| Author | Message | ||
     Blitzen |
Moving from Maine to Cincinnati next month. whats the skinny on good Buell service Not a Harley dealer that will order parts cause they don't want to stock parts for Willy G's red haired stepchildren. and are there any Badweather Buell riders in the area. | ||
| M2nc |
Blitzen - I knew that Maine was north, but I did not know that it was by the North Pole. I grew up in Cincinnati but it was too far north for me, so we moved to North Carolina. I go to Cincinnati every once in a while and just had the honor of riding with a bunch of Buellers from Ohio (Columbus and Piqua). I hope you have a great time in Cincinnati. As cities go, it is one of the best. There are some Buellers in Cincinnati. One is in Blue Ash the other is in Loveland. Maybe they will pipe in here soon. Good luck with the move. | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
Welcome to OHIO!! | ||
| Reepicheep |
Welcome to the area! We just moved from Cincinnati to Lebanon (effectively a Cincinnati suburb these days). It's just past Mason up I-71 north, and with Mason traffic being what it is, you can probably get to most of Lebanon faster then getting to any of Mason. What part of Cincy are you targeting? There is an old Buell dealer on the south east side... they have some goods and bads, but are ultimately usable with a little baby sitting, and seem to be good folks. Aces and Eights just became a Buell dealer (north east side near Kings Island). Their heart is in the right place, and they look like they will probably be getting good quickly, but they are still have some fairly egregious shortcomings... I went in for a set of rear brake pads, and they did not have them in stock, and when they ordered them they did not bother to call me and tell me they were in. But they were nice, and had some people there that definately "get" the Buell thing. The really good dealer is on the other side of Dayton (F&S). They have most of what I want in stock, will order things for me over the phone (without making me give a credit card until I come in to pick them up), and have good followup. If they don't have a common part in stock, they recognize that they screwed up... whenever I need something common that they did not have, I watch them and they order several more then I wanted to have them on hand. So only break things I already broke. And they place orders quickly, so if it is an order I can call them on Monday and generally have it in hand before Friday. It can be a long haul from Cincy though, up to 90 minutes depending on which end of the city you end up on. Are you going to be here by Oct? There still might be slots at the mid ohio inside pass track day... Several of us will be going there and meeting for the first time. | ||
| N121uc |
M2nc, do you know any info on the Bueller in Loveland? Cause I'm in Loveland. | ||
| Reepicheep |
A few years back I saw a white S1 with lengthened swingarm on it's way towards Loveland. Never caught up with him. Saw a black S1 in Evendale. The owner should have been arrested for motorcycle cruelty. Leaking fork seals, damage on both sides of the bike, leather harley accessories hung on it, etc. Broke my heart, it did. | ||
| Ulywife |
N121uc - gugnheim is in Loveland. Do a search and drop him a PM. Bookyoh is in Blue Ash. Guess M2nc will have someone to ride with next time he takes the bike to Cincy. | ||
| N121uc |
He will most definitely have someone to ride w/ just drop us a PM and we'll get something together. | ||
| Reepicheep |
I have a loaner bike now (you can add that to my RAN entry if you want). KLR 250, great fun if you are not intimidated by a kick starter  | ||
| M2nc |
Reep - I want a little dual sport like that. It will probably be my next bike, something used that I do not have to put much money into and can explore more off-road adventures. I am finally returning dual sport tires to the Uly and will take it down dirt roads and larger two-rut trails. Even though I have had the Uly in sand pits, fields and trails, it is a handful in comparison to a smaller purpose built dual sport. | ||
| Rasta_dog |
Sorry I'm late to post here. I live ten minutes from HD/Buell of Cincinnati in Eastgate and I'm a little apprehensive about taking my XB in for service. From my experience as a Sportster owner, they seem very much like an HD only type of dealer. I put in full syn oil myself at 500 miles, but I'm almost 1000 miles past the 1000 mile service. It's good to see other Buell owners from Cincy chat it up. I live in Anderson Township, but have been traveling mostly to Northern Kentucky for my weekend sport rides. I'll also be at Mid Ohio for the Inside Pass track day. What's everybody's thoughts at setting a designated place to meet up and watch the AMA and Moto GP races? That way you could show up whenever your schedule, or wife, allows you to? There's a place in old Loveland called The Works that's cool (it's an old firehouse), and there's always Quaker Steak & Lube in Milford. | ||
| Ulywife |
Rasta - check out the Ohio - Columbus storm fronts. Wolfridgerider is participating at Mid-Ohio. | ||
| N121uc |
Rasta- I am within walking distance from The Works, I'm down there or at Paxton's all the time...I'd be willing to get together or setup for a meeting place. | ||
| Rasta_dog |
That's a cool area. I bet there are a lot of twisty back roads that you could show me. If we could get one of those establishments to agree to it, I'd love to check out the live final round of AMA Superbike from Laguna Seca. May be difficult now that football has started. | ||
| N121uc |
I'll see what I can do... I know some of the managers at both Paxton's and The Works so I'll run it by them and see what we can get done. I'm sure they won't have a problem. They have at least 3 tuners that I know of. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think it starts at 5:00 on Speed. | ||
| Blitzen |
Hey I got here ok already had some good experiences. Miami cycles got me fixed up with a new Perrelli Scorpion to replace my worn out dunflop and match the new scorpion Sync on the front. Also Aces and Eights helped me with the sidesand bolt and recall kit to keep my stand from dropping down by it's self. I may even take a job in sales. They liked my attitude... I complemented them on having a nice selection in the showroom..then said why not hire a bueller to get them on the street! had a good time at their Fiday night party..check that out and see the Psycho buells stunt team there later this month | ||
| Reepicheep |
Did they have parts in stock? That's a good sign. I'm at the next exit up I-71 from Aces and Eights. They have a couple sales guys there that clearly "got it"... they just hadn't invested in having a good parts selection on hand yet. It's their money and I understand a business has to be run, but it sounds like they are moving a decent number of Buells every month. I have seen the smoke from the stunt team a couple of times driving by, but never the actual show. Some outstanding riding just a little past there... Up by fort ancient, then around ceasers creek, then by the Little River Cafe in Orgonia (decent food, nice atmosphere, not expensive), then back up through Lebanon. PM me if you are up this way... My schedule stays pretty full, but I can often squeeze in a chance to sneak out for an hour. | ||
| Reepicheep |
And I see some other messages here I must have missed... I wonder if the 'new messages' utility is working right? Hmmm... Anyway, M2nc, I am *thrilled* with the KLR250. It was $570, and needed another $100 in parts to be running right (issues particular to my particular good deal), and another $100 to try and make the brakes something other then "terrifying" (a broad problem with the bike). Parts are easy to get (it was in production from 1985 to 2005), the bike does much better on and off road then I would have thought possible. It's a perfectly viable commuter... it'll hit 70 on the interstate in a pinch. Kick start adds some excitement, but it generally starts easily. Off road, you won't be jumping triples with it, but it will go... anywhere... at a fun relaxed pace. It won't replace a Buell in my garage, but it sure is a fun addition. Rasta... I dealt with Eastgate Buell a few times. I had issues with them, but they were around ordering parts / recall paperwork for an M2 shock. They either flat out lied about if they did the work and ordered the part, or they had my part then gave it to somebody else. We worked it out, but I can tolerate mistakes a lot easier then I can tolerate a lie. Just tell me you screwed up and move on. Don't lie to me about it. That being said, its retail sales, people come and go, stuff happens. The work they did on my bike was perfect, so I would have no concerns about their service department. They have "done Buells" since the dark ages, so even though they look fairly Harley, there are techs there that ride and get Buells. They also sponsored a "sportbike challange". Another fairly classic example. Their heart was in the right place, and they did a lot of work to throw a "Battletrax" for me, which I appreciate. But it wasn't a "Battletrax", it was a cheapo knockoff don't pay Reg thing. They had a lot more riders then track, so investing most of a day only got me 3 runs. And the track layout and setup made for a lot more pucker then fun. So they tried, which I appreciate... but there is room for improvement in execution. But like I said, if my bike was broken and they were convenient, I would not hesitate to let them work on it, but I would be watching very closely to make sure they really have the parts they need in a timely fashion, and discretely double checking the things they tell me to verify them when the answer matters. That was all years ago as well. Things change. The owner has one of the prettiest S1's I have ever seen as well, and he is not afraid to push it to the limits. Even after he high-sided it, it looked good | ||
| Rasta_dog |
Anybody got any riding planned for the weekend? I'm still up for a ride Sunday and then checking out the AMA finale someplace. Pretty sweet line up from 4-7 on Speed. | ||
| Reepicheep |
I have to dig and pour concrete... If that goes well, I may take a 45 minute break and go exploring on the KLR250 and try and find some off road routes. Hmmm... Where's that Google Maps satellite view link again... | ||
| Dobr24 |
I'm here and I live in Mt. Lookout. I ride about every Saturday and Sunday drop me an email. Chris | ||
| Rasta_dog |
Devil's Staircase Hill Climb Sunday. Coffee, doughnuts, and about 150 bikes at the Alley Shop on Reading Rd. off the Norwood Lateral 9am. | ||
| Reepicheep |
I'll listen for you riding by... that devils staircase event is just a few miles from me... Lots of empty beer containiners in that field every year afterwards. Be careful and prudent and remember you are riding back. | ||
| Rasta_dog |
Thanks, but I don't drink and ride/drive. Anyway...whoever wants to see the largest gathering of cool motorcycles (saw a BMW HP2 enduro last year) in Cincinnati, be there. | ||
| Marks3tbillet |
Rastadog: Are you saying there is an event at Alley Shop or is this the meeting place to ride to the Hillclimb? How long will the bikes be at the Shop? Thanks, Mark | ||
| Rasta_dog |
It's both. It's at a private business. The owner is a enthusiast who used to race AHMRA vintage stuff, but his health is failing him. He has all of his vintage Ducati's on display, and my dad will have his KR and XLR TT on display. If you get there between 8-8:30am, there will already be 75 bikes there, plus coffee, juice, and doughnuts. By 10am there will be 100 bikes there, just hanging out, checking out the scene. You'll see people riding vintage stuff, new and old Ducati's, BMW's and Triumps, Aprillia's, KTM's, and all the new and old Japanese stuff. There will even be scooter trash there. If you make it there, make sure you go inside and check out the vintage bikes on display, and put your name on the mailing list at the receptionist counter. | ||
| Pete_o |
Another Loveland guy here. Did the Alley Shop and hillclimb too. Wow, talk about the opposite ends of the motorcycling spectrum. By the way, www.localriders.com has a lot of people from around Cincinnati who get together for rides. Pete (Message edited by Pete_O on October 22, 2007) | ||
| Geobiker |
Hi all. I've been looking around lately at the different dealerships in the area. I'm looking to buy a Ulysses in the next few months, and wanted to get opinions on the dealers around. I live in the hell hole that is Clifton, and my school and work schedule don't allow me a lot of time to get out to the dealers. I've only visited Eastgate and Aces & Eights, and here are my impressions of them. Eastgate: Sales staff seems to be a lot more motivated to get you on the right bike for you at the right price. My impression is that they will be more willing to deal on price. One of the sales guys, although I don't know how true this is, told me that he doesn't work off sales commission. Aces & Eights: These guys remind me of the typical pushy used car salesmen, just with goatees. They don't seem to care what bike they put you on as long as they can squeeze every last dime out of you. I'm not there to buy a HD and am NOT going to pay the list price. I have yet to visit A.D. Farrow in Columbus or F&S HD in Dayton. What are you're opinions of these dealers. I plan on doing all or as much of servicing as I can, but also need opinions on service departments. Hope to be on my bike soon and getting together for some good rides. Thanks in advance. | ||
| Reepicheep |
I spent a lot of time in all parts of clifton in college... from the over the rhine end, to the gaslight end. Good memories there... and even better memories of getting out Eastgate had good sales people and a good selection, and does really "get" Buell, and has since 1996 or so. The owner has an S1 that is one of the prettiest motorcycles I have ever seen. My only beef with them (which was a significant one) was with the parts department. They flat out lied to me about some parts being there, and cost me a lot of headaches. One mistake, and a long time ago, and an easy to solve problem... so people should make their own decisions. Definately a dealer worth considering though, particularly if you are in Clifton. Aces and Eights is now right down the street from me (I am in Lebanon). They have at least two sales guys I have talked with that got Buell as well. Their parts department was well intentioned, but failed to stock basic parts (I needed rear brake pads) and failed to call me in a timely fashion when they came in. Four weeks turnaround may work for your average cruiser guy... it won't for your average Buell rider. They are selling the bikes really well though, so maybe they will start stocking. F&S in Dayton was where I ended up getting mine. A long haul for you (they are on the other side of Dayton), but a straight shot. They generally have a good inventory in stock, and will pre-order on the phone for me (so I don't have to make two trips, just one when they have my parts in hand), and generally take good care of me. They have one guy that works for them on and off (Bill) that has "been there, wrecked that" and gets Buell really well. Thats who sold me my 9sx. Their parts guys are good as well, and if they don't have a common part when I need it, they admit that it was a screw up, and I always see them order extras for inventory when they order whatever I needed. I paid full retail for mine, but had them throw in some free stuff (race ECM and TPS reset) and got a fairly good deal on my trade in. Maybe they will work with you better if you get some gear with the bike... most of the Buell branded technical gear is good stuff... the gloves and the riding jacket and pants for example. I think retail on XB's is fairly fair... Some great riding up around Lebanon... stop by sometime and I can show you a nice relaxed loop around ceasers creek. | ||
| M2nc |
My only beef with Eastgate was a trip I took to Cincinnati to visit family on a Memorial day weekend. I over-estimated how much life my tire had left and I needed a replacement. I found out Eastgate was opened and a Salesperson told me could change out the tire for me if his manager approved. The manager did not approve and I had to ride 600 miles home on a tire showing cord. They were more worried about sales than service and that sounds consistent with Reep's assessment. |
