- LOL ! R3 EZ (Message edited by ezblast on August 18, 2009) | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Sometimes we lose our vision in life. Little by little we get drawn away from it. Sometimes thats good, sometimes thats bad, sometimes its just not what we wanted. I think after 25 years EB maybe figured that he really just wanted to make a world class racebike. His early plans got derailed and maybe he 'made lemonade out of lemons'. Maybe he's got plenty of money now and he can do what he wants without great financial risk (since HD now owns Buell). If he's headed for retirement, maybe he'd like his legacy to be with racebikes, whether it fails or not. Should I move the threads about the 'new Buell' advertising and cubing here to the Blastphemy thread? It does go against my "For non Buell discussions, questions or pictures that do not pertain to Buell" description of the thread, but I didnt know what was about to go down when I started it! | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
The Blast has now been 'de-badged' and an example of that in the auto/mc world has eluded me, but I'm sure there are many. One such partial example is the new Mini. Clearly made by and marketed through BMW, it doesnt have any 'spinning propeller' badges on it anywhere (it does say manufactured by B**** M**** W**** on labeling). I know there are other examples, but none come to mind. I'm not sure if the Smart Car counts, but it is a Mercedes Benz collaboration. Others? | ||
| Ezblast |
Got me - they sell tons of those Minis though - probably a big profit maker for them as well, it seams like every tenth car in the Bay area lately is a mini - the truly rich have hotrodded originals in pristine/better than new condition - those puppies cook with steam heat! Yeah, I hope his dream comes true, but the rest of us bought his bikes because of him, not his racing, his genius is what we admired and appreciated, and I hope one day he would remember the rest of the riders - the non-racers - who supported him by buying his various bikes and keeping his name in the public's eye. This out of total respect for the man's vision and ability - the more I have learned of him, the more I admired him. This last campaign was in poor taste, however, racers are'nt known for doilies, p&q's - lol - and it is garnering attention - nothing I care about though - racing is ok - just doesn't drive me - not like going fast in a tight set of twisties all to my self does, or going down a beautiful country lane at speed. EZ (Message edited by ezblast on August 13, 2009) | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
"This last campaign was in poor taste" Concur, and thats the point most people arent getting. It wasnt about whether the Blast was discontinued or not. | ||
| Sycho |
On another forum there is talk of the Super Singles or 450 class of racing. It is primarily the 3 major Japanese motocross bikes converted to Road Race bikes. So there is talk of other manufacturers partaking as well. Might we see a liquid cooled Buell single? Here is a pic of a Honda with a Uly front end and you can see Buell as well as Harley Davidson on the fairing.  | ||
| Ezblast |
I could rough it on that - lol - but so far those motors life span is measured in hours before rebuild, I would hope Buell would produce something with a longer life. EZ | ||
| Blastronomer |
"Buell/H-D dealers HATE the Blast, they hate selling them, and they hate working on them" Hmm, is that why I got the ill vibe from the dudes in the service department when I took the Blast in for the 1000 mile service? Is it really that much of a pain in the rear to work on relative to an HD? I thought the general disdain from the service guys was just due to the fact that the Blast was something other than a Harley. That whole "Harley or nothing" attitude really turned me off to buying an HD in the first place. That and chrome is over rated. | ||
| Krjoseph |
Maybe I'm just lucky, I've never got that. Bumpus HD/Buell of Murfreesboro, TN is a great dealer, they've always been helpful when I need parts or service. And there is a cool parts guy at Boswells HD in Nashville that helps me out when the part is a Sportster part that will work. Bumpus is 40 minutes away, Boswells is 5. They are an HD only dealer, but are more than happy to take my money if they have a part that will work for me.  | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
The attitude you get about your Blast is the same you got if you bought a Sportster, but since the advent of Buell and especially the Blast, thats taken the heat off the Sportster riders. The Sportsters' still a 'girls bike' though at the HD only dealers and you're still likely to get the same attitude. Not every HD dealer has that attitude, but sadly its prevalent enough to expect it.  PS Blastronomer:"Apparently I don't ride a Buell" LOL! | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
EZ maybe we can cut the BS commentary out of your edited post? If 'they' can pick and choose how and what to plagiarize, so can you | ||
| Ezblast |
The good Buell dealers like the Blast - easy to work on, and inexpensive - the few in the Bay area considered good - all have mechanics that ride Buells, and they don't mind the Blast at all, its easy money. Too late for me, but there are other folks there satisfied with their dealerships. He trips like that because he doesn't really know how to play nice - seems to be a bad racer habit these days( - huh EB). 1) Intake boot/Manifiold coupler failures. (cracks/tears) a)on a stock bike these could last indefinitely, if care is taken to make sure of the clamps, still it is only rubber, and I would replace regularly every few years - you wouldn't ride with old tires - right? Dan's boot on Ebay is a better choice though. 2) Exhaust system failures.(cracks in various locations) a) A lot of these failures are hidden stress cracks developing from drops, curb hopping, low rpm riding, etc. - beginners are never nice to their bikes - even when they think they are- lol 3) Front motor mount failures.(some catastrophic) a) Ongoing problem, especially with older bikes,rough streets and dirt roads make it worse, but not common to lighter riders - lol - a kit is the latest update fix - ordered it - new part # - etc - will have pics in a few days when it arrives. 4) Wheel bearing failures.(reputedly confined to early years) a) After many across the various board discussions - one of the main reasons for the failures has been a lot of the shops, and independents not using the correct torque specs. A few on and offs slowly destroy/warp the bearings, which in turn affects the wheel hub. Buell - from another source - actually asked for the hub to be strengthened, and in 2009 the wheels are supposed to have a hub liner - so I was told - haven't seen a new wheel off a bike yet. 5) Oil pump drive gear failures. (can be catastrophic to motor) a)only a hand full of Blasts have suffered this, is that enough reason to add money to the bike. However, if I ever changed cams I would replace this as well with the SE Pro-series one. 6) High oil consumption- leading to early top end rebuilds because of excess carbon/oil fouling. a) Run only hi octane, and give her some Seafoam twice a year, and run Iridium plugs - its a Harley motor - its going to eat oil, and spit some out some at high rpms - lol 7) Ignition module failures(reputedly confined to early years) a)True, and not a majority. 8) Ultra Fast rear tire wear(especially now with OEM Pirelli tires) Its a single with its power developing very early, and even though it is not a lot, it is still enough to eat tires. The oversized however, have shown a much better tire life. 9) Shifting failures, caused by a broken 50ยข (detent plate) retaining clip. a) Happens, some folks add a second clip for insurance - this whole problem is a rarity, and wasn't even addressed as an issue till 2003 by HD/Buell. 10) Should leaking rocker box gaskets be included? Because even the 2nd Gen upgrade "All Metal" rocker box gaskets are known to start leaking at higher mileages, thats why Harley has gone to the 3rd Gen rubber coated metal- "Cometic type" gaskets, for all oil sealing gaskets. a) This refers to all HD/Buells, and they work, and the replacement job is not that hard. There - each of his issues addressed fairly. EZ | ||
| Ezblast |
Soooooo....there is the common list of things that sooner or later - Every Buell Blast will succumb to. It's true, if you keep your Blast long enough, everyone of the failures WILL occur ! Granted, a lot of those won't rear their ugly heads until probably after 20,000 miles, but no Blast is immune. Although another fact is, more than half of those failures cannot occur on a Harley of Bigger V-Twin Buell because they aren't designed the same, and/or they have upgraded parts in the critical areas (oil pump drive gear as an example). The above is Pure BS - reading this site proves that. And as for that other part about reliability - the Blast is statistically - even today - still Buell's and HD's most reliable product, with the V-rod coming in a close second. the source for these quotes comes from a very bitter person - I just hope he gets nicer when he's an old fart - lol - EZ | ||
| Court |
Anybody know where to get one of those Blasts that looks like an XR750? | ||
| Patches |
"The above is Pure BS - reading this site proves that. And as for that other part about reliability - the Blast is statistically - even today - still Buell's and HD's most reliable product," I agree with you 110%, the only problem I had is the Exhaust Pipe broke at the muffler at around 4K miles from dropping it off the (2x10) ramp pushing in and out of my storage building. D&D Exhaust, Air Intake (Breather), Carb Mods (Babweb THUMPer Forum) cost the same as a new Stock Exhaust/Muffler why not upgrade for More Power! I have not had to add (top off) oil in the last 3k miles of riding. | ||
| Tortoise |
Ask Themagster how many miles she has on her Blasts and how many of those problems on the list she has actually had. I suspect not very many. | ||
| Ezblast |
Court - ask Terry P., he plans on beating all the XR750 records on the salt this year with the fastest coffee table ever made - lol. EZ | ||
| Andychang |
so i've been snooping around for awhile, reading the posts, and there seemed to be a general consensus that some of us have been thinking about/going to/already shifted away from the blast. not on all buells, mind you (e.g. EZ's new 1125). shame on you...it's not even made in the US.  i jest. so i too decided it was time to upgrade. xb12scg? fine, but insurance was too much. so after looking around at some dealerships in the area, i finally went out today with the intention to test ride 3 different motorcycles: 2003 ninja 500r with 9K miles, 1986 yamaha fzx700 (Fazer) with about 25K miles, and a 2005 hyosung gt650s with 300 miles. yes yes, i know what's coming up. hyosung, is that a korean microwave? no, but i think it's usual language for "please stay away from this motorcycle as much as you possibly can." so since the dealer was technically a victory, lehman trikes, vectrix, and hyosung/UM motors, i have no issues saying the name here, and it's "Randy's Cycle" http://www.randyscycle.com/. It's not particularly bad for our sponsors, though to be honest, they had a Buell 1125r there when I went. anyway, i asked the sales manager for a frank and honest opinion of hyosung/um, and he said very honestly, "it's a step down from any of the japanese companies, but good for people who can't afford anything else. i quickly crossed the hyosung off my list because a)it was way too tall and b)i really didn't like the styling. ninja 500r isn't a bad bike at all. powerband is tuned aggressively so i found myself hitting 85 on a rural route quickly, but then had to wait patiently to go faster. the fazer though...goodness gracious. controlled power in the form of 90+ hp. had a 4 in 1 kerker. instantly fell in love with it except for one issue - it wouldn't idle at stoplights, and would just shut down. later found out that it was because there wasn't enough gas in it during the test ride. i also suspect that the primary is a little gunked up. surprise, surprise. so yes. i cheated on buell, and i cheated on the blast. but there's something exhilarating about a smooth, controlled, acceleration that takes you up to 115mph without a single problem. shhh, don't tell my gf. the bike's not perfect. there's an electronic reserve/on switch that only works on reserve (don't really care), and it probably has the same issues my buell had when i bought it: sat for a long time, carbs got gunked up, will probably benefit from fuel treatment additive along with premium gas. otherwise, the bike really is in pristine shape. very minimal scratches (nothing like my buell...), clean, polished, looks amazing. i guess the only downside to all of this is that i was only given 1500$ as a trade in. but i paid a nominal fee for the difference, so i wasn't too heartbroken. at first, the guy said, "1000$", and i said, "hey, i'm buying the bike TODAY, quit yanking my chain." and he said, "how much were you expecting?" and i said, "no less than 1500$" (cause seriously, that bike is scratched hell up, and kbb has it at 2000). i attribute my haggling skills to my lineage of people always wanting the best deal. for example, sometimes i go into stores and cut shirts with a knife, and then i say, "it's got a rip, 75 % off." just kidding. seriously. just kidding. enjoy the pics. don't worry, i'm not going far. i have come to enjoy all of your advice and banter and conversations. as EZ would say, keep the rubber down.  Here is the link to complete pics: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2210214&id=2403743&l=e7a75d77bc | ||
| Swampy |
Andy. Whats the EPA gonna Say? Good Luck, looks cool, it has a wheel base that looks longer than that of a Ulysses. | ||
| Andychang |
ha. actually, motorcycles that were built prior to the 2006MY are exempt from any of the regulations that say, "don't make mechanical modifications, etc." it's definitely longer than a Blast (obviously), but it's also heavier too. because of the weight and my short inseam, i can't engage the center stand. no matter though since the side stand is just fine. i've seen one uly up close, and i think maybe the uly still has it beat in terms of wheelbase. thanks for the wellwishes, i think that this bike is going to make me a better rider overall. love the styling too. | ||
| Tortoise |
Anyone heard of Derbi motorcycles? Below pictures are of model Mulhacen Cafe   659cc 4 stroke liquid cooled single Looks like a Spanish company but they sell in the US. I don't know how much they cost. | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
They are not cheap, but not especially expensive either. They make small displacement cafe/roadrace bikes (50cc-125cc etc.) and I'd love to have one. I havent checked them out in a while because the divorce would cost me much more than the cost of the bike! | ||
| Ezblast |
Derbies are way expensive, and waiting for parts - lol Great looking bike though. EZ | ||
| Fast1075 |
The Mighty Blast has been ASSIMILATED...I have been lured to the dark side... Meet "Jezebel" my "new" 2004 XB12s ...she is a bit long legged, but I'm a sucker for tall sexy redheads.  | ||
| Garlic_sauce |
Nice bike. | ||
| Ezblast |
Theres trouble on the hoof - nice choice! EZ | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Congrats! I'll skip the comment about bending to peer pressure LOL! I must admit I was giving the XB9S a good look over at the track this weekend. I could work out the rear controls, but my weakness really is I havent ridden a Blast on the street since I stripped my streetBlast down in june for trackdays and racing. I'm just missing having something that will dive into the corners with a minimum of effort. That'll change when the season is over in November and I can put the lights back on it Then maybe I'll have the time to put the raceBlast back together before the season starts again. | ||
| Andychang |
Got the Fazer back today from a mechanic here in Chicago. Had him do the full gamut on it. 245 for the tuneup, parts, disposal, etc. Will need new fork seals and clutch slave seal this winter. I also plan to throw a new front tire on there since it's fairly dry-rotted. Engine doesn't cut out now when the temp needle gets above half on the gauge. Idles a little unevenly, but not any worse than the Blast. I miss this board. It's so nicely set up and clean. Not like the fzx700 groups page on yahoo which is somewhat muddled. Not complaining though about those guys since it's nice to have met some cool people on that board as well. Peace out. | ||
| Ezblast |
Rubber down! drop by once an a while, say hey and whats new, you know your welcome. EZ |
