| Author | Message | ||
     Peter |
I rode a Firebolt today. Very cool. Personally, I'd take one of them over an X1. PPiA | ||
| José_Quiñones |
You can get some SCREAMING DEALS on M2s, X1s and S3's........... | ||
| Dickenscpa |
 Went by the dealership after my son's little "surgery" and they sold the 2002 S3T. They do still have a used '99 with 1474 miles on it and the race kit. I know they've had that bike since August of last year. It was there when I bought my Sportster. They're asking $8995. Is that a good deal? BRAD | ||
| José_Quiñones |
DOH! It's pretty low mileage, see if you can "work" him down a little. If you do get a 99 try to get some of the updates I spoke about before (the front muffler mount, the new shifter kit, the new isolators, etc) | ||
| Dickenscpa |
Fellas, I'm ruined. I went to the other dealership to look at the '99 S3T and saw a Firebolt in person for the first time. I love the lines of this bike. I love the color, blue, also. The only concern I have is convincing my wife she can ride on the back. Please tell me someone has already made a better aftermarket passenger seat for this bike! BRAD | ||
| Blake |
That is NOT a bike for toting a *happy* passenger. If that is one of your primary concerns, I'd recommend you stick with an S3. | ||
| Hd58panhead |
 Checked your board out while looking for a way to lower my girlfriend's new bike--a '99 S3T.  (Any advice would be greatly appreciated.) About the now parted-out Blast--my girlfriend had the same problem with her '00 Blast mirrors @ first. After a few adjustments to the mirrors (screwing them farther into the vibration isolaters--no Loctite required), they quit spinning around and into her lap @ high speeds/vibrations. Definitely sounded like a vapor-lock problem with the fuel. Next subject--the new bike: If you want a tube-frame Buell for 2-up riding, I would suggest the S3. Deals are happening everywhere. A little birdie informed me that the dealerships have been instructed to clear the sales floors of the old styles to get ready for the X-frame models. In Florida, prices have been chopped $2K-3K on tube-frames. Through another good source, I heard the tour-oriented newbie, with bags & higher bars(& mayber that better passenger pillion), will be introduced in late July, as final testing in going as this is being written. So get a great deal on a great bike now before they are gone, or wait for the new one and pay your dealer his greed fee(about $2K extra) to be the 1st to have one. Good shopping and good luck. | ||
| Jbdcpa |
Dear Buellers, Apparently while I was on vacation, took off 8 days for my son to be born, a co-worker got on my computer and posed as me using my name "DickensCPA." The last time I posted to this site was September 2001. Apparently around June 12th thru June 19th or 20th, he posted under my name. Some of the things he posted concerning me were true, some were not. I did only have my Blast three weeks, but I didn't have all those problems. My mirrors fell off once and the dealership fixed them. His posts may not seem like a big deal to you, but I lost a friend due to them. I wouldn't have even known he did what he did had a friend in my local riding group, who recognized my name was offended and contacted me. The perpertrator didn't name names, but he did not, nor I, have anything to do with the 883/1200/1450 nitrous bike or its modifications. Nor did he or I do the other bikes mods and restorations. This has really offended the nitrous bike guy and cost us a friendship. I did not have access to a computer at the time most of these posts were made, but obviously that is hard for him to believe. Maybe if the delivery room had internet access, the four days in the delivery room wouldn't have been so bad!LOL Long story not quite as long - Disregard any postings by DickensCPA from 6/12-6/20. My new name will be Jbdcpa. I am going to set this new account up because after a month of waffling back and forth, I'm about 90% toward buying an S3T and would like to tap this informative site from time to time. Also, I deleted all my cookies and couldn't remember the password for DickensCPA!LOL I tried the "Lost Password" thing, but it's to an old AOL e-mail address that I haven't had for almost a year. Thanks Brad Dickens | ||
| Jbdcpa |
Now that I've been thrust back into this group and probably gonna be an S3T owner, are the recalls pretty much over as far as the 2002's are concerned? I checked the archives and the only thing I found on the 2002 S3T was the front shock mount. If I decide to buy, they have to fix this before I take possession don't they? I have a pretty good dealer, hopefully they won't try to screw me. Brad Dickens | ||
| Scrapyard |
Hey everyone. I'm new here so let me start by saying hello. I'm considering an X1 for my next bike and I have a question. I wandered into my local dealership today just for gigles sake. They had a 2000 modle for $5995 that had PM wheels and a Suppertrap. That was the only thing I noticed mod wise. I'm not shure of the milage but I can say it looked ok. It did have a HD badge on the tank and a Suppertrap sticker on the side. These things don't really bother me. The paint looked ok. Some swirl marks but nothing big. My question is... Is this a good deal for this particular bike? Do you think there is any way I might be able to get them down on the price? Also is there anything I should look for specificly about these year/modle? Thanks for any help. I appreciate it. | ||
| Jmartz |
Scrapyard: Buy, if you can, from a private individual and avoid the sales tax and dealer mark up. If you are totally unmechanical and are thinking that a dealer bike might be "certified" good, reconsider. There is finite possibilty anyone can get a lemon. The savings from buying off the street are definitely worth the risks. | ||
| Andrew |
Scrapyard; Does the price include a 1 year warrantee from HD/Buell?? | ||
| Hootowl |
Make sure all the recalls have been done. Also, make sure that they have checked the chain tensioner and replaced it if necessary. Some of the 2000 models and all of the 99's (I think) had weak tensioners. Oh, and the updated exhaust bracket, which they should have changed when they replaced the rear shock. Also was the Supertrapp the old kind? It's an accident waiting to happen. Supertrapp will replace it with a redesigned one (which happens to be the Buell race slip on, only it says SuperTrapp instead of Buell) "That's all I have to say about that." | ||
| Scrapyard |
Thanks for the help everyone. It dosn't come with a warranty. They said I could buy an extended one but I probably won't. The only reason I'm considering buying from a dealer is because I may not have the hard cash to lay out. I'm not shure if it was a replaced exhaust. I'm probably gona go back later in the week and ask a few more questions. Thanks again for the help. Shaun | ||
| Andrew |
scrap; work 'em over some. When I was done with HD they replaced front and rear tires, new rear pads, and One year extended warranty( for well under what your looking at). They have a hard time moving these bikes when they get 'em in used. Have fun, make the dealer sweat. And enjoy the ride!!  | ||
| 5liter |
I'm the owner of a new 2002 S3T. When I reached the 250 mile mark my bike started stalling at stop lights and every where else I came to a stop. The worse place was a railroad crossing with a train approaching. I had slowed down to cross and it stalled half way across. The bike restarts fine and runs until the next stop. The dealer has it. He says it's the fuel pump. Has anyone else had this happen to them? | ||
| Richiec |
Looking at new 02 M2 and need some info before laying down the money. Any recalls on 02's? Is extended waranty a good idea? Any weaknesses need adressing? What is easiest way to increase oil capacity on this particular bike? Thanks in advance. RichieC | ||
| Reepicheep |
I believe the 02 M2 has everything already updated that broke on my 00 M2 except the rocker box gaskets (not a big deal). The new metal ones seem to solve the problems, and they are cheap and easy to install. The 02 M2 is a really well sorted bike... it's a shame it has left us just when Buell finally got everything right. Extended warranty is only as good as your dealer... It would have been a total waste of money for me, as the nearest dealer I completely trust is over an hour away. When I had a rockerbox leak on my Cyclone, Eastgate Buell (Cincinnati) was telling me the earliest appointment I could get was about two months away. For a rocker box leak? Give me a break! The same dealer, when doing the shock recall (which you do not need) repeatedly lied to me when asked if the paperwork was done and the parts were coming in. They claimed "its right here on the shelf, I'm looking at it", but when the time for service came in it had "suddenly dissapeared", and it became obvious they had never even started the paperwork with Buell. I started the process of getting the new shock in March, and they did not get me back out the door with a replacement until late September. So far, all my parts have been cheap, and none of the labor has been more then a couple evenings work. Of course if you drop a valve or something equally disasterous, then everything changes, though you may be able to replace an entire cylinder (heads and all) for less then you will pay for a 2 year warranty... I have not done the math. Bill | ||
| Richiec |
Bill, Thanks for the input. Drop a valve? anything i should know about? Nearest real dealer is about 2 hours away. Do my own maintenance although on warranty concerns it would be nice to know about any "hidden" problems beforehand. I have always felt the oil capacity was serious lacking on Buells and can cause Reliability problems if bike was ridden with authority. Noticed the Firebolts have 3-1/2 gts. opposed to 2 on old style engine. Should tell you something was amiss. Even Sportsters have 3. Hopefully Buell isn't going to completly alienate the 02 and back Buell owners. If problems do arrive w/ 02's, will the company react as quickly since this motor is no longer used by Buell as their lifline? RichieC | ||
| Reepicheep |
I think all the problems are pretty well known at this point. The only changes between the 02 M2 and the 00 M2 I have are fixed things that needed to be fixed, and the fixes look pretty solid. Instead of running more oil, I just run high quality full synthetic. This has worked well so far, even on 100 degree days. I am generally in worse shape then the bike under these conditions, and I expect I would drop before it would. Parts and support for the tube frame buells will be around basically forever... the Harley parts thanks to our sportster legacy, and many of the non sportster specific parts are generic (shared with Ducatti and lots of other bikes). One of the real strengths of my M2 is that I fully expect to still own and still ride it 20 years from now. Can't say that about a lot of other bikes. There have been a few here with dropped valves or other major engine disaster, but not lots. It happens on every brand.... I stopped to help a 2000 Yamaha R1 about 6 months ago that had some terrible death rattle coming from the crank area, and I know firsthand of a local guy that just got his engine replaced on his new BMW adventure tourer. See the recent tales from here from (can't remember who) the day at the drag strip with a Buell, a Kawasaki, and another bike. It was the Kawa that came home with bits of engine inside out. Stock buells probably (but maybe not) have a slightly higher incidence of major engine failures... but on the other hand would be FAR easier and cheaper to repair (non overhead cams, lots more aftermarket options). For the street, I think a 2002 M2 would be very reliable. I was up to about 4500 miles on mine by the time I was upgrading the last parts to 2002 spec, and since then (like another 6000 miles) things have been more reliable then my old Yamaha ever was. Just hop on and ride. Every single failure I have had to date was a result of a part that was already upgraded (and on the 02's), and every problem has stayed fixed with the upgraded part. If you are comfortable doing your own work, and your local dealer is not Modesto or some other "super shop", I would probably just bank the money and take your chances. If you spend your own money you will have far more flexibility on what gets replaced with whose parts when, and the odds are you will come ahead. In general, there are just too many ways for a dealer to make it not worth it to use your warrenty, either by malice, sloth, ignorance, or (typically) all three. This is true of all motorcycle dealers of all brands... and the experience of the majority of the people on this board (with notable exceptions of residents of Modesto and Dallas) has been bad. If I had a two hour drive (or even a 1 hour drive) to my 'local' dealer, I would simply call Modesto and order whatever parts I need to be shipped. I have a local dealer (Fairfield Harley) that is at least trying, and I give them my parts business in spite of a lot of mistakes and frustration (ignorance, but not sloth or malice), because I appreciate their effort and the local support. But I digress....  | ||
| Blake |
American Sport Bike sells an aluminum oil tank that provides increased capacity. You can also run a larger oil filter, like the HD/Dyna version; some even run a Motorcraft FL-1 or equivalent. | ||
| Toad |
I am looking at a 98 M2, I am new to buells but have had Harleys for over 35 yrs. Is there anything special I should be looking for or aware of on a 98 M2? This bike has over 17,000 mi. | ||
| Blake |
Take it for a test ride. It should be very smooth above 50 mph in 4th gear and above 65 mph in 5th gear. It should shake when it idles. It should stop on a dime and lift the rear wheel on clean dry pavement, if you care to exercise the front brake to that extent. The rear brake is for show or those rare slippery road encounter. Ask if the recalls have all been performed. See the "Recalls" page in the Knowledge Vault. It might be worth the money to have a compression and leakdown test run and even a dyno run to ascertain the health of the engine. With the rear suspension fully unloaded (on the sidestand it should fully unload) the drive belt should have at least 1.5" of free play at mid span. If your weight is significantly different than that of the last owner, adjust the preload to give you around 1.25" to 1.5" of total static suspension sag when you are stting on the bike in riding position. The owner's manual details how to measure and set this. If you know Harleys, you will be okay once you get into the sport bike mindset. The Buells like to rev and hate being lugged. A gel pad tucked underneath the stock seat's foam will do wonders for longer trips. A good price would be at or under $5K. | ||
| Rick_A |
My girlfriend, who has zero experience piloting a bike...and a little experience as a passenger, is set on getting an M2 as her first bike. I am a bit concerned...what do you folks honestly suggest? I tried to teach her to ride my S1...my first bike...and she immediately dumped the clutch in first gear (luckily at low revs). We thought it best for her safety to take a course first. Now, my experience in teaching myself on my S1 involved dropping it 2 times due to losing my balance (my legs are pretty short...only my toes touch the ground), and crashing it once in a few months time. I explained this to her...and she won't have it. Her reasoning is that her first car was fast, and she won't own a slow bike. I've been telling her that we could build a stout Blast...but she gets really offended, saying that they are ugly and slow. | ||
| Hans |
Rick_A, Lay a M2 down on its left side (after removing the shifter) and ask her to get the bike on its wheels. If she can`t do that, persuade her that she first has to learn it and much more and that she first has to take a good course. If she can: Tell her that she passed the primary test and that she now only need a good course before riding a M2 as first bike. Hans. | ||
| Rick_A |
Yeah...I've actually brought that up, too...she says she's sure someone would help her if she can't handle it!...which is probably true | ||
| Hans |
Rick_A, Time for an heavy gun then: Ask an offer for a life insurance premium over two years and give the specifications of the first bike she want to learn herself to ride on. The offers, if you get any, will be meaningful. Seems me you met a woman who can be pretty determined. Same kind I seem to meet every time.  Hans | ||
| Rick_A |
Lol...yeah...I try to stir her up with ideas of a 44" Blast with 17" wheels, custom bodywork, clip-ons, and rearsets...and she isn't buyin' any of it  | ||
| Reepicheep |
Eh well.. if her mind is set on it, then it is probably set. She could do worse then an M2 Low as a first bike, though I agree it is not very prudent. Change your tack, sounds like she is going to get the Cyclone regardless. Start figuring out what you can do to try and keep her safer given the fact that she is going down that road anyway. If she takes the MSF first, she will get quite a few hours to get more comfortable with a motorcycle clutch before she ever touches the M2. Aside from possibly looping the bike with a panic clutch drop, it would make an OK first bike, especially in the stock slightly detuned configuration. If you can find a place for her to get some practice on dirt bikes as well, preferably on wet ground, she will get some good experience with traction management as well, which could also be helpful. | ||
| Hans |
Rick_A, For the last time: Let her take lessons. To step on a Buell M2 without good instruction and lessons is almost as risky as learning yourself to fly: In the last case you can be about 100 % sure that you can`t make it. I have experiences on two wheels from 5 years of age, step, push bikes, ultralight motorized bikes, trash bikes, things you could have called, with much good will, motorbikes, and so further, learning myself and managing to keep alive long enough to take an advanced motor class which made me realize that I was doing many things wrongly and that I had just been verrry lucky. Nobody may count to be as lucky. I now am really dead serious about that: Lessons and instruction first !! Hans. |
