| Author | Message | ||
     Riderboy1961 |
I have been looking at & want to buy an 2004 XB12R. I really love the looks of this Buell Model and I got ride a friend of mines once for a few miles and loved it. They also have their own unique look, I read on these sites that there are not that many on the road which is also a draw for me as I prefer not to look like everyone else on the road (or anywhere else for that matter lol). I would like to hear from owners their personal experience with the serious issues these bikes have had for you: dying on a ride for numerous different reasons mainly seems to be a wire shorting out in one of a number different areas on the model. I really want one but this main issue of dying while riding is a serious enough concern for me to avoid the purchase if this is a common problem on most owners XB12R's or if this is just a random issue on just a few of the bikes. Thank for any personal experience you can share in advance. | ||
| Froggy |
If your bike dies while riding, you probably ran out of gas. | ||
| Riderboy1961 |
Ahhhhh... this is helpful to my question... | ||
| Froggy |
Quite frankly, what you are asking about is unheard of. Yes, I've seen various wiring issues over the years, but they are mostly on the Ulysses and Lightning models, with the weak point being the steering neck flexing, which does not apply to the fixed fairing Firebolts. Sometimes the spark plug wires are not routed correctly and they will rub against the motor and short out, but that only causes issues during rain and it is not a Firebolt specific issue. Other than the crappy melting headlights the 04 Firebolt is overall a solid bike. Weak spots on it seem to vary but are not Firebolt specific, like clunkly transmission on 05's and older, wheel bearing and belt life that greatly varies (again improved on later models). As long as the bike was not neglected, an 04 should be fine. Get the bike, change the oil, change the battery if it is a few years old, and then enjoy. Again, if your bike died while riding, you likely ran out of gas. | ||
| 1eyert |
Riderboy, I have been riding Buells since 2000. I have two now, a 2000 S3 and a 2005 XB12SCG. They are both awesome and different and neither have left me stranded. With a little attention to maintenance and details they are very competent and reliable bikes. I am looking for my third, an 1125 currently. I wouldn't trade them for any other bike out there. Hope that helps. Art..... | ||
| Reepicheep |
Pfffffft. Not a problem. They wires don't crack that often, and when they do, they crack in the same place. Get a beer, spend 45 minutes feeling along the wire bundle where it goes from the triple tree to under the frame, and fix any with internal cracks. They are very easy to 'spot' by feel. Mine cracked on the Uly, but it was because I stuffed a horn under there badly and it took a lot of "flex length" off that wire. I think many of the other people with the problem had the same cause. Still no big deal though... easy fix. | ||
| Riderboy1961 |
Thank you everyone, much appreciated!! | ||
| Jcbikes |
04 or 05 the best years as far as I am concerned. My 04 xb12S Lightning is running better than new with over 35,000 miles. No problems other than the replacement of wear parts...brake pads, etc.... I would never sell my buell. | ||
| Greg_e |
The only other thing that might cause an in ride death would be a very bad battery, and it has a simple fix and should offer plenty of warning before it gets that bad. | ||
| Bobbuell1961 |
"dying on a ride for numerous different reasons " I have yet to "die" while riding any of my 3 Buells as a matter of opinion i feel quite alive. Have i had any issues in my 70K+ plus on them, yes, but my Uly is my favorite bike i've ever had, I hope i have as great a relationship with my new to me Super TT. To ride one is to love one! Thanks Erik! (something tells me where're around the same age? lol) | ||
| Froggy |
I've owned 6 Buells, still have 5, and have lost count how many hundreds of thousands of miles I've put on mine. I have had a few "deaths" over the years, here is my list 1125CR - Battery terminal screws came loose, bike shut off. Blast - Ran out of gas 1125CR - Ran out of gas I also got a flat tire a few weeks ago on my XB12XT, does that count? I've had my fair share of issues with the bikes over the years, but those were the only times I can recall that my bikes ever suddenly died. | ||
| M1combat |
Just a hair under 50K on mine and nothing like that. Do replace the oil pump drive gear though if you get an '04. | ||
| Riderboy1961 |
M1combat - Have you had to replace your "oil pump drive gear" yet? Just the gear on the pump correct? What brand for the gear? Would I want to upgrade the oil pump while at it? | ||
| Brother_in_buells |
It,s the gear that drives the oil pump gear (not the oil pump gear itself) http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/327 77/242205.html You can try the search page and find a whole lot more of this subject. Or ask it here! | ||
| Mackja |
I have an 2007 xb12r, it has seen three straight years of track duty (10 weekends a year) and has performed flawlessly, never an issue, getting ready for year number four!! All I do is change the oil and tranny fluids, clean air filter, adjust the primary chain, new tires and ride the crap out of it. Great machine!!! | ||
| Skidonenko |
My 07 XB12r had 0 issues. They are no more susceptible to dieing while driving than any other mechanical transportation on the road. Every bike/car/truck/boat has the potential to fail and they do eventually. With sites like these you get visibility to issues that come up (look around on forums for other vehicles and you will find the same) but the part we sometimes miss are all the trouble free miles. Working at ford dealers I have seen the common failures and the 6.0L diesel should die a horrible death, but compared to the volume of vehicles that Ford put out we only saw the worst cases. As a whole though I cannon fathom the number of trouble free miles from the one's that never needed to come in. If you would like to ride a bike with real wiring problems find a 00' Royal Enfield 500 bullet. Indian made English designed, with an A/c powered headlamp bulb that I could only get from one dealer ordered from india. It is bad when you have a bike that got 90mpg in town but I was so tired of fixing it that I sold it. The Buells are nothing like those turds. | ||
| M1combat |
"M1combat - Have you had to replace your "oil pump drive gear" yet? " I replaced it before I "had to". You don't want to wait until you have to. At that point there will be a good deal of oil pump drive gear in your oil. Replace it immediately or AT LEAST check it immediately. It's easy to take a look at during an oil change. | ||
| Jcbikes |
M1 - Explain please how to check it during an oil change. thanks. | ||
| Greg_e |
You drain the oil, pull the pump, and look up at the gear on the end of the cam. Considering the work it takes to change this gear (not very much), I would just suggest buying the gear and a gasket, pulling the cam cover, and replace the damn thing. | ||
| Riderboy1961 |
When inspecting the gear, look for any grooving in the gear teeth at all & thinning of the gears from wear... correct? My first upgrade I will install on this bike is that right side air scoop to help cool that rear cylinder. All I want for this year is dependability and FUN Factor with some PUCKER Factor added in when hitting the corners out here. I am going to spend this year riding it around the Pacific NW, to my softball games, softball tournaments out of town and on some camping trips, I hope I can find some fellow local riders to ride with too. Is this the correct upgrade part for the Oil Pump Drive Gear? http://www.americansportbike.com/shoponline/ccp0-p rodshow/17126.html (Message edited by riderboy1961 on January 21, 2013) | ||
| Brother_in_buells |
Bo ,thats one of the parts you need! btw nice looking firebolt. For doing it yourself ,it's not that difficult to replace the drive gear etc ,it looks more difficult than it really is! Here is a list of parts/things you need and also a small how to do explanation (http://www.ukbeg.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=153 07 ,can also be found here. They say it's possible to remove only the front rockercover and rocker assebly ,and if you search on here there are a lot of people do it like that way to. But in my opinion its better to do both of them ,and when you remove both rocker asseblies it's easier to remove the cam gear cover which is better for the bronze cam bearings This is how i did it: Put the bike on a rearstand ,disconnect battery cable ,remove all the airbox plastics till you can see the trottlebody ,also the rubber velocity stack that's on top of the throttle body. Disconnect the fuel-line ,disconnect the tps plug and injector plugs and head temp wire and o2 wire ,remove the breather hoses to if necessary. remove the spark plugs and put engine in fifth gear and turn it at the rearwheel to top dead center (tdc) on front cylinder you can check through the hole thats between the cylinders. Its maybe good to lable the wires before removal or you can take photo's. Remove the chin fairing/muffler and muffler straps ,unbolt the W bracket assemble from the frame (thats the thing where the oil cooler and voltage regular is ,disconnect one side of the tie-bars (heim-joints) from the frame. remove the left footpeg bracket. Put a jack under the engine (i used a scissor jack) ,remove the big front bolt (that holds the engine to the frame) lower the jack slow and check if you did not forget something ,make sure that the clutch cable is free to move with the engine. Now you can remove the header ,spray the header bolts/studs good with some oil (i used wd40) remove the bolts carefull ,maybe you have to turn them back and forth a couple of times and spray some more oil onto the nuts but you do not want to brake an exhaust stud!! so take your time with doing them! When nuts are removed ,you can remove the header now. From this point you undo the rocker covers/bolts ,rocker assemblies/bolts like it is written in the buell how-to in the manual ,front cylinder first and for the rear you have to turn the engine a little till the rocker arms not pushing on the valves. you can let the push rods in place. Remove the front belt guard and disconnect some wires and remove the outher timing plate ,mark the inner trigger/timing plate with a sharpie or marker ,remove the trigger cup to. now remove the oil-line that is connected to the cam cover. You can leave the oilpump in place! remove bolts from the cam cover (i stuck them through a piece of carton and numbered them) And now you can remove the cam cover ,you can gently tap it with a rubber hammer when you pull on it (be carefull not to pull a camgear to) ,first remove it for a couple of mm to see if the gears stay in place ,you can push/pry it back in place or hold it in place with a screwdriver or so. When cam cover is removed you can see for the timing marks on all the gears ,and turn the engine so that the marks are together. So now you have to lock the engine for removing the nut from the crank (check the direction of the threath) ,there is a locking tool to do the job ,but it can be done with a big piece of wood through the rearwheel to. Now you can slide the pinion gear from the crank pin ,for removing from the drive gear ,you also have to remove the "E" cam gear set But before you pull the E cam gear have the new drive gear oiled and ready to put in its place. because when you pull the E cam gear set the hydraulic tapped drops down ,so hold tapped in place with something (screwdriver) pull the E cam gear set ,pull the drive gear from crank pin ,put the new drive gear on and put the E cam gear back. put he pinion gear back (make sure its fitted the right way) Put some red loctite on the threat and tighten the nut according the manual. From this point you work in reverse order and assemble all the parts and gaskets according the manual. The parts you need: 1 drivegear 1 gasket for gearcover xb models 2 rocker cover gaskets 2 inner rocker cover gaskets 2 lower rocker cover gaskets 2 exhaust gaskets 8 rocker cover screw gaskets special tools: torque wrench ,locking tool http://www.americansportbike.com/shoponline/ccp0-p rodshow/16082.html or piece of wood I also had the oilpump machined in a lathe for better alignment between oilpump gear and drive gear. So when you have the cam gear cover removed and already the new drive gear in place etc ,its a possibility to check the alignment between the oilpump gear and new drive gear to ,and if needed have that done to! I probably forgot to name some things ,but it gives you an idea! Cheers,}} | ||
| Greg_e |
The rocker box gaskets are rubber, you may not need to replaced them. The job gets a lot easier if you only loosen the screws until there is no pressure on the cams. When tightening the rocker boxes, I found it was important to rotate the engine so that each cylinder was exactly on the valve fully closed spot or you risk snapping rocker box bolts. | ||
| Paint_shaker |
I bought my 04 XB12R in 2008 with 14,000 or so street miles on it. I immediately preppred it for track use and racing. It now has 17,000 or so miles, 1 full racing season, several race weekends and numerous track days on it. It has been down twice (one violent highside). Both times it cost less than $50 to fix! It still runs like a champ and I have yet to go into the engine. Oh, still on the belt drive too!! | ||
| Sgtsquirrel |
I'm not sure if this post is too late but here goes... I've had the problem where it died while riding. Bought my 05 XB12R used with 10k on it. After a few thousand miles with it the bike suddenly shut off. It started and i rode it to my destination with no problem. When I went to leave, the bike started, I rode and then it shut off while riding it and that continued. I trouble shot it myself and it turned out that I had to replace my VOLTAGE REGULATOR. It was a quick fix. Took me about 45 min to do. The voltage regulator was about $150 from Harley brand new. Hope this helps. |
