| Author | Message | ||
     Rick_A |
Hmmm...after a dealership $#@!* your motor 3 times...don't you think it's time to go elsewhere??!!!...I'da done that after the first!...oh wait...I wouldn't a let them touch it to begin with! | ||
| Nevco1 |
Hootowl... A DFO is a digital fuel optomizer. There are a number of different brands available. I chose Techlusion's (aka, RevTek, DID) but others choose the power commander from K&N. I did not adhere to the Badwebs advice and put the DFO on with the stock ECM. Dumb...Might work on Harley's but our Buells like a different diet. With the race ECM, the DFO allows you to get rid of the lean spots and have a really smooth running engine with rheostatic like power. Absolutely wonderful for picking the bike up coming out of apexes without the sudden lunge that sometimes ruins your line. Trust the web, they have the right answers. You just have to sort through a lot of BS to get them. Suggestion to the BadWeb, Knowledge vault...Once you have a tried and true remedy, why don't you get rid of all the extraneous material so us FNG's can sort through it easier. Also, as in the case of X1 air box mods, you have an abundance of pics from the front but none from the rear. A lot left to the imagination there. Thanks, Bill | ||
| Ray_Maines |
It’s awfully nice to see some old names brought out of Lurk Mode and into the fray:  You can count RaY2K as Mostly Satisfied. I would never have sold my Y2K M2 but I’m kind of glad I crashed it. The insurance company treated my well and used the settlement money to buy a different brand of bike. I might have bought a new tube frame M2 for $6,500, or a XB9S Lightning for $8,500 but there are no new M2’s at any price and the “S” bikes weren’t out yet and will cost $10,000 – plus a race kit - when they get here. The dealer I dealt was very nice and friendly, but didn’t stock parts and didn’t have a clue about Buells. Example: The parts guy didn’t have nuts for the exhaust header bolts for a Buell but had lots of them for a Sportster. He offered to order some for me but I’d have to pay for them up front. When I said I’d go ahead and buy the Sportster nuts he was worried that they might not fit. What’s up with that? Yeah, I’d buy another Buell but I’m not recommending them to my friends. We all know there is no such thing as “Enough” H.P. but the more I ride my current (Fast) bike the more I think Buell doesn’t really need much more motor. If the new Lightning had about 100 RWHP most of us would be mostly happy. | ||
| Chainsaw |
In my opinion, profanity is the crutch of the inarticulate muthafucker.  | ||
| Dynarider |
Gosh darn it Blake, now we have to learn to type like this @#$**$@!!!  | ||
| Nevco1 |
Court, Hate to get ahead of the gun, but if the three things you listed as goals of Part I are true, you succeeded. Whew, hope you had your Izod shorts on because you were definitely up to your tush in alligators at times. In futuristic terms, a dollar spent on quality is worth a thousand times more down the road in terms of consumer satisfaction which in turn increases market penetration and share. I support that concept entirely as it has worked for me repeatedly in the past. Is a strategy for the long haul and a MC company should be thinking a minimum five to ten years out. Concerning warranty on present bikes, that may be a different story. I still remember the first time I saw a Buell. I was elated. Yet, a wise old gent made a very subtle comment. "Now there is the answer to a questions that was never asked." Simply meaning when is Harley going to come out with a sport bike. Well, Buell and Harley have and it has extreme intrinsic value. I love it for what it is not what it is compared to, especially as there is no comparison. All of us that bought a Buell (other those who were ignorant of the motorcycle market) knew exactly what we were getting into. We planned to modify the bikes. We knew Harley had Ford's reputation for "fix or repair daily" and yet we still went ahead and bought one or more. With that said, the warranty issue on current models (or pre-one dollar quality models) should cover catastrophic illness, not the common every day issues that can easily be excused as normal wear parts and owner abused (Oooo, this should start another round of anger posts) machines. Sure, I modified my bike to make it handle better but I do not race it. Heck, I seldom see 5.0K on the tach. No need for it in the twisties if you use the gear box properly. Quite simply, I undid what the EPA mandated the manufacturer do and the result is a bike that will last longer. Thus the question I put to you is should Buell cover my conservatively ridden, lightly modified bike or should they have tossed in the towel when EPA mandated them out of reliable machines? Other than the hooligan style rider (read: wheelies, stoppies, smiley face burnouts, etc) and the track racers, I am confident that the rest of us have had a pleasant experience with our rides regardless of manufacturer. Therefore, in conclusion, I suggest spending the dollar for future quality and finding a reserve for existing owners who experience catastrophic failure under normal riding circumstances. Then for the rest of the aggressive riders, continue to post preventative maintenance and performance upgrades to help increase the longevity of the bikes. I rest my case and can't wait to see the thrashing and bashing this one gets. Bill | ||
| Ray_Maines |
Bill, No thrashing and bashing but I think your wrong. There have been lots of people who suffer "catastrophic failure under normal riding circumstances." I suppose we have to define Normal, but I'm talking about people that ride just like you suggested "Other than the hooligan style rider (read: wheelies, stoppies, smiley face burnouts, etc) and the track racers." All too often the darn bikes just fall apart. | ||
| José_Quiñones |
True in my case... | ||
| José_Quiñones |
A $1 spent on counterbalancing that paint shaker HD/Buell calls an engine would have saved them $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ in warranty costs........ I put 38k miles on my rigid mounted engined sporty and 32k on my rubber mounted engined S3. In my case, the Sporty was WAY more reliable. I think the fact that the frame absorbs a lot of the vibration (leaving your feet & hands to deal with the rest of it) help the engine live a less stressful life, because people are less willing to rev them hard. IMO, the XL engine was never designed to shake around like that. Buell's patented vibration isolation system keeps the vibes from reaching the rider, but it lets the vibration destroy exhaust systems, rear fenders, saddlebags, fairing lowers, mirrors, and cause oil lines and electrical wires to chafe together and cause problems, etc. I think that was my biggest dissapointment with the XB engine, they did nothing other than using a shorter stroke to lower the vibration level If XB9R's didn't shake so much while idling I doubt the sidestand recall would have ever happened.... | ||
| José_Quiñones |
good night, I'll be battletraxing tommorow in Frederick, MD on my BUTTERY SMOOTH SV650.......... | ||
| Roadrunr |
WAHAAAHHH FREAKIN WAHHHH, WAHHHH!!!. If you don't like your buell sell it and go to yamahama.com, kowasuckie.com, susukiie.com, harley blah blah.com, or what the f@#$ ever.com.......Isn't BWB a Buell related site? If yours sucks, get another bike and a lawyer. I've been laying low for the past 3 or 4 days just reading the GDB and it seems like "DYNARIDER" is fed up with his buell and will never own another one. Well dyna, get a life and another bike to run it. Sorry about your bad luck with your buell, but join the club ya big whiner! I have had all kinds of prob's with mine, but I still love the S#!* out of it because it runs like a raped ape.DYNA QUOTE "I dont ride a Buell anymore because its always broken. 6th time in the shop in 12 months. I want a bike I can actually ride without having to see a psychiatrist because I am justifiably terrified it is gonna break down & leave me stranded". Well? I guess this isn't the web site for you then is it? | ||
| Nevco1 |
Ray & Jose, Thanks for your comments. Other than the lean running condition creating havoc with the top end (EPA induced) and vibration requiring pre-flight checks (Classic of Harley's engine design and increased with the Buell cam set up), I was not aware of any other catastrophic illnesses that would show under normal operating conditions. I was able to have both of these corrected with the minor modification done to my X1 and am quite pleased with the results. Granted it will never run as vibration free as other brands, but it is now easily maneuvered while idling in first gear with minimal clutch action. Now if there are other issues other than rocker box gaskets, breathers and primary adjusters I should be aware of, please advise. Best Regards, Bill | ||
| Rick_A |
Well José, about that Sportster theory...since I modified my S1 to be more rigid...hence vibrating at all RPMs...it has begun to shed/break parts. It never happened until then. I don't think it's possible for vibration itself to destroy engines. Most failures seems to be due to excessive heat, due to any number of tuning maladies or leaky gaskets. I dig my rumbly bike. I actually liked it better after she shook even more. Makes it feel more alive...I'd rather not ride an appliance. | ||
| Admin |
Roadrunr, Pouring napalm on a dwindling fire is not the best way to help it extinguish. I'd like to see this fire extinguished. Rick_A, Did you not see my plea for restraint with respect to the harsh language? I guess not. Anyway, please cool it. This is a PG zone. All, If we have harsh personal comments for each other, let's please take it to a private venue like the email server. This is not the place; neither I, nor most others are interested in witnessing any further online flame wars. And I at least would like to see the profanity end, like now. There are plenty of places online where we are free to post obscenities at will. Here on the BadWeB GDB is not one of them. I hope that is clear enough. I would be most appreciative if you would please honor my simple requests. Alternately, the quick board has a new  Bitch & Moan  Curse & Rant  Flame Away page where any and all are free to do just that as much and as often as they wish. Have at it. Those of us not interested in that discourse can simply choose to avoid it. Ain't that a simple solution? ![:]](http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/clipart/proud.gif) Thank you, Blake | ||
| Fogcity |
Speaking of opinions: Has anyone used the "Revolutionizer," as mentioned a couple months ago in the 'inovation of the month' section of MCN? Is it worth the $29.95 plus $6.95 s&h? Also, as far as the insightful opinions being thrown back and forth, is anyone dedicated to another bike manufacturer specific web page? Is the mood / opinions the same there? I've been happy with my M2 and am just trying to get a "real" idea whether these bikes are as "junky" as some would have me believe. Thanks. | ||
| Fogcity |
And the simple solutions are usually the best. | ||
| Nevco1 |
Ray, In retrospect, I believe I addressed your concerns about catastrophic events incurred under normal riding conditions in my original post. I may have sounded overly optimistic with my statement "Other than the hooligan style rider (read: wheelies, stoppies, smiley face burnouts, etc) and the track racers, I am confident that the rest of us have had a pleasant experience with our rides regardless of manufacturer." However, I feel that I had covered catastrophic events incurred under normal riding conditions with the reserve fund mentioned in the following paragraph. Federal and State Legislation concerning warranties are specific in reference to a product being fit for its intended use and ensuing remedies for failure. In theory, this protects both the consumer and the manufacturer. Granted this has not always worked without some sort of legal contest but it is the best we have until the government puts even more restraints on us all under the precept of protecting us from ourselves. Ray, thanks again for your challenge. I hope this helps clear up matters. Best regards, Bill | ||
| Aaron |
Thank you Blake. | ||
| Jrh |
A few weeks ago Thiels,in Upper Sandusky,Ohio, my HD,Buell,Yamaha,Kawasaki,Honda,Dealer had their annual MDA ride+"customer appreciation day".For the entire Saturday ALL parts+acc.in stock except oil+filters were Half retail price.For Buells this included tube framer factory race kit,carbon fiber air cleaner kits,several Force full exhausts,different slip-on mufflers.I guess they've been doing this for the last several years,gonna have to start reading those fliers i get in the mail a little better.Yah,this is a fantastic dealer to be a customer of,all employees seem as enthused with ALL motorcycles as me.I don't work there and this aint an ad for them+it's not the right place on this site for this post,but its something good so i posted it here | ||
| Flapjack |
Been a hell of a fire fight going on for the last week, I've been keeping my head low in the foxhole. The discussion has been getting pretty nasty, glad to see Blake wave the white flag and perhaps cool things down a bit. Spoke to Capt.Pete on the phone Thursday. What a pleasure to hear the actual voice of someone you have exchanged posts with. It's Sunday morning in Michigan, sunny, cool, and I'm at my shop to catch on some unfinished work from last week. The work can wait, I'm going for a ride and test out the Buell leather jacket purchased yesterday. I'm going to have a great ride youall do the same. | ||
| Jb2 |
Hey Flapjack, I don't know ya but for all of us here please don't test the jacket, just wear it! Thank you Blake! Nice change of topic. Gotta go ridin'! Ridin' Red, JB2 | ||
| Road_Thing |
Well said, Blake! r-t | ||
| Ray_Maines |
Bill, Just to clarify things a little from my end. I think we all know that by their very nature a motorcycle get treated worse than a family car because they’re testosterone toys and a Buell is right at the head of the class. Deep down in our hearts we know the Sportster mill wasn't designed for this sort of thing and so we put up with the rocker box leaks, breather puke and such. We close one eye and squint with the other when we look at our pride and joy and tell ourselves that our tube frame bikes aren’t that far removed from “kit bike” status and we laugh off the broken muffler mounts and weird electrical gremlins. Mostly, we’re a pretty forgiving group of owners. If I hadn’t trashed my Y2K M2 I'd still be happily riding it. I rode it pretty hard and didn’t maintain it with any special care and it treated me pretty well for two years and 18,000 miles, but other people, even some of the “normal” ones, just haven't been so lucky. So with no animosity or argument, I stand behind what I posted yesterday, “All too often the darn bikes just fall apart." Rejoice if you have a good one like I did, but don’t be too surprised if it turns out that you don’t. | ||
| Captpete |
Blake: My thanks as well. | ||
| Jvv |
BLAKE...... you ARE always thinking!!! ride safe...Jack | ||
| Dustykat |
It's 10:30 am, It's bright and sunny out, getting to high 70's today. I'm going to hook up with my buddies at noon and go to Santa Cruz for lunch then up the coast to half moon bay. Ride the "hills around Santa Cruz" as the doobie brothers so eloqaintly put it and for get my woes. I suggest the rest of you turn off your computers and get outside! Work, inside Recess, Outside bye! Dustykat | ||
| Rick_A |
Sorry about the profanity Blake...I had not refreshed my page before I posted so I missed that post. I'll honor that request to the best of my ability. | ||
| Firemanjim |
Thanks, Blake.Hope the flame wars go AWAY!!!Dusty,rail some corners for me.I am sitting at firehouse looking out at a BEAUTIFUL day,weather is sunny and going to be in 80's.Oh, well,tuesday I am off to the Salt.We'll try to keep ya'll posted.(Practicing my Louisiana drawl--gotta be able to talk to Richard). | ||
| Ncbueller |
Dustykat: In a post a couple of days ago, you mentioned that you had changed the bars o your bike? What did you change to? Ride Safe | ||
| Mikej |
(pssst, hi, nice outside, bye) |
