| Author | Message | ||
     Perry |
Grrr... the weather is perfect now and my bike's headed back to the shop again. My '05 scg (10K miles) suffered some serious electrical issues - I suspect they were caused by vibration wearing through a wire. Here's the story - After gassing up I hit the starter button and the electrical completely reset (gauge sweep, trip meter and clock reset). I thought the battery connection might be loose so I pulled off the seat and checked it - perfectly tight. I try it again and get a slight chug from the starter, and then again the reset. I figure if it would just start I could get it home... so I tried one more time. This time a see a puff of smoke from the tail area and a burning smell! Further examination reveals that the wires leading to the license-plate light have have the insulation completely burned off the wires. Maybe the wires wore through and shorted? I disconnect the wires leading to the light and the bike starts right up like there's no problem. I get it home and do a thorough once-over. The wires apparently got so hot that they not only melted around the license-plate light, but actually melted part of the wiring harness too (why no fuse here??), so simply replacing the license plate light and wires isn't an option. I decide I need to go into the dealer (I have the extended warranty). But when I try to start the bike up to ride to the dealer, the fuel pump and ignition switches do nothing - so perhaps there are more problems caused by the fried wires - or perhaps more symptoms of a deeper issue. I trailer it in to the shop and they tell me they can't even look at it for THREE WEEKS. This is of course the only Buell dealer in the state too, although there are a million HD dealerships. I figure maybe I'll get the 10K service done at the same time. He tells me it will be $680 for *labor alone* to do the 10K service. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? Guess I'll be doing that myself. I really love my XB, but I honestly am beginning to question whether I would buy another Buell. I can accept some problems with reliability and quality (all makes have problems), but coupling those issues with a lack of decent dealer support and service is just too much pain and hassle. | ||
| Ironhead1977 |
Perry, It is just the time of year that you need service. No matter what brand you have or dealer you take brand X to there is going to be a wait this time of year. | ||
| Tdiddy |
680 BUCKS? I don't have my manual with me but I think the only thing other than plugs, oil, filter, primary chain and checking the torque on most bolts is changing the fork oil. I would have them repair the harness under warranty and change the oil in the fork. Every thing else is easy with some basic hand tools and a few hours. |
