| Author | Message | ||
     Jokingjones |
Hello to everyone. I urgently need some advice on a used 2001 buell lightning I put some money down on today. The bike is in excellent shape except for worn tires front and rear and a red check engine light that appears on the left gauge when the engine is running. The bike has a full vance and hines exhaust system on it. The bike seems to make good power but it back fires a bit and is sluggish off the line. Note the bike is fuel injected, The speedo indicates only 600 miles , but with the worn tires I'm sure its a lot more. The other issue is that the guage cluster shacks like crazy at idle , is this common. Also are there any other issues with parts for this model , as in ignition moduels, fork seals or anything else major. | ||
| Buelldualsport |
Congratulations on the new X1 The Knowledge Vault at the Top of the Firs Page is a liter gold mine of information.. Read through some of the posts and 99% of the time, you will have your answers. Good Luck | ||
| Kalali |
Some level of shaking at idle is normal but the engine should smooth out past 2500rpm. The CEL, backfiring and loss of power may not be serious as long as the engine revs well without any rattling or knocking. It's sort of hard to explain. The worn tire vs. mileage is usually a bad sign but might have a good explanation. Out of curiosity, did you put the deposit with any prior knowledge with these bikes or just happened to like it? Ideally, it would be great if someone local with knowledge about these bikes and access to Buell diagnostics software could help you inspect the bike and read the fault codes. | ||
| Akbuell |
Welcome, and congrats on a wise purchase. The check engine light should come on for about 4 sec at ign on/stop run on, then go out, after the ECM completes a self-diagnostic. If it stays on, or starts blinking, then there are issues. Go to the sponsor section, and get with Al at American Sport Bike, and get a factory service manual. Most important tool in the box. A parts manual is helpful, though not quite as necessary. He also has lots of parts and knowledge available. Is the instrument cluster shaking, or is it the flyscreen? Grab the cluster and try moving it. It should be rigidly mounted to the handlebar mounts. Most likely the flyscreen. You may need to log in to see it, but check the B.R.A.N. - Buell riders assistance network. Look for fellow Buellers in the area, they will be glad to help. Hope this helps, Dave | ||
| Jokingjones |
After looking into what it could be and the mileage discrepancy potential cost and chasing ghosts trying to fix the same problems other ppl. have battled to no avail. Also the potential issues like monoshocks gauges etc. non existent spare parts.Then the final icing on the cake was reading that Buell Racing folded. I decided to pass on the bike and the guy will refund my $100 deposit. Purchase price was only $1600. But with all the issues and new tires, I would have easily dropped another $1500-$2k into it easily. It really pissed me off finding out about all the tuber buell issues specially the X1 lightning with FI and ecms. Not much you can do when you can't get any replacement ECMS and have to deal with used or ebay parts for spares. It looked like I would have to possibly converted the bike to a carb set up and changed the ignition, that would have been a lot of work. I was looking for a good used tuber Buell for about 2 years and now it seems my dreams of owning a tuber Buell are lost. Good luck to you all and hope your Buells last for you and hold up for you guys. (Message edited by jokingjones on April 19, 2015) | ||
| Harleyelf |
The fuel injection issues can be overcome. Tubers use the same basic engine/transmission unit as XL and XLH Harleys, so any Sportster carburetor/ignition setup can be adapted to fit. I currently use a Mikuni 42 and a module from an M2. Inside-the-timing cover ignition units work, too, as long as you are sure to match the coil to the ignition. Not much work at all. I ran an SU carburetor for five years. Idled like a rock and accelerated like a rocket. For $1600, you couldn't buy a Sportster engine, especially with Thunderstorm heads. New tires are a part of buying anything that has sat for years. Rear shocks are still available; you might have even found a dealer who would perform the recall replacement for you. A simple strut can make it into a hardtail. I suspect the dash vibration is something simple, like a missing mount bolt. Reconsider your decision. If you want to just ride and not participate in your motorcycle's health, buy a Honda. If wrenching is a vital part of your life, Buells are the way to go. | ||
| Buelldualsport |
But a M2 if you don't want an FI tuber God luck | ||
| Jokingjones |
To much of a money pit and other big issue was the extreme tire wear, the front was worn so bad there was no center tread left and both the rear and front had really worn center flat spots. The guy claimed it only had 600 miles. Physical condition of the bike was excellent, but the tires told a different story and there could have really been 10k - 20k miles on it. So there could be engine issues to. Also after talking to the guy a few minutes his story tended to change the longer you talked to him. Its really hard the analyze all the potential problems the bike could have, specially when its not running properly. I have a good knowledge of harleys and buells, I just wasn't sure about the parts availability problems and the more I checked the worse it got. I didn't want to get into a project bike that I would have to drop thousands into, when the book value on a good running one is $2k-$2500. This bike tended to be more of a parts or project bike. While sportsters do not handle as nice as buells , there are tons of low mileage 883's and 1200's in the $2500 -$3500 range , that you can get all the parts you need for and performance parts. My goal was to create something better than a XR1200 for a cheaper price, but when you weigh in all the factors in dealing with the X1 lightning it just creates to many potential issues. Having to rely on junk yard or used ebay for spare parts sucks,specially for a $3000 bike. You don't mind it for a $500 -$1000 beater. | ||
| Bikerrides |
Dude, don't give up on a tuber. Just around the corner is a great deal on a great bike, you just have to be patient. | ||
| Akbuell |
Meh, the tires are only an issue as far as "What is the rest of the bike like?" As far as parts, most everything is available. The O2 sensor, for example, is available at any auto parts store. Fork seals, throttle position sensor,so on available without going to a junk yard, or trying to find used. As Harleyelf said, if you enjoy 'hands on', or as a lot of us here think of it as "pride of ownership" then maybe a rethink, if you can get the price down a bit. FWIW, the FI system on my 2 X-1's has been relatively trouble free, for 40k miles. And I am a carb guy who was dragged kicking and screaming into FI. Not so scary now, and Buell was the test mule for the Sportster FI system, and was developed with a lot of off the shelf parts. No need to reinvent the wheel, so to speak. But then, you have looked at the bike, and I haven't. So all of this is maybe a long way of saying don't be too afraid. There is a tremendous amount of knowledge here, for the asking. Dave | ||
| Harleyelf |
Your decision. Parts are not hard to find unless you need body parts. The tire issue tells you that the PO is a liar, nothing else. He probably disconnected the speedometer. Even with 20K miles, that would be a young engine. My '89 883 lasted 135K before I sold it, and was running strong (but had swingarm issues), having never had the heads off the cylinders or the clutch apart. The wear being in the center of the tires tells a story about the riding skills of the PO: he never had the ability to use a sport bike to its potential. No one can wear a front tire out in 600 miles. He probably did standing two-minute burnouts to get the rear into that shape. What possible relationship does the failure of EBR have to your decision? The 1190 sold for $40K and shares no parts with an X1. Showa makes the X1 front end, Nissin makes the brakes, PM has wheels that fit, and seats can be fabricated by any competent leather-worker. Were you planning to need a new frame or gas tank? Front and rear iso mounts will be available on the aftermarket for as long as air-cooled VW parts, wheel and steering neck bearings are standard sizes, and electric, carburetor, and/or FI parts can be adapted from Sportsters. If you truly want speed, consider the curb weight difference between a Sportster and the X1. 100 pounds takes a lot of horsepower to make up for. But it is your decision. Had you ever really wanted a Buell, this would have been a good one for you. | ||
| Buelldualsport |
Beginning to think this might be an old school trolling trip. Just my $.02 worth | ||
| Dannybuell |
I was thinking the same thing - Buelldualsport | ||
| Jokingjones |
Got deposit back and bike is already resold, thanks for the help. Let someone else deal with it, it was better for a project or parts bike. | ||
| Greg_cifu |
GUYS! STOP ALREADY! The dude blew it. His loss. I just hope the bike isn't going to be parted out and at that price, it's a fair chance. I saw the original listing, in the Las Vegas CL. It was a screaming deal. If it had been nuke blue and any other color, I'd have bought it and this thread would have never happened. Black / Black and PM wheels is near the bottom of my choices for colors. Hey, Jokingjones, I mean this sincerely, buy new. If you knew half of what you claim you know about Buells or Sportsters, you would have taken that bike home, laughing your ass off the whole way. Seriously. Tubers will be supportable forever. That's part of the reason I own so many of them. I hate to sound nasty about this but, you come off like you know so damn much and there are guys on here shaking their heads in disbelief. There are no inherent problems with the fuel injection, or the ECM. If you're the type who has to screw around with it, you remap it with a laptop. That's it. There are no reasons to have to replace an ECM in your lifetime. I saw the pictures of that bike. It was gorgeous. There was nothing on that thing I wouldn't have had fixed in less than three days, tinkering in my spare time. The shock would have cost you a couple of hundred, brand new, from dealers clearing out old inventory on Ebay. There was no "Full Vance & Hines system" on that bike because they never made one. It's a POS slip-on. That probably caused 80% of the driveability problems. A stock muffler and stock airbox would have made that bike into more than ANY Sportster, or XR1200 will ever be. You missed out. That bike wasn't even close to being a "parts bike" or a project. Holy hell, what do you want from a used motorcycle, a freaking warranty? But like I already said, based on your expectations of what a used bike should look like and how little you actually know about gauging the value of a motorcycle, buy new. New is the only thing that would make you happy. | ||
| Buelldualsport |
Like Greg said, Find something other than a Buell | ||
| Jolly |
Ive never been stranded on or by a Buell, Carbie or fuelie and I own several of each from 1995 - 2002. I'd own more, but I am completely out of space!! my highest mileage bike is extremely young compared to some guys here with 100K+.. my high mileage bike is only a mere 38K miles old... and runs like a champ!! EBR current status has absolutely no effect or impact on any of my tubers, nor does it impact my personal affiliation or attachment to the tubers. Its extremely unfortunate what happened or did happen, or is happening to EBR, I was really looking forward to seeing EBR succeed and put a top notch high performance bike on the market as a Duc-eater  and honestly I was not in the running as I simply was not in a position to spend the money on a new bike with so many different things going on in life and in the garage, but it didnt change my mental and emotional "investment" in hoping they succeeded and prospered... BUT NONE of this changed my enjoyment of the tube frame class bikes!!!  sounds like you missed out............... | ||
| Jokingjones |
Called a Buell dealer for some parts and the ECM and its no longer made or available, one dealer had a new one at $375. With the issues on that x1 and the way the seller story didn't add up I feel I made the right decision. I'm originally from the mid west and here in Vegas most of the used bikes are really beat and the sellers are bad, trying to get top dollar for $100 - $500 bikes shit bikes. You occasionally see a good used one once and a while, and they sell quick. I've not given up on buells totally,just this one. When it comes down to the sellers story not adding up and with the bike having issues, its better to just walk away. If I paid the guy $1600 for the bike and just started buying a few parts and the soft ware to bring the bike up to rideable condition. I was at $2200 if theres nothing major wrong, now add in the potential costs of electronics and various sensors , carburation conversion , new electronic ignition, possible engine problems, Then the price goes easily up to $3000-$4000. So if the X1 had electrical issues,engine problems, then it was really a $500 bike, not really worth the Vegas gamble. What you think of this one, I feel $2200 $2500 would be a good offer. http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/mcy/4911651630.html | ||
| Buelldualsport |
Why don't you just go away! Your trolling is getting old! | ||
| Roaldnelson |
you called a Buell Dealer? | ||
| Jokingjones |
Seems like a lot A-Holes on this forum, thanks to those who provided some relevant information, I'm gone. See you'll at the junkyard. | ||
| Kalali |
Children, please behave. The guy seemed quite honest and was trying to get some real input before he made up his mind. No need to take it personally... After all, he probably made the right decision. | ||
| Psykick_machanik |
I think he made the right decision on not getting the bike. My Alarm bells were going off with his description of the bike vs. the sellers. Things wernt adding up. I wouldn't have bought it. Cool he got his deposit back at least. |
