| Author | Message | ||
     Imonabuss |
JimWitt, Are you saying you believe Buell bought back 40 to 50% of the Buells sold in Arizona to avoid the lemon law? Or that 40 to 50% of the owners there are ready to invoke the lemon law but haven't? Man, there are a lot of intelligent people here who might know you, so I hope for your reputation's sake that I misunderstood you! | ||
| Imonabuss |
No wait, I just re-read it, and I believe it might say 40 to 50% of Blast and XB owners?! OK, OK, I must be completly mis-reading... | ||
| Ray_Maines |
Darn it, I hate it when I agree with The Rocket. Now if he would just learn not to put a space between the last word of his question and the "?." Some of those other UK guys do that too. What's up with that? (that would be "that?" not "that ?"  ! Can't these guys learn to write English? (English ?)? I mean, really, you know? ? | ||
| Buelliedan |
Those prices on new Buells sounds good but that doesn't include freight or set-up fees. How much you think they will tack on for that? Most dealers I have been in add about $500-750 more.. I think I will stick to buying up older Buells from now on. Anybody have a S1WL for sale under $5000? | ||
| Hootowl |
I just read a glowing report on the XB9S in the December issue of Cycle World. If you want a warm fuzzy, check it out. | ||
| Jb2 |
Chainsaw and all, here's another one for all the Buell faithful. Of the Buells I've accumulated many miles on all were subject to the recalls but I had nary a problem with them, ever. Almost. Fact is all my problems began after the recalls.(leaking replacement shocks) I solved the problem by buying my own replacements from WP after having three different dealers refuse to replace the badly leaking recall shocks. I switched horses recently and I'm enjoying this new love affair with a VFR. Last week in the mail comes a notice from Honda saying my bike is part of a recall/warranty issue related to the charging system. Again, as with the Buells, I've not experienced the failure they speak of. Now I worry..."Is the fix worse than the potential failure?" With Honda, I doubt it. Now get this. I call the dealer and want to schedule my bike in to replace the underrated altenator and guess what? Yep. They know nothing about the recall, not sure how or when to get the parts and please call back in a coupla weeks to see if Honda notifies them. Sound familiar?  I believe Mr. Rocket has touched on some very fine points concerning Buells in the marketplace and their perception by people other than us diehards. To sell a bike to the sportbike masses it has to win races that count. I think the AMA is doing an injustice to the motorcycling community with all of the highly regulated and controversial classes they create. At least in salt flats racing there are class rules and regulations and it's up the builder to assemble a bullet around those perameters to compete. You notice that NASCAR is falling victim to the same problems by creating rules as they go for each brand. One set of rules for Ford, one for Chevy, one for Dodge. Instead of saying a car can have this much spoiler, ground clearance and motor they make up rules in what appears to be good intentions to keep things equal. Americans don't really want equal... let's call a spade a spade... we want a winner and a loser. And most of all we want to be on the winning side. Those of us who've lusted after Buells want a clear, second to none winner without kissing the ass of some sanctioning body to get rules bent in our favor. I understand the philosophy of creating a new slot in the marketplace and building the only bike in it. But that's not what really happened. Is it? And what about winning? If we're the only real streetfighter out there then we can only compete and beat up on ourselves? If Buell is going only have the XB platform and ONLY a 900cc motor then give us a bad mutha of a dual sport and we'll go out and start killing KLR's. My S2 is far better suited to my real world riding that the XB. I want something I can ride across the US comfortably and show up at the salt flats, unload my luggage, and run the 130 and 150 club. There's only one bike in my garage that'll do it... and it ain't the Buell. My Interceptor has tickled the high 150's(professional rider on closed course  ) and had plenty left. That's stock out of the box, no modifications. No it didn't win the AMA Super Bike Championship or anything for that matter but it has that Honda reliability and their other bikes(RC51, 600, xr250, etc, etc) are all mopping up the competition. Now the hardcore Buell enthusiast in me says "Damn, I can't believe I just said that.". To sum it up. Any bike, any brand, does not matter. All have their faults and quirks. Some buyers get lucky, some don't. Same with dealers. And finally if corporate HD/Buell doesn't think that real world bragging rights means something they're not watching the back door to see who's leaving the show. Ride Safe all. Back to lurk, JB2 | ||
| Buelliedan |
JB2, I don't think XR250s are mopping up the competition anywhere. CR250s yes, XR250s no. I think it was a Kawasaki and a Suzuki that pretty much dominated the 600 class also. | ||
| Buelliedan |
Speaking of Hondas. Has anybody else saw the new "Rune" due out in 03. 1800cc Goldwing engine with Valkerie like styling but much, MUCH meaner. It is a bad ass bike to say the least but minimilist it is not. http://www.motorcycledaily.com/13september02honda2004valkyrierune.html | ||
| Dynarider |
I dont really believe the results of that survey for 1 minute. My wife owned a Blast & except for a couple of recalls it was problem free. Not the fastest thing around & certainly not sexy looking, but it was reliable. Havent really heard any bad news about the XB's except for a strange tendancy to crash on the Dragon. Also I keep hearing about more & more of them that are breaking belts at low mileage. Thats about all I have heard from the people I ride with. Now if this survey was about the X1, you better believe it would be 30% or higher dissatisfaction rate. | ||
| Jb2 |
OOOPS Dan, sorry about the spelling. You get the jist despite my errors, correct?  | ||
| Rick_A |
It seems like most problems people have with Buells start as something simple and are compounded by the dealer. If we had more reliable dealers there would very well be more reliable Buells (and satisfied owners). | ||
| Jim_Witt |
Harvey asked: Man, there are a lot of intelligent people here who might know you, so I hope for your reputation's sake that I misunderstood you! My reputation? I'm just a hard working guy that tells it like I see it. Sometimes I may be wrong but I'll admit it when it happens. From my experience with Buell dealers in Arizona, the owners I’ve talked to and rode with here, the poll is believable to me. I have no reason to believe that Buell service, knowledgeable Buell mechanics or parts availability has improved in my area and every reason to believe it hasn’t. It isn’t difficult for me to consider a poll stating that one-third of the Blast and XB owners are dissatisfied with services rendered on their bikes, parts or warranty issues and therefore as a last resort are considering using the Lemon Law. As I mentioned previously, based on my experience, I’m also not shocked at the one-third figure and wouldn’t be surprised if it were actually much higher. From my direct experience with the Lemon Law and those I’ve spoken with, once the preliminary letter is sent from the lawyer immediate action is taken. Then compromises are usually made on the part of both parties involved. In some cases the bikes are bought back (so to speak), in others they kiss your butt and make up, put on a dog and pony show and get the bike fixed pronto, others simply take the loss and unload their bike and in some cases that I know of, the bike simply sits in the garage. BTW, I met this one fool at a BRAG meeting that owned a M2 and Hacienda HD had his ride for 9 months (warranty issues). I don’t recall (but maybe I have) bashing Buells but I have spoke my mind since day one on more performance (HP), unacceptable service, unresolved warranty issues, recalls, lack of parts and unqualified mechanics. I also know quite a few hooligans that have strayed away from Buells because of these unfortunate dealer practices. Even though I’ve encountered some unacceptable situation doesn’t mean I don’t like Buells, rather the Buell dealerships I’ve encountered. Due to the situations and circumstances I’ve been exposed to, the poll isn’t difficult for me to believe. Would I purchase another Buell? Sure. Once the economy picks back up I’m looking for a RR1000, S1WL and a S2T. S'later, -JW:> | ||
| Jim_Witt |
Rick wrote: It seems like most problems people have with Buells start as something simple and are compounded by the dealer. If we had more reliable dealers there would very well be more reliable Buells (and satisfied owners). Rick, Right on! BTW, sweet S1. S'later, -JW:> | ||
| Buelliedan |
JIm, I'll trade you a cherry S2T and a S1WL for your RR1200 any day!! | ||
| Jima4media |
Harley-Davidson Buying Ducati? by dean adams Monday, November 04, 2002 Ducati stock has been in play for the last month based in part on rumors that parent company TPG is now going to sell their stake in the Italian-job and cherry-pick the US Airline industry for fun and profit instead. The news out of Europe is getting more intriguing by the day—latest published rumors link Ducati with Harley-Davidson, with the American manufacturer swinging in to buy an interest, or a controlling interest, in Ducati for about $228 million US, or about what Harley will make in jacket sales this coming Christmas. These same rumors were floated several years ago with Ducati execs saying, as they are now, that 'it makes sense to partner with Harley-Davidson' but Harley had zero interest in buying Ducati in any way shape or form. Different story now? Time will tell. ENDS ------------------- This item was pulled from AMA soup. | ||
| Chainsaw |
...I was refering to the sheer NUMBER of recalled vehicles! I don't know if Buell has sold that many bikes since inception (could be wrong) | ||
| Court |
>>>I don't know if Buell has sold that many bikes since inception They have not. I have a Ford F-250HD that's one of the best vehicles I've ever owned. It's been "recalled" about 8 times. I love it. Court | ||
| Mikej |
Well, if H-D were to buy into Ducati, with all the shops out there that sell Ducati it then probably wouldn't take much to move a few Buells over next to the Ducati in some multi-marque stores. That's what a lot of people have been screaming for for some time now, get the Buells out of the HOG shop and into a "friendlier" environment. At least in this way I might actually be able to find a stocking dealer for a Throttlemeister, and a few other items lacking at many hog shops. Time will tell, 'tis the season afterall for these sorts of rumors. I just hope they don't adopt the Duc valve adjustment schedule as a means to do away with pushrods. | ||
| Hootowl |
Buelliedan, Yes, I've seen the Rune. Looks wicked doesn't it? I like the way the link suspension in the front makes the tire look all tucked in. Don't know what that'll do for handling, but it sure looks neat. | ||
| Hootowl |
A Buell/Ducati dealer? Oh the possibilities... | ||
| Blake |
JQ, Ever consider a career as a democratic campaign attack ad strategist? I know I'm late on this, but your highly spun and twisted post from last Saturday morning at 7:30am deserves a logical rebuttal. Let's be real here. When John Baker talked about racing to win, he was speaking in terms of THE premier AMA road racing class, Superbike; he was speaking about an all out 100% factory run championship effort, designing and building a world class superbike, homologation, and all the costs involved for H-D to do/support that. He was NOT talking about a grass roots rider oriented racing series as Pro Thunder was intended to be. Conversely, when EB talks about racing for the enjoyment and wanting grass roots rider oriented racing in the AMA, he is talking about the riders and bringing racing back to them, returning to a true multi-brand, multi-platform/configuration field of racing, instead of the big supersport and superbike racing factory team series where a privateer has no chance to compete. Context, it makes all the difference. As to his prior support of AMA Pro Racing, I think Erik addressed that in his recent statement how he had been warned about those jerks but had tried to give them a chance. I think his statement about racers needing to call in BEFORE the rules officially come out was a rational one, especially given the history of AMA Pro Racing. It may not be the best situation, but it certainly is correct. I think he supported the AMA Pro Racing jerks on the Ducati displacement issue because it was a fair rule, albeit a late one, and he was still trying to give them the benefit of the doubt. No doubt Erik was also happy to have them even the field for the Buell racers. Though disapppointed, Erik Buell was not upset or angry because AMA Pro Racing dropped Pro Thunder. Mr. Buell is upset that that AMA Pro Racing flat out lied to him on more than one issue. They told him that they dropped Pro Thunders and 250 GP giving him justifications that they needed to do so in order to concentrate 100% on the other series, to improve the situation for most of the riders and teams. They told him that the AMA was totally against any single brand racing series and would not ever support one and could not support the Buell Lightning Series. After killing Pro Thunder after fives years with the last three sponsored by Buell, they come out and do exactly the opposite. They add another class to Daytona and it is a single brand race, exactly opposite of what the AMA Pro Racing said they would do. Erik Buell is upset, justifiably so, because AMA Pro Racing lied to him on multiple counts. They lied to him after he had gone to bat for them, supported them, and stuck up for them. They are total assholes. They need to be fired. | ||
| Sarodude |
Regarding Recalls: Next time you're out take a look at the number of previous generation Toyota Corollas with saggy rear springs. These cars should have been recalled to have proper rear springs installed as this is clearly a lame part. BUT, Toyota LOOKS like it does no wrong because no recall was issued and most people aren't observant enough to notice the Helicopter Hunter stance the cars tend to adopt. I think it's GREAT that a manufacturer steps up and admits a shortcoming and fixes it proactively instead of waiting for something to go wrong and then expecting the customer to pony up. Stop complaining about the recalls already. My Corolla hasn't been recalled for the sh1tty springs. Doesn't make it any better. -Saro | ||
| Buck |
My '93 Ford Explorer had a recall last year that made me give up 5 wornout Firestone ATX tires for 5 brand new Goodyear Wanglers, sometimes you just have to love recalls! | ||
| Davegess |
Blake good response to JQ. JQ refuses to "get it". Buell goes racin' 'casue it is fun to go racing. They would love to win and would love to go superbike racing but neither they nor HD has the budget to do so. I believe that the VR budget was less than Honda spends on one Supersport bike. Honda's latest scooter was supported by an advertising budget that was more dollars than HD spent on the entire VR project. It may not be good marketing to go racing and not win, perhaps why BMW set up BMW cup racing, but thousands of people go racing because it is fun to compete. Winning is cool but they keep doing it week after week even if they lose 'CAUSE IT IS FUN. Buell goes racing 'cause the man who's name is on the building loves to go racing. They do win some and certainly could win more if they built a race replica street bike BUT Erik doesn't want to build one so he race what he has ans does pretty good at it. If you think that he is making bad business decisions that will hurt Buell in the long run... hey it his money and his company. So far he has been building bikes his way for 2o years and is going stonger than ever. You may doubt his vision BUT he remains the only person in the world in the last 40 years to have started a street motorcycle company with no cash and a dream who is still around. | ||
| Captainplanet |
If you guys want to see a Buell-Ducati dealer, just come to Austin. Buell and Harley downstairs and Ducati upstairs. | ||
| Court |
Fun. Fun begets passion. Passion begat Buell. Like funds spent to keep an aging German Sheperd alive, much of the things in life that provide the greatest joy and most keenly keep us in touch with the special meaning of being alive, defy logical reason. I can forgive and engineer, given to having to have X + Y = Z, for perhaps missing the point. Clouds make no sense. They block the sun, only infrequently provide the benefit of rain and I am nearly certain that modern technology could certainly provide a much more efficient fully automated sample that works/wins all the time. I want clouds. I want them for the way they make me feel and for the people I rub shoulders with as I gaze at them. They make no sense, their equation has a null solution set and their pursuit is senseless. I just like them. In college, I competed. I was a Gold Medal winning Champeen All-Around Gymnast. I swung, vaulted and dismounted with my sole focus as beating the competition. I did, gracefully and elegantly. Winning was everything. "Ah but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now" and I've learned the meaning of "Clouds". I want passion, I want friendship and I want to long to see, and be seen by, friends around the world. If a piece breaks on a motorcycle that Erik Buell, a person simialrly afflicted with my love of living, on my way to that dream, I'll fix it. The dream is more important. I "like" the "winning destination", I "love" the road that takes me there. If I could live in a world of clear blue skies, lacking clouds or the types of product quirks that mark a motorcycle as scars do fine leather, I'd take clouds. Erik Buell's been cussed, discussed, dissed, dismissed impuned and insulted since I've known him. I watched him, in a very private moment, once cry . . not about his motorcycle; but his having to miss a kid's event. That moment, among hundreds of thousand of Buell moments, stands out among the reasons I subscribe to his dream and his vision. If only I had the guts to endure the hardships he has, and each day keep coming back to log another 18 hours to share FUN with people the world over. In the moments I may have wanted to toss the bike over a cliff, I've never lost sight of the dream. I like clouds. Court | ||
| Davegess |
WELL SAID | ||
| Justjoe |
Court said: "If I could live in a world of clear blue skies, lacking clouds or the types of product quirks that mark a motorcycle as scars do fine leather, I'd take clouds." Why do we equate poor reliability with "product quirks" or character? Why is Buell reliability and product character mutually exclusive? Why does Buell and/or the "Buell Faithful" continually have to make excuses? I think too much of the Harley "Lifestyle" has creeped into Buell. I guess I'm just one of those who don't "get it". JustJoe | ||
| Choptop |
Buell and Ducati together? Nah, it would never fly..... oh wait.... Modesto Buell/Ducati Going racin? OK, where? When? What are we racing? Just not on this wed., I've got a trackday. | ||
| Mikej |
Reliability is a mechanical issue coupled to use of the product. Character is a subjective interpretation of aspects or sum-total by individuals or in general of the product. One is quantitative, one is qualitative. I make no excuses, some have problems, some don't. It's just a bike, and my Buell happens to be a bike I like. And at the recent CrudRun I saw a whole slew of bikes I liked, most of them more than 20 years old in various states of condition. It's not something you have to "get", you only have to decide if you want "it" to be a part of your life or not. It's a personal thing, not a "Harley lifestyle" thing. YMMV. JustMike. |
