| Author | Message | ||
     Brandonsbuell |
After all the research I've done regarding Buells, and the Thunderstorm 984cc and 1203cc motors, I've found that they hold together respectively well. Out of curiousity more than anything... I was chatting with a fellow that has owned a 12R. He complained of problems starting the bike, and that he blew a head gasket at 8,000 miles. He said he modded it, ECM, Jardine Exhaust, etc, etc... Riding it hard, that sort of thing. I'm wondering, why would a head gasket blow on this motor, of all things? How often does that occur to your knowledge? I'm buying a used 04 XB12 with 8K on the motor this weekend, and I'm expecting three times that mileage out of it. Am I wrong? | ||
| Flyingpenguin86 |
I have a 2003 XB9S. It just rolled over 10K miles and that's pretty hard riding (wheelies, triple digit speeds, etc). The normal maintenance is the only work needed to keep it running so far. This was my first bike, but I'm definitely sold on Buell! | ||
| Irideabuell |
I've got nearly 30,000 miles on my '04 12S and have only spent money on oil, filters, tires and brakes. Well, that's not entirely true. I've bought a race kit, saddles bags, a trunk bag, a tail bag, a tank bag......... | ||
| Jaimec |
I have 22,000 miles on my 06 XB12Ss, and in addition to Irideabuell's list I'd have to add "bulbs." | ||
| Jerseybuell |
10K hard miles on 04 XB12S. One headlamp bulb. Otherwise, rock solid | ||
| Xl1200r |
You better be able to expect AT LEAST three times the mileage out of that bike. I'm flirting with 8,000 miles right now on my bike and it's less than a year old. If 8k is the cutoff, I'M SCREWED! | ||
| Cataract2 |
Ok, I guess I'll chime in. 05 XB9SX. Has 43,800 miles on it. Only thing that went wrong was a stator at 26,000 miles covered under warranty. Probably was caused by the fluid I was using in the trans. | ||
| Growl |
>> I'm wondering, why would a head gasket blow on this motor, of all things? Overheating | ||
| Spatten1 |
Base gaskets will blow if you run it hard before getting it to operating temp. Never heard of a head gasket letting go so far. | ||
| Brandonsbuell |
Great info, thanks for the answers! | ||
| New12r |
35k of ABUSE on my 04 12R, the motor is now in U4euh's bike getting beaten some more, no failures. | ||
| Cataract2 |
Oh, I should add. I kinda neglect a simple maintenance piece on my bike. My spark plugs. I changed them to the Buell race plugs at 10,000 miles (which your suppose to do ever 10,000). Well, now with 33,800 miles on them. Still runs with no fouling. Think I should change them sometime soon. | ||
| Reepicheep |
05 XB9SX. 22k miles. New clutch cable (normal wear) new plugs at 20k (running fine but I felt guilty). Replaced throttle cables (wear and tear from me adjusting them too tight). Had to tighten sidestand bolt. Sheared one exhaust stud after not noticing I lost a front exhaust hanger bolt (I had it apart, so that seems like my fault). One or two bolts rattled off various places. Thats it, besides normal fluid changes and primary adjustments. No valve adjustments, no chain and sprocket maintenance, just bolt the rear axle on and ride (no futzing with strings and adjusters). The thing has been great. | ||
| Reepicheep |
LOL. Another guilty spark plug abuser  Looks like there are a lot of reliable high milaged 9sx bikes out there... music to my ears! | ||
| Jaimec |
I think I spoke too soon back there. On my way to get my haircut this morning, and all of a sudden I noticed my engine light on. Little while later, I lost the odometer display, and both the speedo and the tach were reading "0." When I came to a stop at a stop sign, the bike just died. Fortunately I was a mile from my destination so I pushed it the final mile. After I got my haircut I called Bellmore for a tow. Don't know if it's the stator or the battery. The tech writer thinks the battery may just be "old," but the bike started up just fine this morning but it died en route. Guess I'll find out soon enough. I've only ever used the Harley transmission fluid, too... | ||
| Spooky_pooky |
I can't believe it....mine did the exact same thing. I've got a 2008 XB12R with 4800 miles on it. I've got mine in the shop for that and a couple other issues. When I called in they made no mention of stators or regulators, but I think I will remind them to check those things out since there seem to be a lot of problems. | ||
| Jaimec |
Opinions from the members of my club seem to imply my problem is the rectifier/regulator. The other member of my club with a Buell ('06 Ulysses) had to have his replaced at 18,000 miles. My XB12Ss has 22,000 miles on it already. If it is, I'm already out of the original 2-year warranty and on my two additional years of the extended warranty. We'll see how this works out. |
