| Author | Message | ||
     Mikej |
Eastside Harley/Buell in Bellevue Washington was good to me during my downtime there a few years ago. Hal's in NewBerlin Wisconsin and Suburban Motors in Thiensville Wisconsin have both been generally good to me as well for parts at both, for service at Hal's, no experience with service at Suburban. So there's Wisconsin and Washington for the list if they weren't already spoken of. | ||
| Bomber |
it may be that expectations are not well aligned with the services offered at most dealers . . . most folks buy a product (or maybe the slaesperson), not the dealership or service department . . . then, when things go south, zippo bang, they're disappointed! also. most bikers I know also own cars . . .. comparing the level of service available from even a mediocre car dealership (hours open, turnaround time, run-around-per-experience) leaves most motorcycle dealerships lookin like . . . .. . er, ehm, less desirable places in which to do business . . .. if my local VW dealer would service my Buell, I'd be tempted to sell my tools (but not quite tempted enough) | ||
| Cerbero |
dudley perkins, in san francisco... they've been very good to me so far... hope i haven't jinxed it by saying so. | ||
| Charlieboy6649 |
In the off chance that any of you head out to the arm pit of the US, Yuma, AZ; Jim's HD doesn't carry Buell anymore, but they're very friendly, willing to help, and have a Mech. that just graduated Buell School. They take very good care of me, just can't do my warranty work.  | ||
| Swampy |
Michigan Report, American H D Buell, in Ann Arbor, MI. The sales guys show knowledge, excitement, and they actually have Buells on the floor. They call on the phone every once in a while to tell me when an interesting bike comes in on trade or if they have something special going on. Parts is interesting, I have taken my friends in just to ogle the parts girl that has two crossed pistols tattooed on her chest, she rocks, friendly and helpful! And they have some Buell clothing to boot! (I just wish they had a hidden parking place for when I am working in the area so I can hide the G truck.  ) Town and Country H D Buell, in Jackson, MI. Has Buells on the floor, and Buell Clothing. Parts are very helpful also. Very cool restaruant next door to the dealership with bikes displayed on the walls. Near M. I. S. track so roads get crowded when racing starts. C and S Motorsports, Mt Pleasant, MI. They had 3 Blasts on the floor last week. They are real helpful in the parts department(My main parts place, because they will order parts over the phone)and have had good pricing. Is that positive enough? | ||
| Blublak |
Swampy... Uh post pics of parts chick... I, uh.. like pistols.. and want to ID the make and model.. Errr.. yeah, that's it..  Later.. | ||
| Blackbelt |
Ask Spidy, he works with her.. for crying out loud... I will tell him to get the camera today when i am over there. Hay Swampy, I agree with your American Statement, and to add to it, Other places in Michigan. Cummins Harley in Flint, is decent for new purchases, they are willing to help ya out, but don't get any Service there, or you will wait a long time. Their parts arn't too bad, not good though.. they have no clue what parts go where. Saginaw Valley Motorsports, Saginaw/Bay City, is where i bought my bike. Very nice sales staff, Owner is very cool ROCKY YOU ROCK!!! hahaha. his name is Rocky by the by. Parts Dept. good, but realativly low knowledge, service dept not to sure since i have never gone to that department, but i have talked to a couple reps, and they seem very knowledgeable. Shiawasse Motorsports, Montrose (Michigan BOONDOCKS!) decent dealership, very willing to help ya out. But they just started selling buells with the XB models. So they know NOTHING ABOUT TUBERS! hell i know more than them (ask spidy, that isn't much). But they will do everything they can to help ya out. couple more to add to your disscussion.. there ya go Bubba  | ||
| Djkaplan |
I haven't been there, but everyone in mid-west Georgia swears by Dothan HD in Dothan, Alabama. I was informed by another Bueller that I could have gotten an updated reservoir shock for free when the hideous SRP shock finally puked it's oil on my 2k M2. The weasel service manager in my local shop - Chattahoochee HD (don't go there) in Columbus, Georgia - charged me $100 as an administration fee (fat bastard). I've never had a personal experience with Dothan, but I've never heard a bad word about them. Too bad they're more than 2 hours away. | ||
| Ezblast |
33 so far - lets keep them coming guys! GT - JBOTDS! EZ  | ||
| José_quiñones |
HD/Buell of Ft Washington, MD (Full disclosure, I run the BRAG club so that colors my lenses) Frederick HD/Buell as previously mentioned, they know their stuff, have BRAG club, previously supported and are planning to support an FUSA road racing team and still run their "battle of the bikes" events which are so much fun (it's "battletrax" without the name) Battlefield HD/Buell in Gettysburg, PA. Enthusiastic, do demo rides and other special Buell events, I think they have a BRAG club, and they host the best Battletrax event of the PA series in my opinion. | ||
| Court |
I love hearing this stuff. . . . Dothan is legendary. They have a RAFT of Bar & Shield Awards from HD. These are not the typical crystal bowl for sticking it out another year, these babies require not that a dealer does "most" or "some" things well, but that they do EVERYTHING well. For the record, the greatest number of Bar and Shield Awards living in any dealership in the world is my hometown dealer TOPEKA HARLEY-DAVIDSON BUELL. Great news is contagious...keep it coming! Court | ||
| Andys |
Went over to Harley/Buell of Edison, NJ to test riding a "12S" with a Race Kit and I've got to tell you I'm very impressed. And I'm impressed with the dealership as well. Great sales people, no pressure and offers to return any time to to play some more. No wonder I bought my S1 there back in '98. Excluding reliablity (since the bike wasn't mine), I've got to give it to Erik and the boys/girls. Other than a completely dead feeling rear brake (typical Buell--just replace the rear pads) and a tendency to stand up under braking the bike was an absolute ball to ride. My S1W has much better throttle response (probably due to the Mikuni flatslide), but other than that the XB is light years ahead of the "tuber" in every respect. I was throwing it into corners as fast as I dared and ran the tires right to the edge without any shakes, wobbles or fear. Very nice. I didn't think the clutch was too difficult to pull; certainly no more difficult (maybe a bit lighter actually) than my S1 with a Barnett kit. The front end lifts nicely over cresting roads, crosses up the front wheel and then finds itself nicely when it lands. No drama. Even the springing for my 190lb was right on. Amazing considering that the older Buells were sprung for 100lb riders (or so it always seemed). I even found the riding position to be comfortable. Bars were at the right height and angle (anyone want to tell Yamaha about their wacky angled bars?) and for my inseam (32-34) peg position was nice. Maybe after 500 mile days I may reconsider the peg placement, but other than that--nice! If you've got a dealer who understands Buells and the clients it will bring in, than buying an XB is a nice choice. Damn, that thing was small! I love small. Nice work Erik. Nice work.  | ||
| Curtyd |
Fla. Report; When at Bike Week, go south to Melbourne to Space Coast HD. I will sometimes go there from Orlando, instead of Orlando HD. Orlando HD not too bad on service if it's not around Bike Week or Biketoberfest, good price there on tires, but Parts dept. is out to lunch on the Buell stuff. I know most of the techs at both places now, so they will do me right now. Make an appt. for Orlando HD, not great on drive ins. | ||
| Dyna |
I know most of the techs at both places now, so they will do me right now. LOL, most dealers will, why do you think they buy axle grease in 55 gallon drums?  | ||
| Curtyd |
You know looking at Dyna's profile, it's not a very good recommendation for the synthetic oil route. I put over 30K on my M2 and never had engine and/or transmission problems. Lots of road time and stop and go time. Why does he still come visit the site, just talking trash or does he still have a Buell that he actually rides? Sounds a whole lot like just inept operator error and modifications from stock that did nothing but make the bike into a piece of junk, humm...Quincy always told me stock bikes always hold their value more, now I can see why. | ||
| Dyna |
Curty, blow it out your ass. You dont know shit about me. You dont know anything about my history, riding style, type of riding I do, etc. And modifications? Aside from cosmetic bullshit the only thing that was changed was the muffler...even the stock header pipe was used. Yep thats it, the muffler is going to cause all the problems...what a bufoon you are. BTW, over 60,000 miles on my Dyna & no issues, yea it must be an inept rider. | ||
| Curtyd |
So you don't blow up your slow ass cruiser Dynaglide, but blow everything up on your X1, still sounds like operator error... | ||
| Dyna |
If you wanna troll you are going to have to use better bait than that. | ||
| Curtyd |
Not a troll, at all. " Any intelligent life out there?" Let's see if I can bring this back from the "pit" to a productive discussion about Buells. I left other unnamed web sites because of the infantile anti-Buell rhetoric. Two riders, Dyna and I, run virtually the same engines and drivetrains with a 180 degree difference in outcomes. Dyna blows up 3 motors in less than 11K and I put over 30K on mine. I can't be exactly sure of the mileage because of the damn speedo sensors. Traded the bike with 22K on it but I went over a year once without the speedo after replacing them 3 or 4 times. Dyna stresses his 60K on his wideglide as a good indicator of his bike experience. 60K on any bike is good but it was done over a 8 year period, if he bought the bike new then that breaks down to a little over 7K a year which doesn't qualify as a high mileage annual rider in my book. What are the variables between the 2 bikes? 1. Synthetic oil v. HD oil. 2. Fuel Injection v. Carbs. 3. 2001 v. 1999. 4. Rider input on a complex piece of technology. ( yes even the 1999 to 2002 Buells, although primitive compared to the XB's still qualify as complex machinery). The debate in my mind over the stock Dino oils v. synthetic is still unresolved,but I can accept the experience of others that they are more than adequate to the lubrication and cooling tasks required of a good oil. Fuel Injection v. carbs. I test drove the X1's and the M2's side by side in 1999 and I frankly didn't care for the FI very much compared to the carbs, but by 2001 they supposedly worked out the kinks and I have had no problems with the FI on my 2003 XB. But to be fair to Dyna maybe they never did get these X1's FI straightened out. I always suspect proper fuel delivery goes a long way towards keeping the combustion chamber operating at the right temp. It probably goes back to all my air-cooled two stroke street bikes. No good oil mix in the fuel and you burn up a lot of top ends. That would explain his burned and "sucked" valves in both cylinders. 2001 v. 1999, I think like every good manufacturer quality improves with production, increased capital, and higher standards of quality control. In fact something demonstrated by HD after their quality turnaround after the AMF years. Remember these are mechanical technologies, not human personalities. Every, repeat that, EVERY mechanical problem can be diagnosed and repaired. Machines are not people, where the defects can still remain hidden to virtually any expert examining them. Gonna take a short break before launching into, Part 2, Rider Input.... | ||
| Dyna |
Point of order here, I have owned the dyna 5 years & it had 6,000 miles when I bought it. That averages out to over 11,000 per year. Add that in with the 32,000 I put on the 1100 Virago, 11,000 on the X1. And that doesnt mention all the other bikes I have owned over the years that didnt suffer breakdowns. CBR600F2, Katana 600, Shadow 1100, Honda 350, Suzuki Titan 500, Suzuki 250, Puch 250, Kawasaki LTD 550. Not 1 of those bikes suffered any terminal breakdowns. Hell the Puch was a 1962 2 stroke & it was 1000% more reliable than an 01 Buell. Every, repeat that, EVERY mechanical problem can be diagnosed and repaired. Machines are not people, where the defects can still remain hidden to virtually any expert examining them Care to be on that? Ask Jim Anderson why his X1 couldnt be fixed permanently. Ask Pammy from Cycle rama why a certain customer went thru I believe it was 7 or 8 motor repairs in a futile attempt. Every once in awhile a true lemon gets produced & no amount of work is going to solve its ills. Ever had a bike or car produce symptoms one day & then never again? For the males out there, how many of you hace had your wife complain about her vehicle not running or making noises yet when we try to start it the machine fires right up & runs great. I test drove the X1's and the M2's side by side in 1999 and I frankly didn't care for the FI very much compared to the carbs, but by 2001 they supposedly worked out the kinks And I think thats the key point in this. The kinks werent all worked out. Buell had no intentions of working them out & simply dumped the entire lineup. If you go back thru the archives & see which Buells the owners were satisfied & which werent you would see an abnormally high number of FI bikes & particularly the X1's. Quite a number of X1's were bought back by the company thru lemon lawsuits. Are all those owners liable for their bikes ills as well? | ||
| Curtyd |
Point of order taken, your riding time and experience may be broader than I first guessed it to be. Believe me, this jump to the Buell/HD brand was started as a experiment, albeit I was impressed with handling and mid range, but an HD for me? I rode japanese and one aberrant Czech Jawa 350 for 20 years. I am very concerned with reliability. Dyna's points are actually two, poor design of the X1 and inferior quality control, thereby producing the "lemon" effect. I still believe that the largest uncontrollable variable in all motos is the rider input. If Dyna could be honest with us and answer 1 question. You did ride the X1 significantly different than the wide glide correct? I doubt if you trash your $18K FXDWG around the roads quite in the same way, maybe you do, I know some that do that, but not most. To get back to the topic that started all this, Dealer Techs, I noted you did all your own service on the profile, but that the major problems were handled under Warranty. Was that just parts or did the dealer do the labor as well? If they did all of it I suspect that might have amplified the situation. Which lends to your animosity to the Buell brand and dealer distain. I agree again that these HD techs are not all that Buell-friendly. But basically it is still a Sportster powerplant, I believe. I had an aftermarket HD shop doing all my after warranty service and repair and they did a good job all around. I supplied the service manual. Now about the design? Didn't the X1's perform well in the racing class until the AMA dumped it. No modifications were made to the overall design of the bike to race it. Maybe they used more effective FI mapping software. I do recall one virtually stock Buell performing very well in endurance class racing, I think it was before the XB's but I could be mistaken. Granted racebikes are gone over from top to bottom in prep but it does discount the poor design theory. As far as quality control, we are still talking subjective not objective numbers, whether it's you, me or anyone else. Buell #'s for warranty claims, lemon law replacements, and the like is the only way to know that for sure. When Buell released the XB I wondered why they completely dropped the other lines. My explanation was when I put the bikes side by side I considered the older models to be primitive compared to the XB's and realized it didn't make sense to keep the old line going. Maybe, like Dyna proposes, design and defects contributed to it also. Reliability never seemed a problem on my M2 so I never understood the complaint. I figured it arose from the routine anti-HD diatribe of the jap bikers. I believe I ride my Buells different than I would a japanese inline four. I can't abuse the tach/revs the same way because of the drastic difference in piston size and mass, and consequent torque output. Torque is where all my fun is. You can keep the 14,000 rpm redlines for the track. I was suspect of Dyna when he first mentioned the Dragon in NC. I can just imagine what goes on there now with all these pick-um-up drivers trucking there bikes there to flail themselves on that piece of crap road. I rode it in the early 1980's, I had no use for a road with a 180 degree turn every 100 feet or so. Give me the sweepers of the Skyline Parkway or the Natchez Trace any day. I get seasick too quick and I never get the chance to shift out of first or second gear on that crappy road. It's different when you ride your bike to the nice roads with an interest in then keeping it upright and running well with no breakdowns to ruin a wonderful vacation. As you may guess I still suspect DYNA may have BEAT THE SNOT out of his X1 during their less than pleasant time together. That is his personal choice, but he should lighten his soul and confess this to us openly so as to let us accurately evaluate his poor quality claims. I'll guess he still LOVED it when it ran well for him (which doesn't sound like it was too often)...Sorry. PEACE P.S. I do have two specific gripes with the Buell folks, the recurrent problem with speedo sensors previously mentioned. Then when the flimsy brake rotor wore out in less than a year, before warranty expired, they told me it was a wear item and I had to pay to replace it. They had already changed the rotor for 2000 because of this problem. They did replace the underslung rear shock as a "good will" item when it was about 3 years old and it only cost me the 95 dollars in labor, not the 600 dollars for the shock. | ||
| Dyna |
I actually do trash my Dyna pretty hard. I do all my own maintenance on it & have since day 1. The Buell on the other hand had a full warranty & the only thing I did was bolt on the muffler & the cosmetic shit like pegs, Banke undertail etc. You want to talk dealer incompentance? After the valve dropped in the front cylinder the tech only worked on that particular cylinder. They actually installed a bored cylinder & over sized piston for the front while leaving the rear stock. Now tell me thats not going to cause some balance issues & other problems down the road. I didnt find out about this until later on & was dumbfounded on just how stupid that was. You are correct that when my X1 ran I loved it. Fun bike to ride, but due to what comes down to dealership fuckups, my relationship with the bike was soured. They did piss poor work & then tried to blame me for it & then attempted to push the problems off on the factory. Just a sad turn of events overall. | ||
| Bigj |
I would sure love to post on this subject, but I swore I wouldn't any more!  edited by bigj on April 18, 2004 | ||
| Curtyd |
But "trashing" a 700lb wideglide is still a lot different than a 450lb high torque performance equipped machine wouldn't you agree? It does sound most like the techs and the dealer screwed you more than the factory. But maybe it was a bit of a tag team. I ragged on them when the Buell Factory trailer guys called my brake rotor a wear item and refused to pay for it. That's the first rotor I ever wore out. Buell actually was still in it's start-up mode even in 1999. The HD cash has made a big difference. I guess they should have spent some more good will bucks. Where was that dealer so I stay away from them? I am sure a lot of the smaller HD dealers have no pull at all when it come to the factory decisions. I'll keep you posted on my history with the XBS, at first appearance they seem to have jumped to a whole new level. Let's hope it stays for the long haul. That really is my passion, X-Country running, even though I am homebound today with the new baby. Good wife though, she never has said anything about selling my bike, and didn't object when I made the deal on the 2003, it was good timing because we found out she was pregnant a few weeks after I bought the XB. Remember dirty side down, shiny side up... | ||
| Bomber |
uh, Curt -- I DO know Dyna, and have ridden with him (with him both on his late, lamented X1 as well as on his Barny Bike glide . . . .. . ) I will also state that I didn't ride with him every second of his Buell experience, but I rode enough with him to think that I got a pretty good read on both his abilities, and on the way he treated the bike . .. . . he didn't beat it, as far as I saw . . . . .he may have when I wasn't around "o, good, bomber is'nt within sight, so I can now take the whip to this POS scoot and over-rev it til it breaks!" . . . . he rode in an enthusiastic but controlled manner, one that had me working to keep up on my Y2K MaDeuece . . . .. you may have recently come to the love to hate dyna club, but you should do some research first, I'm thinkin (given your profession, I think you'll agree that research is a good thing, yes?) also, Dyna's is not the only X1 to grenade, nor is it the only one that was apparently built on an Indian Burial Ground . .. . . I love my MaDeuece, like the brand greatly, but would (and have) steer friends away from an X1 - - - when they're good, they're great . . .. when they're not . . . .. . . . . .. . | ||
| Dyna |
The M2 for some unknown reason is a vastly superior bike to the X1. Only practical difference is the FI & the cams. Maybe its that combo which is just not made for each other? And no I actually didnt beat on my X1, took good care of it, washed it, didnt rev it to the moon, etc etc. Just one of those deals that happens from time to time. | ||
| Curtyd |
You must admit the more we were into the posts, the more I let Dyna "off the hook." That is my profession, getting enough info from folks to get the true picture of what happened out there. Research is good for law students and some judges, but an effective cross-examination, as a great jurist once said is, "the greatest truth-telling engine ever devised" | ||
| Court |
>>>but you should do some research first, Anything that contained the words "greatest truth telling machine" likely specifically excluded the words Juris Doctor. It was a simple poor assumption that was not grounded in fact. Kinda like Paul Drake had walked through the doors in the back of the court room and tripped. Learn-Speak A serial order proven effective by time and tide. Court | ||
| Curtyd |
So am I getting legal tips from someone who has experienced the legal system from that personal perspective? Two buddies back up each other's story about doing nothing to abuse the bike in 11 K miles and 3 blown motors later. Sounds a lot like my cops making sure they get their facts straight before depo, or a warranty claim, heh? | ||
| Tod662 |
this looks like a schoolyard brawl that should be left to curtyd and dyna |
