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Firemanjim
Posted on Monday, April 06, 2009 - 01:15 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Anyone here had a throttle shaft break on a late model XB, got one at shop --an 06 with broken shaft??
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U4euh
Posted on Wednesday, April 08, 2009 - 12:34 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

If your talking about the shaft that is in the throttle body then yes I have. AND it cannot be replaced unles you know someone with a CNC machine. Buell will tell you that it is not servicable and has to be replaced as a whole unit. I ended up getting lucky and getting another one from a BWB'r, whole unit that is. Another BWB'r had one machined for him and it worked. I have two old ones lying around if you want for specifications.
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Hughlysses
Posted on Wednesday, April 08, 2009 - 12:56 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Firemanjim- The shaft is NOT available as a replacement part, you have to buy the whole throttle body. New12r (Charlie) had one fail on his Uly a while back and had a replacement shaft fabricated. Charlie may be able to set you up with another.

Here's the thread: http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/142 838/429542.html?1233592320

Here's a link to Charlie's post with photo: http://www.badweatherbikers.com/cgibin/discus/show .cgi?tpc=142838&post=1366520#POST1366520

(Message edited by hughlysses on April 08, 2009)
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Damnut
Posted on Wednesday, April 08, 2009 - 01:39 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Had one guy have his break at Homecoming last year down the road from the track. Jimduncan, Wolfridgerider and I made sure we got him to the track and left him with the James Gang crew. He was from Texas and was really F-ed until Coolice and the gang hooked him up with a throttlebody off a recently crashed racebike.

One of them feel good stories of Buellers going out of their way to helping each other out.
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Firemanjim
Posted on Thursday, April 09, 2009 - 01:34 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Thought I remembered more than one other bike having this happen.Fortunately he found a used one. We are going to send the other TB to BC Gerollamy to see about getting one done. Will let you know.
This one broke and stuck throttle open,good thing Bill is an experienced rider and just hit kill switch.
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Hughlysses
Posted on Thursday, April 09, 2009 - 01:50 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Firemanjim- Glad your bud found a used one. In making a replacement, I thought Charlie's idea of making a solid, slotted shaft (rather than machining a flat into the shaft) to increase the strength was very good. See the link I posted for photos of his.
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Dooley
Posted on Friday, April 10, 2009 - 04:04 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Is the 12 shaft compatable with the 9s?????
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Hogs
Posted on Friday, April 10, 2009 - 08:36 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Dooley,
Not sure maybe from 2005 and up 03 and 04 I know where diferent...
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Gentleman_jon
Posted on Friday, April 10, 2009 - 02:09 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I really hate it when Buell designs something wrong, and then, instead of issuing a recall, or at least making the new part available separately, they take advantage of the situation to gouge the customer.

There are many examples, though I can only remember these:

1. 2004 Kickstand bolt:. very poor design. Owner is required to buy an entire new kickstand for about $80.
The old bolt just isn't available any more.

2. Front isolator. Poorly designed part, many failed.
Not only did you have to buy the replacement if you were out of warranty, but you had to buy a $15 bolt that you probably did not need.

3, No upgrade yet, but the screw holes in the primary chaincase inspection ports are too short, often strip.

4. The manual gives torque values for oil drain plug that often lead to stripping the threads.

5. The horn mount often fails on early Lightnings

6. Early spark plug wires fail in the wet.

7 Of course the early 2003 belts on the XB9's were a joke.

8. Bearings on 2003's failed

9. Wiring harness insufficiently protected from chaffing.

10. Connector from Voltage Regulator to battery inadequate for the job. Been upgraded, now VR is incompatible with old connectors.

11. Throttle shaft been upgraded, won't fit in older throttle bodies, and the old type is not available, so you have to buy a new TB.

In all of these cases, no recall was issued. It should have been.

Some of the items could have been replaced under warranty, others were not. Since I am 125 miles from the nearest good Buell dealer, I have had to replace all any of these items that failed on my bike at my own expense, except the wheel bearings on my '03.

Not a particularly heartwarming record, is it?
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Iamarchangel
Posted on Friday, April 10, 2009 - 04:42 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

fwiw, all these items added up are far less than my Saturn's non-warranty problems, according to the dealer.

I don't think it's really fair to say you want something improved on the new models and complain if they don't retrofit back. I don't think you can have it both ways all the time. It would be nice but, no.

Ha, we'd all still have our original computers.
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Hughlysses
Posted on Friday, April 10, 2009 - 05:43 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Points worth noting:

8. Buell did issue a bulletin for replacing these bearings at no cost to the owner.

10. New voltage regulator comes with male and female connectors. You retrofit the bike's wiring harness with one. The other can be used to replace the one on an old spare voltage regulator if you have one so that it's still compatible with your modified wiring harness.

11. Buell didn't design or manufacture the throttle body, and I doubt that they can dictate what their supplier shall provide as spare parts. I think we've seen 3 or 4 failed throttle shafts among Badweb members. No doubt there are some more, but there may not be very many at all.

Court has mentioned on here several times that there are very specific criteria for what constitutes a "recall" and odds are pretty good that none of these items fit the criteria.
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Ft_bstrd
Posted on Friday, April 10, 2009 - 05:44 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Buell has to weigh the frequency of failure against the cost of the recall. On BW, there have been approximately 6 cases of failures of TB shaft failures.

That doesn't appear to be a wide sweeping problem. Is it all or was there a batch of bad shafts?

I agree that NOT being able to get just the shaft is untenable, but I think that this is an issue that can be rectified.

Buell seems to deal with the high frequency failures quickly. I think the exception has been the R headlights.

Unfortunate, because of the expense of replacing the WHOLE TB assy when the shaft fails, owners are seeking replacement parts in the secondary market or making the part themselves. Buell may not even know that there is a problem.

I believe that at least 3 of the 6 reported here on BW were never reported to any dealer and were replaced with "other means".

Why would Buell provide a subassembly that hasn't had a history of failure in any previous model year or any after the 06. It appears to be 06 Ulys.
There must be some other variable.
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