| Author | Message | ||
     Court |
Mike: Call BUELL CUSTOMER SERVICE. They are familiar with your bike, the problem, the solution and the dealer. Great set of ingredients to combine in this case I would suggest. Court | ||
| Tsrf900r |
Court, Called Buell customer service. They are going to try and help by calling and giving the dealer some ideas on what to check, but because I am in Canada, they cannot do much. I have to deal with the Canadian distributor. The dealer is closed today, I'll update my progress as soon as I get more info. Thanks for the help. Mike | ||
| Bobup |
My dealer sent me an email this weekend stating that they found a "cracked" part, ordered one and would give me more info on Tuesday. cracked fuel rail maybe? don't know yet, when I have more info I will post it. | ||
| Court |
Do keep us posted. I am led to believe they have a handle on this and are on top of it. I'd expect a prompt solution. | ||
| Donutclub |
It's been since last Thursday and I haven't heard back from Buell Customer Service. I'm guessing that they won't be calling me back? I'm going to pick up my bike from the Dealer today and I'm expecting to still be on the hook for an hour of labor for something that they didn't fix. It's Dealers like this that give Buell a bad name. I'll be looking for a solution to fix this problem as well. | ||
| Court |
Did they tell you they would call back? They have done a very poor job during the past year of following through on commitments. This erodes trust which, in my humble opinion, is the very basis of customer service. I used to, when at Buell, when I was faced with a very difficult situation try to take some control by first making some small commitments that I KNEW I could deliver on. I wanted folks to build confidence that they could count on what I was telling them. Once that trust is established then news, either good or bad, can be delivered with credibility. I've had the pleasure of helping many hundreds of Buell owners and have a pretty fair record. Customer Service is staffed with some very good folks right now but I wish I was seeing more definitive direction rather than having them appear to be a defensive wall. Be sure to pay your dealer, if they spent time on the bike, fairly. The only way to expect trust and fair dealing is by giving it. Court | ||
| Donutclub |
I got a call from Buell Customer Service today. Consequently, I was on my way to pick up the bike at the Dealer. They gave me the details of the situation and asked a couple of questions. They’re looking for details or parameters that are present when the fuel smell happens. I didn’t have much to offer, but I’ll be taking notes the next time I ride (I knew those physic labs in college would pay off someday). My experience at the Dealer (AD Farrows) was surprisingly very positive. I was expecting to pay the bill (even though the bike wasn’t fixed) and to never return with my dollars. However, they were very polite and the service manager explained that he had a long discussion with someone at HD (did he mean Buell?) about the issue. Long story short, they didn’t charge me and they impressed upon me to bring the bike back when it happens again. The bike isn’t fixed, but hopefully my notes will assist to resolve the issue. I need the weather to break so I can get to work! Thanks to “Mr. S ” at Buell Customer Service for returning my call and/or talking to the Dealer. | ||
| Court |
I heard from them too. . . . kinda thought you might.  | ||
| Reepicheep |
This is suddenly starting to sound a lot better all around, and sound once again like the wonderful people in Buell CS that I dealt with in the past. | ||
| Unibear12r |
Without trying to get too much hate mail here but it looks like the "problem" with all the Cali bikes was with overfilling the fuel tank. | ||
| Court |
>>>Without trying to get too much hate mail If you start to run out of hate mail, let me know . . . I have some extra from yesterday. Responsibility is a bitch. | ||
| Jdugger |
> Without trying to get too much hate mail > here but it looks like the "problem" with > all the Cali bikes was with overfilling > the fuel tank. Well, keep in mind the smell has happened, and been witnessed by my dealer, on my TX bike. I've thought it might be related to gas as well. At least, if not an overfill situation, when the gas gets sprayed above the lower frame/tank neck line during fill AND the bike gets nice and hot. But, I've not been able to reproduce the smell consistently. And, I've had the bike stink to high heaven on relatively low fuel levels. There is a problem... not sure that it's a major problem or even a safety problem other than in a small garage. But, there is a problem. And, soon as I have consistent data, or at least a reasonable hypothesis, I'll report it to my dealer. That's all we can do right now. | ||
| Tsrf900r |
My bike is a Canadian bike, fuel level doesn't matter, I get the fuel smell even when the reserve light is on. One thing I have noticed, is it will not smell right away, sometimes it takes an hour after shutoff before it starts to smell. Makes me think it is a pressure issue of some sort. My dealer is still MIA even after talking to Buell Customer Service. I think I will have to search for a new dealer. | ||
| Edmbueller |
Tsrf900r - which dealer are you currently using? I know that from where you are you don't have much choice, however, Deeley HD in Vancouver races Buells and even had a XBRR that they raced..They are definitely Buell friendly perhaps give them a call.. Also the Calgary HD shop has a Buell race team...also may be worth a phone call... | ||
| Tsrf900r |
Thanks Edmbueller. I'm using Mountainview in Chilliwack. I am going to try Deeley, or Barnes in Langley... See how that goes.. Thanks for the info | ||
| Blake |
"Makes me think it is a pressure issue of some sort. " I sometimes suffer the same affliction, the malodorous result being worse. | ||
| Bobup |
I just got off the phone with the service manager. He tells me that... 1) fuel smell was do to the fuel rail not being tight....re-torqued and problem solved. (time will tell) 2) coolant leak due to a cracked radiator...new one on the way. He even offered to put it together for me to ride in the meantime...I declined since I still have my XB9SX to ride. Should be back under my butt late next week! bob | ||
| Court |
How did the radiator get cracked? Any idea if it was delivered, happened in transit, during dealer PDI or later? | ||
| Bobup |
no explanation was offered and I didn't ask...I'll try to get more info when I can talk to him in person. | ||
| Dtx |
I had a fuel smell in the garage last night after a ride. I also noticed (and am 99% sure) that the fuel was boiling inside the tank. Maybe the boiling fuel was causing the fuel vapor/smell? | ||
| Garrett2 |
noticed teh smell today after a short ride, noticed it during the ride, looked and there was no gas on pavement ive over filled it and its ran out, but that was a long time ago (about 400 miles ago) and today when i filled up i put about 40 miles on it before the smell came nc bike | ||
| Alans |
Dtx, what were the conditions surrounding your ride last night? Did you fill up the tank before riding, how high did you fill it, how full was the tank at the end, etc.? What was the outside temp? I had an instance where I'd overfilled the tank, plugged the canister (Cal bike) with excess fuel, and the subsequent inability of the tank to vent properly appears ultimately to have caused fuel to spray out when the fuel cap was released on an 80F ambient day, after freeway speeds capped by 15 minutes of stop and go riding. | ||
| Dtx |
I don't have a Cal bike, so this is where it gets interesting. Bike has never been overfilled and I don't have a venting problem because the tank does not pressurize. Started the ride out with about 1/2 a tank of gas. Went for a short ride into town and got the bike hot enough for normal operation temp. When I got back I could smell gas and heard burbling coming from the right side frame. Then opened the gas tank (again no pressurization) and stuck my ear down the opening. The fuel was definately boiling. I don't know if thats an issue or not. The bike ran fine with no warning lights coming on. Just thought it was a little wierd. Came back out in the garage about 30 min. later and it really smelled like gas, but the boiling fuel had stopped. Oh, well. We'll see if anything comes of it. For what its worth, me electrical system is working flawlessly. Put it on the tender and it turns green in less then 10 min. | ||
| Donutclub |
Alright folks, I have collected some data over the past couple of days for when the fuel smell occurs. The fuel smell comes from the overflow tube that vents to the ground (non-CA bike). It actually gets wet with fuel at some time after the bike is shut off. In my observations, the hose begins to get wet after the fuel pump cycles (after the bike has shut down). I observed my bike up to 30 minutes after I shut it down and it got pretty smelly after I heard the cycling of the fuel pump. Another factor that intensifies the smell is the ambient temperature. As the ambient temperature increases, the bike runs hotter, and the fuel smell is stronger(after the bike is shut down). I prepared a report with my observations and findings. The draft report can be downloaded at: http://www.syarfam.com/Syar%201125R%20report.doc I'm guessing that it will get much worse this summer. | ||
| Dtx |
Hmm...that's interesting. But what about the fuel boiling? Does yours do that too? | ||
| Dtx |
Donut, is this vent hose on the front right side of the bike? I did notice a little fluid on my muffler. Thought maybe it was coolant, but fuel makes sense if that is the overflow...thus the smell. | ||
| Etsoneup |
I did notice the same smell of fuel for the first few hundred miles, however I haven't smelled it in sometime now. But my fuel pump does cycle for sometime after I have shut it down, how i ride hasn't made a difference hard or easy riding same thing. | ||
| Donutclub |
The vent hose is on the right side of the bike above the muffler. There are two vent hoses at this location: the fuel and the coolant. Touch your finger to the bottom of the hose and then give it a sniff. You'll know if it's fuel. As for a sound, I did get a "liquid" sound that is hard to explain. It sounded like a slow rhythmic surging sound. I'm not sure, but I believe it is coming from the coolant overflow tank as the coolant gets sucked back into the radiator while the bike is cooling down. I'm very curious about the effect of ambient temperature. If someone in a warmer climate could duplicate my observations, it could be helpful. | ||
| Jdugger |
It's warming up here in Texas. Was 80+ today. Tonight I took the 1125r and got him really hot. As in, the frame of the bike -- where your knees go -- was almost too hot to touch with a flat palm. Coolant temp was normal.. 180 or so. Fan running. But the difference here was the whole dang bike got hot, not just the motor. Once I shut the bike off, I could hear the fuel boiling, smell the gas, and there was a faint shhhhhhhh sound coming from the right (high when on the stand) side of the bike. I am pretty sure the smell is ambient temperature related.... | ||
| Zac4mac |
I went for a short ride today, only about 10 miles. About a half hour after I got home, I went out to the garage. Moderate smell of fuel and a bubbling sound. I hoped for coolant moving to the expansion tank, no sound there. Stuck my ear to the frame, it was not too warm to touch, bubbling. Not so sure I like boiling fuel. Ambient was 50 frigging degrees. Fahrenheit. Hmmmmmmm. Z |
