| Author | Message | ||
     Dono |
Strike 1: Used '99 X1 that warped a flywheel and caused the rods to score the cylinders to the tune of 4 grand. I made the dealership take that one back and put me on a new bike which became... Strike 2: New '07 XB12STT that had so many problems I can't begin to list them here. After sending the stack of service RO's straight to Harley customer service they put me on another bike which has now become... Strike 3: New '09 1125CR/ worthless Harley "customer service". Again, nearly too many problems to list, but obviously the stator was one of them. Well, two of them actually since the factory sent a bad stator to replace the first bad stator. Now they expect me to wait until August 6th to wait for the main harness to clear the factory. Also, even though the bike is my only form of transportation, the factory is too tight-assed to pay for either a loaner bike or car...shich is standard practice at any auto dealership. I've now paid about $400 for a rental car because I was told that harness was sent out overnight...only to find it didn't actually get shipped and will not ship until the already mentioned date. In the 7 months I've had this bike, it has sat for at least two (if not closer to three) of those months in one shop or another. The bike is going back, Harley will pay it off and return the money I've put into the past two bikes, and I will never buy another Harley/Buell (in any form) again. If anyone wants it, it will probably be at Hacienda Harley in Scottsdale, AZ after my lawsuit is complete. | ||
| Boogiman1981 |
that sucks man sorry to hear that | ||
| Midevil_train |
Sorry to hear about all the troubles. I'm not sure how it is in your state, but here in Florida, you would have to persue this issue under the Lemon law. In order to get the ball rolling, you need to have great documentation of all work done on the bike, and exactly how many days it has been in the shop. Good luck cuz its ahassle, but I did it on a Ford F-150 a few years back. | ||
| Mavrick813 |
Dono, I know the feelings. 67 days of the first 6 months owning the 1125R it was in the shop.. End result, Litigation.... Will let you guys know when it's all over with how it turns out. Mike | ||
| Metalrabbit |
wow, I hear ya, mine just went into the "low fuel system error" with the check engine light. Then the batt was at 12.1 then 11.1, then the red batt light came on. All within 3 miles where I came from thank Gawd. 9,020mi, well cared for and it treats me to this. This stuff is why Harley canceled them,, not all that other crap peeps say. | ||
| Johnnys999 |
Wow, all these growing issues with the reliability of the 1125 bikes makes me wonder if I should sell it while I have the chance too. Seems to center around electrical mainly,i.e., the stator so are these isolated or is there a major pattern developing here? I know the Ducati went through the same thing with several issues with the older Desmoquattro bikes, electrical was one with a weak charging system and flaking rockers was another. Many owners gave up the fight due to a lack of service from the manufacturer and many others hung in there to the bitter end. Eventually after 6 or 7 years the problems were identified and solutions made. The bike today has an excellent reputation and I'm sure the Buell would have too with the Rotax power plant and a couple years to work the bugs out. | ||
| Dannybuell |
This isn't megalomart motors here, it's HD. The Asian's at megalomart have very deep pockets. They sell their products in other countries before they bring them here. Once refined and proven the product sees American shores. HD is very conservative for that very reason, QC. Fast forward to micro producer Buell. Do you compare micro-brews to Bud light? No. My 96 S1 experience was that HD figured out a lot of things over the years and once sorted out, it has been very reliable. The 1125's will be the same. Based on my experience I would say that the bean counters need to see whether the harness idea works. If the harness idea doesn't work good enough HD's response will be the next least expensive step up. Be patient and document your bikes downtime. Your warranty should extend to cover that time lost. | ||
| Rodrob |
Wow, I know exactly how you feel. Picked up my '08 new. Had low speed surge issues. Did some digging, put in a He Who Shall Remain Nameless map, ran great! But then I started started riding it to work everyday and taking it to the track on the weekends where I would run the piss out of it and the damn thing just kept going. So I put the E-B-R ecm in it and the POS ran like a missile and I started getting first place but then.... Oh wait a minute... wrong thread!  Sorry, my bad! | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
This won't end well. | ||
| Fast1075 |
In Florida, the "lemon law" does not apply to motorcycles in any form. | ||
| Brumbear |
small claims court is there and quiet easy to do though. In NJ small claims is up to $15K as well. | ||
| Thefleshrocket |
I'm going to play devil's advocate here. First, why would you buy a Buell if the bike is your only mode of transportation? There are probably thousands of Buells that have been rock solid, but there are also the common issues that creep up (stator, clutch leak, etc) so if you need something reliable to ride every day, you should have bought something a little more proven. Second, given the proliferation of these common issues and given the fact that the Buell motorcycle company is no longer in business, it goes without saying that there will likely be a high demand for the repair parts and probably a relatively low availability as well. You want your stator fixed ASAP, but I bet most people who have the same problem feel the same way. My advice? If you can get your money back for the 1125R, buy a couple thousand dollar beater car as a backup (rainy days or if the bike is the shop getting tires, etc) and then spend the other four grand or so on a Jap bike. A Honda CBR600F4i should be able to be had for $4000 or less in nice shape and it ought to be pretty much bulletproof. It won't be nearly as cool as an 1125 but you can count on it like a Swiss watch. (Message edited by thefleshrocket on July 27, 2010) | ||
| Jackgraves |
I'm with you fleshrocket, when I get my CBR1000RR and my new R1 I'm selling my mint condition 1125R its fun as hell to ride but I don't trust it one bit. | ||
| Froggy |
My Buell is my daily driver, I don't own a car, and ride in the winter. I know several others on here who do the same without issues. It does suck when your ride breaks down, but it can happen regardless of brand or type of vehicle. | ||
| Thefleshrocket |
Jack, I'm not suggesting that everyone should ditch their 1125s, just that it probably isn't the best choice for someone's sole transportation. Between my wife and I, we have four bikes and three cars so if any vehicle is out of commission, it's no big deal. I really enjoy my 1125 and there is no other bike for the money that I'd trade it for. Sure, I'd take an RSV4 Factory or an RC8R over the 1125 if it was an even trade, but I like exotic or rare machinery and nothing in the sub $8K range tickles my fancy quite like the 1125 does. Especially stuff from Japan--about the only bike I'd buy from the Big Four would be a '06 or newer GSX-R750 and that would be to supplement the 1125, not replace it. | ||
| Tpoppa |
Only vehicle is irrelevant. Whether it's for transportation or a toy you should be able to depend on it. My average ride is about 450 miles & 10 hours. I need something that I won't have to worry about leaving me in Butt Plug, WV. ..and it's not like we're talking about some difficult engineering conundrum, it's a freaking stator. HD just needs to get off their corporate A$$, and release a revised part. HD is probably paying $75 for these stators and they are charging $679. They can put an extra $5-10 into each stator for a higher quality coating and wind that wont result in hot spots. | ||
| Wikid_intent |
So if there is a problem its just Hd fault? Just askin?  | ||
| Mavrick813 |
If their is a problem then it's no ones fault per se. BUT, if the problem isn't fixed in a timely and acceptable manner. And HD expects us to continue paying for bikes that are Either un-ridable, unsafe, or broken down waiting on replacement parts then it becomes a legal issue. | ||
| Wikid_intent |
OK Mav, I give you that but know one jumped on Erik and its his name on the tank. I own both. So Im just saying. | ||
| Dono |
I jumped on Erik on facebook. I told him that all three Buell bikes I've owned have had major mechanical/electrical issues, and that I could no longer justify my support of his efforts in the motorcycle world, regardless of how underhanded Harley was when they shut down his company. | ||
| Rodrob |
I fully support Erik and his efforts but, I agree that he should hear the full fury of customers who have had these ongoing issues. I, and I am sure he, wants to be sure that these issues have been heard and dealt with as much as possible when the next version of Buell hits the streets. No pain, no gain. | ||
| Aussie2126 |
Seriously??? Third strike??? Strike 1 - You bought a USED 10 year old motorcycle (no gun to your head and I assume you rode it home)and the dealer took it back. THAT IS A STRIKE??? Strike 2 - You were unhappy with the second bike, (no matter how long the list) and Harley took it back. THAT IS STRIKE??? Strike 3 - You have one mode of transportation - you choose the highest performance bike that Harley made and then it is your position that it is Harley's fault when it hiccups and the parts aren't available on a }known recall on a discontinued line. Toyota had a six to eight week back log for recall parts for cars that they made hundreds of thousands of and that they are still producing. I am certain that all of those people did not get loaners for the duration. I own three Buells but have never owned a Harley. I have never worked for a Harley dealer - I don't have a dog in this fight. I would say that Harley has made many mistakes in handling Buell and Buell customers but I don't see that this equals three strikes. If I had only one form of transport, and it was to be a Buell, I would choose a Blast. I would also choose a lower performance common model (think Malibu not a ZR-1). I would wager that most Porsche owners do not have them as their only form of transportation. If they do, I would expect that they also incur some rental car time while the wait for parts. I am certain that this is very frustrating... but three strikes?? I just don't see it... | ||
| 1125rcya |
In my opinion, HD is responsible to 1. fix a known issue that keeps recurring no matter the cost so that the problem is resolved for at least 40k miles 2. face a class action law suit (which everyone says that’s impossible for some reason) 3. Sell the patent rights to someone who is willing to make parts work properly. We are being screwed as a group. If you believe its ok that anyone should have to wait a long period for a factory part “under warranty” please give the thumbs up! just because Erik Buell has parts available, doesn’t make it right that someone with a factory warranty should have to wait more than 10 days for a part that is covered under “factory warranty”. HD should put their money where their mouth is, and stand behind a product that they own the patent rights to. GREEDY BASTERDS! FUHD | ||
| Tpoppa |
http://www.buell.com/en_us/owners/ Parts Information Harley-Davidson, Inc. has made a 7 year commitment to supply replacement and service parts at over 250 authorized Buell® service locations. Giving you the confidence your motorcycle will be kept in top performance. This was the commitment that HD made. Many people bought motorcycles, believing that HD would stand behind them, stock parts, and address mechanical issues. I own and operate a business. I watch the dollars VERY closely. I can appreciate HD attempting to resolve the stator issue while spending as little money as possible. However, the harness upgrade was a swing and a miss. It does not meet owners expectations. HD now needs to release a real solution. I am quite certain that a multi-billion-dollar-global-corporation has the resources and knowledge to redesign an stator that lasts more than 4 thousand miles. (Message edited by tpoppa on July 27, 2010) | ||
| Spiderman |
and that I could no longer justify my support of his efforts in the motorcycle world, I am sure he is saddened by this, I know we all are...  | ||
| Maul |
Dono, "Again nearly too many problems to list." I would have to question this statement. Many times on this forum I have read that. As an owner of an 08 1125R, I would love to know just how many problems are "too many to list." As a favor to your fellow owners could you try to list them here? Unless there isn't enough band width on this web site of course.  | ||
| Cravacor |
If by selling me a Buell, then not supporting the product after the sale, Hardly-Dangerous thinks they have made me a lifelong customer, they are just dumb. Again, eff-u Wandell. | ||
| Davegess |
And how is this Erik's fault? He has absolutely zero control or influence over how H-D deals with any problems with Buell Motorcycle Company bikes. I know he wants all owners to be happy; and over the years he and his employees have bent over backwards to make them happy, BUT H-D has removed him from the equation and assumed full responsibility. Not supporting Erik's current effort will have no effect on any issues with H-D. H-D does not care. | ||
| Dono |
Design. | ||
| Tpoppa |
Dave, I agree most of your statement. HD does deserve the majority of the blame. And they deserve 100% of the blame for what's happened since 10/09, But, Buell did release the 09s with an insufficiently tested charging system. I know HD did many underhanded things, like unrealistically squeezing testing budgets, etc. Hell, HD may have even sourced the 09 stator, it does look quite similar to many of the 12 pole hand wound HD stators. Either way, the people that purchased the 1125s are feeling the pain & have reason to be upset. |
