| Author | Message | ||
     2_spuds |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I finally made it home, the return trip turned into one breakdown after another. The problems started when the rear wheel bearings took a dump 80 klicks north of Fort Nelson on the Al Can. After a 6 hour wait for the tow truck it was towed into FT nelson,$300.00 The next day it was shipped via truck to Prince George.$450.00 I followed it on a grey hound bus $200.00 After I left the dealer the belt broke the next day, then it was the kickstand,then it was a nice gash in the tire. That's when I was lucky enough to rent a u haul truck,$1500.00 to get it home myself without making all the wrecker drivers across the country rich. I'am getting the road king ready for the trip to sturgis,I lost confidence in the uly. As a side note I the towing service from brag was a joke,I am still waiting for them to return calls,you will probably die on the road before they send help. I also called customer service and the woman I spoke with forwarded my call to a fax machine,I guess that is how they handle complaints. | ||
| Whodom |
John, Sorry to hear about your troubles. Yours is the first case of failed wheel bearings I've seen posted, but you're the fist one to ride a Uly to Alaska as far as I know. Belt breakage has been posted occasionally. Kickstand breakage seems to be showing up on a lot of Ulys recently; see the other thread below. One question- does the BRAG towing coverage include Canada? At any rate, I hope you're able to contact Buell Customer Service and get some satisfaction from them now that you're home. | ||
| 2_spuds |
Whodom, The brag towing is supposed to work in Canada but after you call them they never get back to you, I'am still waiting for them to return my calls for service. The wheel bearings were something else,when the dealer removed the wheel about a quart of water came out from the hub. It would appear that the seal must of failed allowing water to enter the bearing causing it to fail. I rode through rain almost every day. I'am very disappointed with the bike now,it was doing absolutely great up until the bearing problem. | ||
| Panhead_dan |
This bearing failure puzzles me. The belt breaking is easy to surmize, having incorrectly handled a belt and had subsequent failure myself a couple of years ago. I'm more inclined to read the book before rather than after the fact these days. Maybe Buell will install drain holes in the hubs. Another recall?? I firmly believe the XB12X to be the best, all around, most capable and reliable machine ever sold at a Harley shop. I broke my own rule when I bought a first year new model of any bike. My rule is to wait till the third year when all the bugs are worked out but I am confident that Buell will make it right with updates and recalls. I hope to get mine back soon. I have a cronic love for the 12X and steadfastly believe it to be the most fun I have ever had on two wheels. | ||
| 2_spuds |
Dan, I agree with you, the uly provided the most fun I have ever had on a bike. As for the wheel bearings I will do some investigating when I get it back from the dealer. There must be a way water is entering besides a seal failure. I want to have a look at the clearance between the axle and the inner race of the bearing, perhaps there is too much,or maybe it needs some sort of seal there. I also want to check for porosity, and the holes for the rotor and pulley to see if they are blind holes or not. I also want to see if there is any aftermarket wheels that are made in america that can be fitted. I have a friend that is a top notch machinist that can make anything work so I would somehow like to get a more substantial bearing and seal fitted.I had a look at the stock bearings when the dealer installed them and he even commented on how small they looked. I don't have any plans on getting rid of the bike,I just want to get some issues sortted out to make it more dependable for the long haul.I am retired and bought the bike for some long rides and I don't want to plan my routes to be within towing distance of a dealer. I should have the bike back from the dealer next week,but I don't think I will have enough time to sort things out before I leave for sturgis so I will take the road king. I can't wait to return to Alaska,it was awesome  | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Quite the picture! |
