| Author | Message | ||
     Josh |
PhillyBlast, I was responding to Oliver's direct question, not your crack  Yup, 5 spd. The only time a 'shield was on was for the 3200mi trip to KeyWest. She was wearing Joe Rocket pants w/ the knee pads for Deal's Gap. I'm hoping to get a "tall" seat for the Blast so I'm more comfortable riding it. Right now I tend to rest my shins on the pass. pegs, lay on the tank and wrap my left arm around the forks. How else can you hit 100? Josh | ||
| Phillyblast |
Pink, 5-11-ish, 175 here, btw. Josh, the "tall" seat actually squishes down to somthing like the height of the "short" seat, 'cause the foam is so soft, at least in my experience (see weight above). And I have rearsets and dropped bars on mine, so to hit 100 I just put my toes up on the pegs, tuck my elbows, and lay down on the tank. And wait. And wait. And watch the speedo inch it way past 95, 96, . . . :-) | ||
| Pinkpank |
I have the "tall" seat, but for three weeks I had the "short" one - since I couldn't believe this was the HIGHEST seat made until I actually saw the "short" one. ;-) And yes, under my 220 pounds, it squishes down like a pancake. "'01 exhaust bracket upgrade"?!? Huh? Did I miss something? ;-0 Oliver | ||
| Sarodude |
Ya know what really bugs me? When I'm pissed off at something but talking to really nice people. Talk about internal conflict... I've been speaking to the owner of the dealer. He's really trying. He's also a really (REALLY) nice guy. Even though Buell CS has been courteous, you still feel like you're talking to a corporation. The owner of the dealer really makes me feel like there's flesh on the other end of the phone. He's very professional yet still watm and human - and humane. They sent a driver to pick up my bike. Same guy I've seen a few times already. Really nice guy. I guess I'm just waiting to get my bike back now. They said they'd get me new mirrors (man, that STILL blows my mind - was it a customer? a tech that doesn't like long haired Armenians?), re-route the misrouted clutch cable, and check out the tranny's shifting mechanism - which will hopefully not be an issue. Since my last post, I've put on another 50-ish miles (100 miles total since engine #3) and the shifting problem has recurred only once. Loli bought me this Blast. Besides just being a bike of ANY sort, it means something to me that it came from her. Part of me is wanting to never see it again - which really bugs me. Part of me is wanting to FINALLY get MY Blast back in 100% shape - which will then likely bug me 'cause I'll be waiting for the next failure. (should I just rip the thing apart and build it myself so I can just start pointing my finger at the mirror?) Then there's BigHairyRalph's 96 S1 I'd love to give a good home to... A buyback (looks unlikely at this point) and a favorable insurance quote (I'm still waiting) and I'd be on a plane to Nebraska. I'm really having a tough time with all this sillyness. I hope you all have a good weekend and (local weather permitting) get some nice safe rides in. I'll go figure out what form of punishment I've been handed down by that in which I don't believe. I also hope BHR wins the lotto and keeps his S1 so I won't keep thinkin' about it... -Saro | ||
| Mo_Cycle |
Things are a little slow so I guess I'll share my story and a few observations. Six months ago I was'nt even thinking of owning a motorcycle. But the local Harley dealership moved to a brand new building a mile from my house and it looks so impressive I stopped in just to look around. Now I owned a Honda 250 back in '87 and for some reason it just was'nt all that much fun, but when I saw the Blast for the first time it gave me motorcycle fever. The dealer had three. I never do anything impulsively so I did some research on line and stuff and after a week I decided to buy one. Buy that time the dealer had sold them all. It was at this time that I recieved my introduction to the world according to Harley-Davidson. First of all salesmen do not hassle you at a Harley dealership(I've been in three) in fact you have to go find them. When the salesman was found he said he did not know when they would get more Blasts in, he said maybe in July.(this was in mid-May) O.K. so I call around and find out they have plenty at a dealer 60 miles away. Off I go. They seem nicer here but I still have to hunt down the saleslady. I bought me a nice red one and loved it. What fun! It turned me into a motorcyle junkie. A problem developed in July when it would'nt restart at a gas station for 15 minutes. This became a regular occurance until I discovered it was a bad electrical connection at the clutch lever safety switch. Played with it repeatedly but still did it off and on until I just direct wired the connection and now it starts every time. The only other problem was one day the speedometer did'nt work but it has been fine since. Yes the seat hurts after about 50 miles, but I find I can tolerate it better as I get used to it. So after 2700 miles I am quite pleased with the bike. I always look forward to riding it and would be gone all day if my butt could stand it. Three people have come up to me and asked what kind of bike it is. I point at the big Buell sticker on the tank and say "Its a Buell." "But who makes it?" they say.(One guy guessed Honda) I say,"Uh Buell." Met with blank look. "Its a division of Harley-Davidson." I say. "Oh so its a Harley." says one woman, I did'nt argue with her. But the other two guys acted like they did'nt believe me. So Buell needs to do some advertising. Something like Victory's T.V. ads which are very effective. They also need a better logo, something people recognize and can rally around. This works well for Harley, Victory and Indian. Why don't they fully utilize their Pegasus logo? It works well but they only use it a little bit and is not their official logo. The name BUELL alone just does'nt get it. O.K. so I love the Blast. But I am being seduced by the idea of owning a Harley. I sit on a Sportster 883 and it is very comfy and more macho. I tell my wife I am going to go buy some sex appeal.(buy the way she doesn't like riding on the back of the Blast-says she feels like shes gonna fall off.) She wants me to get a Harley too. I go back to the dealer 60 miles away because they did treat me well when I bought the Blast. I go find the saleslady in her office. She looks busy. I ask if I should come back another time. She says no. I tell her what I want. Of course they have no Sportster demos and none for sale. So I place an order for one. She says it will take 7 months but that Harley will send me a notice in 6 to 8 weeks as to a definite date. All the while I get the feeling that I am a big inconvenience to her. I got nothing in writing and it has been 9 weeks with no word from Harley. Buy the way that $5695 price is $7104 out the door, which is still O.K. but I'm wondering if she really sent in my order or not. Oh well, I still have the Blast and thats not bad. One final observation about H-D dealerships. Owning one must be like having a license to print money, because they act like they don't care if anyone walks though the door or not. Like night and day from buying cars. | ||
| Mikej |
Mo_Cycle, Where are you located? A 7 month waiting list for a Sportster is just plain wrong, it's cash and carry at many dealerships nationwide here in the States, expecially at this time of year. In fact my local dealer has a sweet '99 883/1200 all hopped up and ready to go. New or used you should be able to find an XL to ride home right now. I'd be surprised to learn otherwise, but I could be wrong. | ||
| Mo_Cycle |
Mikej, I'm in southwest Michigan. Back in late August there were no new 883's at any of the three nearest dealerships. Last week there was one at the local dealer.(maroon, not my color) At the next closest there was an 883R and three huggers, but I want a standard 883 in luxury blue which is what I ordered. I could be talked into a red hugger. Anyway, I'm gonna have to call my dealer and find out if they have ordered a bike for me or not. If they've "lost" my order I'll just go elsewhere. Or if I keep encountering this "We don't really need your business" attitude I'll just keep the Blast. | ||
| Mikej |
Ah, okay, when you get a little more selective like with color choices then you get into the queue. I've been to three of the dealers near Detroit so far while in town for work. When I was shopping for my M2 back in August '99 I got the local dealers to show me their sheets of what they were scheduled for and when it might get there. The dealership relationship is at times more important than the deal you get. Shop for where you feel best. Hope your color comes in soon, but it is gettin' to be a little winter like outside so maybe a little wait won't be so bad, eh? I got out on the S2 this afternoon, headed down for a scheduled ride, and either I was 5 minutes too late or else nobody else showed up. So I stopped at the grocery store on the way home and I think that by the way people were looking at me they must have thought I was wearing a "biker" costume for holloween or something. Nice out today, but a little chilly. Take care, and good shopping. | ||
| Phillyblast |
Mo, not my experience at all. Went to the local Harley/Buell dealer in the spring (March) after doing some checking around and deciding the Blast was the bike I wanted to get back into riding (hadn't ridden in a few years, since I had a bit of an accident and severed a tendon on my left hand - couldn't work the clutch, bike got sold, long story). Walked in the Saturday before Daytona Bike Week, oops, everyone going nuts getting ready, loading bikes on trailers, getting last minute parts for the ride, etc. (in South New Jersey area). I wandered around for a few minutes, checked out a few custom bikes on trailers, and went over to check out the Blasts. An attractive blonde tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I needed any help. I told her I was interested in a Blast, she said sure, asked me if I wanted a test ride, and warned me it might be a while, since they were so busy, and didn't have anyone free to go out on a ride with me. Took my license to photocopy it, looked at the name and said "do you have a brother Michael? Does he still have the Sportster? Tell him Barb says hi." My brother bought his Sportster new in 1990! And I know he hasn't been back to the dealer in years. Next thing I know, she's yelling for a service tech, they're rolling a Blast off the showroom floor and prepping it for a test ride - solo. "your're mikeys brother, we trust you. Just bring it back in one piece" Turns out the "blonde chick" is the owner, and she walked me through the purchase, trade-in deal, etc., got me insured and I rode home that day. Months later, I stopped by - in the car - to pick up an oil filter, and she yelled across the showroom floor "hey dave, how's the Blast?" and proceeded to quiz me on my likes and dislikes about the bike. So some dealers do care, just a question of finding the right one. I know where I'll buy my next bike, esp. if I decide to do the trade-in on a "big" buell. btw the dealer is harley davidson of camden county, http://harleydavidsoncc.com | ||
| Buellzilla |
Hi guys, Probably none of you remember me. It's been a couple months. Last thursday was my last ride of the season I think. My Blast has been running great. It seems to like cold air. I've finally developed a good shifting technique (slow but quiet). I noticed in a recent post someone had a drive belt failure. Has anyone else noticed that when you go over a bump, some of the shock seems to transmit through the drivetrain. I wonder if riding over a severe bump can stress the belt enough to start a tear. Maybe it's just due to a defect in the belt or perhaps, if some road debris gets caught up in the drive, it can cause a small cut. Oh, I'd like to share a tip to new Blast riders, although perhaps, it applies to all new riders of any bike. The Blast is my first bike. When I first started riding, I found the bike to be disturbingly twitchy around corners, as though the rear wheel was loose or something. I only recently discovered that if I lean forward and get my weight over the tank, the bike feels perfectly stable and I now feel much more confident to take corners at higher speed. I guess you're all saying "Well, no duh!" but, often it's the very simplest of things that don't get passed on to the new rider. Have a good winter everybody and if your location allows you to ride year around, I don't want to hear about it.L | ||
| Englishman |
Hey MO! I'm curious as to how they justify adding $1500 on to get it "out the door?" Even after tax that's still over a grand! I was over at Snell's in Muskegon the other day. looked like they had a few Huggers, don't remember the colour combinations tho. Englishman | ||
| Court |
Dave: Those are the stories I LOVE to hear! I'll say it again "the good dealers are great and the bad ones....." (quote from Battle2Win issue #2) Court - Good Buell Business is GOOD business | ||
| Mo_Cycle |
Englishman, That price includes tax, title, license, $180 for any color other than black and an "assembly fee". They say that they recieve the bikes in crates and that they have to assemble them at the dealership. I forget what the exact amount was for this but as I recall it was several hundred dollars. When I asked the saleslady about it she said "Thats cheap!" I hav'nt been to Snell's yet, what are they like up there? Mo | ||
| Mother_Big |
'zilla, of course we remember. Glad you got out last week. Me too. Great riding. I, for one, do appreciate tips like that, since I'm still experimenting with shifting my weight on turns, and also perceived some unsteadiness at the rear wheel. MSF doesn't tell you how to corner well at 70, do they? | ||
| Prof_Stack |
The Blast tip I liked was the one to put down the sidestand when alone at stoplights with sensors not equipped to detect a light bike like the Blast. Until that tip, I've been either waiting for a car or just blasting out of there when the traffic going crossways clears out. With colder weather here in Seattle, I'm really liking my new Joe Rocket Meteor Ballistic jacket. I'll be getting the matching pants this month. Decent protection and great warmth. | ||
| Bluzm2 |
Prof, The sidestand trick is an oldie but goodie. Here's another one. If the sidestand doesn't work, center yourself over the pickup grid (up probably already are if you tried the kickstand), kill the motor with the kill switch and restart. The surge of currrent through the starter motor may be large enough to to magnetically trip the sensor. Might not work on the Blast (smaller engine/starter), but it has worked on my M2. Sounds weird, bit it sometimes works! Then call the city an have them check out the light, it should trip with any vehicle (including motorcycles). Brad | ||
| Pinkpank |
Sidestand? You mean to add pressure to the pavement?!? In Chicago, the sensors appear to be "coils" (inductors) that need metal mass to trigger, and I get screwed by those every time (so I learn to avoid them unless a car is already there). Even have car drivers look at you real funny when you're in front, waving at them to pull up to your rear light so they can get over the coil in the road? I swear they think I'm trying to mess with them or something. ;-) Not enough time to explain usually, either. Took the bike out and FINALLY took the time to use the blowdryer on the stickers (all of them, the three Blast/Buell ones, the tank warning, the rear "Buell - Decidedly different" and the ones on the swingarm). Nice and plain now, but I would like a "Buell / American Motorcycles" set for the tank. It's only been what, three months? Can't accuse me of rushing things . . . . Oliver | ||
| Bluzm2 |
Oliver, By lowering your kickstand, you move the "metal" closer to the "coils". Sometimes motorcycles don't have enough metal mass close enough to trip the sensors. Dropping the kickstand over the wire "coil" sometimes works. I try to position the bottom of the kickstand right in front of the wire then swing it back up. The idea is to create a "blip" in the coil current. That's what triggers the light. As mentioned above, a starter motor will also create a "blip" due to current flowing through the windings in the starter motor. Put a magnetic compass under your bike and hit the starter, it should move a bit. Clear as mud right? Brad | ||
| Jonnyz |
An alternative to the side stand trick is to lay the bike on it's side over the coil. Well it some times helps when your on a bicycle. Jon | ||
| Pinkpank |
Hehe . . . I like that, lay the bike over. ;-) Maybe we should carry a giant 12" steel beam with us at all times?!? Or a plate in your heads, so we can trigger the light by doing a handstand? I was thinking that the sidestand might not have enough ferrous material to create sufficient "signal" in the coils. After all, they are designed to trigger only when a car is sitting on them, and not go off when a car goes PAST them (like in another lane), so there has to be a threshold. If the sidestand or starter trigger it, I would suspect a truck passing by might do so as well. Just guessing here - I'll try both suggestions next time this happens to me. It's probably been discussed on other boards, but it does seem like the Blast with it's small stance and light weight might have a unique problem here . . . . what do mopeds do?!? What is the legal situation if and when you have to turn without arrow even though the sign says "turn on arrow only"? Like I don't have enough to worry about already. ;-0 Oliver | ||
| Bluzm2 |
Oliver, Some lights nothing works. I think mopeds pretend to be a bicycle and run the bugger after stopping. Just pretend you are pedaling. I had an incident a number of years ago with a stoplight at about 2:00AM on a sunday morning. Had to stop at a light on the way home from work (I'm a data network kind of guy, we have to do our changes off hours.) The light was red, I stopped, waited...waited...waited... Car comes from the other direction, light changes for him (both directions were red to start). Another oncoming car comes up for a left turn, light changes. I'm just sitting there, tired, thirsty, I wanna get home! Light still doesn't change. Screw it, I'm going through. One block later, Mr LEO appears in mirrors with reds flashing. Crap!!!! He pulls me over, comes to get my license, I told him I waited at least 5 min for the light to change. He asks a couple of questions (Where you heading? Where you been? etc.). I'm honest and tell him home and work. He says, "Yeah I saw you waiting, After you went through, I just wanted to make sure you hadn't been drinking. Have a nice evening..... I went home, had a beer and went to bed. | ||
| Bluzm2 |
Hmmm, That was on my old 650 Yamaha. Wish I still had it. Guess I have a thing with bikes that shake! | ||
| Mikej |
If it's a light I've been stuck at before, I just wait for some cross traffic, then look around very carefully and then just run the stupid thing. On freeway metered onramps, about 4 out of 5 won't change for me around this area, so I just get the rhythm of the light cycles down, and then if it doesn't change for me per the timing cycle tempo in my head I just take off behind the car in the adjacent lane. If I ever get a ticket for this one I will be taking it to court, and I will tell the judge that the traffic department can start expecting to hear from me multiple times daily until the problem is fixed for every single sensor that doesn't read bikes. Having the same problem while riding a bicycle I have some but not a lot of patience for "faulty" traffic sensors. Heh heh, I even had a Jack in the Box manager go nuts once years ago because his drive-thru sensor locked up his cash register because my Honda at the time wouldn't trigger the sensor. He had to reboot the whole computer system while he flagged me thru and took my order verbally and asked me politely to please not use the drivethru again on the bike. This was at a very busy Box with a double-line drivethru during the lunch rush. I didn't go there again. | ||
| Buellzilla |
I'm glad I stopped by today. I've had that problem at a few lights in my area. I suspected that there were some kind of sensors that I wasn't tripping but I didn't know of what type they were. I've been blasting through when the cross traffic clears. It's nice to know that I may have another option. Unfortunately, I probably won't get a chance to try it until next spring. | ||
| Pinkpank |
Hey Brad, Yep, that's exactly my scenario. Usually 2am or 3am, after seeing an all-night movie marathon at the Brew and View, or a party or concert. Then on Michigan Avenue (two blocks from my home) I sit there and sit there and sit there. No traffic, light doesn't change. And I sit there. Finally I blow the light, and some day I know I'll get interviewed about it. Eventually, a Cab will come by to help me (involuntarily). That's about the only time I like seeing a Cab. ;-) Funny, I'm an IT guy as well. We must be on different schedules than 90% of the rest of the world. ;-0 You'll have to tell me more about your M2, as I've been eyeing them myself! Oliver (pinkpank@att.net) | ||
| Bluzm2 |
Oliver, My M2 is about as much fun as you can axpect to have with your clothes on! Just clicked over 11K on it. No major problems, just rocker box gaskets and a front rotor (under warranty). I have a modified stock exhaust (by me), carbon fiber ham can air filter, the usual carb mods and that's about it. Most everything else has been cosmetic, tach, pegs, bobbed license bracket, X1 signals, tank bra and a bit of polishing here and there. More to come this winter. I use it as a daily commuter and as a weekend road burner. It's great way to start a day,, at least two wheelies and a stoppie a day keep the grumpies away. Brad | ||
| Pinkpank |
You're making me lust for one even more. Stop that! ;-) They sure are neat looking, I have to say . . . | ||
| Crazymike |
My public protest against mideast oil- keep the Blast. Anyone know how much HD charges to helicoil the tranny plug? | ||
| Reepicheep |
BlueM2.. You must have good M2 Karma... my 2000 has been a little less lucky. But I would still highly recommend one, especially with used prices being what they are. I think it is possible to find a Cyclone cheaper then an SV650 these days, and while the SV650 is a really outstanding bike, the Cyclone (IMHO) beats it hands down for everything but reliability. If you do the following, I think the older Cyclones will end up being a pretty reliable bike... depending on age, your cyclone may have these things already. 1) Replace front muffler mount with updated part. 2) Replace primary chain tensioner with updated part. 3) Rejet with a larger low speed jet. 4) Have new rocker box gaskets waiting in the garage, insert as necessary. 5) Double nut exhaust header studs. 6) Put a small coil (inductor) and diode in series with the positive voltage feed going to the speedo sensor. These are all fun, easy jobs. The hardest is probably the rocker box gaskets (couple of hours per head if you go slow) followed by the primary tensioner replacement (which is just messy). The jetting is mind-boggingly easy. The M2 really is a wonderfull all around bike, like the blast. A little less econmical and a little less bang for the buck, but a lot more bike in some regards. | ||
| Bluzm2 |
Reep, My 2K M2 has all the recall stuff done, including the front exhaust mount. The primary tensioner will get swapped out when I pull the cover for polishing this winter. It should be the new one already (according to the engine build date) but it has 11K on it now and it's cheap and easy to swap out. Usual carb mods done long ago. 195 main, 45 low, about 2 3/4 out on the screw. Slide drilled and needle shimmed .050. Anyone who has not done these mods to their stocker should be beat about the head and shoulders (with something soft, you don't want to mess up their riding ability!). About those DAMN rocker box gaskets.... I did the rear at about 2400, the front at about 9K or so. I smelled synthetic fumes (I run Mobil 1) when I got to work this morning,,, the rear is leaking AGAIN!!!! Same spot as before. I'm stopping on the way home tonight and picking up a set of the new Buell 1 piece steel gaskets. I can do both gaskets in about 3 hrs including time for answering silly questions from curious neighbors and running to the fridge for beer. I have ss nylock nuts for doubles on the header studs. No problems. To keep this thread on topic, I may have a Blast in my near future. My 16 yo daughter wants to learn to ride real bad. I'm starting her off in the dirt, then moving to the street. I figure I should be able to pick up a used model for a very right price. Brad |
