| Author | Message | ||
     Court |
Byker: How about a detailed photo of the sidestand. This may be something that lends itself to an "owner engineered" solution ala' Aaron's S2 sidestand fix.... By the way, love this picture from your website...This Buell LOOKS World Class and right at home next to the sexiest Ducati.  Court | ||
| Bykergeek |
 Firebolt Sidestand Photo You can't really tell from the photo but the stand is nearly vertical so the req. effort to move the bike forward (and the sidestand back) is very low as the stand has to lift the bike about vertically about 1/8 inch to cause disaster.  | ||
| Dave |
Good job! You all have made a terrific improvement with getting Buell.com updated. BRAG section looks great and has current information... the new 2003 line up is already be shown off. We noticed ... Keep up the good work. DAve | ||
| Leeaw |
Received a reply from customer service regarding my tranny problems that were fixed out of my pocket last year. Of course, DENIED! I mentioned that the dealer stated to me that a goodwill warranty request was denied at the time it was in for repair, yet they have no record or it. They only deal with issues of a current nature. Dealer told me the problem was isolated to me and had no answer as to the cause. Basically, if you go on faith as to what the dealer tells you (acting as agent for Buell Customer Service), you are gambling that procedure was followed properly. I lost and I have to pay for it. Been through a handful of weeks in for the initial bike hold of 99, third shock, bad voltage regulator, 3 speedo sensors, rocker box leaks, sidestand switch and tranny problems, yada, yada, yada. It does not change my attitude towards my bike, and the $800 repair is long since spent. My anger stems from my believing what I am told. So many people tell me that information I get from the Buell internet groups is inaccurate. But at least I got a confirmation that the front exhaust mount would be changed to the new style under Goodwill Warranty, where the dealer had no clue that program had been extended. Now I will have a new hanger  and a bike that is not worth enough to sell. | ||
| Court |
Leeaw: The dealer is NOT an agent for Buell Customer Service. . . at least in the legal sense, in that they can not, as either a special or general agent could, bind Buell. Information, with regards to Buell, on the internet is quite accurate and there are a wealth of knowledgable folks here. Like ANYWHERE, you must temper what you hear with common sense and ask questions. Frankly, I get information from lots of places and would be reluctant to slam the 'net beyond what it deserves. Court | ||
| Blake |
Cheers to Buell for putting up the new 2003 model year bikes on their web site. Jeers to Buell for deleting the 2002 model year bikes from their site. C'mon guys, there are still plenty of M2's, X1's and S3's waiting for a loving home. Suggest you put them back online. | ||
| Leeaw |
As the dealer has to contact Customer Service in order to facilitate the Goodwill Warranty process, as I see it, they are acting as agent. It is not my choice that I cannot call. It has been a while since I took business law. I too agree the internet information is valuable and reliable first-hand information. I am always first to ask questions. Maybe my next question should be what should I buy next assuming I can afford it? | ||
| Court |
Good point. Doesn't make them an agent, but it does elevate the frustration. Frankly still bothers me that the "contact us" portion of the Buell website has NO WAY to contact Buell. Oooopsssss....I take it back, I eat my very words! Q. Who do I contact for general questions about Buell? A. Contact your dealer for all product, service, and promotion information. If the dealer is unable to assist you, write to: Buell Customer Service 3700 W. Juneau Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53208 To speak with a Buell customer service representative call 414-343-8400. Sorry, we're unable to receive e-mail at this time. Congratulations ! ! ! | ||
| José_Quiñones |
To follow up on what Blake said, how about a HISTORY section with pics/specs of every Buell model ever sold? Or at least link to Dave G's webpage. ALso how about links to the local BRAG webpages. For example, oh, I don't know, www.dcbrag.org?  | ||
| José_Quiñones |
Well a TOLL FREE number would be nice....... They used to have one didn't they? | ||
| Leeaw |
My point is that Buell handles the process with someone of their choice. I forget the dictionary definition of an agent, but I see the problem being that I was not allowed to be involved in the goodwill request process, yet between the two parties involved, there was a failure. And who paid the price? I spent months trying to collect on a judgment against someone. When the Sherrif's office could do no more, it took some pulling strings and investigation, but I succeeded. I don't know if this is worth a fight, but it can really turn someone off. I have to say that the people at Buell have always been kind and helpful, and I am sure would process most claims if they were given the power. I still stand on my belief that my failure in less than 8K miles, is something that should have been considered with greater regard. I know when my wife and I had a home daycare, we had to extend ourselves much further than any daycare center because we were a small business that depended on a small group of people. We took kids as early as 5:30am, and helped out beyond the call of duty. But we did this to survive, which we did. | ||
| Suecen |
we purchased a s3t about nine months ago. It is right now having the rear swingarm replaced. The kickstand switch didn't work and the letters on the tank are bubbled. Does anyone out there know of any recalls or what we should do? Thanks for any info Susan | ||
| José_Quiñones |
Susan, Hard to tell without knowing what year S3 it is. Check out the excellent RECALL MATRIX at Sport Twin i think you can call Buell, give them the VIN number, and they can tell you what recalls have been done and which ones still need to be done. | ||
| Court |
Susan: Swingarm replacement would is unusual, but not unheard of, for the S-3. Depending on the problem your dealer may install the newer swingarm. Either will serve you well. The sidestand switch is a common malady and an easy, quick, cheap fix your dealer will do for free. The bubbling tanks were more an S1 problem but leads me to beleive that you may have a 1997 S3. The best bet is to contact your Buell DEALER who has access (via hdnet) to a complete history of YOUR bike and what recalls are appropiate and done. As Jose' pointed out, be sure to check the SportTwin recall matrix. As a general rule, you'll know much more about this than the Buell dealer and arming yourself with accurate knowledge is essential to survival in the world of Buell. Court | ||
| Lake_Bueller |
Susan/Court, 1) I had a bubbled tank on my 98 S3T. They replaced it at no cost. However, when I bought the bike new, the tank was already bubbled. 2) My swing arm was replaced at the 10K service. Again, no cost to me. 3) Kickstand switch failed at about 200 miles. Replaced as warranty item. I hope that helps you with your S3T. (the best Buell ever made: IMHO) | ||
| Suecen |
Thanks to all who answered my message about the S3T Buell, it is a 98. Thanks for the tips going to check the web site mentioned. It is virtually impossible to reach the Buell line, is there a better time than others. Thanks again Susan | ||
| Thor1964 |
Sigh. My sweet 9407mi'00 S3T+ is broken and I've heard it's um, another known issue. At a fwy interchange I briefly heard an odd spin, then a loud snap @5krpm b4 my eng died. It turned over twice b4 siezing & discovery that the rear spark plug had been done in by the cyllinder. Sound familiar ? What should I expect. Thanks - Thor1964 P.S. Anyone have a list of issues to expect from the stock bikes I can compare with ? I've already encountered and upgraded a whole lot of stuff over the last 2+yrs. | ||
| Reepicheep |
I volunteer for NYPUM, which is a Honda sponsored youth project. The goals are to take at risk kids, and teach them confidence, responsibility, accountability, honesty, integrity, and socialization skills. We teach them to ride dirt bikes, and they write up a contract for goals they want to reach, and if their parent / teacher signs that they met their goals, they get to ride. The real change comes from relationship with the kids, and the dirt bikes are the tool that helps the adults bridge the gap and gives the adults a voice the kids might hear. It works well for some (but not all) kids. The ones it works for, it REALLY seems to work for. Our local group that has done all the work (Honda supplies the bikes, not much more) is City Cure, a faith based organization. We do not set any religious conditions on participation, but if a kid wants to connect with a church community, we will encourage it. If a kid has some major crises happening, we pray with them. If a kid wonders why we do this, we tell them. Honda / NYPUM, after 20 years of working with City Cure, finally go around to a realization that we are a faith based organization. They told us that we have to sign a letter saying effectively that our faith won't be a part of anything we do. Huh? A kid asks me why I push stalled XR100's up hills for three hours straight in 95 degree heat, and I can't tell them why? A kid comes to me after his dad committed suicide, and I can't tell him I will pray with / for him? We are looking for a replacement sponsor to help with the costs of the bikes. Preferably a company that is not unwilling to be associated with people that are also associated with a church of some sort. Thanks for any connections anyone might suggest. Bill@KilgallonFamily.com | ||
| Cyclone1 |
BMC, Excellent job on the XB platform  Been inside of them, and seen them perform for a while. I'm impressed. Seen one rider though, that had the "update" kickstand put on..it broke! Might wanna check that out  Just a heads up to ya... Keep up the good work, and stay alive Frank | ||
| Pj1 |
I have been waiting a week to hear from my dealer and Buell for a week now concerning a good will request for a broken drive belt. I have had the bike a year and a month and have had continued problems for 8 months of riding. Is this going to continue and how long does it take to get an answer? $500 dollars to have the dealer replace the belt is a lot especially if this is going to be an ongoing problem. Also I'm not having a lot of fun taking the bus to work. | ||
| Sarodude |
This drives me NUTS... There's a Screamin' Eagle ignition that works on the Blast. On the package it actually MENTIONS its application to the Blast. I THINK the part number is 32942-02. I'm pretty sure that's the module but I'd need to double check at the dealer. Why isn't this listed on the Buell site? -Saro | ||
| Sarodude |
Thank you, oh anonymous corporate lurker, for listening to my simple request above! That is cool. -Saro | ||
| Reepicheep |
The rake and trail numbers for the XB9S (and probably the XB9R) on the Buell website are inconsistent. They are listed in both mm and inches, but the precision is not precise enough given the size of the numbers. Which is right, and which was derived, the metric or english? Add a decimal place of precision to one or the other please. Thanks. | ||
| Blake |
I didn't know rake had a "metric" dimension. As to the trail listed as 3.3"/83mm, the discrepancy comes from maintaining only two significant figures. It is likely that the 3.3" is actually 3.26" or 3.27" which would translate to 82.8mm or 83.1mm. So they are not really inconsistent, they are simply rounded to two significant figures, which for most is more than adequate to understand the bike's chassis geometry.  | ||
| Blake |
But, maybe they can tell us how they get 984cc from the 3.5"/88.9m X 3.125"/79.38mm bore and stroke? That just doesn't compute. I get 985.4 cc no matter which numbers I use, SAE or metric. | ||
| Sarodude |
Blake- Would you have been interested in a bike called XB985.4R?  Seriously, sometimes I see the thing listed as 3.48" bore. I get like 964.788393 using pi=3.14 and a metric conversion of 2.54 ^3. Would the 'heat expansion sizing theory' then apply? -Saro | ||
| Hootowl |
Domed pistons? | ||
| Blake |
Heat expansion would make the displacement even larger. No, domed pistons don't effect displacement, just compression ratio. | ||
| Sarodude |
Blake- What might 964 cc come out to after heat expansion? -Saro | ||
| Hootowl |
The dome on the piston doesn't reduce the volume of air in the cylinder? How is that? |
