| Author | Message | ||
     Hangontight |
I bought my '06 brand new a couple of weeks ago and have been on two rides since taking it home. Being an excited new owner, I didn't mess with setting the suspension to spec or even bother checking the air pressure in the tires..I figured the dealer would have put the right pressure in right??....wrong. My second ride out I made sure to set compression, rebound, and preload to my weight (220lbs) on both the front and back suspensions. Also, I checked the tires and to my surprise there was only 10psi in each! They didn't look flat when I took them out the first time but obviously they were. Anyway, after setting the suspension and putting some freakin air in the tires, this is a completely different bike! I was surprised that they wouln't have done these simple adjustments to the bike before I test rode it at the dealer. 5 minutes of adjustments to the bike could leave much better impressions on would-be buyers. To sum it up, all new Uly owners should make sure to take 5 minutes and adjust all six points on your suspension....it makes a WORLD of difference. oh yeah, tire pressure too! | ||
| Thunderbox |
Make sure you explain what happened to the owner or at the very least the manager of the dealership. If they don't know whats going on they can't very well fix it. Enjoy that bike my friend and be safe. | ||
| Mnrider |
When I bought mine I made the delivery guy get out the owners manuel and set all the settings for my weight cause I was riding it home 60 miles.Most of those guys dont know what rebound and compression even is.But not setting tire pressure is bad. | ||
| Ratbuell |
For what it's worth, and I've mentioned this elsewhere on BWB as well - the bikes come from Buell "not set". Left fork may be different from right fork may be different from rear shock. They are simply assembled and tightened as far as I know. Tires are inexcusable, they should be checked before ANY demo ride, HD or Buell or UJM. Suspension setup, though...that's a gray area. My manager used to give me the hairy eyeball if he saw me with tools out, until I explained that I was just adjusting the suspension for the rider and not taking stuff apart. I do believe, though, that it should absolutely have been set for the new PURCHASER. +1 on the above - ALWAYS CHECK IT. | ||
| Snakebreak |
I pretty much had the same thing. My tires had 15 PSI, and the preload in the front was more than 4 turns and different for each fork. (No I don't weigh over 300 pounds.) | ||
| Dentguy |
Set-up? I think some dealers see that as setting it up on the kickstand. | ||
| Longdog_cymru |
When I bought mine, I specifically asked the dealer if the suspension had been set-up for my weight. He asked me how heavy I was and disappeared, then told me it was all done. I had a 150 mile ride home in January, and the first roundabout I came to, I noticed it was pushing the front wide. Initially, I put it down to new tyres, maybe having some release agent on them. When I got home, the rear shock was set on minimum preload and goodness only knows where they got the compression/rebound settings, but it certainly wasn't from Erik's manual!!!!!!! It was squatting down at the back like a dog with worms!!!!!! Now, it's a peach!!!! | ||
| Skinstains |
Trust No-one ! | ||
| 4cammer |
Maybe that is why the XR1200 has fixed settings on the forks....?? | ||
| Hangontight |
Well, I'm glad to know I'm not alone! I did follow up with the dealer and made a friendly suggestion that they should make more of an effort to set up the bikes correctly for people seriously considering a purchase. He said appreciated the advice and was sorry about not checking air pressure..no harm done. Bottom line: if you want something done right, DO IT YOURSELF! | ||
| Nevrenuf |
i had to deal with loose mirrors and i rode mine 600 miles the next day after i picked it up. | ||
| Desert_uly |
Had a slight disagreement with the dealer salesman regarding the freight and set-up costs but I gave in and paid it.My first ride (after trucking bike home from dealer)and the handlebars were rotating backward as if they had never been tightened.I guess the $700 was freight only and proper setup must have been optional. | ||
| Edgydrifter |
It's weird that dealers under-inflating tires seems so common. Mine were 12psi low front and rear the day the dealer gave me the keys. I couldn't believe it! I had to dig through my toolbox to find a different gauge so I could get a second opinion. My fault as much as anybody's, I suppose. I spent a couple hours with the Buell specialist setting up the suspension and going over every bolt and cable on the bike but never thought to check the tires before leaving the dealership. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Even my own bikes were down on air last week. Got a pair of tubers that haven't been going out because of all the salt on the roads, and when I checked them pre-ride my S2 had 12psi in the back, and the S1W had 8 up front. Just from sitting. I only have *three* bikes in my garage - dealers have upwards of a hundred sometimes. It's tough to keep track. YES, it should be checked pre-ride. Unfortunately sometimes we're sending a demo out while someone's on hold and a guy's in our office filling out a credit app and has a question about "this line" and there's three more folks on the floor with questions....it sucks, but we're human too. Personally, I will put it all on hold before a Buell demo and set the suspension myself if it's way out of range for the rider (like a 165lb guy going out on a bike that was set for 230), and I'll at least kick-test the tires while the bike's warming up to make sure they're no more than a couple lbs off. What sucks though, is that it's our job, and it seems there's always something else nagging at us at any moment that we have to take care of as well, and things get missed sometimes. |
