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Hughlysses
| | Posted on Monday, June 30, 2008 - 06:44 pm: | 
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Xblaw- technically, the factory recommends conventional oil and says you only need to change it every 5000 miles, so you would definitely be within the factory recommendations to do what the tech said.
That said, I'm running synth and I've changed mine at 2500 mile intervals so far. |
Hughlysses
| | Posted on Monday, June 30, 2008 - 06:47 pm: |
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BTW- I road the Uly to work this morning, and met a blue XB12R on Red Bank Road in the area of the Naval Weapons Station this morning. I think that's the only Buell I've ever seen on my morning commute. It was a good day to ride, it was relatively cool and cloudy both going to work and coming home. |
Guell
| | Posted on Monday, June 30, 2008 - 08:41 pm: |
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I rode yesterday, and was poured on, and i mean poured on. I couldnt see 20ft in front of me at times, and the intake was sucking in water. The bike was not happy! Time to get a rain sock for that thing. I was riding through at least a foot of rain in certain areas. The look on the harley riders faces was priceless when i pulled into the first gas station.
Glad you had a good trip jim!
Eryc, i change mine every 3k miles
(Message edited by guell on June 30, 2008) |
Xblaw
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 01, 2008 - 08:01 am: |
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I thought about doing it every 3k or so, but then it does not line up w/ the other service intervals. I don't wanna have to tell them at the shop every time, "don't change the oil, I just did it 1000 miles ago."
Dimwits there probably would not get it. |
Jwnsc
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 02, 2008 - 03:24 pm: |
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Hugh,
Found Mobile 1 V-Twin 20w50 in the back storage room of the Auto Zone on Trolley. Had to ask for it since it was't on display with the other oil. $9.49 per quart!
Also, the owner of the Exxon at Ladson and Dorchester said he just switched over to a ethanol blend about a month ago for financial reasons. He didn't know where you could find non-ethanol fuel with gas at $4/gallon. |
Hughlysses
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 02, 2008 - 06:51 pm: |
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Jim- Holy crap! That's up about $1/quart since last time I bought some (a few months ago). That Autozone has been the most reliable place locally for finding it but they haven't had it at least once when I needed it.
So much for the non-ethanol fuel. From what that guy says, I'll bet they're all using it, it's just some stations haven't labeled their pumps yet. I did buy some 93.5 octane at a Shell station in Goose Creek on Tuesday. I haven't seen any 93.5 octane since Enmark dropped theirs to 93 octane a few years ago. Of course, that may be an improper labeling issue too. |
Hughlysses
| | Posted on Thursday, July 03, 2008 - 12:51 pm: |
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I forgot to mention it earlier- I had an interesting encounter on the way home from work Wednesday. I work at SPAWAR at the southern end of the Naval Weapons Station complex. I leave work via "Wilkinson Way", a road that runs north-south along the Cooper River on the base and eventually hits Red Bank Road, which exits the base via the north gate into Goose Creek. Wilkinson actually has some nice twisties (but only a 35 MPH speed limit) and is a very scenic ride through marshes and woods on the base.
Wednesday just north of the bridge that crosses the unnamed creek on base, I noticed a dark object in the weeds off to the right of the road. It actually took a couple of steps out as I approached, and turned out to be a small (~4' long) alligator! I clamped on the binders pretty good, and thankfully he turned around and headed back for the marsh.
I do see some interesting critters on this commute- wild turkeys are pretty common, I saw a couple of bobcats one afternoon, and now a gator. It's a little longer ride this way, but it beats the hell out of staring at some cage's bumper. |
Jwnsc
| | Posted on Thursday, July 03, 2008 - 01:23 pm: |
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That sounds like a much better commute than the one I had for 18 years - I-26 to downtown Charleston. There were three speeds - 75 mph bumper to bumper, 5 mph bumper to bumper and 0 mph bumper to bumper. A motorcycle was not even an option in that demo derby. |
Guell
| | Posted on Thursday, July 03, 2008 - 10:37 pm: |
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Jim, thats my morning commute, sometimes on the buell, sometimes in my truck. First time on the bike was scary! |
Drfudd
| | Posted on Friday, July 04, 2008 - 02:36 pm: |
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All the more reason there should be lane splitting in this state, In California the CHP actually favors lane splitting, claiming it saves lives. |
Jwnsc
| | Posted on Saturday, July 05, 2008 - 05:55 pm: |
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Hey Hugh,
Did you see this from the Homecoming Pictures thread of all places:
The bearing issue was covered in one of the tech seminars. I was not there, but Crusty said that they said there has been a problem with the seals on the bearings, and they have been working on a solution. The new and improved bearings are to be the standard here shortly, and will supersede the old part number. Crusty or someone that attended that seminar might want to elaborate on this subject."
"Comment on the bearing was that many of the failed bearings examined had damaged seals and experienced water incursion. I think this failure may have been the most common but not necessarily the root cause of all failures. There was a comment related to the potential of the bearing seal being damaged when working with the wheel such as during tire changes.
There was mention of an improved bearing being imminent or probably by the end of the month at the outside.
So my read is that some of the bearing problems will be helped with this new bearing and that it will be out pretty soon. I know how things work in big companies and so I am thinking more of a month at the earliest but I hope I am wrong." |
Hughlysses
| | Posted on Sunday, July 06, 2008 - 09:48 am: |
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Jim- I saw the first part of the post- but not all of it. Good to know the word has gotten back up the chain of command at least. It'll be interesting to see if this becomes a recall or at least a service bulletin. |
Josnow
| | Posted on Sunday, July 06, 2008 - 11:41 am: |
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Hey guys, I would like to introduce myself, name is Joe. I just purchased my first bike, '03 XB9R and I live in the Upstate (close to Clemson). I was wondering if you guys could tell me where the nearest dealership is. |
Hughlysses
| | Posted on Sunday, July 06, 2008 - 12:02 pm: |
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Hi Joe, welcome to the group. You can do a dealer search at www.buell.com for the closest dealer to you. According to that, there's a dealer in Athens, GA that's closest. Next closest is Stone Mountain HD/Buell near Atlanta; they have a very good reputation with Buell owners and is a sponsor of this board.
The HD dealer in Anderson used to carry Buells (and actually had a pretty good inventory of accessories & clothing) but I guess they dropped Buell a couple of years ago. Closest Buell dealer to you in SC is Thundertower HD/Buell near Elgin, SC (~20 miles east of Columbia).
Buells are pretty easy to work on if you're mechanically inclined; it's a good idea to get a shop manual and parts book. Between those and this board you can fix pretty much anything. Several dealers are sponsors of this board and will sell you Buell parts at a discount, usually more than enough to offset the shipping cost.
(Message edited by Hughlysses on July 06, 2008) |
Jwnsc
| | Posted on Sunday, July 06, 2008 - 02:09 pm: |
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Welcome Joe. The board is kinda quiet right now due to many of the people who post regularly either on vacation or riding home from the Buell Homecoming in Wisconsin. As a student (Class of '76)I had a great time riding some curvy roads and being close the mountains. Just don't ever park a motorcycle in a dorm room over Christmas break. |
Hughlysses
| | Posted on Sunday, July 06, 2008 - 02:58 pm: |
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Definitely one of the best areas in the state for riding. (BTW Jim- I'm Clemson class of '78.) |
Josnow
| | Posted on Sunday, July 06, 2008 - 03:35 pm: |
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Thanks for the welcomes. Im not a student at Clemson, heck Im 33yrs old. I am really looking forward to riding up around HWY 11 once I get more familiar with the handling of the bike. Havent been on a bike for 10 yrs or so. |
Jwnsc
| | Posted on Sunday, July 06, 2008 - 04:16 pm: |
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Hugh that's great. We'll have to go for a ride, make a re-hydration stop and talk over the good ol' days. Did you ride while you were there? I had a white, Honda CB160 for my first two years and them a Honda XL250 for the last two. |
Hughlysses
| | Posted on Sunday, July 06, 2008 - 04:37 pm: |
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Joe- well, Jim & I are just a wee bit older than that! Highway 11's pretty much a cruiser road from what I've seen. Try 28 from Walhalla up into GA and NC, and to the east of you, try 178 up to Rosman, NC from there to Brevard, NC and then take 276 to Caesar's Head and on down to Greenville (or do the loop the other way). I'm sure there are many less-known but great back roads in the area too.
Jim, no, unfortunately, that was in my post-minibike/pre-motorcycle days. The closest I got to a bike at the time was a photo my sister took of me standing next to a white Triumph Bonneville over near Schilleter (sp?) Hall. I do remember going over to Anderson and getting a brochure on the 1977 Harleys and being awe-struck by the new XLCR. It only took me about 25 years to fulfill the dream of owning a sporty v-twin powered motorcycle. |
Nevrenuf
| | Posted on Sunday, July 06, 2008 - 05:06 pm: |
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joe, welcome to the area. i've been over here in greer for the past 8 months and i do have to say i like the area. there are a couple other buellers in the area and even over in clemson i believe there is at least 3 guys from what a student had told me. we just did a ride yesterday and hit the blueridge and had lunch at lake lure by chimney rock. |
Tailspining
| | Posted on Sunday, July 06, 2008 - 06:43 pm: |
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Welcome Joe,
I have a 2005 XB9R. I live next to Nevrenuf in Greer. I do almost all of my own servicing, including TPS resets. Let me know if you ever need help. I'm sure Nevrenuf and I wouldn't mind hooking up for a ride up Hwy 178 and points beyond. |
Tailspining
| | Posted on Sunday, July 06, 2008 - 06:53 pm: |
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Neil, Chris, Joe,
How about it? Up for a ride this coming weekend?
 |
Josnow
| | Posted on Sunday, July 06, 2008 - 07:53 pm: |
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Tailspining, Thanks so much for the invite but before I go off on rides with a group of veterans, I am going to get some riding done close to the house to get better. Take a rain check though!! |
Hughlysses
| | Posted on Sunday, July 06, 2008 - 09:18 pm: |
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Joe- if you've never done it, sign up for an MSF course at your local tech school. It's a good way to learn the riding skills you need to stay alive on the street. |
Jwnsc
| | Posted on Sunday, July 06, 2008 - 09:51 pm: |
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Joe, speaking of dealers and maintenance,
my 1K service was done by a dealer and
cost me $320 and I was without the bike
for a couple of days. This afternoon I
did the 5K service in about an hour and
a half for less than $40 in synthetic
oil and oil filter, just using a few tools and
the shop manual. |
Josnow
| | Posted on Sunday, July 06, 2008 - 10:06 pm: |
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Hughlysses, My wife and I are going to take the course together at Greenville Tech. She is wanting a motorcycle one day.
Jwnsc, I plan on doing my own day to day maintenance(oil changes,etc). I feel comfortable doing it once I receive the service manual from the guy I purchased the bike from. I am sure when it comes to the technical stuff (TPS reset,etc.) I will look for help.
Thanks for all the comments guys. Its nice knowing there are others out there that are willing to lend a hand and support. |
Guell
| | Posted on Sunday, July 06, 2008 - 11:01 pm: |
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welcome to the madness joe! |
Nevrenuf
| | Posted on Monday, July 07, 2008 - 05:35 am: |
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joe, my wife just took the intermediate course a week ago and trust me it made her a lot better rider. much more confident with less hesitation.
you wouldn't have to worry about being left in the dust. most buellers have the creedo of "leave no bike behind" you ride at your own pace and expect to catch up to the pack at the next intersection. it's all a learning phase. and sometimes you can learn just by watching the guy in front of you and listening to what they do also.(if his bike is loud enough.) |
Scbuellkat
| | Posted on Monday, July 07, 2008 - 09:01 am: |
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Welcome aboard Joe. I think you will enjoy your new toy just like the rest of us enjoy ours, and all the help you will receive here! |
Jomama
| | Posted on Monday, July 07, 2008 - 11:36 am: |
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Well, I made it back from my trip to Ohio where I totaled 1,934 miles up to Lake Erie and back, taking several of the scenic routes along the way. I had the reflash on the ECM performed before I left and averaged about 47 mpg during the trip and even had two tanks where I had about 52 mpg! This is a vast improvement from the low to mid 30s I was getting. I also have seen an improvement in performance and reduction in the off idle burping. So hopefully it stays that way.
I did run into some difficulties along the way. My throttle cable positioner bracket broke during the trip in WV. However, I was able to catch it before it burned up the cable too bad. I made it up to the Buell Dealer in Bedford Heights, OH where the service was fantastic! They got my bike in immediately to replace the bracket and even bought me breakfast while I waited. The Dealer had an old rail car diner inside the dealership. They also had Buell jackets, pants, several shirts, hats, key chains, and pins. I was very impressed. Even the guys that made my breakfast came out to talk to me as they were all Buell riders as well and couldnt believe that I rode my 08 Firebolt up from Myrtle Beach. Also the majority of the service techs rode Buells too.
I was able to dodge the rain most of the way up and didnt get into any rain on the way back, thanks to the advances in technology, with the weather radar map on my Blackberry. It was an absolutely fantastic ride and the longest trip I have ever taken on a motorcycle. I would do it again in a heartbeat. |
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