| Author |
Message |
    
Blublak
| | Posted on Monday, March 07, 2005 - 01:10 pm: | 
|
P.S.
I really haven't got anything I can tell you about a wiring loom problem. Mine seems to be fine, but then again.. Perhaps it's just an isolated case of one or three times something didn't go right at the factory or at a dealer while working on it.. I'm afraid I have no idea.
Still hope this all helps you somewhat in your choices.
Later, |
Court
| | Posted on Monday, March 07, 2005 - 01:31 pm: |
|
>>>>>Now Court.. You have to admit, since you're the proud owner of a City-X you are a little biased
Three strikes.
1) I do not have to admit
2) Do not own, am borrowing
3) Am passionate, not biased
Stand by my opinion.
Court |
Brucelee
| | Posted on Monday, March 07, 2005 - 02:04 pm: |
|
"Bruce,if you want Buell to stay in business and support your bike,you should be wanting ppl to purchase a Buell,not driving them off."
It is not my job to keep Buell in business. I bought their bike, buy their parts, tell anyone who will listen to buy a Buell. Show it off whenever I can!
You have an issue with that?
 |
Brucelee
| | Posted on Monday, March 07, 2005 - 02:05 pm: |
|
"I didn't mean to incite rage in anyone here, even brucelee, though I might start changing my mind."
Bite me! |
Cataract2
| | Posted on Monday, March 07, 2005 - 02:33 pm: |
|
Well, I bought my Buell XB9SX back in Nov. I now have 4300 miles on it and expect to have 5000 by the end of the week with Bike Week going on. It's given me no problems whatsoever.
I too would like to know what Fire is talking about when he says a wire routing problem. I've not heard anything about one. |
Dbird29
| | Posted on Monday, March 07, 2005 - 02:43 pm: |
|
Horn wire rubbing on bolt issue? |
Thepup
| | Posted on Monday, March 07, 2005 - 02:48 pm: |
|
I could care what you do Bruce,if it doesn't matter why did you get offensive when he said something you perceived as derogatory against Buell? |
Spatten1
| | Posted on Monday, March 07, 2005 - 03:01 pm: |
|
My dealer had to argue with Buell all last week to get them to replace the black wheel bearings. Apparently the black wheel bearings are fine if your VIN doesn't come up in the database, regardless of the fact that it was built during the affected period and has the faulty parts.
He is getting more resistance about the sidestand.
Any of you guys want to convince Buell that my sidestand should be replaced? It was built during the affected dates and does not have the "r" on it, but their computer does not bring up my VIN so they think that it must be fine. |
Madbandito
| | Posted on Monday, March 07, 2005 - 03:21 pm: |
|
Its all a matter of perception. If you go to a website that is for a particular machine, you are going to see and hear more about the problems that occur than about the "I drive it everywhere and it doesn't say diddly". I had a 2002 Bandit 1200- put 23K on it in 18 months and never had so much as a peep out of it- It was like that annoying energizer bunny...But if you search the Max-Zuk site you may think that Bandits have more than their fair share of glitches.
I have been reading the postings and lurking on this site for a while, too, and by the end of this month I will be the proud owner of an '05 Buell. I'm willing to take my chances because I believe that the problems people post about are the exception rather than the rule....
The Dealers who survived the purge will have to appease the masses sooner or later. Buells are here to stay and the market share grows larger every year...Get on the Bus or get out of the way!
(Message edited by Madbandito on March 07, 2005) |
Starter
| | Posted on Monday, March 07, 2005 - 05:14 pm: |
|
All bikes play up. That is the nature of the beast. My limited experience -
'90 Kwaka GPX250 Not a single Problem
'98 Suzuki GSX-R750 Faulty Cam Chain Tensioner, Melting Harness Plugs, seized spark plug, warping brake rotors - and the final death blow for my wallet - porous head leaking coolant onto #2 & #4 intake valves.
'03 Kwaka ZX-636R Faulty Cam Chain Tensioner, peeling paint on bodywork, stress cracks in bodywork mounts, shattered 2nd drive gear (9 weeks repair!!!), burnt out intake valve seat.
'04 XB9R Galvonic seized axle, perrished headlight surround.
In the scheme of things the Buell is going pretty well. Whilst I haven't yet done massive miles on the Buell like I did on all 3 others because of commuting, but the Buell has been through the paces. |
Fireballsocal
| | Posted on Monday, March 07, 2005 - 07:51 pm: |
|
Lots of good info brought up in here now that it's understood I'm not trying to flamebait.
The wiring issue is thus.... When someone removed their airbox to mod it, chaffing of the wires underneath, whether plug wires or wiring loom, was evident and if not corrected, would have soon shorted something out. Several other people checked whilst doing the same mod and the two or three that responded had seen varying degrees of chaffing. The issue was brought up in several other threads so I took that to mean the loom had been misrouted from the factory.
Blublac, thank you indeed for your posts. You have helped out the thread quite a bit.
Court: I have enjoyed reading your posts and threads. In fact, one of your threads on riding the xb has flipflopped my decision from no way no how I'll be a buell owner to Gawd I gotta get me one of those if only to find out what in the hell he's talking about! I have nothing but respect for your opinion and think I may have misunderstood your first post in this thread as being anti japanese.
Madbandito, the same thought had occured to me. The people who tend to seek out mssg boards are usually looking for answers or fixes. Stands to reason that there would be an exagerated amount of problems. I had checked out the bandit 1200 and found about the faulty piston oiling holes causing oil burnage. That alone would definitely cause me to think twice about bandits of those years. |
Kowpow225
| | Posted on Monday, March 07, 2005 - 08:15 pm: |
|
question...
So far, for clarification, the recalls on XBs are as follows.
1. Sidestand
2. Wheel bearings without red/orange seals
3. '03 belt
What is the easiest way to identify these parts to see if they're okay? Any visual clues? Am I missing anything? |
Spatten1
| | Posted on Monday, March 07, 2005 - 08:23 pm: |
|
I think the seals and sidestand are early '03s only, but I'm not positive. Ask Daves.
1. "R" stamped on the sidestand is the replacement.
2. Orange seals are the replacement wheel bearings
3. There is another thread somewhere detailing the part number of the upgraded belt that fits O3s. Daves would definitely know. |
Alstroker
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 08, 2005 - 12:17 am: |
|
The last 3 motorcycles I have bought have had enough bad publicity on web forums you would have thought I was nuts for buying them. Every single bike has been great. You have to realize that you will see a lot of complaints on web forums because problems often insight more passion from owners than trouble free operation. I believe that problems with the XB's are in the minority and I love mine. |
Court
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 08, 2005 - 05:04 am: |
|
>>>I may have misunderstood your first post in this thread as being anti japanese.
That would be inaccurate. Those who have been around here for a bit, say 10 years, know that one of my best friends was famed Honda Test Rider Joe Boyd who was tragically killed in an accident at Willow Springs.
He and I used to ride Buells and Hondas together and enjoy lots of good natured fun. For the record, he rode about 3,274 times better than I.
I maintain a very cordial relationship to this date with, and dine from time to time with, the head of Honda's facility in Torrence, CA.
I've also bought 3 new Hondas the last 10 years and have an urge for a CL77 and CB-1 that refuses to go away. I keep a library on Honda products "on interest" in my office.
>>>>He is getting more resistance about the sidestand.
Sounds quite odd and unusually. Your dealer, over a legit $10 fix, is getting resistance from Buell?
I don't believe it.
E-mail me your name, phone number, VIN and dealer and I'll bet we can clear this up in under 30 minutes.
Something's not right.
Court |
Ethanr
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 08, 2005 - 05:14 am: |
|
Fireball, glad to see you made it through some of the BS. Overall you'll find the posters on this board are downright nutty about their Buells. OK, some of them are just downright nutty.
I found your comments and questions both reasonable and thoughtful. I myself wasn't even considering a Buell when I was in the market last year. I'd heard a lot about their lack of reliability and was looking at a variety of IL4s, a couple Italian twins, and the SV650...until I stumbled across this site and decided to take a test ride. If you do decide against buying an XB, take one piece of advice...DON'T get a test ride. It could be your downfall.  |
Court
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 08, 2005 - 07:47 am: |
|
>>>I found your comments and questions both reasonable and thoughtful.
For what it's worth, I did as well.
Court |
Reepicheep
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 08, 2005 - 08:14 am: |
|
Fireball, that chafing may have been me. It was not under the airbox, it was under the seat. And the wires were routed right from the factory, but were *not* routed right by me when I put the seat back on. Purely operator error on my part.
The wire bundle going to the ecm got pinched on a sharp edge of one of the battery terminals (negative I believe) and cut through the insulation on one wire.
I did slap on some plastic wiring loom I had laying around just for good measure when I put it back in the right place, but mainly because it was already sitting there 10 feet from where I was working on the bike anyway. |
Brucelee
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 08, 2005 - 08:32 am: |
|
"why did you get offensive when he said something you perceived as derogatory against Buell?"
I don't feel I got offensive at all. I think it is clear the guy has a point of view not informed by data or logic. From a data point of view, we would do well to admit, we don't have any usable data on the reliability of ANY MC, save the public recalls that are done and that we actually get to read about. Examples are the two Gold Wing recalls and the one I posted.
To wit, the guy feels that XB's have a "know problem" with clutch cables because one guy (me) indicated that he had one that snapped.
Well, given that logic, there is no MC in the world that I know of that doesn't have "known problems".
My cousin's new SV650 went through two front and rear sprockets and a chains in 20K miles.
Does that make that bike a problem? If so, then lets be fair and post those issues to.
The point I was trying to make in my original post was not to flame Jap bikes. I have one and am quite fond of it.
It was simply to reveal the incredible double standard that many folks have regarding perceived quality. As this poster did, he assumes that Japanese companies simply make better bikes as a matter of fact, not as a matter of perception. I think in the case of XBs, he is dead wrong.
Moreover, if you read his posts carefully, he has no intention of buying an XB at all.
So, why waste our time on trying to convince him otherwise? |
Brucelee
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 08, 2005 - 08:35 am: |
|
"I had checked out the bandit 1200 and found about the faulty piston oiling holes causing oil burnage. That alone would definitely cause me to think twice about bandits of those years."
Then you may know that Suzuki had to be hunted down like a dog to admit this issue and repair some of the sleds they shipped to customers.
Legendary quality?
Hmmmm!
 |
Bigbird
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 08, 2005 - 11:12 am: |
|
As a Service manager of a Harley-Davidson/Buell dealer I have to tell you that you shouldn't buy a Buell. Buells absolutely suck.
Those friggin' bikes never break. Aside from routine maintenance and tires we never have to repair anything on them. I put 16,000 miles on a '03 XB9S that never left me stranded and had the crap run out of it from day one. Then I moved to a '04 XB9R that has been just as flawless. One of my regular customers put 45,000 miles on a '03 XB9R that was rock solid and reliable before he traded it in on a new Street Rod. How in the hell does Buell expect me to make a living? Thank heaven there are still some old tube frame Buells out on the road
 |
Dbird29
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 08, 2005 - 11:32 am: |
|
Well it finally happened. My bike was stuck on the side of the road!!!
Of course it was because the very nice Utah State Trooper was issuing a speeding citation.
Don't let the Spring Fever get to you.
DBird
 |
Cataract2
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 08, 2005 - 11:57 am: |
|
Fireball, glad to see you made it through some of the BS. Overall you'll find the posters on this board are downright nutty about their Buells. OK, some of them are just downright nutty.
Hi, my name is Ryan. I have a problem. I can't stop riding my Buell. My God, it calls my name even when I'm trying to sleep. The darn thing never wants to break down and take a rest. Help me!!!! |
Fireballsocal
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 08, 2005 - 12:05 pm: |
|
As this poster did, he assumes that Japanese companies simply make better bikes as a matter of fact, not as a matter of perception. I think in the case of XBs, he is dead wrong.
Moreover, if you read his posts carefully, he has no intention of buying an XB at all.
So, why waste our time on trying to convince him otherwise?
When I first posted in this thread, my perception was in fact that the Japanese as a whole build higher performing more reliable motorcycles. My perception was also that a given XB could be expected to have any one of several bugs to work out of it. From what many on this site are saying now, the 04 and 05 XB series are pretty bulletproof. When I originally started to get interested in the XB12S, cycleworld had done an article on the "new" 12S and had mentioned the bikes were tested to 100,000 miles by buell and that Eric's top priorities included building reliability into the bike. That was a huge factor in growing my interest in the buell. Of course, after reading about so many of the problems people have had with their XB, my sensible side took over and I started thinking about a UJM. With so many users telling me they have had few if any problems, I'm starting to assume that problems are fairly rare and/or are a cause of rider style.
Evidently, you are the only one reading my posts carefully Bruce ol buddy to see that I'm not really going to buy a motorcycle. Hell, I didn't even read em that close.  I wouldn't waste more time on the computer looking at websites with fine members such as yourself Bruce if I wasn't doing homework on a new scooter.
No need for you to waste your time Bruce, the rest of the site and I are carrying on the conversation just fine without you. |
Craigster
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 08, 2005 - 12:38 pm: |
|
Fireball,
Buells on average are pretty easy to live with. You'll never have to do a valve adjustment, which is nice if you live in an area where in-parking-lot-service is frowned upon. Oil changes are easy and there is no cam chain tensioner to worry about adjusting...or an automatic one backing off on high speed over run.
You could buy one and find you have a problem (like any bike) but as long as you have a good dealer that will be taken care of too.
Just for reference, in addition to the above recalls, BMW has lots of silent recalls (dealers are not supposed to inform customers, but they can replace the parts should the 'known' problem arise)
Yamaha V-Max stretched rods - like pulling teeth in 1986
ZX 11 second gear dog engagement failure (try telling customers you need to pull the engine in their two week old bike and see how they react....yes, one guy pulled a gun)
Suzuki GSXR750 piston clearance issue (took them a year to finally admitt there MIGHT be a problem)
Yamaha Warrior...transmission re-call. Many customers down for six months. Many failures after the 'Fix' - although most appear to be mechanic induced i.e. for got to fill transfer case will oil after service.
So it seems every one has their issues. Buell has been under the magnafying glass since the late 90s and a Goodwill recall to perform upgrades on a wide range of years and models. It should have been viewed positively, unfortunately it did not go over so well in the press.
Good luck, what ever your choice may be. |
Brucelee
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 08, 2005 - 02:02 pm: |
|
"That was a huge factor in growing my interest in the buell. Of course, after reading about so many of the problems people have had with their XB, my sensible side took over and I started thinking about a UJM."
No data, no decision, no brains!
Details at 11PM! |
Spatten1
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 08, 2005 - 02:03 pm: |
|
I rode Japanese sportbikes for 15 years. If you can get comfortable with the reliablity, you'll probably love the XB. It doesn't make the power of a Japanese bike, but the engine just feels incredable. Getting stuck behind slow cars is relaxing because even going slow feels good with that motor. I'd lose my mind if I had to slow down at all on my Japanese bikes. It was hyper or nothing. The Buell feels great all the time.
If you can get a test ride, common with Buell dealers (never with Japanese bikes) you will probably be hooked. It is even better with a more open exhaust that really gets the bike into the hooligan mode. |
Cataract2
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 08, 2005 - 10:42 pm: |
|
Well, we could go into how the club I ride with was telling me how my Buell wouldn't make it past 500 miles before I bought it. I now have 4500 miles on it with no problems. Funny no?
What's even better, two people in the group with a Yamaha YZF 600 had her second gear go. Another one with an R6 has their second gear working on going. So.... |
Ravensmith22
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 08, 2005 - 11:44 pm: |
|
What, us Buelligans are nuts? |
Rubberdown
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 09, 2005 - 09:40 am: |
|
Nuts, schmuts, I rode 60 miles to work this a.m.. It was 24 degrees when I left the house hahahahahahaahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahah....
God it was fun! |
Brucelee
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 09, 2005 - 10:03 am: |
|
You guys CAN'T be having that much fun riding your Buell's, what with there breaking down every other minute!!!!
|
Cataract2
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 09, 2005 - 12:01 pm: |
|
You guys CAN'T be having that much fun riding your Buell's, what with there breaking down every other minute!!!!
You know, that is so true. I mean with having to changed the oil every 5000 miles and those tires. I mean, why can't Buell make an oil change free, no wear tire bike? What a piece of junk.
j/king, wish I could ride today, but we have rain. |
Aesquire
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 09, 2005 - 03:39 pm: |
|
"Thank heaven there are still some old tube frame Buells out on the road"
You bet! My M2L seems rock solid, though I need to put another 20,000 miles on it to be sure. lol.
The Xb's are far more civilized, in many ways, and I do have the hot's for a City Cross. ( fits my fat butt pretty well. )
I loved the Honda Sabre/Magna motor. Cycle World blew up 2 or 3 500's while testing. I watched an idiot toss the bottom end of his V65 Magna into ( really into ) the pavement when he brought his brand new bike home & revved it to do a burn out in front of his house. "No sh#$, dude, here's your connecting rod! help me pull it out of the street ( Not off, out of ) before a car runs over it"
In comparison, Buells, especially the new ones, are granite. |
Fireballsocal
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 09, 2005 - 08:24 pm: |
|
Lol Aesquire.... My little VF has been nothing but problems. Except for the fuel pump going out which is normal on these interceptors, tons of little stuff went wrong due to lack of maintainance. Radiator was plugged, thermostat went out, forks bent and leaking, carbs plugged, shifter bent, front brakes mushy, rear brakes installed incorrectly allowing the caliper to rotate along the rotor  and on and on. I have most everything fixed cept the front brakes. I haven't had time to rebuild the master cylinder or replace the hoses yet. It's running real well now and it sure is fun to rev out those little pistons to 12,000rpm. |
|
