| Author | Message | ||
     Fknmagic |
I'm posting this to see if anyone else has experienced this issue or can maybe help in some way. I have a 2008 1125R, completely stock, and it has developed a high-frequency vibration that starts at just over 4500 RPMs. This vibration dosen't seem synchronized with the engine. It's at a much higher frequency. However, it is developed by the engine. At speed, pull in the clutch and it stops as the motor winds down. I bought the bike new in December '07 at Orange County Harley. About two weeks ago this vibration started. I can hear the levers buzzing at about 5000 RPMs, and it actually vibrates the blood out of my fingers. I ride the bike to work every day, so I have a pretty good feeling of what normal is for the bike. This isn't normal!! It's at OC Harley right now and they claim they "can't replicate the problem". I've talked to the HD Customer Help Line. I asked if they could just authorize the dealer to verify that the vibration-damping systems were properly "in-time". Their 1125 technician said they could not approve that service, and then actually had the stones to tell me to... "just ride it in a different gear". Any help would be greatly appreciated as my warranty ends next week. | ||
| Oldog |
Sorry to hear this, I guess HD is trying to focus on making the Customer experience a "Out standing one".... what condition are the mounts in all bolts tight?, if there were internal timing issues I would expect that the motor would shake like the devil all of the time. a loose mount may allow some thing to vibrate at a specific resonant freq and then calm down when unloaded and spooling down. | ||
| Therealassmikeg |
Fault verification is key here...Can't fix what you can't verify. Maybe you need to take the tech for a ride and show him exactly when it happens. And why did this start just one week before going out of warranty? Things I'd look for are recalls that may have been missed...5thgear oil jet? or tensioner? loose mounts etc. You really should try to work with your dealer and tech they are YOUR lifeline in this situation. And yes some repairs aren't warranty related or defects in workmanship. I'll apologize in advance if I seem un- sympathetic, But techs Don't get paid by warranty when they can't find a problem. | ||
| 1_mike |
While I might agree with There.... The fact that telling Fknmajic, to "just ride it in a different gear"...is a Kr_ck of Sh_t. I'd suggest that hopefully you have another dealer near you. Good luck. Mike | ||
| Therealassmikeg |
Fknmagic, Found this in a belt replacement thread recently bumped out of the archives. "Periodically check the muffler mount bolt that goes thru the idler wheel. Mine backed out and froze the idler, then melted .100" off the back of the belt, it's my spare now. I was showing Don Casto where the bolt was yesterday and found it loose on a new CR. " Could this be your culprit??? Hope you get things sorted. | ||
| Fknmagic |
Thank you for the responses fellas. I'll check the idler and muffler bolts. I definitely understand the "not getting paid by warranty if they can't find the problem" thing, but it's just that they don't even want to look. They can't act without Harley's OK first. They want me to hand over $900 plus to do a "full service" in hopes that they'll accidentally fix the problem. What kind of backwards troubleshooting is this?? I have another horror story about this dealer but I won't bore you guys with it here. I just wish the guys there would stand up for the customer and take the initiative to help. Their actions only work to solidify the opinion that HD dealerships are no longer "motorcycle shops". They are motorcycle apparel stores that happen to sell motorcycles as a side business. Whats worse is that the service department is not even owned by the apparel store... they seem like a necessary annoyance to the property owner with little or no management structure to make actual decisions. Sorry for the rant.... but with treatment like this it's no wonder that HD is in trouble. | ||
| Ratsmc |
While I can't help, I can commiserate. I was just told that my rear brake didn't work because it was designed that way. The guy told me that Buell didn't want people locking up the rear wheel so they just made the rear brake totally useless. And I was expected just to walk away happy about this. | ||
| Keef |
i use my rear brake alot yes it works granted not as effective as the front but it will slow you down pretty quick too, mine was not very effective at first but got much better after they seated themselves in.... | ||
| Zac4mac |
I doubt it would be the idler, that was just a steady, light drag. That was my bike with the bolt out. Did anything else change besides the vibration? Does it still "run" the same? More I think about it, sounds like dropping a magnet off the rotor. What do I know, I'm in "Parts". Once the tech can "reproduce" your issue, they should be able to fix it. Check and see, you may have extra warranty time. I have #00154 and got 3 extra months, good till April Fool's Day, 2010. Even close to the end, once a case is started inside the warranty period, it gets completed. Z | ||
| Fknmagic |
Hey Z, It's definitely not the idler. If it was something like that the vibration would continue when the bike is coasting. I can get it up to about 85 and pull in the clutch. As the motor winds down the vibration goes away. So it has to be something driven by the engine spinning. As for the warranty... it expired this week. However, the dealer and HD both told me that since it was documented before expiring they would honor anything that was attributed to the original complaint. We'll see.... More to come... | ||
| Phillyblast |
Rats, That's actually a pretty accurate reason for the rear brake "effectiveness". Lee Parks is one of the folks I've heard/read tell the same story: Lots of people test riding Buells were owners of HD baggers, etc. and were used to stomping both brakes to stop. On a long wheelbase bike that's cool. On a Buell not so much. Much more forward weight bias, shorter wheelbase, combined with much more powerful front brakes, equals get-off. So Buell "de-tuned" the rear brakes. | ||
| Ohsoslow |
to me, it kind of sounds like one of the motor mounts is loose or worn, now i have NO mechanical experience with the 1125 what so ever, but it would be something to look at. | ||
| Zac4mac |
I meant the alternator rotor, in the engine. Brake rotors don't have magnets. Hope you find the issue and get it fixed. Z | ||
| Fknmagic |
Ok, so here is a little more of the saga.... I called the HD Help line again and told them that this issue was ruining the otherwise incredibly fun experience of riding this motorcycle. They subsequently agreed to investigate the problem. I dropped it of at the dealer last Saturday. The only interaction I've had with them so far is that they asked permission to change the oil. $110 to change the oil. Had an oil change (synthetic) with a 50 point inspection and top off of all fluids done on our Mercedes on saturday... $105. WTF!! Hopefully they'll tell me something tomorrow. More to come... | ||
| Fknmagic |
Well, here is the latest and probably the end of the vibration issue with Orange County Harley and HD Help... Called HD Help line last week and talked to Kathy about the status of my bike. This is the same person that I had talked to about two weeks before who had been so nice and understanding of my concern. She had said "....we have never not been able to fix a bike....just drop it off at the dealer, and since we (HD) will be directing the service there won't be any dealership issues." Awesome!! So, when I called last week she turned 180 degrees on me!! She had an adversarial attitude immediately. It seems obvious that the dealer had convinced her that I was a pain-in-the-a$$ customer that needs to just go away. She asked me ... "At what speed does the issue occur?" I said "We talked about this before, but I mostly notice it starting at about 4700 RPM which is around 75 MPH in 6th." She then actually told me that it was illegal to ride at that speed in any state and that I should probably be arrested if I commonly ride over the speed limit. You can probably imagine where the conversation went from there. Finally a technical supervisor got on the phone and he basically told me that Buell is dead and HD was not going to help Buell owners in any way. (Keep in mind that this has all happened while the bike was under warranty). The guy was relatively sympathetic to my problem after talking to him for about 10 minutes, after all he is a sport bike rider too. I asked if HD could just authorize the dealer to verify that the vibration damper systems were in proper timing. He said if I think the bike has an issue I should just get the shop manual (already have it) and work on it myself because HD will not authorize any investigatory service for my problem. They changed the oil because they wanted to see if there was any debris in it and charged me $131 for their trouble. Since there was nothing there they stopped looking. Well that's it..... I guess I'll get my shop manual out, take all the body work off and see if anything is loose. Thanks for letting me vent! | ||
| Froggy |
Bump out of the archive, figured some more eyes on this can help. | ||
| Kidder |
You need to try a different dealer. |
