| Author | Message | ||
     Crank |
Jim: Great looking place! Your pictures brought back many fond memories of my freshman year at NAU in 1968. Single, 18, and a 350 Honda, life was good! | ||
| Reepicheep |
Jim, I feel your pain. But if you can solder the wires carefully, put on some shrink tubing strain relief, and get a good seal against the elements (maybe with a little dielectric grease in the shrink tubing before you shrink it, but I never tried it), you should have a repair that will last the lifetime of the bike. Maybe a 20 minute repair. Then go to a GOOD dealer, and get the TPS calibration done. I think thats like $30 or so, and the dealer *might* cut you a little slack and cover it under warranty, even though it was not their fault. (I would also double check to make sure the correct O2 sensor is back in there... like maybe they cut the connectors because the O2 sensor they grabbed was not for that bike). So for around $50 and an hour or two of your time, you are good again, and a free man. I would not let my bike ANYWHERE NEAR that original dealer again. I bought a $100 rotor to replace one a dealer bent, and a $100 exhaust bracket that should have been goodwilled, just to get the heck away from bad dealers (two different ones) before they had the chance to screw anything else up and waste any more of my time. Once it has been established they are incompetent, untrustworthy, unethical, and uninterested with satisfying customers, you have nothing to gain by continuing to deal with them, and lots to loose. I would say cut your loses. Though I would call Buell customer service, and give them the timeline, maybe Buell can *not* reimburse the dealer for the warranty work, as it was not actually completed correctly (don't know how that works internal to Buell). I'm sure this stuff drives Buell corporate even more nuts then it drives us. What I don't understand is why the Harley guys are not going bonkers as well, these guys can't all be that bad when working on Buells and suddenly become paragons of customer service when a Harley rolls in the bay. And name names here on the list. We will steer clear of them. We promise we will cost them more then the pocket money you will be out when all is said and done. So my opinion, based on hard experience, is to cut your losses, post your warning to the rest of us, and get on with a good life. Leave that dealer to wallow in their own petty little inbred morass of stupidity and ineptitude. Its likely a far worse life then you would wish on anyone. And don't worry. They will be the first ones up against the wall when the revolution comes  Bill | ||
| S2pengy |
Bill I agree completely... Finding a shop that does maintance without butchering is something I have not found locally | ||
| Hoser |
Jim: Sounds like the "tech" who worked on your bike was a real jackass !! , why would he have cut ANY!! wires ? If the tank is still off , have a look at the wiring connections on the throttle body to make sure he didn't screw any of those up too , I have seen the wires reversed on the injectors right from the factory , the bike still ran but would not idle worth a shit and would not run very well at all until the rpm was over 3000. He would have had to unplug the engine temp sensor wire , or was it CUT too ! , locate and check that wire , is has a cheapo bullet end on it . I dont know why all these guys are telling you to have the TPS reset ?? , it seems to be the recomended fix for a lot of things around here. | ||
| Pdxs3t |
Jeff (Hoser), Wish you weren't so far north! I have a few other words for the yahoo that worked on the bike. All looks good from what I can tell with the wire's under the tank. I am running a little blind though since I don't have a shop manual yet. This dealership messed other things up too but at least I can fix those but it will cost me a few dollars to do so. And all I wanted to do yesterday was go see my mom!  See ya in July! Jim | ||
| Pdxs3t |
Reepichhep, Thanks for your input and also thanks to everyone else! This site rocks! Jim | ||
| Jim_Witt |
Frank, I did a ton of partying up at NAU (I went to ASU). My brother went there from 64-68. I knew quite a few people there from 69-73. You didn't happpen to know Janet or Bob Treadyway, or Pete Griffen. Cheers, -JW:>  | ||
| Pdxs3t |
Here is a few shots of how the dealer butchered my O2 Sensor wiring. Thanks again to all that gave their input! Jim   | ||
| Crank |
Jim: No, I don't recognize any of those names. While I was there I had a good friend from Scottsdale by the name of Tim Leonard, and a Mike McCabe from Glendale. I was only there the one year (lost my scholarship) but had a great time. Damn, I'm having flashbacks about Jimi Hendrix and Iron Butterfly! I spent a lot of time at Oak Creek Canyon, and made it to ASU on numerous occanions. Perhaps I'll get back again someday. Later, Crank | ||
| Buellskinner |
Buellers: Great garage sale stuff in the classifieds. Get 'em while they are available. Thanks | ||
| Buelliedan |
pdx, Something is very wrong with that pic! That wire going to the sensor is not a stock wire. It looks like they put some kind of aftermarket sensor on your bike. buells have a brownish clothlike coating on the wire. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Unbelievable Jim. What were they thinking, and why on earth did they putz with it in the first place? Again... give us a heads up so we can stay as far away as possible from the dealer! Bill | ||
| Pdxs3t |
Buelliedan The bigest problem with the picture is the missing weather connectors that were there before I took the bike in to the dealer for the rear rocker box leak. Its really a shame to see that the service aspect of Buells really haven't changed much up here in the Northwest. I can't even locate the factory connector on the wiring harness side to try to fix things corretly. Hopefuly Buell Customer Support will have some positive solutions. | ||
| Firemanjim |
Did you guys check out the all carbon fiber bodywork for an S-2 for sale on E-Bay,very pretty.Anyone wanna buy it for me???All my cash going to LSR stuff,darn. | ||
| Dave |
It's very cool Jim. I think it's a smokin' deal even at the 'buy it now price'. (Huh Dan!) DAve | ||
| Tbolt834 |
Pdxst3, Come on . . . dammit . . .tell us the name of the st(d)ealership that performed such lousy service! Inquiring minds want to know! Dave | ||
| Ara |
Jim, what Bill said but don't use the dielectric grease under the shrink tubing. Instead, go down to the electrical section of your local hardware store and buy a can of liquid electrical insulation. It's like rubber in a can. Do your soldering, brushon the liquid electrical insulation, let it dry, and then slide up the shrink tubing and heat it up as uniformly as you can. It's a permanent watertight fix. Russ | ||
| Reepicheep |
Ara... Excellent suggestion! I had forgotten about that stuff. Even have a can of it sitting down in the shop. I was trying to think of something to put under the shrink tubing to keep moisture out... thats a great idea. Sounds like something worth posting a copy of over in the knowledge vault... a "making reliable and durable connections" type topic. I either use the factory connections or solder everything important on my bike, and even that is tricky to make really durable. Tips like this, and types of quick disconnect connectors that actually work reliably without requiring a $200 tool, and where we can find them, belongs somewhere on this board. | ||
| Pdxs3t |
The Dealer who butchered my O2 sensor wiring is Doyle's Harley-Davidson/Buell in Eugene, Oregon. Also posted this information in the Knowldge Fault. Jim | ||
| Pdxs3t |
Russ, Thanks for the info! Will be making a trip to the store this afternoon after work. Bill, Your suggestion of making a Knowledge Vault entry on Durable Connection's is a great idea. I am sure many could benifit from that information. Jim | ||
| Djkaplan |
It's pretty much hit or miss when it comes to quality of workmanship at almost any shop or dealer. Some mechanics are just going to be better than others, just like doctors and garbagemen. If you ever have any work done at Earl Smalls in Marietta, Georgia - try to get a mechanic named Bart for the job. I've personally inspected his work and was impressed by his thoroughness and attention to detail. I've never met the man, but wouldn't hesitate to have him do anything to my bike. I'm no pushover either; I'm an ex-mechanic and the only reason I took my bike to Earl's was because it was still under warranty. | ||
| Cliff |
What is the correct/easy way to disable my 99 M2 side stand switch? | ||
| Pdxs3t |
I am a little disappointed with the response I have gotten from Buell Customer Service but it was expected. BMC will do nothing to assist. Everything has to be handled at the dealer level since the dealer's are independently owned and out of BMC's control. BMC did offer a few of suggestions but I will not know the out come until tomorrow when I am actually able to speak with the service manager at Doyle's again. 1) Ask the dealer to come pickup the bike (150 miles from the shop) and do the repairs (replace complete wiring harness and O2 sensor, the weather packs are not sold separately) at their cost. 2) Ask the dealer to authorize the repair (replace complete wiring harness and O2 sensor, the weather packs are not sold separately) at my local dealer here in Vancouver, WA and Doyle's will cover the cost. 3) Have the wiring harness and O2 sensor replaced at my expense and then file suit against Doyle's Harley Davidson/Buell to recover my cost's for repair. WOW, and I started that Saturday morning just wanting to ride my bike with just 3500 miles on it and still under factory warranty to see my Mom. Mom, not sure if I am going to come visit any more! Thanks to all who have offered their help and suggestions! Jim | ||
| Socal |
Jim_Witt, Here's my delayed answer to your question, "what software are you considering" (I have no internet access Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays)! I think Solidworks would be the ticket. The trial software I was referring to in my last post was Rhinoceros - the major difference would be detail I think. In Solidworks I would model up just about each and every component and then put them together in an assembly, whereas in Rhinoceros it would be a single model. I'm not sure though - I still have to get acquainted with Rhinoceros, I just downloaded the free trial - so I'm not what you'd call "proficient" in it - yet! What software is your cup of tea? Al Lighton sent me a few of his 3D models for rear pulley designs, which were pretty cool. Rock and Roll. Tony p.s. make sure to post pictures of that house once it's finished! p.p.s. anybody else this side of the mississip make it to the new HD/Buell dealership in Moorpark, Ca this weekend? I stopped by, out of curiosity and found the local HOG chapter was giving a tour or something. All HD riders, and me on the S1. I saw one other X1 ride by, hoping he would stop but he didn’t! It was a white/nuke/nuke sharp looking X1! Most of the Harley riders pretended I wasn't there - I think I scared them or something! ![:]](http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/clipart/proud.gif) | ||
| Mikej |
"What is the correct/easy way to disable my 99 M2 side stand switch? " The safe way is to replace the defective switch with a good one. A common way that some people do it is to clip and twist, or insert a jumper into the connector effectively doing the same thing. And if you do this it is your responsibility to not leave the bike in gear when you hit the starter, and to not ride off with the sidestand down. YMMV | ||
| Jim_Witt |
Jim, It’s ashamed that anyone has to put with the bullshit you’ve encountered. That’s exactly why many are put off owning a Buell or have left the scene. Even though I live in Arizona, I had an unfortunate warranty experience that started with Doyle’s HD and ended with a dealer local to me. It took me months to resolve the issue, months without a bike and a lawyer was the only solution to the problem. To my surprise, even customer service was rude and treated me like shit. In the long run, from my personal experience, you’ll probably be better off by cutting your losses and fix it yourself. I would love to know HOW we can prevent this sort of situations from taking place and make those screwing up the system accountable for their actions. -JW:>( | ||
| Jim_Witt |
Tony, Don't ask me why, but I thought you were talking about Rhino. I know the programmer pretty well and beta tested Rhino and Accurender (and a few raytracing programs he developed) years ago. I'm an AutoCAD person. Been using it since early 1984 (v1.4). Back on the old IBM 4.8 machines, with a 10 meg HD and monochrome screen (lines looked like pack-man eating the dots). Being retired now I don't have the funds I used to but Pro-Engineer is a tits program (not that SolidWorks isn't). In my opinion, microstation is also a great program for doing 3D and much better than AutoCAD. BTW, don't forget they offer student versions considerably less. -JW:> | ||
| Socal |
Has anybody seen these in person or used them? Vibration-Proof Fastening System Wonder if it'll become an industry standard? Seems it would be good on motorcycle parts! | ||
| Socal |
Jim_Witt, you must've vibed off my post! Good hunch! Yes I learned in AutoCAD myself, v13. By the time I stepped up to v14 I was a doing lots of 3D, then my job required that I use MasterCAM as my main software package in order to provide our CNC programmers with 3D files, which is primarily a surface modeler (though they are getting more into solids). Then I learned Solidworks and cut my 3D modeling time by about 1/5th! I might install ProE on my machine here in the future as I work with about 20 engineers who are ProE users. | ||
| Jim_Witt |
Tony, How much does MasterCAM run (approximately)? I wonder how much a decent machine shop would cost at the consumer level? I wonder if these type of 3 in 1 machines are worth using? According to a friend of mine, the latest version of Rhino is easier to use to create 'accurate' models than AutoCAD. He uses it in conjunction with AutoCAD to bring models into Rhino to create the kinds of NURBS stuff that AutoCAD can't do. Then exports SAT files back into AutoCAD. The problems he ran into were Rhino creates some pretty sophisticated stuff that the ACIS kernel (in rel. 2002) doesn't handle too well. You can set the accuracy up to a pretty high tolerance in Rhino and get good results. Rhino is the best bag for the buck if your greenbacks are limited. -JW:> |
