| Author | Message | ||
     Eexb |
Is it just me, or does it seem like over the last couple of weeks there's more threads with "trick" questions, rumors or negatives about Buells, than ever before. I for one am growing weary of the questions and "stories" about "when will my motor blow", or "I heard that Buells are poor quality", or "my dealer told me Buell motors are made in Zimbabwe" !!! Whatever happened to "how to make more HP", or I found a trick new way to ........... ". Most of us come here to learn more about our Buells or to just "hang out" with other Buell nuts, NOT to read preposterous rot about how bad our bikes are and when they are going to implode or fall apart. I think there's quite a few "trolls" in our midst and I wonder why we pay attention to them. Now, I feel better !!! Thanks, EE | ||
| Indy_bueller |
I hope I didn't contribute to this with my "Grenade" post, but to make a long story short I'm planning ahead so when the day does come that I need to rebuild the motor, I'll be ready to hot rod it! | ||
| Nevar |
Every m/c forum has negative threads from time to time. Some have merit, some are just trolling rants. I wish the trolling rants weren't posted but they are. You have to put up with the "bad" sometimes on a public forum. I think we all want to know if there are potential problems with our Buells. For example, on the Moto Guzzi forum, there are always slam threads about the hydraulic lifters that Guzzi introduced on its cruiser line a few years ago - cams disintegrating on some bikes. Tim | ||
| Nevar |
BTW, I would NOT have known to check for the orange seals on the wheel bearings, or the belt problems when I was buying my used 03 XB9S. I found that info here. So, constructive criticism is welcome. Would that be "positive negative" posts? Tim | ||
| Kdan |
You have to view it all with a grain of salt. Some people are disappointed and should have bought a Gixxer...Some people buy these bikes and have never been on two wheels before and have no idea what they've gotten themselves into. I'm have a Honda Element and on that forum people bitch all the time that the ride is too stiff and there should be a leather package option...Some people are clueless. Others are just a$$holes. We all gotta share the planet until they make a season on stupid. | ||
| Nevar |
In all honesty, if I wanted something super fast and very reliable, I'd buy another Japanese sport bike. I've had quite a few - ZX9R, GSXR750, YZF1000R, CBR900RR, RC51. But they are BORING! Now, I want something DIFFERENT. That's why I have an XB9S. I also have a Ducati, a MotoGuzzi, and an Aprilia. I will sacrifice a little to ride a bike where I don't have to see myself coming and going every time I go for a ride... Tim | ||
| Kootenay |
Well, one reason I've had a few rants here in the past (mostly regarding my dealership...) is that I feel fellow Buellers will understand my situation, that I want a Buell but am annoyed that to get one I have to deal with an uncaring H-D stealership. At most generic motorcycle forums, I'd simply get a lot of flak for wanting a Buell, and a lot of advice to get a "reliable Japanese bike." | ||
| Nevar |
Hey, everyone rants on occasion. I dislike the local HD dealership enough that I am going to TRY to do all the required maintenance myself (we'll see how that goes) and I buy parts from Dave S at Appleton HD. Tim | ||
| Odinbueller |
We have to face it; it's our 1st amendment right to rant, regardless of the forum. Just take some that appear to lean towards the outlandish with a grain of salt. There have been some threads about poor dealership service, some warranted, some maybe not so much. Remember, you always get more with honey than you do with vinegar, so if a dealer has done some wrong to your beloved Buell, make them aware and ask for them to do the right thing. If they are of a caliber that we are striving to maintain, then they will accommodate you. Plus, there's always the group here for questions. I always try to help out when I see a post about a Buell tied up in a service shop due to "parts on order". Sometimes, it is a simple lack of training that causes these problems, as I can locate a part in the dealer network (providing their inventory is accurate and are using the H-D dealer system known as Talon) and forward phone numbers to those that need that part. In short, I try to make a rant into a positive post by sharing info. And I’ve seen others do it too. | ||
| Brucelee |
"I will sacrifice a little to ride a bike where I don't have to see myself coming and going every time I go for a ride... " That is so true. When I ride the PCH, I see numerous HD choppers and Jap race bikes. It looks like they all shopped at the same place! BTW-Do you HAVE to be overweight to buy an HD? | ||
| Reepicheep |
And for the record, your first amendment rights do not apply here until the federal government starts paying Blake for maintaining the site. We are pretty tolerant so long as people are trying to make things better (even if making things better means selling the bike and moving on with their life). We usually even tolerate the first rant. What we don't want is somebody using this as a launching platform for continully attacking the brand or a dealer. The proverbial "peeing in the well". I'm not saying anyone here was doing any of that, just giving some historical perspective. | ||
| Nevar |
BTW-Do you HAVE to be overweight to buy an HD? ================================================= It sure seems that way down here in the SW. I know this is a generalization but most of the guys I see on HD cruisers are older fat bearded white men wearing a bandanna and chaps. The two times I've been to the HD dealership here, everyone looked the same. I really felt out of place, dressed in sneakers, shorts and an Adidas soccer T-shirt (wasn't on my bike!). At least I was driving my beatup 93 F150... Tim | ||
| Citified |
all nonconformists must dress alike.  | ||
| Tucsonxb9s |
Tim, I know what you mean! Every time (and I mean EVERY TIME!) I went into Tucson HD, I felt like I was on the wrong planet. The looks I'd get rumbling up to the service bay. It was like I could read their minds... "What the hell is that crotch rocket doing here and why does it sound like a Harley?" "Look at that guy, wearing all that flashy gear and helmet...does he think he's racing?" You should go by there on a Saturday morning. Tons of guys with do-rags and vests, yet only a few bikes in the parking lot. How'd they all get there?? | ||
| Cyko_bob |
I think the Harley shops are secret breeding grounds for overweight, gray-bearded guys with black vests...oh, BTW...everyone thinks I should be on a Harley instead of a Buell, ha ha...I do have a couple of Sportsters I consider cousins to the Buell, but I cannot bring myself to buy a big-twin. Sign me as 60...short and fat, and black vested (no-dew rag though/I wear a baseball cap)...I do wear new balance shoes though, ha ha! Oh, I do have a Buell leather jacket, but I have only worn it once...lots of Buell t-shirts! Seriously, love the web even with the negative things people have encountered on the Buells. I have a little stockpile of potential problems and maintenance items (tires, clutch cables, belts, etc). When I have a an idea for an upgrade or a problem I have usually already ready about it on the board. I don't like it when our members start bashing someone else. That is when I wish the administrator would step in. This is a great board...laughed a lot, learned a lot. You are my adopted children! I don't write a lot, but I read it nearly every day...unless I am out on my bike!  The old fart on the yellow Buell! Cyko Bob  | ||
| Cyko_bob |
Oh, I have a beard too  | ||
| Candy |
Always remember!!!!!-----It takes skills that most harley riders do not posess t ride sportbikes. M/Cs have 3 advantages 1.quick (not fast) 2.manueverable 3. great brakes--------Most Harleys fail in all 3 depts.Here in my neck of the woodsNorth Florida) the feet first,older,helmetless ,bearded and vested harley riders go down reguarly( young women in pick-ups ran over 4 in one year--FROM BEHIND!!------nuff rantin!! by th way i am 72yo /ride 50--250 miles almost every day/just sold my Ducati 888SPO and just bought 03 XB9s lightning | ||
| Patrickh |
that is one of the better posts i ever read..ride-on brother | ||
| Nevar |
TucsonXB9S, The HD shop here in Tucson is beyond bizarre. It almost makes me embarrassed to be an American. I hope the rest of the world doesn't have that image of the American Motorcyclist. Tim | ||
| Pushrodpete |
Even when I owned HD products (two Harleys and a Buell), it was like pulling teeth to get the Tucson HD parts dept to even acknowledge my existance. Ummm... Hello! I'D LIKE TO GIVE YOU MY MONEY..... Not sure if it was my hawaiian shirts or my propensity to bathe...  | ||
| Nevar |
Even when I owned HD products (two Harleys and a Buell), it was like pulling teeth to get the Tucson HD parts dept to even acknowledge my existance. Ummm... Hello! I'D LIKE TO GIVE YOU MY MONEY..... ============================================== I heard that a few years ago HD came to Tucson and shut that place down for two days. And this is a fact: Tucson HD (Motorsports conglomerate) paid a fine a couple of years ago for illegal warranty practices - making customers pay for warranty work. It was in the newspaper. Tim | ||
| Dagwood |
My mother-in-law bought a new 883 Sporty in 2002 from Tucson HD and less than a year later had to have her rear tire replaced. Come to find out that they put a used tire on the bike and sold the package to her as "new". Yeah, real quality shop they run down there in Too Stoned, Arizona. | ||
| Tunes |
It's human nature to make yourself feel better by putting others down... whether it be motorcycles, skills, etc... there's a target out there for ya. Some do it all the time... other may just keep it to themselves. Rantings are a waste of time. The delivery of my XB is a story all by itself but, providing its details would not benefit anyone. (I view the story, which is very negative, as a rant.) I rode many UJM's and dirt bikes in my early years... Then I rode Harleys for many years, in a club for 10. Now I ride Buells. When I'm riding not Buells, I'm riding Nortons. A previous note about "quick, manuvering, brakes" really does separate Harleys from Buells. That's one of several reasons why I stopped riding Harleys and started riding Buells. On a good day of riding I will see 3 or 4 Buells. Sometimes 0. They are very unique motorcycles, which draws me to them. My XB and S3 ride a little rough at low rpm... and I'm still tyring to get used to keeping the revs up... ya, I know they like revs higher, not lower. It's the Harley rider in me that needs retraining. Most of the time you can draw a positive from a negative... with the right attitude. I read this site 5 days a week min. Great site, much useful information and its good to see opinions differ. When someone doesn't have success or like a product, I really like to know before I spend my hard earned bucks. 51 in So. NH. Everyone has been great. Keep up the good work and keep those opinions coming. | ||
| Thepup |
Owning a Buell is not like a 60's era sitcom,there are problems and people get upset.Would you rather have ppl come on here to rant about their problems with there bike here or on other motorcycle boards where ppl that don't have Buells and have thought about buying one will say"I will never buy a Buell because I have heard they have a lot of problems"People are going to have problems with their bike,they are going to rant,so there are going to be negative threads. (Message edited by thepup on June 06, 2005) | ||
| Monorad |
Motorcycles are a pure form of enjoyment, and whether you're a fat old guy with a beard and chaps or a scrawny punk wearing vans and a skid lid, we all share this love of freedom. I have a city-x and its really fun to ride. I also have a 1974 harley that I built from scratch. They're totally different rides, but each has its place and I love them equally. Next time you feel out of place in a HD dealer, why don't you just try talking to one of those fat old guys about how much you love the torque of a v-twin. You'll be surprised how much you have in common. Just my 2cents. Here's a pic of my OTHER bike ... (and yes, i ride it with a full face and skateboard sneaks ...) <IMG SRC="http://www.geocities.com/monorad/castrator.jpg" IMG><BR><P> | ||
| Nevar |
Monorad wrote: Next time you feel out of place in a HD dealer, why don't you just try talking to one of those fat old guys about how much you love the torque of a v-twin. You'll be surprised how much you have in common. ============================================== Why should I have to talk about something the old geezer likes. Why can't I say something like "You know I really like the smooth high-reving capability of an in-line four sportbike." Or "I really like the sound of my Ducati." Or "I really like the looks of my MotoGuzzi Lemans.". You know why. Because the old geezer would just stare at me like I was from Mars and probably say something about my Rice-Burner or my Whop crap. Now, I love all motorcycles (owned 32 of them) and I have 5 right now. And I DO love the torque and feel of my XB9S but I'm not going to try to "butter up" someone who believes that there is only one REAL motorcycle brand. Tim | ||
| Monorad |
Fair point. I was just saying you don't have to pre-judge. I wasn't talking about buttering up anyone, just saying there are some really cool guys who ride HDs that are just as dismayed by this weird new yuppie-wanna-be-easyrider trend. Most *real* old-time harley guys that I know have been working on their bikes for years and respect a nice machine of any sort. They like to ride their shovel-head cruisers, but they'll still wave at me whether I'm riding my ironhead, my buell, or my vintage 250cc jap cafe racer. Maybe its different where you live, but posers are a dime a dozen these days and are easy to spot (new leather vest over a black harley t-shirt). If you get unprovoked crap for having a riceburner, that just shows what a moron the other guy is. Tell him to have a nice day. Then, if you angle your bike just right and do a quick burnout, you can spray his yuppie chrome with molten rubber. | ||
| Nevar |
Monorad, Good points also. Yes, the new HD posers are a dime-a-dozen here too. It's gotten to the point that several years ago I stopped initiating a wave. I will ALWAYS respond to one. I know. I know. If everyone did like I do then no one would ever wave. Ride safe man! Tim | ||
| Ponytail |
I've been a member of many forums for many different subjects. A fellow BWB Bueller here shares interests, friends and contacts with me on several Jeep forums. It's the same on those...granted jeeps are quite a bit more popular and forum members more numerous for obvious reasons. Point is, folks still go on those forums and thrash their jeep, the stealerships, etc. They just don't know what they get themselves into before taking ownership of one. They see our machines on the street, and they assume it's cheap, and easy to build run and maintain, and get bent out of shape when it ain't that way for them. As far as typical HD owners, well, I've never fit that bill either. I was 27 when I bought my first HD, a 1200 Custom. A year later, I bought my Springer. That was in '99. A couple of weeks ago, I parked my first Buell next to my Springer. I just imagined myself, after reading this thread, what i must look like on my Buell, if I was the typical overweight HD owner.  I'm 6'0 and 160lbs wet. No tattoos, beard or disfiguring scars. At bike week, I'd get the comments from the old farts, like "take your daddy's bike home" to which I'd respond with a LONG burnout and show'em how to ride "their" bikes. I've never lost a drag race on the street to one of those "typical HD owners", one even challenged me when I had my 6'2", 160lb brother on the back of my Sporty. Yea, it was a funny sight, even funnier when I smoked his a$$. No major mods beyond the usual jetting, breather and exhaust. I just ride'em like I stole em, which not too many of the other guys know how to do, or have the balls to do. It doesn't matter what you wear or what you ride. There's always gonna be some azzhat with an opinion that differs from yours. •••••••• Just don't drop it while they're watchin'.  Last week, a "typical Harley guy" spit on my bike, thinking it was a Jap bike. I've heard of this happening, but had never seen it. Now I've experienced it, and somewhere in Southern Maryland, there's a RoadKind with custom Black and Purple paint that's just itching to get his belt cut from a friendly neighborhood American v-twin owner. You can't let a few negative comments, trolls, or opinionated freaks to ruin your experience here or on the road. Considering the source carries alot of weight in life. | ||
| Cyko_bob |
Enjoyed the last few threads... Yes, we all love bikes...all kinds; we happen to be Buell enthusiasts, besides whatever else we have stashed in our garage (got 5 different bikes myself...although I lean toward the quad-cam Sportster/Buell engines). Something about the Buells turn us on, and not necessarily the same thing, although I hear handling, torque, etc, etc... Aside from liking all bikes, we don't like all the riders. Like our bikes, everyone has a different personality. Heck, we don't always like everyone in our own blood-family, ha ha! I think some idiot a few years ago said, "Can't we all get along!" Nice dream, but evidently not. Let's enjoy our rides...forget the idiots that turn us off. The only person we can control is ourself. We are here because we like bikes...not because we like people, although I still want to get along with everyone...like the idiot I mentioned earlier. Guess I am an idiot too...at least for Buells, ha ha! By the way, I still wave. It is their loss if they choose not to...does not bother me. I just won't buy them a beer, ha ha! Cyko Bob | ||
| Cyko_bob |
B y the way Monorad...nice old Sporty. Wish I had an old one stashed away somewhere. Had a 1976 years ago...when it was nearly new. Enjoy the ride... | ||
| Monorad |
Thanks Cyko, I put so much time and effort into that old ironhead over the winter (I even milled out the headtube by 1/8th with a dremel to fit a wide-glide front end!) - must have been cabin fever over the winter. It was fun and worth it, but I still end up riding my Buell 95% of the time ... AND SMOKING MY BUDDIES ON THEIR NINJA's (cause in city traffic riding its low-end, handling and reflexes that win!)  hehe. | ||
| Ponytail |
Monorad...forgot to mention, nice job on the '74. I'm trying to obtain one now. My Unlce's bike, hasn't been ridden in 20 years. '74 Sporty. Perfect condition 'cept for the dust on it. He just ordered a brand new Electra Glide...I guess renting those bikes last summer to go riding with me got that bug to bite him again.  |
