| Author | Message | ||
     M2nc |
I asked a few questions the last time Buellgrrrl got off on a rant and got no response. I kind of expected it because I to date have not heard of anyone under "normal" street use have any major issues. Belts, fans, cables, etc. to me are quick and easy to fix, but a blown engine, transmission, broken frame, electrical fire can pretty much cost as much as the bike to repair. Again, not to discount any ones pain, just to balance it with some facts, here are a few more tidbits I have on the subject. I reviewed motorcycle recalls over the past five years and here are some FACTS to go with the drama. Can anyone tell me the number of miles the motor on their XB grenades? I am proud to say that I could not find any information of a manufacturer recalling motors because of premature failure and contrary to some beliefs neither has Buell. Okay, how about the transmission? I found only one manufacturer that recalled their bikes for transmission failures. Care to guess which one?? Nope, not Buell! If you guessed BMW you would be right and here is the exact information. 2003 BMW R1150GS Adventure Defect Summary: On certain motorcycles, it is possible that the 3rd and 4th transmission gear (shift) wheels may not be securely seated on the intermediate shaft. Consequently, when attempting to shift from 5th to 6th gear, engagement of the two gears may occur simultaneously. Consequence Summary: If this happens, the gear wheels could crack resulting in a loss of transmission capability, or, a lock of transmission could occur. The rear wheel could lock which, depending upon traffic and road conditions, and the rider's reaction, could affect the stability of the motorcycle. Okay, how about the frames, how many have had the frames just break (without dropping it)? No recalls from Buell for frame issues but here is one I know most of you know about. What I did not know was that it took Honda three years to acknowledge the problem and fix it. 2001-2004 Honda GL1800 Defect Summary: On some motorcycles, certain frame welds do not meet manufacturing specifications. High loads created when riding on rough road surfaces or through potholes can cause the affected welds to crack. Consequence Summary: The welded area could break, resulting in rear suspension collapse or lower cross member separation, increasing the risk of a crash. But wait here is another one. 2004 Triumph Bonneville & Family Defect Summary: On certain motorcycles, there may be a poor weld on the rear suspension unit body. Consequence Summary: Failure of the rear suspension unit may compromise the stability of the motorcycle which could result in a crash. Okay, how many caught fire due to an electrical short or gas leak for a total loss? Several here, but not Buell again. 2006 Suzuki SV650, SV1000, VL1500 (Fuel Leak) 2004 BMW F650CS (Fuel Leak) 2004 BMW K Series (Fuel Leak) 2004 Triumph Daytona 600 & 955 (Fuel Leak) Some other recall that I did not ask about. BRAKES? 2006 BMW R1200GS 2006 BMW R1200ST (Different problem from GS) 2003 BMW F650CS (Another problem from the two above) Suspension, Wheels Axles, Steering Components etc. that can result in loosing control of the bike. 2006 Victory Kingpin (Breaks rear axle) 2006 Kawasaki ZX10 (Steering Dampener) 2006 Kawasaki BN125-Eliminator (Triple Clamp) 2006 Kawasaki ZX14 (Down Sensor) 2006 Triumph Rocket III (Handle Bars) 2004 BMW R1150R (Front Strut Stud) 2003 Kawasaki ZX600 & ZX636 & ZN1600 (Muffler Mounts) 2005 Ducati MTS620, MTS1000, S2R & S4R Monster (Rear Shock Absorber) How about side stand issues? We know that the only recall on 2006 Buells are the side stands on the Uly, but here are two recalls on side stands that can cause you to wreck. 2006 Big Dog entire line up Defect Summary: On certain motorcycles, the kickstand spring may stretch and detach from the mounting bracket or the kickstand. Consequence Summary: This will allow the kickstand to deploy into the extended position and cause a crash. 2004 Honda FSC600 Defect Summary: On certain motorcycles, the main stand is attached to the frame with two brackets, nuts and bolts. The nuts are spot-welded to the brackets. If clearance exists between the nut and bracket, the spot welds may be broken when the bolt is torqued. Consequence Summary: Over time, a bolt can loosen and fall out. The main stand could partially or completely detach from the frame, interfering with or damaging the rear wheel, and increasing the risk of a vehicle crash without warning. A completely detached stand falling on the roadway also creates a hazard for other vehicles. If you take the emotion and vindictiveness out the picture Court is right, Buell a very good (but not perfect) recall record which tends to be substantiated by our experiences. Latches, covers, fans, bearings, side stands, TPS settings, fuel pump pressures and such has been sighted, but none saying motor gone, tranny gone, caught fire (how about Ford F250), parts falling off causing accidents. Minor aggravations that shows Buells are solid product but need to watch outsourced suppliers (Belts, fans, bearings, latches, etc) and some engineering fine tuning (Side stands, TPS resets and fuel pump pressures). (Message edited by M2nc on August 04, 2006) | ||
| Eboos |
 Edit: Sorry M2nc, I was not thumbs downing your post. (Message edited by eboos on August 03, 2006) | ||
| Buelltroll |
03 Buells had a recall on the side stands and the wheel bearings. The new KING of hp the 06 zx14 already has a recall. | ||
| Steve_mackay |
Crusty, I agree 100%. Dyna seems to have little patience for stupidity, or zealots. He's probably the 1st person outside my family that I would call if I was broke down by the side of the road. Besides, he does have a nice enclosed trailer to transport my bike if needed  | ||
| Oldog |
Kawisaki motor cycles; IMO have been big on HP and a little short on longevity the old tristars were rumored to have a hinge hidden some where in the frame can some one tell me how this was made, the container is aluminum, pewrhaps they used recycled BMW parts.. Broken Motorcycle Weekly Buellgrrl Must Whine?  how they do this? | ||
| Buellgrrrl |
M2nc, you're largely correct. One of the things that initially impressed me about HDI was their willingness to admit they had a problem and fix it, such as the tuber shock and isolator recalls. This was in stark contrast to BMWs refusal to admit that their paralever driveshafts on the GS airheads were failing way too early. I was also impressed the time I called Buell with a technical question and actually got to speak to a couple engineers. With BMW it was a battle just to get a word in edgewise with a customer relations hack. Over the years the Buell product has greatly improved, and is now on balance equal to much of the competition. Unfortunately the dealer network has if anything gotten worse- note HDI franchise saleperson Marhaba's attempt to join the bully boys in bashing me. A good saleperson would make some attempt at resolving a dispute with a customer even if they hadn't bought from them, and a mediocre saleperson would at least stay out of the dispute. Marhaba's behavior would get her at least some customer service retraining if she was employed at McDonald's if not an escort to the door. So as we can see here, the major problem is the out of control franchises. If McDonald's hold dealers to high standards in the making of a $1 value menu hamburger, HDI can do the same. | ||
| Buellgrrrl |
Olddog, ever hear of a Kawasaki Concours? A bulletproof sports tourer at a bargain price. If they weren't kinda heavy I'd be riding one. | ||
| Buellgirlie |
i'm just thankful people realize the difference between a   buellgrrrl and   buellgirlie D (Message edited by buellgirlie on August 04, 2006) | ||
| Buellgrrrl |
Your personal attacks and shameless self promotion show real class (not), Buellgirlie. | ||
| Eboos |
What, you mean that wasn't you all this time?  | ||
| Pwnzor |
Holy cow, look what happens when I go outside for a few hours! I know the difference, Buellgirlie! Buellgrrrl, you've been right all along. Everything on Earth, indeed everything in the universe, is all about you. Please don't leave us.   | ||
| Corporatemonkey |
First off I would like to thank everyone here for making my day. This discussion is like my very own "Dynasty" episode. Question though who is going to play Linda Evans, and Joan Collins. I would really like to see a good slap fight... For the record I don't mind hearing negative comments about Buells as long as they are either based on fact or stated with an interest in gathering information to help oneself fix a problem. - M1combat, best post I have read on a motorcycle forum in a long time... KILL WHITEY!!! Buelltroll  | ||
| Pwnzor |
Hey I just thought of something! Maybe I could bitch about my Ducati here. You know, I had so many electrical problems with that damn thing in less than 4000 miles... and starting with the day I bought it. The dealer had to deliver it to me 3 days later because they couldn't even get it started. Then I found this mechanic in the alley behind my warehouse. Everything has been fine since then, maybe he can help you Buellgrrrl....?  | ||
| Steve_mackay |
Your personal attacks and shameless self promotion show real class (not), Buellgirlie. You have GOT to be friggin' kidding me, right? You certainly, IMHO, are not qualified to judge someone on class with your behavior in here. At this point, it isn't about problems with your bike. It's nothing more than bashing everything Buell. Grow the f up. You've been offered help by several people on several occasions. So what's your excuse for the continued whine? | ||
| Bads1 |
Nobody gave her a glass. | ||
| Lorazepam |
Buellgrrl, I am not one to normally feed the trolls, but to chastise buellgurlie for self promotion is certainly the pot calling the kettle black. You were entertaining in the beginning, but I for one will be avoiding your whining and crying, and lack of action other than spreading your unhappiness to everyone you possibly can. Sell the damn bike, or get it fixed. Most of all, please stop spinning your wheels and wasting bandwidth with your constant whining. | ||
| CJXB |
Like I said... The moment you start throwing rocks at anything but your own motorcycle you are bitter and people will pick up on that. It's a self defeating route to take. Well said !! He may be contentious and contrary, but he's there when he's needed. He doesn't talk the talk, but he walks the walk. Judge him by his actions, you'll find a true enthusiast. He is “contentious and contrary” at times, but hey so am I so I don’t fault him for that, in person he’s a pretty cool guy and would be the first to help anyone. He’s not perfect (none of us are), but I consider him a friend and he can be very entertaining. There are quite a few ladies on here who are sick of hearing it too. Angel, Buellgirlie, myself, etc etc... Add me to the list !! Your personal attacks and shameless self promotion show real class (not), Buellgirlie. Like Mackay I know Buellgirlie, and she does have class and isn’t a whiner !! You think “your” Buell breaks, try racing it like she does hers, crash and instead of complaining get your a$$ up, fix your bike with the help of your Buell friends, duct tape up your leathers and go back out on the track and try it again !!! I think she’s just trying to make sure that no one confuses your screen name with hers, and it’s quite understandable !!! | ||
| Brucelee |
"Sell the damn bike, or get it fixed. " No, that is not gonna happen, as this has nothing to do with the bike, Buell or HDI. This is a life scrip for this broad and she is simply working it out here with us. "DA MAN IS DOIN' IT TO ME!!!!!!!!! Hey, it could save some poor man from actually having to be around her when she runs this game. Think of HIS pain! In this respect, we are doing if for a brother! Rant on TWIT, the INET is free. | ||
| Buellgrrrl |
Lorazepam, I'm retired on limited income and can't afford to replace my Buell for several years. I have been trying to get it fixed for some time now, but the hopeless HDI dealers have mostly dropped Buell and the ones that are left can't keep up. With over 40,000 miles on the bike now the breakdowns are occurring more often, and every time I have to truck it to the dealer it takes weeks for them to maybe fix it. As far as whinng goes, most of it comes from the dealer and HDI employees who can't stand the truth of how useless their parts & service operation is. | ||
| Newfie_buell |
Over this way we would take her and send her up north adrift on an ice floe!!!!!!Go live with the Seals, just watch out for the clubs.........hehehehehehe This discussion is akin to  . If your that unhappy with the Buell I'll give you $500.00 for it, I'd even ride the damm thing across the country without tools. The fact is that "ITS A MACHINE MADE BY HUMANS" until we can perfect ourselves then how in the heck can we perfect a machine. Its not going to happen so suck it up princess and move on. | ||
| Tramp |
Dora- you personify class on this board. thank you for that. no one will confuse you two. | ||
| Buellgrrrl |
CJxb, comparing me to Buellgirlie is a bit ridiculous- she's a quarter century younger than me and has faster reflexes unaffected by my age and MS. Thusly it'd be pretty stupid of me to get on the track and race her. So each to their own- she enjoys riding the racetrack and I enjoy riding the country lanes. You seem to have a problem with that concept... | ||
| Buellgrrrl |
Brucelee, you don't even know me, so cool it with your stereotyping psychobabble. | ||
| Buellgrrrl |
Newfie, I'd need about 5000 for the M2L to make my budgetnumbers. Given it's recent unreliability, I doubt it'd make it out of the central time zone, never mind to the eastern tip of this cntinent. | ||
| Buellgrrrl |
Newfie, I'd need about $5000 for the M2L to make my budget numbers. Given it's recent unreliability, I doubt it'd make it out of the central time zone, never mind to the eastern tip of this cntinent. | ||
| Bomber |
Buellgrrrl -- trailer your MaDuece to the Entropy Lab (far northern suburbs of the City of Big Shoulders), and we'll get it right within a weekend of sourcing all the needed parts. all the needed parts can be in the Entropy Lab with 4 working days (DaveS has sometimes gotten stuff delivered seemingly before I hung up from ordering them). deal? | ||
| Eboos |
My 2000 M2 with 4000 miles I bought for 3200. Budget or not, you would need to be realistic about the value of your bike. As far as trade in value goes, the dealership will always give you less then retail value due to the fact that they will have to turn around and sell it. I kind of look at milage on a bike like dog years. 40000 miles on a bike is like 100000 miles on a car. Things will go wrong. | ||
| Skyguy |
BuellGrrrl. If I had as many problems with my bike as you have I would have spent some time learning to fix it myself to avoid the downtime. Wait, I have had a lot of problems and I do fix it myself. These bikes are as simple as it gets when wrenching on a motorcycle. 40,000 miles is a lot of miles for ANY bike. Things happen. I have whined on this forum about the belt and headlights a lot. I have also answered questions, made jokes and tried to make a few friends. After reading through your posts over the last 1.5 years all you do is whine. No jokes, no contributions, just whining. We did nothing as an online community to invoke such a lengthy and useless thread. Please take it to BMC or HDI and leave us alone. | ||
| Anonymous |
Thanks, M2NC for posting the recall stuff. Would that more folks knew what you know, or were willing to write it in a more public forum. It is so old and so wrong to hear over and over about Buells "always having recalls" and "always breaking down". I certainly don't discount that it happens to people on Buells, and we are working to make it never happen because we hate any breakdown. But other bikes break down and have recalls, often more than ours. And to characterize our bikes the way many do is absolutely wrong and unfair; it keeps many people from experiencing some great motorcycles. | ||
| Road_thing |
Now that is a handsome offer! rt |
