| Author | Message | ||
     Americanmadexb |
I don't post on the 1125 side much( I have my reasons) but i figured i'd let ya know my experience over the last weekend. Got an 09' 1125R. Harness installed around 500 miles. I got 5,000 miles on my bike. Read tons of stator problems here and there. Well, i guess it was my turn. I noticed by battery level was lower since i started riding this year. Normal for me before was 13.5-14.2 no matter temp, riding, or whatever. This year it was hovering around 12.5-13.2. I decided to take a chance and ride the 120 miles from Elkhart, through Chicago to Kenosha, WI Friday to a friend and badweb members house(Brinnutz) so i could avoid the rain on Saturday and do the Slimey Crud Run on Sunday. Everything was going pretty good until i hit I-94 rush hour traffic in Chicago. I noticed my GPS randomly turning off. Just thought it was doing its normal POS deal. Started paying attention to my battery volts. It was around 12.8. Not too bad. Still sitting in slow moving, sometimes stopping traffic and i see it drop. 12.5, 12.1, 11.7. All without a check engine or battery light. So, i just figured its rush hour, not moving, got my GPS and my phone charging along with my HID's.... I just needed to move and get the R's up. Got moving once in north Chicago and bike is running fine, still no signs of check engine or battery light. BUT, shows low 12's, and GPS is turning off.. Main red flag for me is my GPS. It shuts off every time i shut the bike down.. SO, immediately i think Stator!! I get off of 94 and get on Skokie Hwy. First stop light, check engine light. Next stop light check engine light. Get to Shell station to fill up and call Wilson about my deal, battery light. GREAT! I know what's going on. Head to Wilson's work to get his house keys and i get battery light and running 11.7 the whole way there.. AWESOME. No Slimey Crud Run for me! Good thing he lives close to one of the best Buell dealers in the country. Uke's. It fired up Sat morning and off to Uke's we went. Got me in right away and Billy checked it out. Took three readings. I can't remember exactly what he said but it was like 12.8, 12.5, then 3. Yes 3. So, i was committed to leave it there since he said there was a stator on the way and "SHOULD" be there Monday or Tuesday! Got to thinking. I'm 200 miles from home. I have to come up with something better then "SHOULD". So i called around. Hal's didn't have one. I asked him to check around. He said Suburban show's they have one. OK! Call Uke's back to see the proto-call on warranty. NO, i can't go pick it up and bring it to Uke's without me paying for it. It would have to be shipped. That would take till Monday or Tuesday anyways. I guess?? So, i decided to go get my bike and hope it would make the hour and ten min ride there. It did, in 30 min.. Thanks Wilson!! lol They said they would get me in right away on Monday morning! Great! Monday comes and i give Suburban a call. Everything is on schedule and to pick it up at 3. Being back in Kenosha, hour or so away, we leave early. Get dropped off there about 2:30 to hang out and wait. I got a Uly top box and my key was on the bike. I was told i could go get the key in the shop, so i did. Turning point! I see oil coming out of the top drain plug.. Oil should be going in at this point. The man i learned to be named "Johnny Buell" said, "Well, it tested good, but i decided since you live so far away, i tested a second time. Then the stator showed it's "grounded". Not good. It is showing resistance though. He decides to put it together and test ride it. Before it was done, he checked it and it tested good. Rode it for 15 min, came back and it tested bad. Resistance is good, looks like it's charging, just says its grounding out somewhere. Little bit of help from some other techs and nobody has ever seen this happen. Conclusion, call HD support. Johnny Buell comes back and he says they don't know either. They asked him if it was good on the first check. He said yes. Then HD chewed him out on why he doubled checked his work. Yeah, dumbfounded! They also told him that since they don't know, it's up to him to decide on whether the "NEW" stator is good. After a few more test, and about 45 min before his shift ended, Johnny Buell made the call. Change the stator!! Lucky me, they got another one in the shop. By 7:30pm, after being there for 5 hours, it was finally done! I couldn't be happier with the service. JB made the right call and got some OT at the same time. Got to say, he is one cool cat! They let my sit in the shop and watch the entire process, with all my gear spread in his work area. JB and the entire crew there was great to talk to and very friendly. If your in the area, or have to stop by, don't hesitate to let Johnny Buell to work on your bike. They don't call him that for nothing! Thanks to Johnny Buell, Rick and the guy who i never caught his name working next to JB, Suburban for having the only 2 stators in WI. I was there long enough to collect a pay check i think!! Guess i was in the right place at the right time. Stator down on Friday, 2 stators later and riding home on Monday! If you need a stator, break down in WI people!!  | ||
| Dirty_john |
Good to hear of a good experience for a change | ||
| Milt |
Dave Ulicki was manager R&D at Buell. | ||
| Court |
Dave is not affiliated with Uke's. Uke's is owned by Keith, Dave's cousin, and Nancy Ulicki. | ||
| Americanmadexb |
Like i said, i wanted to get the work done at Uke's, but i just could't take the chance on we "should" have it by Tuesday. I'm sure they were a little upset that i took it out and went to Suburban, but they also understood I was 200 miles from home and needed it done asap. I'm just lucky Suburban had the only one in the state, as of Saturday. Monday they had two. | ||
| Milt |
Thanks for straightening that out, Court. I have heard folks say good stuff about Uke's and their Buell work. Of course, I've heard some grousing, too. | ||
| Usanigel |
Good to see you got sorted quickly! Sad to note the "new" stuff has low quality control! | ||
| Americanmadexb |
I do remember Rick saying that there is a new vendor now, so we will see how long this one lasts. | ||
| Ohsoslow |
Johnny Buell comes back and he says they don't know either. They asked him if it was good on the first check. He said yes. Then HD chewed him out on why he doubled checked his work. Yeah, dumbfounded! They also told him that since they don't know, it's up to him to decide on whether the "NEW" stator is good. this right here just shows HD's "commitment" to Buells. | ||
| Froggy |
Fixed that for you.  |
