| Author | Message | ||
     Buellnewbie |
I know this question has probably been kicked around alot already, so my apologies for asking again, but before I drop 11 grand on an xb12 can some of you give me your honest opinions on the reliability of the new buells....in particularly the HD motor. I really don't want to buy another jap bike (no offense to jap bike owners), but I also don't want an unreliable motor. Thanks, and God bless. | ||
| Jerseybuell |
I own a '91 1200 sportster, which I bought new, and never had a problem...the evo motors are bulletproof if you take care of them..I also have an 04 XB12S that has been very good to me thus far, as well, which I also take care of..."unreliable motor" is a term I have not heard in conjunction with these motors..my .02 worth.. | ||
| Aldaytona |
They come with a 2 year unlimited mileage warranty, you can get 7 years unlimited if you want. I have had and still have several HD/Buell models and have had virtually no warranty claims, lucky?, could be. Don't worry, buy the Buell XB and ride. You'll not regret it. | ||
| M1combat |
16K miles so far... One failed trans output shaft seal. It was fixed in about 45 minutes under warranty. The dealer told me to just ride it (it was just seeping oil) until I came in for the appointment, so it was really only the 45 minutes of down time. A few have had a couple fuses blow and sometimes it takes the voltage regulator with it. It seems to be very few bikes though. I think that's mostly it... I'm sure a few people that have had some trouble with their bikes will correct me though but all in all, the XB's have proven to be VERY reliable. | ||
| Buellerx |
I have had 2 Buells. As far as the motor goes, no problem. I notion that the Sportster motor is totally unreliable and shakes itself apart after a short time is totally not true. My old Buell had almost 50K miles with some minor issues (gaskets, seals). My new XB however has had some electrical issues. I have had a wire rub through, a relay go bad and a voltage regulator crap out. All were fixed under warranty but it has cost me some time with out my bike. To be honest though, I have had similar issues on several bikes. I have owned 2 Yamahas, they both needed the Voltage Regulators replaced. The first Yamaha I owned needed it replaced within two weeks of buying it off the showroom floor. | ||
| Apex_assasian |
almost 6000 miles for me....04 12s it has been flawless...best bike i have ever owned...i think this is about my ninth bike...one old sportster,the rest imports....kaws and honda's....i'm very happy | ||
| Cataract2 |
17700 miles on mine. Only had the front break switch (turns the break light on when you press the break.) go on me. Other than that. Nothing. | ||
| Tunes |
20,000 miles on my S3 and still going strong. Replaced bad TPS and Engine Temp. Sensor under warranty. Been great ever since. 3,500 miles on my XB. I had a shorted wire on the fuel pump...(fixed under warranty) and I have a minor issue now with the high idle... which will get a looksee tomorrow by Scooter. Bike is still a hoot to ride. All bikes need some "sorting out" at the beginning, no matter what brand... At least that is my experience. I still luv both my Buells. | ||
| Rubberdown |
10,000 miles on an 04'XB12S, no problems. | ||
| Lovematt |
I have an '03 XB9R with just over 18,000 miles on it with only minor issues...speedo sensors, odd switch problem but I fixed that myself, rubbed spark plug wire but I was due to replace the plugs anyways. I know this is not a 12 but it is the first model year of this series....and one of the earlier ones assembled so that speaks to how things got started. It has only gotten better from there as Buell has time to sort things out. | ||
| Paulson |
9300 miles on my 03 XB9SL. This bike has never let me down even once. (Message edited by paulson on September 15, 2005) | ||
| Xring |
8000 miles on my 2004 XB9S; 5000 of them are mine. No problems with reliability. My 7th bike; this one is my favorite. Good luck, Bill | ||
| Glitch |
'03 XB9S At about 20,000 miles my stator quit, fixed under warranty. I've got about 37,000 miles now, and it only gets better! Oh yeah, I had some pinging, dealer checked and reset the timing, it was a little too advanced. | ||
| Chadhargis |
I'm considering the XBX myself, and I've wondered about reliability. A friend of mine had an X1, and that bike was broken all the time. Not necessarily the engine, but other parts. I ride A LOT. Usually put about 10,000 to 13,000 miles a year on a bike. My 2 year old FJR has nearly 22,000 miles on it. I've not had so much as a screw fall out of it. It's been rock solid. If Buell can build a bike that doesn't need regular expensive maintenance (such as valve adjustments), is reliable, rides and handles well. Then I've found my bike! | ||
| Dagwood |
Glitch, I've got a 9SX and have noticed within the last month or so a bit of hesitation/stutter in the engine. I've heard a million guys talk about "pinging", is this the same thing? | ||
| Loyal0ne |
maybe im just a back luck case, but here's my story. went to pick up the bike after i bought it, doesnt start. ended up being bad spark plugs. 250 miles in, voltage regulator craps out. now 400 miles in, i have some horrible misfiring/backfiring at 4K rpms with the tach pin going nuts between 3500 and 5000. bringing it back to the dealership soon so they can diagnose. just my 2 cents... | ||
| Dagwood |
LoyalOne, Does your state have a "Lemon Law". In AZ, if you have repeated problems more than like, 5 times then the dealer is responsible for taking the POS back and you have the option of getting a new bike or your money back. I would be checking the statutes. | ||
| Krassh |
Over 20,000 on my '03 XB9S and only a wire chaffing through next to the battery and a spark wire chaffing are the only problems I have experienced. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Dagwood, pinging is predetonation... it has almost a ring to it. It sounds like somebody is hitting your engine with a BB gun on full auto. Higher octane gas or less aggressive timing can resolve it, and it gets worse as the bike and air get hotter. Loyal, if that were my bike, I would be looking for bad grounds or bad connections to the ECM, including the wiring harness, especially where it goes by the battery terminal (if it is a lightning). Look for tiny little cuts. A blowing voltage regulator could wound an ECM also, depending on how it fails. So I am not trying to minimize your problems... but what you are seeing could be really just one problem... 1) Dealer fails to warm up bike repeatedly with may starts and short runs in the showroom, and fouls plugs. This is not a problem, this is operator error. 2) Voltage regulator fails, normal infant mortality for an SCR buried in there, the same SCR's that everyone else uses. 3) Dying regulator allows excessive voltage to damage ECM, or diagnostic and repair procedure routed a wire wrong and it is now chafed and giving an intermittant short. So it might be that, or might be something else, and I am not trying to minimize the grief of a bad experience with a new bike. Just trying to keep things in perspective. | ||
| Loyal0ne |
reepicheep, i completely understand and agree with everything you say. im not trying to say the buells are junk or anything to that matter. i also believe it is one problem stemming from another. im just bummed out about it, thats all. and thank you for the input, before i bring it back to the dealership, i will check for the loose connections or cuts. if i do not see any, i will presume that its most likely the computer that is messy due to voltage regulator dieing a week earlier. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Agreed! Check closely on the wire bundle to the ECM where it passes the battery cables. I routed mine wrong putzing around in there once, and there was the smallest of nicks causing a wire to short. it turned out to be the wire that tells the ECM to dump the error code to the check engine light. So the net effect was I had a ride home with the bike chanting... I feel great I feel great I feel great I feel great I feel great I feel great I feel great I feel great for 20 miles... OK already! It got annoying! (Message edited by reepicheep on September 15, 2005) | ||
| Chainsaw |
18,000+ miles. See my profile for specific problems. Mine seems to be an odd unlucky one. I don't blame Buell. I just know my ex-girlfriend has a Voodoo Buell with my name on it. | ||
| Truk |
I purchased a used 03 XB9R with no engine modifications in February. At the time it had 1800 miles on it. Now have 9,200 trouble free miles. Did re-torque the steering head when I got it. Also the plastic headlight guards that helps hold the lens in place was cracked. Fixed that with super glue and a wrap of electrical tape. Ordered a back up unit from Daves ( it was pretty cheap) in case it ever becomes an issue, but so far no problem.... | ||
| Budo |
Beullnewbie, a couple of things to consider. First of all you need a good dealer. Most, (or at least it seems so) dealers are not interested in Buell and you will be faced with a 30day wait for a oil changed and entertity for any real work and you may be treated like a wh**e in church, ie. not welcome. Get the extended warranty. Don't expect the Buell to be like any other bike you have had, they are different. You might at some point want to sell you're bike, or trade it in, for whatever reason. Check out the used values and trade in values. Some of us were shocked when we tried to sell or trade in our Buells. Check with Daves for the best price and if he is too far away to do business with, you can use his pricing for comparison. Go to www.sacborg.com and ask your original question. May the Force be with you. | ||
| Charlieboy6649 |
About 14k on both my wifes and my XB9R's Mine I've lost the speedo sensor on twice. Hers lost the rear head temp sensor when it was very new. Was I worried? Sure a little initially, but these are very small repairs that were all made under warranty. Nothing major at all. More of a supplier issue than a Buell issue if you ask me. The miles of smiles far outweigh our repairs. The XB's are rock solid! | ||
| Rmp |
My XB has been trouble free for 6000 miles. Wish I could say the same for my buddy. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/32777/141261.html?1124471911 Since this last post, his has been back in the shop. Seems like everytime we try to meet up and ride, his bike is going to the shop. He has so much more patience than I do.  It may be that I haven't checked the BWB board lately, but it seems there are alot of problems going around right now. But, as I stated before, my bike has been flawless. | ||
| Indy_bueller |
I think that we are just seeing more guys reporting the trouble that they are having. I ride with several Buells and none of them have any problems. There are probably hundreds of Buellers who read and post on this board. There are what, a dozen that report serious problems? Seems like it to me. Check that, I do ride with one guy that has a X-1 with a rebuilt engine. He keeps having problems with gaskets leaking, but he says the gasket kit that was used was pretty cheap so..... (Message edited by indy_bueller on September 17, 2005) | ||
| Gearhead |
Buy it, ride it! I have over 15,000 miles on an '04 12R. It's been to track days, pegging the rev limiter all day, several BattleTrax, exploring it's lean angles, long rides, over 550 miles per day, daily commuting to work, everywhere, anytime. It's been bulletproof! You'll love it | ||
| Branebanger |
same concerns here newbiebuell, I just traded in a jap bike on a Uly. I've only got about 8k on the bike so far, and so far it kicks •••. being new to buell myself, the only way Im gonna get peace of mind is after many many many miles on different rides. I've only got 8k on it, and I have to say, the bike rides better and better, or maybe I'm just getting used to it. I also bought a 4 year extended warranty with wheels and rim coverage. plus read everything i could on these boards about the xb engines. | ||
| Rsh |
03 XB9R 28,000 miles has been ultra reliable until two weeks ago. First the speed sensor went out, now this week the battery is not charging. Diagnosis per the service manual tells me that the stator has shorted to ground and a quick check of the voltage regulator using the test light method per the service manual says it is also dead . An interesting finding was when I disconnected the Stator/voltage regulator connector it had some type of oil inside of the connector, I had noticed the speed sensor connector had some type of oil in it as well when I replaced it two weeks earlier. Local dealer has the parts in stock, I'll fix it during the week and hopefully get another 25 or 30k without anymore trouble than usual maintenance. |
