| Author | Message | ||
     Buellgrrrl |
My Buell owner's manual only lists service procedures up to 30,000 miles. At first I thought nothing of that, until I heard a figure that the average HD rider only puts on something like 800 miles a year. Now my '01 M2L went throught the usual rocker box gaskets and speedo sensor in the first 10,000 miles. From there to 34,000 miles it was dead reliable. But between 34,000 and the current 40,000 miles it's broken a front isolator mount, an oil tank, and now the charging system isn't. I get the feeling I've exceeded a HD products genetic life expectancy... | ||
| Djkaplan |
I think you two should just break up. | ||
| Tramp |
current mileage on my Buell: 215,000 +. I have never replaced my hideously leaking rocker box gaskets, did my isolators only once (last year, and dang- did they ever need replacement....what was left of them). charging systems are a wear item to many of us. oddly, mine's all still original, which baffles me. I carry a spare stator and VR just in case. so, anyway- no, not all buells are expected to make only 30,000 miles. having only an intelligent, thoughtful tech work on your machinery is always a good idea... I do my own stuff, obviously, and trust very few techs out there. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
The work log only goes out to 30,000 because after that you don't need regular maintainance. Also, the owner's manual is made of candy. | ||
| Newfie_buell |
The only real complaint I ever had was with the belts. Since I went to a chain - Nooooooooo Problem. The usual stuff like rocker box gaskets, failed stator which is all pretty cheap fixes. I also do all my own stuff. | ||
| Bigdaddy |
My highest mileage, to date, Buell is pushing 30K and it's been dead nuts reliable. I don't believe there's some magical number, say 30K miles, that pops up and starts killing parts/pieces. I've had a few BT's that had 60K+ miles and they were fine -- I should've kept one of them along the line and see how many miles it would run. I, also, do everything myself. G2 | ||
| Chainsaw |
The Buell Service Manual lines out to 50,000 miles, as does the SM for my Sporty. IIRC the national average Miles Per Year for a motorcycle is 1,900.  | ||
| Chainsaw |
...which would mean Tramp has 113 years of MC riding experience! | ||
| Blackbelt |
1900 miles??? LMAO!! I do that in 1-2 months... lol I regularly put 10-13K a year on my bike. that is good considering from October-April riding is Scetchy at best | ||
| Gowindward |
"...which would mean Tramp has 113 years of MC riding experience!"Cool, kind of like dog years. LOL | ||
| Buellistic |
"BUELLschitte", have 89,885.55 miles as of the last ride(97S3T) ... "TOP END" has never been off ... Been on the side of the road broke twice: FRONT MOTOR MOUNT, warranty issue ... DRIVE "BELT", waited too long to do the "PREVENTIVE MAINTENCE" change ... In BUELLing LaFayette | ||
| Shea |
Wow, I put 1100 miles on my XB in just 3 months. I have been unable to ride it for the last 2-3 weeks due to vacation and rain though. | ||
| Buellgrrrl |
Tramp, congratulations on the 6 figure x 2 mileage, and same to Buellistic as you close on 6 digits on the odo. A few weeks back we had a discussion on the airhead list about when it's advisable to do major engine, tranny, etc. overhauls. The guru's conclusion was that 80,000 miles + or - was about right, and that BMW had designed for that 80,000 mile life before overhaul. Then again, BMW makes screw ups like the paralever driveshaft and cirlipless transmission- which may explain why they went from 3 year/unlimited mileage warranty to 3 year/36,000 miles shortly after they introduced those dubvious "features". Back to those "maintainence item" stators- on the airhead list their's a lot of ranting about the airhead alternator and it's short life. None the less in 170,000 miles on 3 airheads I've replaced 1 alternator... perhaps BMW riders simply have higher expectations? | ||
| Debueller |
Shop manual does not have a replacement interval for the fuel filter on my Uly. It only addresses maintence to 30K mi. (which will likely be before the summer is over) I guess I never have to change it? Dosen"t sound right to me. Kinda sounds like the "lifetime belt" fiasco. I really don't buy that marketing hype bullshit. (Message edited by debueller on June 15, 2006) | ||
| Aldaytona |
Don't listen to any of these guys. 30,000 miles is the absolute safe limit. Do not ride a Buell or any other H D product past that limit. Please contact me for the shipping address to send those worn out machines, so as they can be disposed of properly.  | ||
| M1combat |
170K miles on three bikes and you replaced only one alternator... What does that tell you? Tells me to start saving for two more alternators... Then again... I also understand why a RAID configuration makes you more likely to have a disk drive failure. Engineered to only last 30K miles my ass... I think that at 30K you should either sell your bike REALLY cheap to a racing badwebber or just start repeating the 30K service every 5K miles (except fork oil every 10K). One more data point... My manual goes to 50K :-P. Looks like my bike should last longer than yours. You should have bought a manual from Daves I think... | ||
| Maxxx |
Looking for an M2 2000 wiring diagram for a big bore project...anyone know of one online or willing to scan? Would be much appreciated... cnco@earthlink.net | ||
| Tramp |
actually(I'm a BMW tech II), the airhead's input shaft splines need to be done quite frequently ("the book" suggests annually), which neccessitates trans removal (!)....at 8,500, they recommend head re-torque (which i perform on all airheads several times for the first 5000). the charging system issues on the airheads are easily remedied by using the heavy duty (police) solid-state VR, and a heavy duty stator... blue bosch coils add some pep, and the boyer-brandsen electronic ignition rocks, and the dyna solid state is really reliable. ... most electric and charging issues which airhead owners experience are a direct result of removing the front cover (alternator/diode cover) without first disconnecting the battery...this fries the diode. an extra ground wire from the diode to the case helps it do it's job, incidentally. that being said, however, i gotta state that my S2T has been far and away less maintenance than any airhead i've owned or built. i've built some beautiful, blueprinted airhead engines which still required much more work than my S2. the BMW airhead clutches, alone, require far more work than most buell clutches... that silly little release bearing is one weak link, at that. the cylinders develop diagonal rust rings from sitting, the valves require periodic adjustment, the base gaskets weep like betty davis, the pushrod seals blow like.....welll.... i'll save the filmography references. with any machine, remember: they don't make 'em like they used to, and they never did. | ||
| Koz5150 |
On the charging system thing check the washer between your grounding strap and frame. Mine rusted and gave me fits for almost a year till I figured it out. I replaced it with a Stainless washer and also removed a little of the powder coating on the frame tab to ensure a cleaner connection. | ||
| Buellgrrrl |
Tramp, you're right on most of the airhead stuff, but it's not quite that bad. I rarely do the spline lube, and in those 170,000 miles on 3 airheads I've only done one pushrod seal. as for the other leaks, I've adopted your rocker box gasket policy. I've noticed a lot of differences between my airheads in reliability, with the R100GS being a lemon, the R65LS unbreakable, and the R80ST somewhere in between. I suspect, like Buells, their's good and not so good vintages. And while my Buell is approaching the R100GS's unreliability, the parts prices are a fraction of BMW's! | ||
| Tramp |
oddly, the r65 is considered to be the only grenade BMW ever manufactured. clearly, you got one of the good ones. try any /6-/7 r90 r100 for reliability, esp. the big-valve big carb models. add one "S" cam (cheap from my boy mark at repsycle), and you've got one reliable sleeper. always carry a spare diode board, stator and solid-state VR in your toolbox, or your old mech. VR (/6-7), if it's still good. those parts take up precious little space, and can make all the difference in the world outside of Lincoln, NE, in freezing weather. trust me on that one. "I've adopted your rocker box gasket policy. " priceless.dora | ||
| Tramp |
buellgrlie: if you don't have a copy of the clymer's BMW service manual (the big black book), and you'd like a copy to peruse while outta commish- let me know- you can 'borry' mine- and any other books I have that you may require. (Message edited by tramp on June 15, 2006) | ||
| M1combat |
/EDIT - Because I was confused . I'm sure I still am... but I haven't figured out what subject yet. I'm sure someone will point it out shortly. (Message edited by M1Combat on June 15, 2006) | ||
| Blake |
Folks, FYI: | ||
| M1combat |
Ooops . My bad... Thanks . | ||
| Aldaytona |
I have a 1984 R65LS that I bought new at 441 Cycles in Ft Lauderdale. It quit running the 1st night of Bike Week this year in Daytona Beach (at 130 AM of course). That's the 1st breakdown. Not bad in my book. Just the coil. | ||
| Buellgirlie |
thanks blake for the clarification that buellgrrrl and i are not the same person - i dont own a BMW and sure dont know that level of technical detail on any of the vehicles i own.....  paid meds are good, D | ||
| Buellgrrrl |
Aldaytona, sounds like my R65LS- Bought new in '84, now has around 100,000 miles, half that with a sidecar. Heads have never been off, still uses no oil between changes, has original electrics except for batteries, plugs, and wires and the odd bulb. Only major repair was flywheel replacement at 50K (ring gear vibrated loose) and just replaced the exhaust pipes and mufflers. | ||
| Aldaytona |
Buellgrrrl, we have a bunch of R65 s come to Daytona BMW where I'm at now, don't see a lot of LS models though. 1st time I've heard of the grenade model. | ||
| Tramp |
oh, it's THE grenade beemer. short-stroker eta style engine, brittle trans, etc. someone's very lucky with her machine, alright. muth designed, same as the original katanah....similar snowflakes. |
