| Author | Message | ||
     Greenflash |
I can see that the incompetence at HD is not confined to the CEO and boardroom. I'm not stating the dealer names here but I'm tempted to. I guess I've experienced a few reasonably decent dealerships with respect to my '97 Cyclone and '00 Thunderbolt. But dealerships that are qualified to work on 1125s seem to be few and far between. My recent experiences: 1. Bought my 1125CR from a North Florida dealer. Met the service manager, who I asked a few simple questions. His responses included the necessity of using HD oil to keep my warranty (Wrong!!) and when I asked him specifically if the ...152 ECM map was loaded, he replied that it was absolutely the latest map (Wrong!! it was perhaps a year old map) 2. Took the 1125 to one South FL dealer #1 for a simple ECM map update. The mechanic connected the diagnostic cable while the theft system was counting down, instead of waiting just 30 seconds. Now the bike thinks it is stolen and won't start or accept my PIN. After a few hours on the phone with Milwaukee and disconnecting the battery, the bike fires up again. He says the ECM may be damaged now. I ask, "how would I know" Her says "I don't know" Great. I buy service manuals and swear never to let them touch my bike again. I finish the break in with 3 oil changes, switch to Syn and the bike is perfect. 3. But, there's this charging harness service bulletin; no choice, a dealer has to do it. Here on BWB a thread says it's a pretty straightforward harness installation and routing to the ECM; hard to mess it up. So I call around. S. FL Dealer #1 tells me that they elected not to invest in any 1125 training for their mechanics (although they sell them and are happy to accept service and warranty revenue) How is this possible? HD allows the dealers to elect whether to train their techs!! I can't even imagine a Ducati dealer being allowed to do desmo valve jobs with no training! So I talk to dealer #2 who says that they did pay for some 1125 training - the only one in S FL who did. Both of these are big dealerships with multiple stores BTW. I ride an hour to dealer #2. They call me in after 2 hours with bad news. The mechanic somehow messed up and connected the wrong pins. He burned out my ECM. It's on order. They give me a loaner bike so I can get home. I was supposed to leave town for a week, but they don't want me to have the loaner bike that long (gee, why is that my problem?). So in my book that's three strikes. I will plan to do the valve adjustment myself, and I just hope there are no more recalls or service bulletins forcing me to involve the dealerships. I realize that mistakes happen, but then there's just incompetence. | ||
| Cataract2 |
Oh man, I would go nuts. | ||
| Drawkward |
I think it would be beneficial to let us know what dealers you went to. I second cataract. | ||
| Kilroy |
Hell - give the dealers names on here so others can avoid these a$$hats - we're all family | ||
| Chevycummins |
Typical HD dealer. So sad. | ||
| D_adams |
I feel sooooo much better knowing I have at least 2 good dealers with competent mechanics for working on mine to do the warranty stuff. Gateway HD and Surdyke in St Louis will do me just fine. | ||
| Syonyk |
Sounds typical. I've had that style of experience, including the "lying about the recalls/ECU updates being done." You probably should visually check the other recalls (kickstand spring, front brake rerouting, etc) to make sure they were actually done. And techs without specific training? Come on, it's a motorcycle, how hard can it be? Unbolt the stock part, bolt on the chrome part, send it to the wash bay. Seriously. | ||
| Kirb |
His responses included the necessity of using HD oil to keep my warranty I used to hear that every time I went to my HD dealer for the cyclone. I used to show the fed document that requires any item required to maintain a warranty to be supplied free of charge to the owner. The follow up question "where is my free oil?" always would get blank stares. Those same bozos would tell me that the reason my cyclone was buring oil is that I filled the container too full. My question back was "OK, but once the oil level was normal it should stop burning it, correct?"...again, blank stares. Face it, you are the most product educated customer they are ever going to see. Most guys can tell you about their bike because the dealer told them what is on it. | ||
| Torq |
Greenflash, could you please pm the dealers that you dealt with? my CR needs the harness update and my S. Fla. dealer experiences have been equally bad....they cant even set the TPS of my 05 XB race ecm!! I usually do all my own work but they will not give me the harness to install myself not to mention the flash update that goes along with I would not be able to do without them and I'm not sure I trust them to do that correctly. also check out Storm Front's South Florida Rides, a couple of us from Ft. Laud. and Miami get together. | ||
| Carbonbigfoot |
Post em up. R | ||
| Fierrosc |
I've had nothing but good service experiences at both (Bruce Myers Sunrise) on my 1125CR and (Pompano on my XB12STT) dealership. Nothing that requires a rocket scientist just the routine service and replacing stuff (speedo pickup, turn signal, motor covers, pulley on the 1125CR as Sunrise) and (motor covers, head pipe, fork seals on the XB12STT at Pompano) On the other hand, I purchased the bike from Peterson's and the day I went to take delivery it had a bad turn signal and speedometer pickup so I never serviced it there again. Buy hey, I got a free calendar, post cards, and frig magnets of me and my bike in front of a big Peterson's HD sign. That made it all worth while.  (Message edited by fierrosc on April 07, 2010) | ||
| Redbuelljunkie |
Although I live in Jacksonville, Florida (which has three Buell dealerships), and I purchased my bike in Ormond Beach (90 miles south), the only dealer who has proven themselves worthy of my patronage is Gainesville Buell- a two hour drive from my home. I gladly travel the distance because they are professional, knowledgeable, efficient, honest, and just plain nice. If you have the ability, I would recommend taking your bike to them- they're worth the drive. | ||
| Greenflash |
Hi guys, Sure; the bike was purchased from Ocala HD, best price with the incentive in October. (Petersons wanted Lots more $ if I recall. Sales price + incentive > MSRP!) Anyway, dealer #1 was Rossmeyer's Pompano, which is now shut down. Dealer #2 is indeed Peterson's Miami which did at least invest in training, according to them. Fierrosc, was your stated good service at Bruce Rossmeyer's and Peterson's on a 1125 or "old school" tubers, an XB or a HD? I'm glad you had good experiences, but I'm just stating the facts as things went down for me, for 1125s. In my opinion, the biggest problem is techs not understanding the 1125 at all. No doubt they understand big twins, etc. - they sure ought to! The mgr at Peterson's told me several people bring their 1125s there for service. If he only meant oil changes, that doesn't count! I've done 5 changes on my two 1125s and it's a no brainer. I'd be more impressed by valve adjustments, etc. I think I'm a decent wrench and I plan to do the rest myself. Except for warranty and recalls of course. My other 1125 is in Vegas; I'll use Henderson Buell, heard a few good things but we'll see. In FL for my CR, I don't know; maybe Fletcher's in St Pete where I bought my 1st Cyclone, or somewhere up the coast like Stuart? I'd like to hear about dealers in FL who have actually invested in 1125 training (again I can't believe this is optional!) and have a decent track record. And thanks Torq, I'll check out Storm Fronts; it would be fun. I have Victory Riders of S. FL (VRSF) for cruiser riding (I'm still the Pres, no one else wants to be!) All bikes are welcome and we do a yearly Vics for Veterans charity ride to Key West the 1st weekend in Nov. Hey, email me if you want info about VRSF! Thanks Redbuell (good name, both my 1125s are red!), Gainesville Buell is perhaps 7 hours north of me in Delray Beach but it's good to know they are competent. I now keep my Thunderbolt in storage in St Pete so I can ride those good roads around Ocala and Leesburg! | ||
| Mountainstorm |
I lived in Pompano Beach and bought my tuber before they opened a store there. The Service Manager at the US1 store in Ft. Lauderdale was a total idiot. Supposedly had specialized Buell training but you would never have known it. I can;t even list how many stupid and spiteful things I witnessed at that shop. This was in 2001. The Pompano store was not a lot better. I ended up getting the service manual and going back and correcting their work after nearly every visit. But here in Virginia I have nothing but good things to say about the Roanoke Valley HD/Buell. The guy who works on my bike owns an 1125r, an XB12RR and an XB9R that's been converted over to full race duty. Finding good service for a Buell is really hit or miss and it's just one of the many things HD did ineffectively in their limp wristed "support" of the Buell line. Rossmeyer came around right before he was killed last year and I applaud his support of Buell Racing, but back in 2000 he didn't give a crap about Buell and the only reason they even had them in the Dealerships was because he had to...it was like they were purposely trying not to sell them. Most of the staff thought they were a joke. Good luck finding a good mechanic for an 1125r in Florida. | ||
| Fierrosc |
Never had any service done at Peterson's that is where (North Miami Store) I purchased my 1125CR with a bad turn signal and speedo pickup the day I took delivery. So I was not impressed and never went back. Although they did stock Buell parts. Even had some XB12 Lightning Long Touring seats. I use Sunrise for my 1125CR and I used Pompano for my XB12STT (never been to the Ft. Lauderdale store). But like I said nothing major, a motor cover here, a head pipe there, fork seal, turn signals, speedo, pulley, tires, and regular maintenance. I enjoy taking my Buell to Sunrise dealership for service more than any other bike I've owned to any other dealership. On the other hand their parts department doesn't even stock the turn signals. I see a good number of buells in the sunrise service department, but this may just be a result of the Pompano store closing. (Message edited by fierrosc on April 07, 2010) | ||
| Kickstand76 |
"So I talk to dealer #2 who says that they did pay for some 1125 training - the only one in S FL who did. Both of these are big dealerships with multiple stores BTW." South Florida? MMI? let's us turn payments around, start paying EBR our monthly pymts, we could finance them to become a major contender. invest. | ||
| Blackbear |
Guys, at least you get an appointment, I have been waiting for over a week and can't even get the dealer here in CT (Ellington TSI HD) to give me the right time of day, thats after 2 calls, 2 service e-mails and 1 more to the manager. There to busy to work on anything other than chrome and posers with deep pockets. | ||
| Froggy |
Guess what? It is the start of the riding season up north, ALL the shops are booked up. Its a really crappy time to try and get work done. I dropped off my Blast to get new wheel bearings after it shot them out, took a week and a half to get fixed. Do I care? No, I understood there was a LONG line ahead of me. I just dropped off my 08 1125R for service, it probably will be a week before they can get to it, but thats fine with me. | ||
| Greenflash |
Update on my charge harness upgrade problem: apparently the tech shorted some pins during the procedure and blew a fuse. They thought it was a burned-out ECM, but realized it was something else when the new ECM didn't work either. I thought it was a plug-and-play procedure from descriptions on BWB, but maybe there is some minor surgery to the harness plugs? They are still testing, I hope to exchange this funny handling loaner VRod for my 1125 soon! Mountainstorm, I'm glad you have a good dealer up there in VA. I went to VT by the way, 8 years in Blacksburg, Go Hokies! | ||
| Torq |
personally I would rather wait weeks for appointments to have my steeds worked on competently than to be able to get in and out only to find something done incorrectly or have my bike "experimented upon". I am a mechanic (ASE Master Tech since '95) only have worked in 4 dealerships since '92 (GM(Chevy, Cadillac, Pontiac), Mazda, BMW/MINI, Carmax) and dabbled on privateer race vehicles (NHRA (Sportsman, Pro, Super Pro), SCCA Trans AM/IMSA GT1, NasCar SuperTruck (first 2 years of then new series)), not to mention building/assembling several hotrod/kit cars and choppers. I understand what not having proper training and/or enough volume of said vehicle can be like, but what I can't understand is the arrogance and rude and unattentive customer service my Buells and I receive here in S Florida. when I lived in Miami, I purchased my XB in West Palm which not only had what I was looking for, the salesman knew and understood the product(even personally owned a XB9R). when the announcement was made (Oct 15) I purchased my CR in Port Charlotte (where a salesman had a Buell helmet and jacket to go along with his Uly) for less OTD than any Dade/Broward/Palm Beach dealer would even give me a starting price for. I was planning the purchase anyways in the next year or so but with the turn of events I shopped around because I was recently laid off and didn't have the funds coming in to pay too much. I work on all my vehicles and only allow the dealer access for warranty and recall/bulletin work. but honestly, not being able to set the TPS on an XB. trying to order Buell parts from these dealers is a chore in patience at times with remarks like "when are you gonna buy a real bike" to which I respond "when I'm old enough!" and "Buell's part system is screwy".with the exception of a back parts counter guy and a few others with Buells in these dealerships I hesitate stepping into a dealership and receiving the instant"Harley Bad Ass" attitude I get from employees and "credit card riders". and now I have an 1125 which doesn't even have the same engine architecture as a Sportster.....it makes me a little nervous. Please do not mis understand my "rant"(hell I don't think I've ever divulged this much backround on myself here before). there are a few Harley's I would consider and I am sure that if/when I own one my service experience "may" be completely different, but the "experience" shouldn't change the minute I mention Buell. This has always obviously been an issue for many and I am sure there are many fine Buell dealerships around, but for me it means I will have to travel because the half dozen or so near me are not. | ||
| Torq |
Greenflash, you made my point. Yes they will fix it and hopefully not make the same mistake twice. which dealer is this....when they are done with yours, I may bring it to them....since they should've found all the wrong ways to fix it by then  hope you get it back soon! OH and sorry about the long and winded "troll like" post preceding this one. sorry if I offended anyone as it was not my intent, I've been where these mechanics have been, but the way they usually handle it "attitude wise" just plain sucks! | ||
| Firebolt32 |
I thought it was a plug-and-play procedure from descriptions on BWB, but maybe there is some minor surgery to the harness plugs? No rocket science to this at all. As long as their not color blind, (which my brother is and RARELY asks me to check a color code at work) can follow a wiring diagram and knows how to use pin crimpers there shouldn't be an issue. I luckily have a dealership in Lakeland that has a Pegasus Award, qualified techs and the owner has like 3 or 4 Buells. I choose not to use them because they did my mom wrong when she worked their. Other than that they are great. | ||
| Greenflash |
Hi Torq, The dealer is Peterson's North. They are an hour south of me, but they were the only dealer in S FL when I called around that said they invested in 1125 training. I understand it's low volume, but if as a dealer you want the revenue from selling them, and service and parts revenue, I think you should invest in the training, no excuses! IMHO of course... In their defense, the service manager has been cordial with me and they have corrected things in a day (assuming my ECM is OK!) Still, I plan to be good friends with my 1125 service manuals! Regarding prices, I called all over the country when I decided to buy one, then two 1125s (CR and R). There was a huge difference in prices. Coincidentally, Peterson's was the highest I found, at $9300. Correct me if I'm wrong, but $9300 + $5000 is $14,300. Or dealer invoice which I think is $10,300 + $5000 is $$15,300. Both more than MSRP. I ended up with the '09 R in Shreveport for $5700 + tax and the CR in Ocala for $6700 + tax. | ||
| Greenflash |
Thanks Firebolt32, I'll put Lakeland on my list to check out too. I know Fletcher's too, because I bought my original Cyclone from JT there and Tommy used to lead Buell rides in the country in the late '90s. I think both are still riding Buells. Can't vouch for their service yet. Really, my Thunderbolt has been pretty bulletproof once I worked through the little issues that bite everyone like the speedo sensor. Here's hoping that the 1125s will be the same! Wow, Buell riders all over FL are popping up here! | ||
| Fierrosc |
In general I don't think you can get a good deal on a Buell in South Florida from a Dealer. I did buy my 1125CR from Peterson's North Miami store about a year ago (before the announcement and 5K rebates) but not without several days of negotiation on the price which started out at $11k asking price and ended up at $9,300.00. It had 600 miles on it and the dealer performed the first maintenance at no charge. I recently did the same for a friend's girlfriend on a XB9S at Peterson's South Miami store which ended up about 2K below their original asking price. You just got to let them know your serious and not just kicking around the idea. I'm not sure why the dealers in south florida think they can get more money for bikes down here than elsewhere, could just be that they got used to it, what with everyone using their home as a personal piggy bank to buy luxury cars, boats and other toys. Wasn't a couple years ago that home owners around here wanted a check for 10% of their asking price for earnest money. Now they can't give them away. On the other hand it's been a great place to buy used bikes from individual caught up in the economic housing and job meltdown. I picked up an 2007 XB12STT with 21 miles on it for $6,500.00 back in 2008 and at the time the best deal I could find on a new one was $7,995.00 at a dealership in Orlando. BTW...I'm in Coral Springs. | ||
| Torq |
the week after the "announcement" I visited both Peterson's (South and North), and Rossmeyer in Ft. Laud., Pompano, and Sunrise. the Rossmeyer stores wanted MSRP+ttt and the best the Peterson stores would do was 7495+ttt.I even told them and gave them web addresses for Uke's selling @ 4995+ttt and Ocala selling @ 6995+ttt and mentioned that I was heding to west coast Florida for the weekend and was goin to check there but if they matched Ocala's price I would buy from them. they told me to enjoy the weekend and they would call me next week to see how I made out  so I visit Naples HD where they also sid 7495+ttt and then made my way over to Black Widow in Port Charlotte. They had 3 CR's in black(my preference) and said promtly upon being asked 7500 OTD. I repeated 7500 out the door and asked is that the best you can do and he says give me a second let me check. funny thing is when asking where I was from he said he had another person (from Miami) in the office as we spoke signing on a Buell and another on the way. as he walks away I look to the signing office and there is my brother (que in Twilight Zone music) signing away on a 2010 XB12R for 6500 OTD. he returns and tells me 7000 out the door. of course the lastest flash was not installed and the battery was dead. they charged the battery and said it tested fine(died on way home) and did not have latest flash. so Monday morning I charge and started the CR and went to Peterson's North to warranty battery, run into the salesman who says so you gonna take it at which point I point to mine sitting in service and he says f I had bought from him it wouldn't be in for service right now.  funny thing that I had to come back to test ride the one they had earlier because its battery was also dead I met a gentleman that day on a 1125 also and as we talked turns out he has more than 1 buell and is a member on this board also (Guy_glover I believe) who has at least 2 1125's and 2 XBRR's and he was only shoppin around for stuff. there are lots of us in Dade/Broward/Palm Beach just have a hard time getting all them them together or to post up in Storm Fronts South Florida Rides. one Wednesday night not long ago I even managed to get 7 Buell's to show up at the Hooter's show and some others couldn't make it. us S.Fla Buellers need to set a time and place to meet one another. but not for another 2 weeks or so-I leave Saurday for San Diego for 10 days. | ||
| Kickstand76 |
so now we can post dealership names without the post being deleted? 78130 | ||
| Kickstand76 |
by the way i believe this is a GOOD dealership. | ||
| Froggy |
Why would posting a dealer name get a post deleted? | ||
| Yamatr3 |
When I went to buy mine in S. Fl, I went to Rossmeyer in Pompano and they were at $8K with the $$ back from HD. I told them they were crazy and said they were making more than retail for the bike. They told me they support all the S. FL HD events, so they have to charge more LOL. I then went to Petersons North and and ended up walking out the door for $6370 including ttt. I was pretty happy with their deal. I was hoping for a little less, but it wasn't going to happen. BTW, I also met that guy with all the Buell's and he bought two more the day I was there, so he has 6 now! |
