| Author | Message | ||
     Essjay |
Hi all, new owner here and I am 2800 miles away from the bike. It is a '99 S3T with race chip, forcewinder, and vance-hines exhaust. I am flying in to ride it home on the 22nd of this month. So can I pick your brains? First- I believe that this year is fuel injected, correct? What does the race chip do? Is the fuel tank fiberglass or metal? What is the capacity for fuel? Is there a fuel gauge or a reserve? What info will the speedometer/odometer gauge record for me (or is it an analog gauge)? Is there a clock in the instrument cluster? I own a '94 sportster and have done everything mechanical on it except split the cases and when I travel I carry tools capable of doing the same. Will the same tool kit work for the Buell? Is there a throttle lock? If not, will aftermarket generic locks work? The bars are 7/8", yes? This bike has 17500 on it and the owner claims no problems and that reliability has been excellent. I trust him or I wouldn't fly so far to do this deal. Any responses much appreciated! essjay | ||
| Neals3t |
SJ, Whew...alot of ?'s. I'll try.Yes its fuel injected and there really isn't just a "chip" its a complete ignition and fuel control(ECM).The race version basically remaps the fuel injection a bit richer I'm not completely sure what it does to the advance curves etc. The fuel tank is some plastic resin...no steel there! Fuel capacity is 5.4 gallons,no gauge just a yellow light that comes on when you have about half a gallon.No reserve. If the light comes on GET FUEL NOW! speedo, tach are analog gauges,digital odometer and trip meter toggle with a button on the dash. There is also an analog clock on the dash. The tool kit you have is a good start but there are a lot of metric fasteners on this bike. I wish you luck. If I missed anything I'm sure we'll hear about it. Neal | ||
| Jim_Witt |
Shane, Don't know much about the FJ bikes. I have a 98 S3T and love it for touring. Longest tour was a little over 10,000 miles. You didn't mention how far your trip back would be. Someone might be able to direct you where the "Buell took kit" is located here too. 1. Anyway, the locks on the hard-bags have never worked on mine (5 years now). They tend to lockup automatically and they're a pain in the ass to get into once that happens. 2. The wheel bearings could be a problem. It's pretty common for Buells to eat wheel bearing, which in turn eat your hubs, which destroys your wheel. Could end up being an expensive ordeal if you have PM wheels. They're supposed to be inspected at 10,000 miles (along with the stearing head bearing) if I recall. 3. You didn't mention if all the recall items have been fixed on the bike either, so that could be a problem in some areas. 4. To my knowledge the bars are 7/8" O.D. Can't help you on the throttle lock. 5. IMPORTANT ... don't overfill the oil tank and check it when the oil is hot. If the oil is below the scribed line on the dipstick, it's fine. 6. It's also IMPORTANT what Neal said above about getting gas ASAP. -JW:>  | ||
| Essjay |
Thanks for the info Neal and Jim. The head bearing was serviced at 10000 along with all other service items. Recalls have been performed. Trip home is 2800 miles and I plan to do it in 5 days so it is kind of a leisurly ride. What happens if the tank runs dry (other than being out of gas that is)? Essjay | ||
| Crusty |
quote: "It's pretty common for Buells to eat wheel bearing, which in turn eat your hubs, which destroys your wheel." My '98 S3-T ate a front wheel bearing at 50,000 miles.It didn't hurt the hub, or hurt the wheel in any other way. It's the only wheel bearing failure that's happened to any of the Buell riders I physically associate with (as opposed to electronically on the internet). I rode that bike year round in New England, so it was exposed to road salt, sand, rain and a lot of trips to the car wash in the winter. I wouldn't worry about the wheel bearings. BTW, the S3-T is the most beautiful motorcycle ever made, IMO. | ||
| Josh |
The Throttlemeister works great. I think the other qs were answered. (I've also not had a problem with the '99+ latches after I carefully adjusted them once) Josh 99 S3T 45,000mi | ||
| Court |
Essjay: CRUISE CONTROL If you get in a bind for a throttle lock, you can do what I used to at 3am. Stop in a gas station and put $0.50 in the motorcycle accesories dispenser in the mens room. You'll get a latex tube looking thing that has a fat ring at one end. Tear off the parachute part and postion the ring twinxt the control housing and the rotating grip. This will hold the throttle in the position you want it, while allowing easy override. Since this highly scientific devices contacts both the fixed and movable portions of the throttle, I named it a "RUBBER". FUEL STARVATION It's a long story, but your ECM (Eclectic Controlling Master) strives to keep balance and harmony in your life. When you do something stupid, like exhaust the fuel supply in a fossil powered vehicle, it tries to compensate by continuallly enrichening the mixture. Early models were less wiseable that new ones and could be "pushed over the edge" in that they could be fooled into enrichening the mixture to a point beyond which you could recover. New models limit the stupid black boxes ability to something like 150%, old ones didn't. If you run out of fuel, surrender immediately and do not attempt a restart until you've tanked the bike. Then, if you notice a rough running condition, run the bike around 3,000 rpm at >50% thottle for about 20-30 minutes. This allows the ECM to "learn" and recovered from the stupid thing you did. No fun, trust me...based on experience gained pushing bikes through the ghettos of Gary, IN and the Mojave Desert in the bright sun. Have fun and enjoy your trip....sounds way cool! Welcome aboard, Court | ||
| Essjay |
Court, Crusty, Josh- thanks for the tips and explanations. I am pretty excited about this upcoming trip. I will try the condom trick but not sure how I will explain the blown out tip to my wife when I get home ;-) Thanks for the heads up and the cure on running out of gas, I am going to be passing through some pretty lonely country so I will pretend I am on my Sporty and gas up every time I see a station. Packing for the trip will be a challenge, I have to fly everything down with me and take stuff for temps of 90 to freezing, sun and rain and snow, could run into all of that on the way back to the Northwest. CYA in the fast lane! Essjay | ||
| Josh |
The S3 has given me anywhere from 4-12miles after the low fuel light comes on. Just FYI. | ||
| Geyservillebob |
Essjay, I have a '99S3T that I bought new in April '99. Have had many of the typical Buell problems, check out my profile for more info. I have rode ~25 miles after the low fuel light has come on and not run out of gas. All the same I agree that when the light comes on get to a gas station immediately! I get 45MPG now, used to get 48-49 before the race ecm. I have one a throttlemeister, works great but kind of pricey. The throttlemeister costs way more than a condom even if you buy the condom in the mens room at a truck stop. I have 17,000 miles and no wheel bearing problems but I'll keep an eye on it. Geyservillebob | ||
| Court |
Essjay: Actually....I'd opt for an "O" ring rather than the condom. That way you won't accidently purchase one designed for a midget...also known as a "condominimum". Okay...you want a joke. Farmer discovers that his corn is rotting in the silo and that by storing it, in small quantities in condoms, he can extend the life. He goes into the store and tells the pharmacist..."gimme a gross of condoms." The pharmacist, quite amazed at the age of the ol codger..."a gross, as in 144?". "that's right", comes the reply with no hesitation. Three days pass before the farmer reappears...walks up to the pharacist and say's "hey, you shorted me one condom". The phramacist drops! | ||
| Two_buells |
did anyone ever use a condom as a gas can when you ran out of gas? | ||
| Cmodtopgun |
Get a throttle rocker, they cost under $10, and does a great job. Easy on - easy off I get and easy 240 miles @ 80-90mph on the road. Butt only takes 150-200 miles, so I gas when my butt gets sore. | ||
| Iamike |
Shane, I am quite happy with my '99 S3. I recently passed 30,000mi. with only a couple of minor/annoying type problems. I went ahead and changed my wheel bearings out since the originals were from Turkey. Most of the maintenance is relatively easy with basic tools. Mine still has pretty good compression 125# for that mileage. I get 53mpg average with tops of 65 on long 60mph rides. I always just assume there is 5 gallons of gas and judge my stops accordingly. I ran out once and that is enough. Being able to go 230+ miles on a tank vs. the 120 of a Sporty is really nice. Good luck and have fun! | ||
| Larrycandy |
have a 99s3t(fuel injected), when it gets wet it starts running rich till it fouls the plugs. any ideas on why this happens, has anyone else had this problem? thanks, larry | ||
| 99x1 |
"...gets wet it starts running rich" Since both cylinders run rich, I would guess electrical connections - the head or intake temperature reading low, causing the ECM to think the engine is cold and thus "choking" it? (The sensor resistance increases with decreasing temperature). If the O2 sensor connection was poor, it also might give a similar condition - a low voltage indicates the engine is lean, and the ECM would richen (increase the fuel injection pulse width) to compensate. Good Luck; John | ||
| Larrycandy |
Thanks John, I will try replacing these sensors. Larry | ||
| Iamike |
Larry, Before you replace parts just seal the connectors with an electrical grease. I have been doing that with mine every time I take a connector apart. I had a problem when one of the spark plug boots got wet. It happened when I was riding in Colorado and I didn't realize I had a problem until I got back down from the mountains. After I cleaned the plug and greased it I haven't had any more problems. I did find a problem that I've had from day-1. While going through a 30,000mi. service I found the brass tube at the bottom of the throttle body was missing the cap. It has run rough at idle and low RPMs since I bought it. Three different dealers told me "that's just the way they are". Sometimes you just have to dig around and find these 'issues' yourself. Good luck! Mike | ||
| Larrycandy |
Thanks Mike, I have tried to locate and grease the connections I could, like you suggested and stil seem to be haveing the same problem. I feel that something (connection or sensor) is getting wet and causing the problem. I think it is near the back of the engine/transmission. I'm still open to any and all suggestions. thanks guys, Larry | ||
| Josh_ |
Could be the IAT. Have you modified the intake on there? Have you moved the IAT? Have you noticed water near it? | ||
| Larrycandy |
Josh, I hate to sound dumb,IAT? is that the intake air temperature sensor? The bike had a Forcewinder on it when I got it but I don't believe the problem is near the intake. I have covered the intake when washing the bike and whatever is getting wet still got wet and caused the thing to run rich and foul plugs.?? thanks, Larry | ||
| Josh_ |
Larry, either one of the sensors is telling the motor to add fuel, or the coil, sparkle plugs or wires are shorting when they get wet. If you're sure your coil isn't cracked and the wires are set to the proper German torque setting (Guttentite) with dielectric grease to keep 'em clean - I'd suspect the IAT is telling the motor to dial in fuel. Back before the race ECM, we used to buy a pot from Radio Shack and plug it inplace of the IAT so we could adjust the fuel %. Someone at the time came up with a chart (ambient air temp / resistance of IAT / resulting fuel %) but I think that info was thrown away with the arrival of the stock ECM remap ("G" I think) and then the race ECM. | ||
| Hardwired |
RE: using a pot to replace the IAT. Anybody have more info on this, on thinking about it I don't see any reason that it would not work would just have fiddle with it more. Scott  | ||
| Acmemfg |
Hi...quick question. I recently bought a 2000 S3T. Time for an oil change. The local HD shop advised to get a longer filter (apparantly one used for Dyna-Glides) HD part #63812-90 because it would add to the oil capacity. Sounds good to me..will this work? Thanks in advance. | ||
| Dynarider |
yes | ||
| Jim_witt |
Tim, Just my opinion, don't think it matters one way or another. I live in Arizona (hot here ya know), used HD oil since day one, regular oil changes, never used the larger capacity filter and I'm pushing 40,000 miles. -JW:>  |
