| Author | Message | ||
     Johnnylunchbox |
Does anybody remember Alfa Romeo? Alfa Romeo sold cars in the U.S. up until about 1993 or so. Alfa's were gained notoriety as unreliable pieces of junk. The truth is that they were well designed and performed well. If I remember correctly, the real problem lay in the distribution network that, I believe, placed the ALfa's in the showrooms side by side with Buick's and Oldsmobiles. Another thing that they forgot to do was train technicians in the fine art of Alfa husbandry and make parts readily available. Does anybody see where I'm going with this? I may be oversimplifying the plight of Alfa Romeo, but I think there are some points that are relevant to Buell. Also I am relatively new to the Buell world, but as I said, I'm just thinking out loud. | ||
| M1combat  |
Well, I was watching Corbin's "Ride On" show the other day. It was basically a commercial for MMI. They had an entire room full of Battle Blue XB9R's that they were taking apart and re-assembling. I suppose that's a good thing. The Buell is so amazingly simple though that anyone with any mechanical skill at all can work on them. Even if they cant, it's still a 45 degree pushrod V2 that's the same tech that's been around since before WWII... I don't see it as an issue at all. I only see issue with dealers that don't like Buell's and the "punks" that they think they attract. I had my 1K service done locally and there's one tech that rides a duck monster and the other is an old school Harley guy. I walked around back to tip the guy that washes the bikes (I didn't end up tipping him because he didn't was under the tail section) and the old school guy was walking away from the XB muttering "X-B-L-M-N-O-P...". I said "F-*-*-*-Y-O-U..." The Duck Monster guy is both cool and likes Buell's. | ||
| Bomber  |
I DO remember Alfa's -- owned a couple, long ago and far away I also agree that the lack of a good distribution network was critical, I also think that the cars were sent here without much understanding of what US drivers (mostly) expected in terms of maintenance -- a well-maintained alfa (in the 60s, anyway) like most european cars demanded a much higher degree of commitment form the owner, either in $$ or time, to keep on the road -- while a chevy of the same vintage would soldier on, performing more and more poorly over time, eventually slowing to the point where you just couldn't stand it any more, alfas (and trimumph care, mgs et al) would deteriorate much more quickly, subsuming into smoking lumps in the time a small block chevy would start thinking about wanting an oil change -- agreed, though, Buell's got a problem with the dealer network -- I do have faith that, like their product quality issues, they will get a handle on the distribution network as well (which is, sadly, much harder and more labor intensive than re-engineering the product) | ||
| Pcmodeler  |
I can kind of understand the problem. I went to the Buell site, plugged in my zip to find the closest service center. I contacted them about replacing the bearings and kickstand under the service bulletin. They couldn't/wouldn't do it. They indicated that they couldn't get the parts, etc. Now, I do have a local Buell dealer/service shop, but it's about 30-45 minutes from me. This Harley dealer was about 5 minutes from me. So, while much of the technology is shared, that doesn't mean service for it is always going to be available. If the local dealer were to close shop, I would have to drive up to the DC area, which is about 90 minutes. Yeah, I'm still luckier than a lot of folks to have two dealers that close, but if I have to have service performed over a number of days (which will happen when I have the bearings replaced and the rims powder coated, you can see where it's a major pain to keep making those kinds of trips. | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
M1combat - I agree that the motor is super simple, but there are other aspects of the Buells that require more specialization such as suspension components. The key is to get techs who want to work on the bikes. I'm sure HD doesn't want Buell to fail, so why are they selling them next to the motorcycle equivalent of Oldsmobiles. They need to become less of a sideshow attraction at HD dealers, and begin to stand on their own. If HD dealers won't accept and support Buell customer's then they shouldn't be selling Buells. | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
Bomber - I think Buell is similar in that it is not - in the words of Ron Popiel- a "set it and forget it" motorcycle. Buells demand a higher degree of commitment from their owners (at least for the time being). So if the owner needs a bit of commitment, then it stands to reason that the dealers should be expected to do the same. | ||
| Charlieboy6649  |
I envision a day when Buells have their own showrooms!!! Wishful thinking  One point for discussion. The extended warranty insurance company said, to quote, "We don't care who works on the bike." So, if you can order parts (Daves) and have a shop near by, Buell or not, you're good under the extended warranty. My local dealer wouldn't work on my bike under the factory warranty but now that that has expired they'll gladly work on it under the extended warranty  Lesson: If you don't have a Buell servicing dealership but a Harley shop is close, buy your Buell a little more used and get the extended warranty.  |
