| Author | Message | ||
     Websii |
Apparently the search feature of this board is not my friend.... Has anyone done an intro to the 1125 for new owners? Or is there a thread with advice for new owners somewhere? A couple things i've noticed in my first 2 months with the bike are: I have the dreaded stator/charging issues. (Purchased w/ 11k miles and now around 12k) I seem to get headshake when i'm being careless, and overly aggressive with the throttle. This is obviously my fault, but the bike just seems significantly less forgiving than my past bikes. Throttle response low in the RPM range sucks. Like sucks so badly as to be dangerous (IMHO). I get touchy, surging throttle issues, and lugging (even in first gear) when negotiating tight corners that cant be carved around. (We have lots of gravel/debris on the roads here, and taking some of them requires parking lot speeds). Despite having the dealer set the suspension for my weight I feel like the rear end is very "squirmy" under aggressive downshifting or braking, both straight line and in corners. All in all, i'm happy with the bike, just really bummed with the charging system issues as they prevent me from riding. I bought the bike as a "fun" commuter and having the bike laid up w/ the charging problems stinks. Anyone have any advice, cautions, words of wisdom, or suggestions for new 1125R owners? Anything else I should watch out for? Thanks in advance! | ||
| Froggy |
There are two easy ways to search this board, one is the search built into the forum, make sure you pick the 1125board in the drop down, and there is also the custom google search link at the top of every page. Both work good in different situations.
There is a link above all the threads to the New Owner info/FAQ section that has some of the more common things addressed.
I'm sorry to hear that, but at least you can now fix it right and never deal with it again. (Rewound stator and install the EBR modded rotor)
The steering geometry and short wheel base contribute to it. Take it a little bit easier and it will stay firmly planted.
Get the Race ECM, even if you are running the stock muffler, it makes the bike run how it was intended, not how the EPA wants.
Set the suspension up yourself, odds are the dealer just said they did it.
Get that stator resolved, drop a Race ECM in it, and enjoy the nearly endless fun the bike provides! Also, you are right at the mileage to get the first major service done including the valve check, you might as well have it all done at the same time. | ||
| Websii |
Froggy- Thanks for the responses! I greatly appreciate someone taking the time to answer the newbs questions. Is there a way to tell if the bike has either the EBR ECM, or the HD charging system"fix/upgrade"? Supposedly the previous owner of the bike was an extreme Buell enthusiast, frequented track days, Deals Gap, and was an avid motorcyclist. He seems like the kind of person who would have kept up on these issues, but I am not sure how to tell if that is actually the case. Also, I had the dealership check the Valve Lash Adjustment, charging system, and other items required at the 12k service interval as well as adjusting the suspension prior to purchasing the bike. Now with the charging issues showing up so soon after purchase(and the system supposedly being checked), i'm wondering if they checked anything at all. | ||
| Websii |
Checked the Stator today, and it's shorted to ground. anywhere from 1-2.5Ω from each leg to the negative battery terminal or a bronze colored bolt on the motor head. I couldn't check my voltages on the stator, because I shut the bike down when I got home, and it wouldn't start back up. Of course my charger is a trickle/maintenance charger in the shed where the bike gets stored, so I couldn't jump it to start either. I guess that confirms my suspicions anyway.  | ||
| Sir_wadsalot |
Take me with a grain of salt, I'm just an internet knowitall with one season on a Buell, but.... Your suspension settings are shite, and check your steering stem/neck/head bearing torque. My bike had 2000 HD dealer serviced miles on it and I'm running into all sorts of little niggling issues. Oil drain plugs mildly wallowed out due to the wrong tool being inserted, and way too tight, my head bearing is a touch loose....you know, all the stuff a Honda or Suzuki dealer wouldn't miss on setup & service. From what I've seen, most of these HD "service" places aren't worth a damn for the 1125's, unless the service manager owns or races one. I've been riding for 8 years, and in all those 8 years I stopped at every HD dealer I saw and asked about Buells, they usually looked at me like I had doodoo on my lip. Now that I have one I avoid them like the plague. Again, there are exceptions. Winchester (VA) HD, for example. Did they ask you what you weigh, or have you sit on the bike when they set it up for you? If not then they didn't "set" crap. Take the time to go through the manual and set it yourself, it's not that hard, and the tools are in the toolkit. Then test it. The bars on the 1125 do need a stabilizer, (I didn't feel the need for one until I rode an XB with a GPR, then my bars felt real light.) Correcting your shock will take most of that out. My rear shock preload and comp were waaay too soft when I got mine and it would squat on gas, lifting the front, making the bars light, causing the headshake. The term is "Steer from the rear." It applies to technique and setup, if your rear's funky, your front will be funky too. So there's your headshake issue... I ended up with my boingers track hard, then backed off just enough to not beat my pillion to death. While the rake/trail is aggressive, once the suspension is firmed up, the harder I push it, the smoother it gets. As far as your low RPM fueling, Froggy's right (about everything, most all the time)....but the low RPM fueling's been a problem on these things since pre release. You can have one of the aforementioned dealers reflash your ECM, but if you have the money, best to go with the EBR piece. This motor likes to be wound out, it's not a low end thunker. You really shouldn't be attempting any kind of maneuvers below 3000 RPM at any rate, drop a gear and wind it up some. It wants revs, more like an R6 than a TL or an RC51. If you're in the hairy stuff in first gear, keep your revs up smoothly, and feed it some clutch. That's your headshake and fuelling issues handled for free, and do what Froggy suggested on the charging bit. Also look forward to your clutch leaking in the near future.  Don't feel bad, I'm fantastically enthusiastic about the prospect of my charging system's likely failure as well  I was thinking all the same things last july, but don't think of it as different, think of it as special. Use your owners manual as a baseline for suspension tuning. When you have time and inclination for testing, get yourself a notepad and a free afternoon, and check this out- Sport Rider recommended settings, note they recommend raising the front level with the forks to relieve the rake/trail a bit- http://www.sportrider.com/suspension_settings/susp ension/146_suggested_suspension_settings/buell.htm l And everything you ever wanted to know about setting up suspension- http://www.sportrider.com/suspension_settings/susp ension/146_1004_sport_rider_suspension_guide/ | ||
| Sir_wadsalot |
Sorry, forgot to add this one. Buell vid on basic 1125 suspension setup. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv8DY5Prl5c |
