| Author | Message | ||
     Zane |
Posted else where but maybe this is a better place. Last night I went over to Tampa HD/Buell and looked at a used 2007 Blast with 2600 miles on it. It came out of their rental program and seems to be in pretty good shape. Started right up, didn't make any clunking noises. Could not see any wear on the belt, tires looked good, no signs of any leaks. It rolled nice and smooth and went into gear without any grinding. The only issues I saw were the front right turn signal lens was cracked a few scuff minor marks on the color panels. There was also some rusting right where the exhaust pipe goes into the muffler. Certainly nothing that would be a deal breaker. They are asking $3650 for it plus tax tag and red tape. Is that a decent dealer price? Both Kelly Blue Book and NADA say a dealer price should be right in that ball park. The only issue I have is that it has the lower seat. I'm 5 foot 10 and that is just a bit low for me. Again, not a deal breaker. So what is the general consensus? A good deal at that price? | ||
| Ezblast |
Ask them to throw in the high seat, and check the front isolator, and ask about extended warrentee. Otherwise - ok from a dealer. EZ | ||
| Zane |
Hey Ezblast, They have used 08 with 6600 miles on it at the Brandon store. Any reason to look at that instead of the 07? As far as I can tell, the only difference is the date they came off the assembly line. If they really are the same, I'll go for the 07, it'll be a bit cheaper and at 2600 miles, it's just barely broken in. | ||
| Reuel |
Personally, I would subtract the cost of replacing the scuffed parts and the rusty exhaust, or offer to pay their price if they replace those parts. $3670 is just about right if there are no blemishes, rust, or signs of damage. I didn't mention the signal because they're already $20 under average NADA. | ||
| Ezblast |
They are the same, however, if the 08 has the regular seat, and no blemishes then its worth the extra and should have an intact warrentee, also ask about the extended. EZ | ||
| Fast1075 |
I bought mine at Lakeland Harley Davidson...2006 model with 2500 miles and not a mark on it for $2,900.00 +TTT. And I have a good standard seat for sale or trade...LOL...I bought the low seat last Saturday. BLAST ON!!!! | ||
| Zane |
Been thinking this through and I'm leaning toward getting a new one from the Clearwater dealership. 1. When I talked price with the Tampa Dealership there was all sorts of add on prices. Two hundred for a used bike "prep" fee. Then some handling charges. Felt I was getting ripped. 2. The Clearwater dealership runs Out the door specials and the last blast was out the door at $4695. That included all the state red tape. Cheaper with no surprises. 3. Perhaps the most important. The Clearwater shop is just more Buell friendly. Scott would have stood there and talked Buell with me for days on end. They had Buells in stock and prominently displayed. Just sort of seems like I should support some one who supports the brand. Guess I’ll wait until Fletchers has a Blast on special and then scarf it up. Just hope it’s a black one. | ||
| Reuel |
Just remember--if you buy new, make sure you're gentle on the engine for 15 minutes to give it warm up time, then follow vigorous break-in procedures to seat the rings. Tell them to include a helmet at $4695. I asked for two, and they offered one. | ||
| Zane |
Controlling the break in period is a big plus in my mind. That way I KNOW it was treated gently for the first x number of miles. | ||
| Reuel |
You don't want to treat it gently. You want to put lots of pressure against the rings to seat them well. The procedures I've read from many sources, from rebuild manuals to race engine builders, says that the first time you warm it up, find an empty stretch of road. Go WOT from 20 mph to 50 mph, then zero throttle back to 20. For the Blast, 2nd gear is where you want to be. Do this about 20 times. These extremes seat the rings well, reducing oil consumption, increasing power, and extending engine life. After that, ride normally, with varying engine speeds and occasional WOT. It's been several decades since you would have had to worry about a spun bearing. The gentle part is only during warm-up. | ||
| Gbaz |
Ive never bought a new bike (or car or truck...) it would be nice knowing what has and has not been done to your new bike, and as long as you intend to keep it for years the steep drop in resale value is no big deal. I like used bikes cause i tend to fix stuff till it breaks and i would be really really mad when i broke my new bike  O and ide follow what ever Buell says to do for break in. | ||
| Zane |
I'll do what ever the manual says to do during the break in period. I need this thing to last a long time. I'll be riding it and my 17 year old son is already saving up for his R.E course. I have a boy that turns 14 this week and he's already adding it to his "fleet" of vehicles he is gonna have one day...lol So yeah Gbaz, I see holding on to this baby for 5 or 6 years min. After I've been on it a while and have some new experience on two wheels I plan to get something bigger but the plan is to keep it in the family for quite a while. | ||
| Reuel |
If you follow the manual, not only will your engine not last as long, your primary will be too tight, etc. The break in procedures are written for average situations. If you want really good results, instead of average results, educated deviations are necessary. The manual is designed for most riders. Remember, half the world is below average. If someone followed good break in procedures for seating rings before the engine was properly warmed up, the engine would suffer much harm. Having a gentle break in procedure keeps the manufacturer from having to replace a lot of engines, since people will likely think the engine is warm in 5 minutes. So, start it up, let it idle until the fast idle quits, then ride gently. After 15 minutes, seat the rings. Avoid prolonged idling. I've broken in 3 engines like this, and in all cases, I noticed marked power improvement as they broke in. One is at 96,000 miles, and has yet to use any oil. I go 5,000 miles between oil changes, and there is no sign of use at each oil change. Check this link: http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm Many on this web site have learned the hard way that the manual or the dealer isn't the best way to go. Many have learned by taking the advice they read on these pages, so haven't gone through the frustration the rest of us have. It's your call. (Message edited by Reuel on April 15, 2008) | ||
| Zane |
Reuel, I'm not saying your wrong. This is an area I just don't know much about so I can't judge one way or the other. My only concern is that I want this to be a reliable solid bike. I broke my Toyota Tacoma in like the book said and it's going strong at 151k miles. Did you learn this by trail and error or have you got some technical background? Again, not saying that you are wrong, just want to make sure I get it right If I make an error, I want it to be on the side of reliability and not speed. I'll have to wait till I get home to check out the link. I work for a large heath care company and they filter internet access heavily. It says that the link is porn and won't let me see it. It if is a mix of motorcycles and porn then checking it out is MANDITORY!...lol (Message edited by zane on April 15, 2008) | ||
| Reuel |
Sorry, no porn, but there are links on the page to questionable material. I never checked it out because I didn't want to have to answer question from my Wife. My background: I've taken chemistry and physics classis in high school. I've studied on my own since then. I have access to great resources on the physics of engine parts and lubrication. I have several brothers who have done exactly this, using the trial and error method. I scored a 99 on the ASVAB mechanical section, too. I've also had experience with quite a few cars over the years. Ford Granada, owned by someone who babied it during the break in period--engine ultimately died because of loss of compression. Plymouth Horizon, driven hard by its first owner, still showed almost no sign of wear under the head after 150,000 miles. I broke my Blast in according to the manual, and I get a lot of carbon in and around the head. I'll be doing the 515 kit sometime soon, complete with vigorous break in, but I think it'll be too late for my results to do you any good. The ring seat is about reliability. If you get a good seal between rings and cylinder wall, you will pass a lot less oil into the combustion chamber. Oil in the combustion chamber leads to carbon deposits forming. Carbon deposits coming loose can get into moving parts in the combustion chamber and cause small bits of damage that allow more oil to pass into the combustion chamber. This leads to increased oil consumption (not to be confused with the Blast's tendency to blow oil out the PCV valve at high RPMs) which accelerates the carbon deposits, etc., until the engine reaches a point that it won't pass inspection or fails catastrophically. The first thing that a good ring seat does is restrict oil from getting into the combustion chamber. It can not be stopped completely, as there needs to be some oil to let the piston slide toward the head. When parts fit well together, you get reliability and efficiency. In a race, reliability is a significant factor. If you go faster than everybody else, but your engine blows 200 feet from the finish line, you still lose. Whatever you do, just have fun! It's a reliable machine, so either way you go, it'll give you lots of years of use. If it gives you any grief, come here and we'll help you fix it!  | ||
| Swampy |
I don't know how my Blasts were broken in, but I know how they were ridden by my "Monkeys" They beat the everlivin' crap out of them and they are still going strong. I am in agreement about the way Ruel is saying. I have built many car racing motors before, rolled them onto the dyno started got them hot by running them at 2000-3000rpm unloaded to make sure everything had oil and then pull full power runs on them. On alot of the motors I built we were concerned with having the lowest possible ring drag, so what was measured was all you get.....however to get the rings to seal you need to get the rings to seat in the cylinder and we did this by making the full power runs. Granted, the runs were not sustained, but we loaded them up and brought them down a couple of times and then made a couple of full power runs then we took readings(HP, torque, exhaust temps, oil PSI), drained the fluids and shipped it. The bearings, if installed and sized correctly don't need any break in. The one thing we didn't do was let them idle or took it easy on them once we got them hot. +1 on help you fix it! | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
And the debate rages on LOL! I could argue well for both sides, however if I blew up my Buell and followed the non-Buell manual (or online) advice, I'd be kicking myself. I'd also be less than candid when asking the dealer to warranty it. | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
PS breaking in a factory built bike and redoing your own top end cant really be compared for results. It would only prove you did a better job than the factory-not hard! | ||
| Zane |
So now I've got two offers to fix it if it breaks. I grew up working in the automotive trade but switched to computers years ago. I thought my days of twisting wrenches pretty much over. Not so! I have a 17 year old with an old car. First it was a 1979 Monte Carlo then after the wreck it’s a 1990 Buick Century. So far, we've done a water pump, door hinges, alternator, exhaust system and we're getting ready to install a "new" windshield, all small stuff really. All have been good father and son projects. Heck, I'd forgotten how much fun and how satisfying this stuff can be. So my next question is this: I have decent a collection of hand tools left over from my youth. Snap On stuff lasts forever. What tools besides a standard garage tool kit should I have on hand? Are there any specialty tools I should just bite the bullet and spend the money for? | ||
| Krid80 |
wobble socket sets! | ||
| Zane |
You mean the kind of socket that has an integral universal joint? Got 'em in English but not Metric. Anything else? | ||
| Gbaz |
Installing windshields is a major pain in the rear end. Just think of all those riders edge bikes going through their break in putting around between 20mph and 0, sitting at idle 1/2 the time. http://www.nrhsperformance.com/NrhsInstructionShee t.pdf And that is what NRHS says. The break in requirements are all the way at the end. | ||
| Zane |
Good Info. Thanks Gbaz! | ||
| Ezblast |
Torque wrenches! | ||
| Zane |
A Torque wrench! Now that is something I don't have. Besides heads and engine internals what has to be torqued on a Blast? Maybe axle bolts or something particular to motorcycles? I haven't opened an engine is two forevers so haven't really needed one. For M/C maintenance it sounds like a good idea to have one around | ||
| Gbaz |
Almost every bolt on the blast has a torque listed. You will need at least 2 torque wrenches, a ft/lbs and a inch/lbs. The inch/lbs one needs to have low values, i have one that starts at 124 inch/lbs and cant use it on anything lol. | ||
| Zane |
Decent torque wrenches aren't that expensive, sounds like a good thing to invest in. I know the Blast vibrates more than a lot of other bikes. Is there a problem with anything vibrating loose? Is there a schedule of things that need to be retighten occasionally? | ||
| Ezblast |
Just do a visual check for loose bolts - engine mount bolts, header and exhaust bolts, and don't forget locktight - blue and red - they will be your best friend - along with Jack, the brothers J. Walker - Black and Red, and ole Grandad - lol EZ | ||
| Zane |
Not much of a drinker these days but occasional glass of water enhanced with barley and hops extract still makes its way to my lips. About 25 years ago I gave up most hard liquor in a deal with God in return for him stopping the room from spinning and letting me be able to crawl to the bath room. For the most part I've kept my end of the deal....lol | ||
| Ezblast |
Its cool - just a little Southern humor from my living 12 years in Daytona,Florida. EZ |
