| Author | Message | ||
     Anonymous |
Jose, Never let facts get in the way of a good story. | ||
| Blake |
Glad to hear it was not a problem. Strange though that the ATC post/thread was removed rather than simply followed up with the rest of the story as presented here. | ||
| José_Quiñones |
That was my point, that they removed the whole thread. I said that it might not be anything serious, but some people don't read the whole thing so I'll repost it:
What facts, that's what he posted! If the fact is that it wasn't a problem, we never found out about it because it was erased! If it turned out not to be a problem then great, that's what ATC and BWB are for to get people help fast. But all mentions of this was erased, so logically it looks/smells like a coverup. | ||
| Cro13 |
Okay, first normal day of XB riding. Please remember that, as I said before, my main basis of comparison is a 97 S3. The shifting is so smooth, and I had updated the shift linkage on the S3 to the 2000 model. I can't see anyone calling this a Paint shaker, the vibration is almost nonexistent. I can clearly see my elbows while sitting at a light. which is kind of a complaint the mirrors are useless I've tryed to adjust them but no luck. The saddle is very comfortable. With out going into graphic detail the S3 with Corbin gunfighter used to well... make my boys numb, need I say more. It is still hard to talk about power since I have to keep it at 3000 for the next 400 miles. I have scared myself going into corners. I've had to back off. I don't have to tell you that the S3 and XB are so diffrent. FUN FUN FUN The fan freaked me out, pulled it in hit the kill switch WHERRRRRRRRRRRRRRR and I mean LOUD WHERRRRRRRR! Matty, who's your dealership and do they do mail order? I would love to get a manual. Thats all I'v got Thanks Carter | ||
| Court |
Unforunately sometimes the ACT, rather than the CONTENT becomes the subject. I'd much prefer to see the guy follow up with "turns out if was nothing" than the "poof". Some of you may recall that the original Buell (www.buell.com) website had a bulletin board feature. Things were hunky until the first fairing bracket broke on an S-2. The bracket wasn't a big deal, the way the message board dissappeared in the night tended to raise questions. Although the e-mail addresses for various functions at Buell remained for a while, eventually, perhaps or perhaps not related to concerns, all e-mail contacts vanished. If I am not mistaken, there is a phone number buried in their somewhere now. I hope that with the fine reputation Buell Customer Service is gaining that they soon take a serious look at providing a meaningful experience. I hate to tell you too much about me, but I'd model it after the Vespa (www.vespa.com) website. I suspect that many folks at Buell WANT this...but the corporate enviroment (and this is not a "bad" thing) simply by it's very nature requires many departments to step off simultaneously like a matching band taking the field. I'm encouraged by positive steps I am seeing from Buell. Court | ||
| Jrh |
The trap-door design sure did seem like an asset you would want to use on the FB(even all cycle transmissions)but from the magazine articles ive seen it seems to have been sacrificed to help try to get a stronger+more rigid trans.case,which would be 1 of the neccessary steps to get the new Buell to shift with the presision of most of the Jap.+Euro.bikes.(btw my R1 shifted up great,but down as clunky as my M2)Since the FB uses the Sportster trans.gears,it seems like they should be bulletproof in such a light bike.Hopefully the easy access of the trans.through the trap-door wont be missed but(and i dont mean to sound pessimistic or thinking up problems that dont exist)i hope the all new shifter mechanism,with its aluminum shift drum(for less inertial affect) is as durable as it needs to be.If not then thats probably the only time the old trap door will be missed by streetbike type riders. Also im still trying to figure out why the other manufacturers,not counting a couple newer BMWs, are still using heavy,dirty,drive chains instead of a belt.Here i go again,wrong subject on this page,so time to shut up look for some lunch. | ||
| Mikej |
Splitting the cases is a major operation, because once you're in there you might as well freshen up the main bearings and do the whole bottom end. Sort of stupid to open up the engine that far with 20k on it for a relatively minor tranny glitch and not work on the other items that were disassembled. Not that the tranny is an often accessed component assembly, but it is just another aspect to consider. Many home mechanics can handle a trap-door operation on their bikes with a decent toolset, but when it comes to messing with the case split, flywheel, rods and such, then that will probably equal a trip to the service bay at the dealership. And any item requiring splitting the cases will quickly become a major cost, major being defined as anything over $1,000usd. I wonder what the shop book time requirements are for a Blast or XB to access the tranny and do some minor operaiton in there. Xgecko, care to quote your estimates? Maybe it's not really an issue though, my little 1983 Honda 450 had nearly 70,000 miles on it with no trans or clutch problems to speak of, and it would have required splitting the cases if work was required. Oh well, just rambling I guess. Bye. | ||
| Peyote |
jose, I don't know if this is the same guy, but this guy, dave, posted at the site you mentioned (i think) and was talking about the front perimeter disk/brake assembly clicking. If this is a different person, forget about my post. Here's what he emailed me when we were discussing the f-bolt. He had everything good to say 'bout his bolt, but I wanted to stick to the subject at hand so his messege has been edited. ------ I am getting more accustomed to it with every ride. I have noticed a clunking noise from the front brake/rotor area which concerns me. Neither Buell or my dealer is aware of anything wrong. I will be taking it in for them to disassemble and inspect thoroughly the component pieces of the front end to resolve this abnormal sound. I'll keep you posted. Dave ------ anyway, i'm at the any day now stage of my blue bolt. it's driving me crazy. I'll update my experience when I get some miles on it. later  , darnell | ||
| Ralph |
Mikiej, why would you "freshen up" the bearings and "do the bottom end" (whatever the hell that means) just 'cause you've got the cases busted open? If there is no reason to mess with it, then why bother? My S3 had 36,000 on it and I still used the original bearings when it was put back together, they were fine. I would rather have a trap door for the tranny than have to crack the cases to work on it but opening the cases is not that big a deal. You wouldn't have to seperate the flywheel/crank from the case half so you wouldn't even need any special tools (a press is all it takes). All that said, I'll stick with my old fashioned trap door kinda Buell, thank you very much. bighairyralph | ||
| Mikej |
Chalk it up to my old V8 days and VW engine days. Once you expose the main bearings to the dry light of day, it's often better just to slip in new ones than risk using the old ones. I mean, there they are, though probably okay for many more miles, better safe than sorry. (But then it's better rich than poor too I guess.) But I kind of look at it like, if I have to pull the heads on the bike, I might as well check the valve guides and seats while I've got it open instead of just installing a new head gasket or whatever. Anyway, that's just the way my head works. Be thankfull I'm not a doctor.  ("Well, since we've got him open let's check a few heart valves and look for stones in the kidney and liver,..." But, "not a big deal"? Drop the engine, pull the heads, pull the cylinders, remove the primary guts, jerk the starter off, slip off the cams, basically disassemble the entire engine. Kind of a big deal in my book, but then it has been 20 years since I've had one completely apart so maybe I'm forgetting something. And it was a 1942 Knucklehead, so that makes a difference as well. Back to my rock in the corner. MikeJ (Speaking of which, I may need to pull the heads on one bike since it puffs a little after sitting as though is might have a slack guide seal or something that's letting a little oil seep into the cylinder as it cools down.) | ||
| Anonymous |
Well it would/will be interesting to see/hear what happened to the "allegedly" noisy Firebolt that Jose (sorry, you'll have to insert your own 'tilde') has referenced. I don't read ATC's site, but IF Jay removed said posts because he was asked by Buell to do so, well, that's censorship at it's finest. And IF Jay removed said posts because he was asked by Buell to do so, shame on Jay. We are all adults; we should act as such, and we should be treated as such. Censorship sucks, and I hope it never rears it's ugly head here on BadWeB. | ||
| Davegess |
Maybe someone should ask Jay what happend? Dave | ||
| Anonymous |
ATC deleted one of my posts. No explanation. I just posted that I liked the format here better and included a hyperlink to badweb. I figured it was no big deal since I see links to the ATC site here all the time. I checked back today. My post had a thoughtful reply by another poster, but my post had vanished. I left a considerate reply. Didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings. Anonymous1 | ||
| Blake |
Oh brother, not the censorship debate... again. Please no.  | ||
| Anonymous |
Sorry I mentioned the "C" word, don't mean to make anyone uncomfortable, but isn't the whole idea of a public forum the free exchange of information? Yes? No? Yes, but with exceptions? I think the possibility of the "media" (in this case ATC) being "bought out" (IF that is what happened) reeks. | ||
| Eeeeek |
When it get's down to it, how each forum moderates is completely up to the admin of the forum. I could change every post on SacBORG to say "Wer bin ich und was wird aus mir?" and there's not a damn thing anyone could do about it, except not come back. So about the lil' bolt (aka twin blast): a guy I know snuck one into Cali. I'm trying to talk him into bringing it to the BRAG all Cali ride kick off (he lives in San Diego, so shouldn't be a problem). He's had nothing but good things to say about it; well, except the pain in the ass it was to sneak it into the state... Vik | ||
| José_Quiñones |
Peyote, I don't think that it was the same person. The clunk could be anything, I don't know. | ||
| José_Quiñones |
Cro13,
If you don't want to see your elbows in the mirrors, tuck them tightly against your torso  Seriously, you could get the little blind spot bubbles that they sell at auto parts stores and stick them on the outer edges of the mirrors. Enjoy the bike, keep us updated! | ||
| José_Quiñones |
Which one is that, CALIFORNIA? Any updates on the CARB situation? | ||
| Superbad |
I think the mirrors are pretty good. Then again I normal rode a Ducati 748 until I got the firebolt. The Firebolt mirrors are 100 times better. Call me converted, because I just put the Duc up for sale. I LOVE this firebolt, and I have been singing its praises since I got it. Today I had about a dozen different people come talk to me about the bike, while I was trying to get on or off it. Tons of interest from motorcyclists in this bike. Bobby | ||
| José_Quiñones |
Bobby, Glad you are enjoying the bike. Keep us posted. Don't forget to constantly mention to everybody how it turned faster lap times at Valencia than a CBR600F4.  And the answer to the question you will be asked a lot is: "the fan stays on to eliminate the effects of heat soaking on the engine when it's hot and it's not being cooled by the moving air like when you're riding it" | ||
| Anonymous |
The question I have then, Vik, is this: If someone posted something negative on SacBORG about their new Firebolt, something that sounded like it might be a serious mechanical problem in the making, would you delete the post? Would you delete the post if Buell asked you to? Do you routinely delete posts? If so, do the participants on SacBORG know you do? We motorcycle enthusiasts would pitch a holy bitch if we found out that our favorite m/c magazine could be "bought" out of saying something negative about a particular ride, in return for a present or future favor of some sort. We would/should also pitch a similar bitch if we found out our favorite BBS did so, too. Right? Wrong? | ||
| Ralph |
Mike, I guess it says something that I would not hesitate to yank a bug motor and tear it down. Matter of fact, I've got one the back yard just a waitin'. bighairyralph | ||
| Anonymous |
The following is a direct cut and paste from an e-mail I got about 5 minutes ago. Can one of you please post this as anonymous on this site? I cannot seem to start a new thread. Yes, Jose, I'm the one who made the post about a possible lifter problem. Tried to reach you through the URL listed on your profile and straighten my misconception out, but it was unreachable. I removed the post because I didn't want people to misconstrue what I'd said. Buell went to great lengths to help me with what I only "percieved" as a problem. Gees, it was flatering to know Buell care, really, too much. Notice my question "is this normal?", turns out it was normal. I have a rather sensative ear and this being my first Buell product, I wasn't sure. Now I am sure that I've made the best decision on the Planet by purchasing my Firebolt. Don't mean this to sound ugly...But next time your down here in Central Texas we can go riding, and you'll get to see a great deal of the rear tire of this scooter. Of course, when we stop for something, you can see the rest of it. Flame away... | ||
| Blake |
Where the hell is central Texas? I've heard of East Texas, North Texas, West Texas and the Hill Country. Ain't never heard uh no "Central Texas". | ||
| Eeeeek |
Anonfreespeech: Hell, I don't censor anything at SacBORG. I take that back; about a year ago, we had an invasion. A bunch of people from another board came in and made SacBORG look...umm...tame. Chop and I locked them out and removed their posts. My point is, the 1st amendment doesn't mean anything on a BBS. Having said that, it's the members that make a board, so if an admin continually does something to piss the members off, they'll simply leave. Back to the 'bolt. Superbad: You reallly liek the lil' bolt better than the 748? Please tell me more. Vik | ||
| José_Quiñones |
Same here. Let me say it again, I'm GLAD that it was nothing serious, only "normal" Sportster engine noises. I have been around XL/Buells when a lifter goes bad, so I know what it sounds like. So you were right in looking into this, better to be safe than sorry. What I do is to wear earplugs and forget about any noises I hear coming from both my bikes (XL & S3T}. 99% of the noises coming from the engine are nothing to worry about. Emailing me only informs me. Everybody needed to know about the rest of this story, so you should have posted it on the thread you started and kept it there for everybody to see. What I objected to was the fact that the whole thread dissapeared, so nobody found out your happy ending. Ride on, and If we ever do ride together, I won't be looking at your rear tire, that would be TARGET FIXATION | ||
| José_Quiñones |
Let me quote the original post that started all this again:
Let's look at this post closely. The shavings in the oil, did this turn out to be OK? Break-in shavings, maybe? I keep re-reading that post and I can't find the word "Normal". "Normal" and "common" are not the same thing. "Normal" means to me that it happens all the time and is nothing to worry about. "Common" means to me that it happens often enough so an experienced HD owner/dealer mechanic won't be surprised when he hears/finds out about it. So that's the way I answered your original Post on ATC, a bad lifter is something that shouldn't happen normally but it is a RARE, but "common" occurrence of the lifters on hydraulicaly adjusted HD/Buell engines, and the dealer should be able to fix it. I ended my post with "Keep us posted", which you did (thanks to you and the earlier anon) but on Badweb, not on ATC where this started in a topic that was DELETED, and that was my problem with it. And finally, American Sport Bike, check the link on this website, has some XB9R stuff in the works. | ||
| Cro13 |
Jose, Unfortunately they are tucked in tight,I'm 5'9", 184. As for the XB the honeymoon continues. I need to start sorting out suspension issues which will be trial and error, but as a previous poster said the manual has a ton of set up info. I have a long weekend of riding scheduled I've got to eat up these break in miles. One last thing, My wife's Kaw. is in the shop and they called with a question, I told them I would stop by after work. They had alot of comments but the best was "it can't be a Buell it's not shaking off it's side stand." They were realy impressed by the over all look "quality finish" of the bike. I really believe Buell has made a step in the right direction. Carter | ||
| Court |
I expect that soon that will be a "common" comment  Court (on a plane to Kansas. . . ) |
