| Author | Message | ||
     Cjmblast |
Court, Hey, I'm not insulting Buell owner's and I don't get that tour !!! I wanna Go !! CJM  | ||
| Court |
Actually, I need to address that. Ya'll unbeleivable enthusiasm and support's been a double edge sword when a "small group" of Team Elves, is on a good day, about 50 folks! Mr. Buell, rife with excitement, opted to take the planning of a celebration on himownself. Constraints included, trying to beat Aaron's upcoming trip the Asia, riding the wave of enthusism and support, keying in on Richard's bithday this Wednesday, beating the onset of holidays and insuring we hit a date that would totally screw up the wedding plans of Wes and Pammy's daughter. The only available date to meet all criteria was 11-8-02. Well, here's where you boys and girls WHO CREATED this Team and this Buell pnenomena come in. Erik asked me ...:how many ya looking at prancing through my workshop?". A "normal" group would have been a handful, my reponse of 50-75 floored him and hit the threshold that would require much more detailed and time consuming preparation at East Troy. Trade offs were necessary. So the deal is going to be, that we are taking a couple of the folks to the factory for a special ceremony so that the men and women of Buell can share in WHAT YA'LL DID. Now, with that crew in town, I was not about to miss the chance to meet some of the most dedicated ELF SUPPORTERS and quickly tossed the ball into the court of a group of dedicated WI/IL/IA Elves. I'm sorry (and can genuinely tell you that Erik is sorrier) that we can't take everyone involved to the plant; you deserve it. But, I can also tell you that we're going to have one dickens of a time and it's going to be great to listen to the Cheeseheads try to communicate with the Cajun! Better yet...it's going to be GREAT to see the look on Keith Ulikci's (one of mototcyclings BEST folks) when he returns from a leisurely trip to Puerto Rico to find once again, after all these years, that my friends and I have caused havoc in his gorgeous facility. Come prepared to buy Uke's t-shirt to save me butt! Let's party Elves ! Court (Ross, you get here, I'll handle a special accomadation  ) | ||
| Josh |
Court, was Ukes the dealer that the "Rolling Buell Museum" was at in '01?(00?) complete with bicycle and RW750?? | ||
| Pammy |
Court, My birthday is Monday as a matter of fact. So my birthday ride this year has been pre-empted due to a couple of events. | ||
| Loki |
So it is (un)officially the Buell-a-gonza part two then...... | ||
| Madduck |
Court, We are still a little shy on detail. Start and stop of event. Do you need anything done?? Is it for sure at Uke's in Kenosha?? Paul | ||
| Bads1 |
Hey Court,Keith Ulikci knows your coming. He's been back from vacation for a week now. | ||
| Roc |
I guess they were wrong about that "meeting the nicest people on a Honda" thing. | ||
| Kerryx1 |
No Roc, that's still true. "People" is a combination of all body parts, not just one. | ||
| Ncbueller |
Court: Need anything from NASCAR Country for the extravagansa? Ride safe | ||
| José_Quiñones |
If you have a XB9R or Blast, are you....... | ||
| Court |
>>>>>Is it for sure at Uke's in Kenosha?? It is an absolute certainly and it's going to be an absolutely GREAT time! Court | ||
| Court |
Okay....pardon me while I ponder..... The "why do people buy Buells?" question was easy. But, I just turned a short phone conversation with our own NCBueller into the better part of 30 minutes. You want a question? Why do people this smart hang out with the likes of us? Gads....I love this sport ! Court | ||
| Mikej |
Josh, Yes. ====== During the "special" tour that PaulTheCookInOz invited me to go on during a recent Homecoming I wore my long sleeve LSR Bonneville shirt on the tour. I heard several comments from Buell employees after I walked past that indicated to me that the Buell staff were both fully aware of the LSR attempts and accomplishments and the Buell staff was following the attempts and successes very enthusiastically. And, yes, I can see where 50-60 people on that tour could cause a few headaches in that facility. The production building is one thing, with much to feast the eyes on, especially if you have good depth perception and visual acuity and good "cave sense" regarding how to look into shadows. During the special tour there was much to see, and probably too difficult to conceal to the point that they definitely would not want any unwelcome people to accidently get invited to attend. I would not be surprised if some background checks were being run at times either quickly or in advance. Next year should be very interesting. Now is the time of year that much happens in back rooms. Don't believe me? Head down to your local speed shop and ask to see something that you were welcome to see during the peak of summer, almost guaranteed you'll at a minimum be delayed and when you do get the pass into the back you can expect to see plenty of sheets covering benches and a bunch of the crew innocently sipping their coffee and sodas. ===== "Cats that are fed keep showing up on your doorstep looking for food! " Speaking of which, a momma cat and her litter showed up outside of my place a week ago which were hanging around the dumpster. I just shut the dumpster lid and the "family" moved off to better and easier pickin's. Food for thought. | ||
| Josh |
José, Too bad they don't require a VIN or other proof you actually own one. How many are actual owners? | ||
| Court |
I am to beleive that >31% of Blast and XB owners level of discontent with their motorcycles rises to the level of pursuing the "Lemon Law" and entering litigation? Does anyone REALLY believe that? It is, I'd suggest, a sophomoric example of the effects of sampling and sample size. I mean, this is not "Sixth Sigma" stuff. That number would put the BLAST® and the XB about 3 standard deviations below the Corvair and infer that all the magazines running about touting the "best built Buell ever", "Buell has turned the quality corner", "extraordinary attention to deatail" and "more than Erik Buell promised" all obtuse liars. I'm making no conclusions, simply observing that it seems odd that 30 some % of MO poll takers are ready to engage an attorney (I'm currently paying her $575 per hour and having second thoughts on my case) and fight while folks on badweb can't seem to break the damn things. These presumptions are somewhat amazing, the number of folks who buy into believing this stuff threaten to elevate "there's a sucker born every minute" to gospel status. P.S. - that was NEVER said by P. T. Barnum, it was said by his competitor, Mr. Hannum. | ||
| Imonabuss |
Besides the obvious fact that there is no proof that these people writing in even have a Buell. The word at the dealerships is that the Blasts and even more so the XB's are really good. Oh well, "I read it on the Internet, therefore it is so..." is the latest smug refuge of the ignorant. | ||
| Two_Buells |
that survey can pound salt! My XB has been my first Buell (out of 5) since 1996 that I have never taken back to a dealer for anything! | ||
| Rex |
I have not heard of too many Blasts or XB's having problems. Seem fairly strong...... | ||
| Jim_Witt |
Court replied: I am to beleive that >31% of Blast and XB owners level of discontent with their motorcycles rises to the level of pursuing the "Lemon Law" and entering litigation? Court, Why is that so hard to believe (if it’s true)? The poll in my opinion has nothing to do with build quality and/or the improvements that have been made to the Buell. Perhaps the disgruntled owners are experiencing unacceptable delays (to normal folks anyway) on service issues. You could own the perfect bike but if it never gets out of the service department what good is it. Old example …… Hacienda HD in Arizona was awarded dealer of the year for Buell sales a few years back. That being the case, they must have sold a ton of Buells. I never met anyone that was happy with his or her Buell at Hacienda. Not because of the bike itself or how it performed rather HOW LONG their bikes were held captive. I also met quite a few folks that did invoke the Lemon Law. It’s my opinion that very few folks that purchase a Buell (or any motorcycle) think they must also be a mechanic. Plus I’m quite sure that no one would ever think their bike could possibly spend 6 solid months to a YEAR in the shop for warranty work. When I first started visiting the BBS just about everyone here was pro-Buell and refused to believe any of the problems posted could possibly exist. Nowadays it’s a pretty common understanding that if you purchase a Buell you'd better plan on doing your own service work. So …… I don’t find the poll hard to believe, nor do I understand why anyone couldn't believe it. S'later, -JW:>  BTW: I don't really give a rats ass anyway, just felt like writing something. | ||
| Court |
I think that survey effectively proves a point about the validity of the internet "surveys". The MO survey has all the makings of assembling all the young boys in St. John's parish in Brooklyn and taking a poll regarding Catholic Preists. Accuracy and honesty is the natural adversary of the small mind. Let me ask you this....if a survey says "30% of BLAST® suck" and J. D. Powers, an independant industry quality and customer satisfaction concern who VERIFYS owner information says "BLAST's are one of the most reliable motorcycles currently being made" . . . well, who ya gonna go with? Frankly, I'm kinda glad we breached this subject. The figures alluded to are so beyond the scope of beleivablitly as to effectively showcase the anecdotal things behind a host of commentary about the Buell XB platform. Face it. . . were the XB produced by anyone else in the world (I like to use KTM in my examples) it would be labled as "exotic", "cutting edge" and be known for raising the standard of the industry in both quality and innovation. Some of this is my opinion, some based on conversatons with a couple of the Honda America folks in Torrance who are kicking their own ass wishing they'd had the NAS further along and not been beaten to the punch by an American upstart...surely to appear as "Buell Copycats" in 2004. When the NAS gets here, it's be a great bike but little will be "new".....Buell insured that. Court | ||
| Davegess |
Court you have mail. dave | ||
| Court |
>>>>Why is that so hard to believe (if it’s true)? I guess, just from a rudimentary understanding of the simple math involved. That's be like someone hitting a triple in 934 consecutive at bats. Let me help you out....if you want or need to beleive that >30% number to assauge some feelings about your Buell purchase. Let's play for a minute. . . Let's add the number of BLAST®s manufacturered in 2000 and 2001 (5146 + 3489 = 8,635). Now let's assume the survey's valid and take that 32.18% "considering Lemon Law" X 8635 which gives us something on the order of 2,778 folks (these, bear in mind are not "dissatisfied" or "marginally satisfied" or "pissed off" )indicating they are "ready to invoke the Lemon Law". Now....Court, fully aware that little if any info is not "public" in this day and age, bebops his aging ass on over the repsoitory of all evil in the world of motorcycling the official U.S. Government (there goes the credibility, eh?) National Highway Transporation Department's Office of Defects Investigation Consumer Complaints Database. Well....I'll give you this I found a complaint. Problem was it was "A" (as in a SINGLE) complaint. Well, let me further qualify that. I found "A" complaint for 2000. There were NONE for 2001. So, now we are getting "data", in that we know that, to date, only 0.036% of these folks have had their level of dissatisfaction rise to the point (and in this case it was the dealer not getting the parts) of filing with NHTSA. Hmmmmmm. . . . get's ya wondering eh? ODI ID: 889330 Make: BUELL Model: BLAST P3 Year: 2000 Incident: No Fire: No Number of Injuries: 0 Date of Failure: 03/11/2000 Component: POWER TRAIN: DRIVELINE: DIFFERENTIAL UNIT SPROCKET Summary: 00V 271 000/REAR WHEEL SPROCKET: UNABLE TO GET DEALER, HARLEY DAVIDSON OF WEST VIRGINIA, SOUTH CHARLSON, WV; PHONE# 800/766-4647 TO HONOR MANUFACTURER'S RECALL BECAUSE OF NO PARTS AVAILABLE. SEEKING HELP FROM NHTSA IN THIS MATTER. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS ON THIS PROBLEM. *AK | ||
| Justjoe |
[quote]Face it. . . were the XB produced by anyone else in the world (I like to use KTM in my examples) it would be labled as "exotic", "cutting edge" and be known for raising the standard of the industry in both quality and innovation. Some of this is my opinion, some based on conversatons with a couple of the Honda America folks in Torrance who are kicking their own ass wishing they'd had the NAS further along and not been beaten to the punch by an American upstart...surely to appear as "Buell Copycats" in 2004. When the NAS gets here, it's be a great bike but little will be "new".....Buell insured that. [\quote] Court, Buell has made their own bed with the public perception of their motorcycles. No one is to blame about how the new bikes are percieved but Buell/HDI. And the 99 X1 is probably the largest contributor to that fact. When the NAS gets here, it may not be new, but it will be more likely to be purchased by me than the XB platform. Mainly because of the problems I had with my X1. I'd rather a day late reliable Honday than a new Buell that, to me, hasn't proved anything yet as far as it's reliability is concerned. Just my opinion though. JustJoe | ||
| Sarodude |
Court- My experience didn't involve an official Lemon dealie - though I certainly made enough mention of it. The way the law is worded in Californianese it's questionable whether it applies to bikes or not. It was simply taken in trade for a new Blast with no dollars changing hands. Most certainly a Lemon in spirit though not on paper. The biggest reason I wound up going for that was because the majority of my issues were dealer induced. I didn't want to burden BMC any more than I already had with a dealer service department being completely moronic. I'd be curious how many unofficial lemons exist. I know of 1. -Saro | ||
| Court |
Court, Buell has made their own bed with the public perception of their motorcycles. No one is to blame about how the new bikes are percieved but Buell/HDI. And the 99 X1 is probably the largest contributor to that fact. Joe: No disagreement from me on that. But, the problems with the X-1 do not MAKE the XB or the BLAST® a "bad" motorcycle..... | ||
| Mikej |
But I think Buell might be fighting a "bad neighborhood" perception whereby the past crime rates impart misunderstandings on people's perceptions and even though there may not have been a single shooting in a neighborhood for 4 months now all people seem to remember is the 2 per week that were reported 4 years ago. Makes for good prices on the used houses in that neighborhood if you're buying, but hard to sell or rent the same if you're a current owner. Off-center analogy maybe, but potentially valid none the less. | ||
| Court |
I'd be curious how many unofficial lemons exist. I know of 1. I know of more and am aware that Buell, even when the facts were "iffy" has gone light years beyond thier legal obligations to "work things out". You bring up another interesting point, in that some states (Connecticut comes immediately to mind) did not view motorcycles as "passenger vehicles" and excluded them from legal remedies available under Lemon Laws. The Morrison-Magnusson Act applies in some cases and there are some other laws that have been sucessfuly employed to deal with vehicles that fell short of "fitness for purpose" standards. I'll try to wind up my passionate diatribe on this by saying, I am not saying the are no issues. I am saying that I have seriously doubts about a survey suggesting that 1/3 of Buell XB and BLAST's have aggregious enough faults as to be subject to Lemon Law standards. Additonally, there is little logic in the "my 2003 XB must be a problem because my 1999 X-1 was a problem". That'd pretty much obviate the power of "lessons learned". Buell's made huge strides in product and build quality and I think as XB's get miles on them, that will become evident. Court | ||
| Court |
Mike: As a resident, transplanted from Kansas, of New York City, safest city over 1 Million population, in the USA, I PERFECTLY understand of what you speak | ||
| Aaron |
The X1 make the XB or Blast a bad motorcycle? Makes about as much sense as saying the X1 made the RR1000 a bad motorcycle. Which, believe it or not, I actually saw someone try to claim. I think it was Montague who wrote that 90% of a human's position on anything is based on emotion. Our logical side can get real creative trying to rationalize those emotions. |
