| Author | Message | ||
     Andymnelson |
Hey Court (and others in the know)- So I recently bought my 3rd Buell, a 99 X1. Of course the rear shock is blown on it. I was under the impression that they had been recalled, but apparently they never recalled the X1 shock? First of all, is this true? If it is true, why not? It seems like they had just as many failures as previous models... As a loyal Bueller (who, by the way also convinced his brother and another good friend to buy a City-X and an XB12R in the past year  ), do I have any recourse before I go out and shell out the bucks for a new one or a rebuild? Is/has Buell done anything about this? Thanks! -Andy | ||
| Court |
You are correct in that 10 years ago there was a recall on rear suspension on the X1, but (and this is where some confusion sometime creeps in) it only effected 136 X-1's. The only way to know is to have your AUTHORIZED BUELL DEALER run the V.I.N. I'm not sure there is an "end date" on recalls but there is a limit to how long (something like 7 years) that manufacturers have to keep parts. Check with your dealer and let me know what you find.
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| Andymnelson |
That's cool, thanks. I would have assumed that with as many problems as there were, that more would have been affected by the recall. My dealer did run the VIN for me, only showed some throttle cable as an open recall, nothing on the rear suspension (none done on it either). Oh well, I guess I'll pony up the $$ and have it rebuilt! Serves me right for not doing this homework before buying the bike! I made the assumption that they were recalled... Thanks for your time, -Andy | ||
| Andymnelson |
This is from the X-Files. Is it accurate, and is there a snowball's chance in a hot place that I can still get it done? '99 X1 & S3 models: Original Showa shock is not under recall. A failure within the first year of service is covered by the factory warranty, and a new '01 style shock will be used. A failure after the warranty expires will incur a $100 charge to the customer and the shock will be replaced with a new '01 style shock. Obviously Buell knew a problem existed, bummer that they didn't just take care of things... | ||
| Court |
>>>>I would have assumed that with as many problems as there were, that more would have been affected by the recall. Internet misconception - as you can see, with regard to the REAR SHOCK, only 136 of 15,000 X-1's exhibited a problem. That's 0.009066667, less than 1%. >>>>only showed some throttle cable as an open recall That would be this one.
I am attaching (it may be too large, but I'll try. It it doesn't work, e-mail me and I'll send it) the OWNER NOTIFICATION LETTER.  This is the much discussed "cable comes out of the bucket" recall. I used safety wire on mine and it worked perfectly. Also note that this is not a problem unless the cables are way out of proper adjustment. >>>>Obviously Buell knew a problem existed, bummer that they didn't just take care of things... Buell DID know there was a problem and they were also aware that there may have been NO BIKES that were affected but the folks on the recall and safety committee, as they always do, erred on the side of caution and recalled ANY bike that MAY have been affected. It's sounding like you simply have a 10 year old shock that is worn out. Not unusual, I had the BMW dealer replace the on my F650 before I sold it. | ||
| Court |
>>>>I would have assumed that with as many problems as there were, that more would have been affected by the recall. Internet misconception - as you can see, with regard to the REAR SHOCK, only 136 of 15,000 X-1's exhibited a problem. That's 0.009066667, less than 1%. >>>>only showed some throttle cable as an open recall That would be this one.
I am attaching (it may be too large, but I'll try. It it doesn't work, e-mail me and I'll send it) the OWNER NOTIFICATION LETTER. FILE IS TOO LARGE - E-mail me if you'd like it. This is the much discussed "cable comes out of the bucket" recall. I used safety wire on mine and it worked perfectly. Also note that this is not a problem unless the cables are way out of proper adjustment. >>>>Obviously Buell knew a problem existed, bummer that they didn't just take care of things... Buell DID know there was a problem and they were also aware that there may have been NO BIKES that were affected but the folks on the recall and safety committee, as they always do, erred on the side of caution and recalled ANY bike that MAY have been affected. It's sounding like you simply have a 10 year old shock that is worn out. Not unusual, I had the BMW dealer replace the on my F650 before I sold it. | ||
| Andymnelson |
I'll PM you in a minute- sounds like an interesting read. Don't get me wrong here, I don't feel that Buell owes me anything or anything like that. I am very proud of my bikes and proud to be riding Buells. This just happens to be the one sore spot for me, and since they acknowledged the problem with a small recall and apparently addressed the issue with cheap rebuilds for a while...it's kinda like getting punched on a bruise! No worries, thanks for your time and insight. -Andy | ||
| Court |
>>>>they acknowledged the problem They acknowledged the problem on the bikes that HAD problems. It appears yours had no problem. Ergo, you never had a bruise. I'm not sure that you replacing a shock on a 10 year old motorcycle is any different than the shocks I replaced on my 10 year old Ford F250. | ||
| Andymnelson |
I'm really not arguing any of your points Court. But if it's true that they did cheap rebuilds for a while, that would seem to me to be an acknowledgment of the problem, without really wanting to pony up to situation. That's my feeling anyway. I'll go rebuild my shock now. | ||
| Court |
>>>But if it's true that they did cheap rebuilds for a while, that would seem to me to be an acknowledgment of the problem, without really wanting to pony up to situation. No one is arguing, you simply need to know some of the facts that occurred 10 years ago. The "$100 replacement" program had nothing to do with acknowledging any problem with the shock. Goodness if there was ANY problem and they were recalling the 136, trust me the folks at NHTSA would NEVER ALLOW them to NOT recall EVERYTHING with any problem. The $100 deal was a "goodwill" since a number of owners (this was the year that Buell essentially took a stand with some folks at HD who had urged them to ship, ship, ship and recalled about every bike they had ever made to incorporate a number of things that were upgrades as opposed to true recall material.) were concerned with the plethora of recalls at the time AND some dealers were struggling, with all the recall traffic, to know which shock was to be replaced and which was not. It was monumental in the motorcycle industry. | ||
| Ducxl |
"cable comes out of the bucket" recall. I used safety wire on mine and it worked perfectly. Also note that this is not a problem unless the cables are way out of proper adjustment. I fixed mine the same way.Interesting comments.I never really worried my shock was affected.I just had a 9yo shock rebuilt at GMD Computrack.Forks all get it once a year | ||
| Court |
Throttle Cable Bucket Tie Wire Fix Here is the entire discussion including the way I fixed mine and the Buell recall part. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/406 2/39681.html#POST205388 |
