| Author | Message | ||
     Ncbueller |
Armalite has an upper that will fit not only Genuine Colt but 99% of the AR/M16 clones on the market. It also will do the job. Keep your head down and your socks dry. | ||
| Buck |
Paul, I'm thinking about doing that but since it is straight up and down now I didn't know if it would effect the leverage I have now. | ||
| Buellman |
Just wanted everyone to know that I have posted a few select Instruction Sheets, Service Bulletins and one Recall on the site, all .pdf's. I have had alot of requests for these so here ya go... Brad G Sport Twin www.sporttwin.com | ||
| Hootowl |
Buck, Harley shops sell those in various lengths. They're in the chrome section. | ||
| Scott78 |
Blake, This Saturday night...in your back yard.... Come see Brian and Richard Nallin attack the high banks of Lone Star Speedway (1/2 mile dirt oval) in Kilgore Texas. Allen Simons(aka Smokin84) will be racing my 1250 Buell (the one you rode Blake) in the open amateur class. Also, see the ultra fast Cole Nallin on his Nallinized xr50 (more like 97cc). Hope to see you there! Torqd1, pack your bags and come on. | ||
| Ferris |
And, if he's available, we can always let Ferris referee again. um, i don't think this would be wise, as there's only one thing i'm truly good at (and i can PROVE it!), and this isn't it. my philosophy for the written word is about the same as my philosophy when to comes to photography: write enough words (or burn enough film) and sooner or later you're bound to create a positive image. i lucked out in my post above, creating a positive image that is, plus it helped that i waited about 24 hours before i posted, allowing my initial emotions to be replaced by all that wisdom and maturity crap  Y2, if you ever find yourself curious about the roads in and around Lake Isabella, give a shout -- i can show you some stuff that'll tie your X1 up into itty, bitty knots (that is, if you don't mind riding beside/in front of/behind a VFR...) FB  | ||
| Loki |
Al, They weren't called Led Zeds for nothing. The 84-85 years were nice bikes. I just like the look of the 82s. Probably why I like the Buell also. Still had the stock carbs? They really limited the real use of the 810 kit. The other thing of note is the 82 vs 83(later) cams. The 82s produced much more bottom. Matt, The Zed is still around because I am so fond of it. It speaks to me in a whole different way. Okay back to the Buell content....the weather had better be nice this weekend. Now going on 21 straight workdays and not being able to ride. | ||
| Madduck |
Nevco1, Actually riding the japanese harley to "true" harley events gets you a significant level of ill will. A lot of people resent that chapter of Harley's past including some still with the Corp. Apparently H-D took a lot of heat for aiding the Japanese war effort, them and the scrap iron dealers. Paul | ||
| Usroute66 |
Court, Add me to the "still satisfied" list. 18K miles and the bike has never left me anywhere, and continues to provide excellent service. I even have the original speedo! As some continue to complain, it many times isn't the bike, it's the dealer that sourers the experience. My dealer is great. And the same goes for car dealers, and dealers of other bikes. It's the after sale service the brings back repeat customers. This weekend I saw a new black Lightening in person. That bike looks great in person...just awesome! I can't wait to do a demo ride on one. This could be my next new bike to sit next to the Y2K S3T in the garage. Scott | ||
| Bartimus |
Please add me to the still satisfied list. While I am unhappy with the treatment I usually get from the dealerships, I am very happy with the performance and handling of my '95 S2. With 143,000 miles on the clock, I'm into the top end once again due to a failed circlip. Not a problem, with a recent illness keeping me from work, this is a great change. I'd still like to get more Buells, maybe an S1, I'd certainly want to try a Firebolt. I own many other bikes, (9) but have to admit the S2 is my daily rider. So regardless of what HD does to my beloved Buells I'll stick by them and try to acquire more of them. ;o) | ||
| Iamike |
I have to agree about the dealership comment. If I had a car shop treat me like the HD service shops do, I'd never buy a car from them or take it back in for service. If I didn't like to tinker myself the Buell most likely would have been gone by now. Not because I've had any problems, it's just the callous treatment from service. Now about the enthusiasm of the salesman....if you haven't met Dave from Waterloo. They need to clone him and send him to all these shops with a bad reputation. | ||
| Al_Lighton |
About a year and a half ago, Aaron bought his Dyno and was looking for suggestions on things to study, in prep for doing tech articles for Battle2Win. I suggested he study if reasonably priced Air/Fuel gauges are a reliable method for jetting for peak power. He thought it a good idea, but suggested that I write it with his help on the testing. We did the testing, I wrote the article, but it never made it to print. Well, Battle2Win is no more, so it never will. I'm no engine expert nor journalist, but I read a lot on the subject and the testing was reasonably done. I only wish I could have captured the meter readings dynamically. The static pictures don't do the readings justice, the real readings are in the meter ballistics. So, the article is attached. Not sure if the attachment will work. If it doesn't, or even if it does, Blake or another board admin can do with this what they want.  And thanks to Aaron for all the help and encouragement. Doing the testing was fun. Al | ||
| Al_Lighton |
Damn, no go. The file has lots of pictures, graphs, etc, and is 271K. Attachments are limited to 52k. Blake, if you want it to post anyway, I can send it to you. If not, I can send it as an attachment to whoever wants it. Al | ||
| Bluzm2 |
Al, I definately want a copy! My email addy should be in my profile. BTW, a while back, you said you had a question for me. Was it regarding the broken SuperTrapp bracket? Brad | ||
| Scot |
I would like a copy. I am just finishing up a billet a/f gauge project.Thanks ssandersons@sbcglobal.net | ||
| Fssnoc2501 |
Al, I would also like a copy if possible. rgerman@hit.net Ray | ||
| Madduck |
Al, I would like a copy also. paulehd@hotmail.com | ||
| Snail |
Court, I advertised your interest in quantifying the number of disatisfied Buell customers, on SACBORG and on LABUSA. Paul | ||
| Blake |
Y2, You are way out of line. Snail's comment was purely tongue in cheek. You responded with personal insult. Are you really THAT serious about your brand loyalty and motorcycling? Snail does own a Buell you know. Lose the attitude, you are among friends here. Besides, a Buell really does sound a bit like an old man snoring. Just ask Snail's wife. Al, Absolutely, send it to me and I'll post it for everyone. Thanks! Blake | ||
| Bigj |
I think there are a lot of people that felt better about thier Buell experience after they purchased a non-Buell, whether they kept thier Buell or not. Myself included. I don't ride my Buell much anymore. The more I ride it the closer I get to having to do mucho repair work(read$$$). I got about 2-3k before I have to have the transmission done, and do the top end. Now that I own the Beemer I can hop on the Buell for short rides and not really have to worry about not having a way into work. Very liberating. | ||
| Fogcity |
I would be completely disatisfied with my Buell if it was my only bike. Being that it's not, I tend to love it. To only have one bike? Rationaly speaking, probably a Honda. Or perhaps a BMW if I was feeling chancy. But, you can't be rational about motorcycling, so in truth the Honda is probably towards the bottom of my list (unless we're talking about a '77 Supersport) | ||
| Nevco1 |
Madduck... Sorry to hear that folks just aren't totally in tune with their heritage. Just imagine what it will be like 20 or so years from now if we survive WWIII with China. Armageddon anyone? Go figure, eh? | ||
| Dynarider |
Court, maybe you should make this dissatisfied Buell owner poll of yours a quick board subject? You know how I feel about this whole sordid mess. | ||
| Ncbueller |
Court: Add us to the satisfied list: Two X1s with a total of 25K between them. 99 had recall issues but dealer handled in a very very professional and business like manner. 2001 going strong at 2,500. Race Kited 94 HP. Ride Safe | ||
| Ncbueller |
Al: Would be interested in your work. Have an ongoing 02 project with Chevy Small blocks at the present time. Look forward to see what you have done. Thanks | ||
| Court |
I do and suspect that I'll be receiving plenty of feedback from the SACBORG and LABUSA groups. I tend to agree with Vik that the number is "considerably more than a dozen". I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt and tripling that. If I take 36 owners who's level of dissatisfaction rises to selling the bike and divide that into roughly 45,000 Buells sold since 1995 (that's a guess, someone is welcome to correct my denominator) I get 0.0008 or 8/10,000ths of the customers. The question becomes, and I am willing to stipulate that some folks have had genuinely bad experiences, what is the proper level of resource allocation in terms of money and human resources to "recapture" 0.0008% of a customer base? Don't get me wrong....it burns my ass to see some of my good friends "turn to the dark side". I like them and want them happy. Conversely, in the world of customer service and buyer satisfaction, there is a conscious cost/benefit thought process that demands a firm, by definition with finite resources, decide to what number of standard deviations it will move from the center of that bell shaped curve of happiness. A perfect world? Zero defects? My church can't do it, my government can't do it, my children can't do it and I can't do it. I, for one, am reluctant to hold Buell accountable to such a standard. Bear in mind, we're talking "customer satisfaction" here, not owning up and taking responsibility for "known defects". Buell has proven themselves willing to go, arguably, above and beyond in that department and has the financial muscle of Harley-Davidson to insure words and action are in phase. I'm a major co-dependant type of person, I want EVERYBODY happy. I've sent folks parts off my own bikes. But, I am also a student of the science of customer relationship management and, a perhaps, against my own will, a slapped in the face convert to reality. The next question becomes, given finite resources, "are corporate dollars better spent touting the reliability of the NEW Buells or trying to re-assimilate formerly disaffected owners?" You've heard the phrase "it costs a dollar to KEEP a customer, a thousand dollars to get one back". What do you do if you have $2,000 to spend? Guns OR butter, the classic economic, "I can do one, but not BOTH", tough choice. You can see that the probability of Buell spending time and money trying to "rehappy" the unhappy (I am NOT talking about recalls here) could get back burnered pretty quick. Toss in a couple of unrelated personal insults to the plea and the probability diminishes exponentially. I've written way more than you asked. I think I'll change no ones predisposition. But, at least, open minds will be treated to another perspective. Court | ||
| M2fast |
Court, Here is another disasitisfied Buell owner. 14000 miles and blown front rod bearings don't make for a good experience. Used to love the bike, still enjoy the ride but I have a VERY bad taste in my mouth. Also, the current lineup does nothing for me. I need more than 3.something gallons of fuel. I also feel that except for a select few, dealer support is as low as I've seen it since '98. What incentive is there for a dealer to carry the Buell line now? It's a substantial investment for a dealer without too much of a return. Remember these dealers are used to selling bike wasy above MSRP and hanging chrome. Buells are a tough sell with a reputation for reliability problems and require real repairs (at least the tube framers). Summing up, it's going to take huge efforts on the part of Buell/HD to get me and others back as customers and I really don't think they care. I hope all the faithful here are correct about Buell's future but it just doesn't look so shiny to me anymore. Kris Wyman (just sharing my .02, not looking for arguments, etc.) 99M2 (exhaust falling off) 97VFR (crashed day after picking up) | ||
| Ncbueller |
Court: Your "Gun or Butter" comment bring another axiom to mind. In project management we use "good, fast, or cheap", pick any two. Good luck with the survey. ride safe Tom | ||
| Ncbueller |
Court: Sagebrushmachine.com Interesting KLR site. Ride safe Tom | ||
| Grndskpr |
Court, my take on the whole issue, is that Buell should stop and think for 1 second, think about it hard and guess what the common thread is to just about all, and i mean all the problems with buell, its the dealerships, seems every person i meet that works on there bike or likes to work on there bike has LESS of a problem than those who either choose not to work on there machine or who are under warrenty, no,this dosent cover every problem but i think if the dealers were trained better or if buell specified that to be a buell dealer you have to be trained at the buell plant for a set period, maybe you would not get these issues, lets take Dyna for an example, his bike blew up 3 times, all 3 times there seems to be a related thread that cause the damage, if the dealer had fixed it right the first time well who knows dyna may still be riding, and happy with the company, granted were all not happy about the resale but Buell cant solve that, and maybe this will not solve all the problems but who are the happy/vocal people,the ones that live near modesto or waterloo or get there parts from them, odd isnt it, good dealers happy people, again this is just my take, how about buell start a training program, training there own mechanics at the factory, like MMI, only no charge for training, you get paid, but have to work at a buell dealership for a set amount of time, dont take harley mechanics its harder to retrain than it is to train people in your(buells) thinking and design, keep them updated, maybe even make them factory reps and fix the bikes right, punish dealers who screw your customers, and reward the good ones, maybe Buell can remake a name for itself, it will take some time but others have been in worse positions and have come out on top, its all about customer service, people will come if you take care of them, if you dont guess what they will not care, american or not, people who are treated poory will dance on your grave, dosnt have to happen, but its up to the company sorry to rant but i have meet good people that work for the buell factory, very good people who have helped me in a bad situation while they were off the clock, they didnt have to do this but they did it because of who they are, my hats off to them and i tell you this, if the dealers were half as good as the facroty rep i meet, you would have a waiting list for the bikes again sorry for the rant Roger |
