| Author | Message | ||
     Rogue_biker |
STAY AWAY from Orange County Harley Davidson/Buell and their Service Department. They are located in Orange County, California (SoCal). Let me tell you folks about my experience with their Service Department. My 2006 XB12R developed the dreaded Fuel Pump problem. The FP started to run continuously after around the 19k mile mark. Other than that, the bike was running great! Even took it on a 1k mile trip without any problems because I didn't even know about the FP except I noticed it ran all the time. After my trip, I took my Firebolt to OC HD/Buell to have the TPS Sensor Reset. After a day with the bike, the mechanic called me up and told me my bike had a trouble code so I gave him permission to diagnose it. The diagnosis came back with malfunctioning Fuel Pump. Their solution: replace Fuel Pump-$1,300! I just about went through the roof! I asked the Service Mgr why on Earth does it cost that much to replace the pump. His answer, they need to drop the motor so they can remove the swing arm to get to the fuel pump. Knowing very little about this issue, I decided (wisely) to hold off. I did have the dealer confirm that the TPS Sensor reset was completed and they said it was. So I got my bike back. Immediately I noticed the bike's idle was erratic. It was too low and it went up and down through a range of 150 RPM. I also noticed the Fuel Pump wiring harness was dangling and loose right below the rear subframe. I thought nothing of it as I was so busy with work and I let a month go by without looking into the bike nor riding it. I finally had time to research the problem here at BWB and found the solution. THANK YOU BWB! You guys rock! Before making the repairs, I rode the bike a few more times while I waited for parts. The bike's idle began to deteriorate. After only a mile or so at start up, it would idle at 2k RPM and would not drop down to normal unless the engine was cold. Yesterday, after two months of waiting, I finally got all the parts I needed and plunged with both feet in repairing my Firebolt's fuel pump. Following the procedures outlined by people in BWB in repairing their fuel pump, I was able to get to it without removing the swingarm. I replaced the FP Wiring Harness with a new one from Buell, which has a protective sleeve around the wires inside the pump to keep them from being chaffed and short circuited by the housing. I had to have a friend "create" a Fuel Pump Puller from scratch as OC HD/Buell did note even sell this part nor make it available for me to buy! I wonder how on Earth they were going to pull my pump out if they didn't have the tool! While working on the bike, I noticed OC HD/Buell left a bunch of wires just dangling around behind the bodywork and around the subframe. They cut a few wire ties but they never replaced them. Really sloppy work! After putting the bike together, the Fuel Pump now works normal. It cycles on at start up then goes off like normal. Unfortunately, the idle issue is still there. I'm pretty sure that the TPS Sensor reset was never done correctly at OC HD/Buell because it was never right after I got the bike back from them. At this point, I plan to take my Buell to San Diego Buell to get the TPS done right. Anyway, the total cost of the repairs to my Fuel Pump was a whopping $95. That includes the new Buell Wiring Harness (Improved) and all the O-rings I needed. The Fuel Pump puller was free, and my time cost 6 hours of labor. DO NOT get your Buell serviced at OC HD/Buell. Their parts are okay. They are fast and efficient there even though they never stock any Buell parts. At least I have a place to order them. But don't even take a step into the Service Bay! It really scares me to think they were going to charge me $1,300 to do all that work without actually needing it! What type of wrench monkey would actually recommend dropping a motor to get to the fuel pump? The worse part was, they were able to fully justify the price! If I didn't know any better, I would have believed them! And after seeing their work on my bike, I would never trust them to drop my motor! Never! Owners beware! | ||
| Sslowmo |
I had the same fuel pump problem. I found here on BadWeb what the problem was and took to the dealer nearest to me. The mechanic said he has done a frame swap before. Looking at him in amazament, I ask why frame swap? He said how else are you going to replace the pump. I asked him to step away from my Buell!!!! Then I showed him where the pump is. He had a DUH look on his face and walked away. Now that is service.... | ||
| Juniorkirk |
Thanks for the heads up if i ever get stuck up in that area, but one that might be a little closer than san diego is Bigg's HD/Buell in San Marcos. They have a GREAT service department, they even recommend you go back there while they are working on it to show you what they are doing so you know your not getting screwed. Had to have the front cylinder/piston/head/valves/rings replace on my bike and i went down there one day when it was completely torn apart and they showed me what the problem was (chunk of piston tore it up inside) and that they were gonna fix it. Edit: If you do go to Bigg's, ask for Dan, wears glasses bald head and a little bigger. Even though everyone there are nice to you, Dan is pretty cool. (Message edited by juniorkirk on April 05, 2009) | ||
| Rogue_biker |
Thanks. I've been to Biggs in San Marcos but only to check out bikes. I'm really disappointed with the quality of Buell mechanics. It seems to me, few really know what they're doing besides normal maintenance. The sloppiness on putting my bike back together is one of my pet peeves. It is the same with Japanese makes. The mechanics just "slaps" everything back together believing nobody is ever going to look at their work. As long as it looks okay from the outside. Just imagine! All they did was diagnose a problem. They didn't even do anything major! For those of you with the Fuel Pump issue, there is no need to remove the swing arm. NO really!  | ||
| G234146 |
You can also try California Harley/Buell. I bought my 06 XB12 from them and their service was always on point. I moved so I dont know if things changed. Good Luck! California Buell 1517 W. Pacific Coast Hwy Harbor City, CA, USA 90710 (310) 539-3366 (310) 539-9239 (fax) Visit Our Web site http://www.californiaharleydavidson.com | ||
| Pogue_mahone |
you really need to enlighten the service manager there.tell him the dangling wires are unacceptable,and the lack of buell knowledge is as well.MAYBE the reset issue is because the pump was not working right when it was reset? still,they left a job unfinished and an resolved.i paid 3800 for my xb9s..i'll be damned if i pay more than a quarter of the vehicle cost for a fuel pump repair!! i have done bodywork and vw aircooled engine stuff for 20 years,no way do these bikes seem out of range for what i normally work on. i feel for the owners who are out of the loop of mechanical work and cant do it themselves. good luck and post up the reset and how it goes scott | ||
| Pogue_mahone |
and if he gives u any crap-- look him in the eye and say "pogue mahone"! | ||
| Sifo |
I have to agree that it is hard to find a good Buell service dept. I've only had a few occasions to experience service at my dealership and they cause me major concern every time. It's all been very small stuff too. I won't get into details but... 1) Initial delivery, there were a couple of comments made by the tech that caused me concern. 2) First service. I came in hoping for a walk in service on a Thursday morning. They said the best they could do was to set up an appointment, next opening was 3 weeks away! I left with the necessary oil, filter, gaskets, and a new cargo net to strap it to the seat and had it done myself by lunch. I was only going to have them do the first service to avoid any potential future warranty issues, but in 3 weeks time they probably would have voided my warranty for not getting the service done! 3) Almost 3 weeks to replace a clutch cable that was sticky from day 1. This didn't include time waiting for the part either. I later notice that the wire form was not secured correctly by the tech. I just fixed it my self. 4) Almost 3 weeks to replace a neutral switch under warranty. I called during the first week as was told they just got the part in and just had to get the bike back together. It was clear that it spent time sitting in the rain when I picked it up too. When people ask me if they should consider a Buell I always ask if they are comfortable doing their own service. If they say no I steer them toward our local Triumph, Ducati, KTM, MV Agusta dealer. If they can't find a bike they like there they just aren't trying! The service there is great too! There is a local HD service dept. I've had good luck with, but they dropped Buell close to 10 years ago. I'm just glad that I'm pretty good with tools. | ||
| Rogue_biker |
Scott, I have already spoken to the owner of the shop and they did offer to rectify the situation. However, I asked myself the wisdom of bringing my bike back there after what has happened.....no way no how! Also, the fuel pump issue does not affect the TPS reset. The fuel pump was just running continuously due to a shorted wire. It did not affect the rideability of the bike even before I had the TPS reset done. In fact, it was running great. But my anal retentive self convinced me that I had to take my Firebolt there to have the TPS reset done! Lesson learned: if it aint broke, don't fix it! The owner of the place was well meaning and he sounded like he really wanted to make me happy. So I'm glad that I made him aware. But I will not take my bike there and have the same wrench monkey work on my bike again when there are a couple of other dealerships within reach that have great reputations for service. Although they are 75 miles away from me, the ride is actually quite nice. So at this point, I will leave it to the owner of OC HD/Buell to rectify the situation his way and I will not take my bike there ever again. I will say that their parts and retail section is pretty good and efficient. I would not hesitate ordering parts from them. I am very greatful for this site though. Probably the next best thing to a trustworthy Buell mechanic. | ||
| Brumbear |
sorry to threadjack but here a little pouge for ya  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVXyGbC86MA | ||
| 4cammer |
Sifo.....I think you and I might have the same dealer. Villa Park? Honestly, reading your post made me say to myself "I don't remember writing this...." | ||
| 1_mike |
Yea, both California Harley and Glendale Harley are good places to go. One of the service people at Cal. Harley can be heavy handed on the throttle during startup (about 4000rpm as the engine started!) Other than that...all are good people. The parts counter people are also good to deal with. Mike | ||
| Dooley |
Rogue, If your going to SD for your Buell needs, stop by Al's shop, American sport bike, He can do your tps reset. Also Biggs is great as mentioned above...Craig in parts is very helpful... | ||
| Sifo |
4cammer, It's not Villa Park, but it could be. I actually worked there for a very short time and would never bring a bike there. Just head west to Randall Rd. for what I'm talking about.  I see on your profile page you are in search of a good Buell dealer. Wish I could help. I haven't tried Conrad's near Joliet yet. I went there when I was shopping for my Lighting. Hung around the Buells on the showroom floor for about 20 minutes and no one said boo to me. I walked over to a HD and started looking at that and had a salesman come right over. He knew very little about Buells though. I wonder how the service would be.??? | ||
| Juniorkirk |
+1 Dooley Craig is a great guy, so are the girls. I like stopping there to just chat some times. Usually end up buying a few things before i leave so it doesn't look like i'm there to just talk though. Once i bought just a bottle of Novus plastic cleaner. And they catch on quick if you visit often | ||
| Juniorkirk |
Sifo, if you want someone that pushes Buell sales, talk to John Baroni at Bigg's HD/Buell. He would LOVE to have someone in their looking to buy a new buell, and he would insist that you take a demo on one of them to get the feel of them. | ||
| Sifo |
My dealer actually has a couple of guys that are really into Buells. I've had great talks with them and are more than willing to set up test rides. When you cross over into the service area things get bad. Is that the Biggs HD in CA? I'm on the other side of the Mississippi! | ||
| Marko138 |
Can someone explain this fuel pump issue to me? When you say it stays on...do you mean when you turn the key on with the killswitch in 'run' the pump cycles and stays on before you start the engine? Mine cycles and when it stops...I hit the starter. At that point the fuel pump runs again (I think)...as I can hear that same noise of the pump when the engine is running. | ||
| Aidan203 |
I think your ok. The pump runs for a few seconds to prime. If you don't hear the pump running than the engine ain't running. | ||
| Skinstains |
The pump has been running on on my 04 12R for a long long time now. I suppose I should get around to fixing it. Any chance you have the updated harness part # ? | ||
| Rogue_biker |
The normal way the fuel pump works is when you turn the key to ON, the fuel pump will start humming for a few seconds then stop. A continuously running fuel pump will not stop humming because it just stays on all the time. This will eventually kill the pump. The lucky ones who are afflicted with this fuel pump issue will continue to have their bikes running well up until the pump fails. Others are not so lucky because sometimes the "other" wire rubs inside the pump and that short circuits and the fuel pump just dies. I don't have the part number for this new wiring harness. I just went into the dealership and asked for the "Fuel Pump Wiring Harness" The harness is just $75 and it is worth it. The whole fuel pump will cost you an easy $375 before taxes. | ||
| Skinstains |
I have experience with the pumps and have changed a few of them. For $75 I'll just fix or re-make the one I have. Thanks though. |
