| Author | Message | ||
     Sparky |
Bill, Yes, that would be Saddlemen/Travelcade. When I had them build me a custom seat for my 96 S1, they implied they sourced the comfy stock & accessory seats on '99 & later S3s. If you ever sat on a hard 98 S3 seat and then sat on a 99, you'd know they build a fantastic seat. Glad you like yours. Don't know if they did HD seats though, I didn't ask. Sparky 96S1, 98S3, 039R | ||
| Nevco1 |
Sparky...Thanks for the confirmation. As I said the quality, fit, finish and comfort are far superior to my prior experience with Travelcade and am very pleased with the saddle. Yep, in a former life, I tested a 96 S1 at Bert's MC Mall and passed on it compliments of the saddle. I like the stock X1 saddle but two up, it left a little to be desired. So now I just swap saddles depending on the ride. LOL | ||
| Spiderman |
A little update.... H-D did call me and was able to update me on the situation at hand. I myself would like to appologize for how harsh that comment might have came off. Some missed communication and lack of riding time cause for an ugly situation. So a big thank you goes out to the tech team over at H-D. | ||
| Bradj |
I had a really good service experience I want to pass on to Buell Customer Service. Is there an email or snail mail address for them? I see the telephone number, but would prefer to submit something in writing. Perhaps posting something here would accomplish the same thing? Below is the text of an email I sent to Jones Harley Davidson/Buell of Little Rock, Arkansas. I purchased a 2003 Buell Blast from you last week and discovered an oil leak last night. I trailered the bike 100 miles from Clarksville today, arriving unannounced at approximately 11:30 AM. Frankly, I was anticipating that your service people would not be able to look at it today and if they were, would not have the parts on hand to repair it. I assumed that I would need to leave the bike there for several days. I was pleasantly surprised when Joe [Clay] said that someone would look at it right away. I was even more surprised when he told me that it would be ready to go in a few minutes. I walked over to the diner and had a quick lunch. As I left I noticed that Joe and the service tech had loaded the Blast onto my trailer and had it tied down. I was on the way home in less than 45 minutes after arriving! Yes, I was disturbed that the Blast developed a leak with only 30 miles on it and I had to make a 200 mile round trip to get it repaired. However, I have nothing but praise for Joe and the service tech, whose name I didn't get. Needless to say, if and when I decide to purchase my next bike, I am coming to you guys first! Please make sure your general manager / owner sees this email. I know from owning and operating my own business that people are quick and loud when something goes wrong, but usually don't take the time to let you know when something goes right. I'm also attempting to get an address for H-D/Buell Customer Service so I can pass on the good word. Thanks, Brad Johnson | ||
| Court |
>>>Perhaps posting something here would accomplish the same thing? It did. I'll see to it they get it first thing this morning. Thanks for sharing and congratulations....now go hug your dealer...the MOST VALUABLE accesory you can have. Court | ||
| Bradj |
Thanks Court! Of course, I reserve the right to rant and rave when appropriate.  bradj | ||
| Sarodude |
Blast Parts Book Problem? Please check this post. -Saro | ||
| Fredx1 |
I'm stumped. Need a PN for what I believe is a small bushing/rubber pad/stop that mounts on the underside of a flange on the rear mount block. Went through the entire FP manuals at the dealer for all Buell models 98-02 with no luck and don't know where else to turn. The mount block is from a 2001 S3. A pix of it is in my Buell X1 folder here: http://photos.yahoo.com/q3do If that's confusing, I picked up this swingarm and mount block, had it polished/powdercoated, and swapped it out with the one on my '00 X1. Everything is identical except this beveled flange with a threaded hole in it and IMO a hole unfilled is overdue for filling. frederick (at) fortune2 (dot) com Fred | ||
| Court |
It appears to be a part of the swingarm in the parts manual. Check out the photos on page 53 of the 2000 X-1 Parts Manual (Page 51 of the 1999) and see if you can get a little better description. The photo is a bit close for me to tell exactly where it is. It appears to be the one that also attaches the ground strap. Let me know what you find and I'll try to help out. Court | ||
| Fredx1 |
Thanks Court. Yep, it's that same boss that my ground strap mounts too. My '00 X1 PM has the same illus pg 53 as does your '99, as do all the later 01-02 X1/S3 PMs I saw. No reference to a bushing/pad or rubber stop on the description chart either. My '00 mount block looks like the ones illustrated, but on the 01 (and up?) that boss is beveled at a 45deg angle with a threaded hole centered. You can see it in the photo url I posted. The Buell tech who helped me said it was a stop/bushing added later for the swingarm to ride up against should the shock collapse. Fred | ||
| Kaudette |
Buell European Distribution & Service - Lamentable 3 Buells (XB12S, XB9R, M2) for a family of 5 I would imagine makes us valued customers of the Buell Motor Company however one would never know. I would like to outline some glaring issues that Mr. Buell should attempt to look into if he intends to keep his existing customers and attract new ones. Surprisingly it doesn't come down to the bikes being purchased, but the service that goes along with it. I'm based in Europe and have forked out over $20G in the past 12 months to pick up a 12 and a 9 and have been nothing but unsatisfied with the pre and post sales support associated with each purchase. Additionally, I participate in a number of boards here in Europe and have found the same to be true in over 90% of the cases of colleagues or posters purchasing their Buells. First of all - the dealership experience: 1. No-one ever "sold" me a Buell on the floor and the only proposed test ride was for a V-Rod. Please get some product launch materials and training to the sales & tech staff so that they may explain the merits of the XB's. Additionally, as money makes the "world go round" in sales, try to think of some kind of incentive for the staff sales teams to push the buells to the appropriate buyers - "your" HD sales staff have for too long seen customers arrive with a blank check to ride away with a new bike - this will not last as the market becomes saturated with low cost used Buells on the open market. 2. "Customizing" is inexistant with your dealers in Europe - they carry neither an adequate array of aftermarket performance parts(Buell or otherwise) and have NO apparel. Even when they do carry some aftermarket they show little if any interest to "sell" these articles. Get these things in stock or people will move away from your aftermarket and apparel which is where you make 50%+ margins. I'm decked out head to toe in Dainese because there is ZERO Buell gear within 300 miles of where I live - and I still have a 1000$ gift certificate at my local dealer for gear (since last November 2002) 3. Post sale service and support. Your network and service technicians are absolutely abysmal in competence and professionalism. Please get these staff some training. They do not know how to reset the TPS, utilize the scanalyzer, adjust suspension, etc. When I purchased my 12 they asked me my weight so as to set the suspension before heading home - I told them and on the ride home I noticed the bike handled poorly - when I got back I found the the rear precharge was at 1, compression at 3/4 and rebound at 2 - the front was even worse - and I weigh 180lbs. Two colleagues of mine purchased 12's with the race kit and the dealer did not reset the TPS and told them it was normal the bike was running like "crap". (new purchase 12G$ cash). 3 other posters on the local board inquired as to break-in as their dealers told them to keep it under 4500 before 500 miles - one of the bikes only has 10 miles on it - my dealer told me less than 3000 when the bike had 30 miles on it - luckily I knew from the XB9 - however the disturbing thing was that it was the same salesman that "sold" the 9 who suggested 3000 for the 12. Please get these people some training, offer an "open-house" TPS day at the dealers to get some on the hands training and create more of a bond with your clients. And do not (I know this hurts the wallet) overcharge on the normal service - my oil change and 1000 mile checkup cost over $170 - people are not so naive as to not know when they are being screwed and although the initial purchase is an impulse purchase, you cannot build a dependable, faithful client base in this way. I certainly hope that someone in Buell gets the message and can start to make positive changes and improvements in your European distribution. It really would not take much to make the Buell ownership experience truly enjoyable both on and off the road. | ||
| Tripper |
Well at least it's nice to know that Europeans are facing the same obstacles as Americans. The HD dealer network is the wrong place to sell a Buell. | ||
| Oconnor |
My favorite HD quote when i bring my Xb in for serviceis,"Gee, never had one of these in here. Has sportster motor in it right?" As I said before, Erik needs to take a couple minutes away from running back and forth to the bank and fix his company. | ||
| Tripper |
well I doubt that the Chief Technical Officer can fix sales and operations, but Buell does have a President that should care. But who am I kidding, Buell is a wholly owned brand of HD. It just sucks that a bike like this is in the hands of.... well I think I'll just leave this alone. Suffice to say we need more DaveS' / Fubba's / and a few others. Kenton, you out there? | ||
| Mikej |
Kenton, or Quenton? I could see a movie from this stuff: Buelp Fixion. | ||
| Court |
>>>well I doubt that the Chief Technical Officer can fix sales and operations That's an inaccurate statement. Erik Buell, ostensibly "Chief Technical Officer" has always had, and continues to have a zeal for taking care of customers and providing the best ownership experience he possibly can. I should know, I've been an owner longer than anyone here. Although not his "primary" role, I'd not want to be the guy/gal who's primary role it was when he got involved. I predicted the "recall phase" would pass. I'll go out on a limb and say that Buell, now with the top reliability in the market and a great seller on their hands, will continue to provide solutions. Court | ||
| Dynarider |
>>>well I doubt that the Chief Technical Officer can fix sales and operations That's an inaccurate statement. Not sure about that Court. Kind of hard to fix xomething that they dont own. The dealers are independantly owned & operated. Hell they cant even get the dealers to know about the recalls, how are they supposed to fix sales also? 3. Post sale service and support. Your network and service technicians are absolutely abysmal in competence and professionalism. Please get these staff some training. They do not know how to reset the TPS, utilize the scanalyzer, adjust suspension, etc No different over here. We have a handful that know what they are doing & the rest are Baboons with a crescent wrench. Erik Buell, ostensibly "Chief Technical Officer" has always had, and continues to have a zeal for taking care of customers and providing the best ownership experience he possibly can Ummm, no comment at this time. | ||
| Mikej |
"... Baboons with a crescent wrench. " Those are the more evolved ones, typically they have either a lead hammer and a monkey wrench, or if slightly more advanced they upgrade to channel locks and vice grips. | ||
| Tripper |
I trust your input on this Court, so I'll just put in one small request of Mr. Buell...  I want the opportunity to buy your product from a motorcycle shop, not a chaps and bandana boutique. That is all. Goodnight. | ||
| Court |
>>>>Erik Buell, ostensibly "Chief Technical Officer" has always had, and continues to have a zeal for taking care of customers and providing the best ownership experience he possibly can Dyna: I stand by that. Buell, Erik and Company, have gone to extraordinary measures to take care of customers. A careful read of the warranty reveals they COULD bail out pretty early in a problem. I've personally been, as you are quite well aware of, offering folks extensive factory help for bikes that have clearly had clearly been flogged. Try that ANYWHERE else.... I stand pat on what I said. Court | ||
| Dynarider |
A careful read of the warranty reveals they COULD bail out pretty early in a problem. Could & Have is more accurate. I've personally been, as you are quite well aware of, offering folks extensive factory help for bikes that have clearly had clearly been flogged. I will agree that you have helped when you could. Some things for reasons only God knows are clearly out of yours & mine own hands. | ||
| Bigdaddy |
Kaudette, I hate to hear about the issues that face you in France. Where is Dingy St. Clair? I have no clue, but if you're close to the German border I can put you in touch with more than a couple of Buell fanatics -- first one that comes to mind is the guys/gals at Bruchmuhlbach HD and they're located right off of A6 about 30KM from the French border near Kaiserslautern. If you get in touch with me I can give you better directions and people to talk to. I've knows part of the worker-bees at the B'muhlbach joint for over 15 years and they've always been happy to help and knowledgeable about Buells and HD's. Trier has a nice HD store but they're not real Buell strong. HillBilly motors is right up B52, or A1, in the Bitburg area -- not a real Buell kind of deal, but they've got some sweet stuff. If I can help you out let me know. Later. Greg | ||
| Reepicheep |
In all fairness, while I have had my share of lies and incompetence from the Cincinnati Buell dealers (both of them), F&S Harley / Buell in Dayton has been perfect (Hmmm. and they have an import shop right next door)... Also, I did my own transmission rebuild. I was very careful, I was very thorough. Upon completion, I had to take the primary cover off two more times before I had everything buttoned down right and not leaking. Lots of "stupid unexpected things" happened. I worked it out. This stuff is hard to do really well. People make mistakes. Had I had a customer other then me for what I did, they would have been ranting here with everyone else. Just another perspective... | ||
| Cj_xb |
I want the opportunity to buy your product from a motorcycle shop, not a chaps and bandana boutique. EXACTLY !!! CJ  | ||
| Rocketman |
Forgive me but this one always pisses me off no matter who's the manufacturer........... SPORTS BIKES ARE MEANT TO BE FLOGGED Rocket  | ||
| Nevco1 |
SPORTS BIKES ARE MEANT TO BE FLOGGED Yep, and that is why their warranties are more limited in comparison to other types of bikes. | ||
| Dynarider |
SPORTS BIKES ARE MEANT TO BE FLOGGED Yep, and that is why their warranties are more limited in comparison to other types of bikes. But it sux when you take your bike in for service & the dealership blames any & all problems on the rider because he was obviously beating the bike. Its a sportbike not a BMW LT. If it wasnt made to do wheelies, burnouts, etc. Why show such things in your ads?? | ||
| Blake |
I have a hard time trying to keep mine from doing wheelies and burnouts. Over a thousand miles on the race track, and near 20,000 miles total... still going strong. Just finished another long weekend of hard riding in the Texas Hill country. Over 1,200 miles of smiles. Guess I'm lucky or you are not. Guy on a Duc was scraping his fairing trying to keep up. The Buell rules... for me anyway. | ||
| Dynarider |
And who put your motor together? Sure wasnt buell. If & thats a big IF they are assmebles using quality parts & put together correctly, they will last. Unfortunately it seems that a good number of the tube frame motors were built on friday afternoon by folks who just dont care. maybe the folks at the capitol drive plant really dont care? i dont know. | ||
| Court |
Hmmm...I put, prior to parking it, nearly 30,000 miles of pure frickin' abuse on my S-2, riding it through 44 of the 48 states and letting any one who walked up ride it in places like The Blue Ridge Parkway, Mt. Palomar and Mt. St. Helens. But, luckily, I read the internet and know it's going to grenade sometime.....just hasn't happened yet. Mine was built by Buell....and interesting enough as I run the V.I.N., on a Friday in November. I do not know if it was the afternoon or not, but it might be, it was the 5th of 9 bikes built that day. Man....do I have a big one coming or what? Court |
