| Author | Message | ||
     Socalbueller |
Yesterday for the forth time in 2 years my Firebolt died on me. The symptom is the same; engine light comes on, 5 min later gauges die, and I get maybe another 5 mins and the engine dies. Luckily 2 weeks ago I added motorcycle coverage on my AAA. First time this happened it was the stator, and then 5 months later the voltage regulator, then 3 months later it was battery. This is all according to Glendale HD since it was under warranty. When I got it back home I charged the battery back up and broke out the service manual. I couldn't do the load test since I don't have a load tester. The stator seemed ok, not shorted, and the resistance between the pins were in spec but was a little low on the voltage, it was at 31-32 volts @ 2000 rpm, spec is 32-40 volts. So I plugged the stator back in and checked to see if the battery was charging and at 3000 rpm it's at 14v. Anybody have any experience with this? Does it seem like the voltage regulator? I hope so since that is a lot easier to replace than the stator. Two years ago I bought my Buell because it seemed the best of both worlds. Great street engine with lots of torque and awesome MPG and state of the art chassis that would be fun on the track. For the first 1 1/4 years I commuted, rode the canyons on the weekends, took it to MotoGP, did a track day, and basically rode it everywhere. Until the 3rd time I was stranded, Glendale HD had it for over 2 weeks and during the first week of driving my car to work I was so irritated being stuck in traffic I bought a Honda Hawk to commute with since I couldn't depend on my Buell. The service department at Glendale hasn't helped my attitude about Buell or Harley either. Guys who wrote me up were nice enough but the service manager is tool. My bike has been there 4 times for warranty work and 3 times it was there for at least 2 weeks, even the time I made an appointment for them to look at it. Last time I brought it in on a Saturday for a TPS reset and the timing checked I was asked 4 times why I wanted that done if it was running alright. They didn't check the timing because they would have had to "really get into the motor" to check and would be a couple hours. When I asked them to check rear suspension because it felt like something was loose sometimes while going over potholes. The service manager started asking me if it was sitting around and rust builds up in there and that is what it would cause it. Sorry for the rant but I am really bummed out now. I feel my Buell has let me down and I can't think of another bike I'd rather have. However I am not going to ride a bike that can't make it 7000 miles without needing a tow. The bikes I've been thinking about trading the Buell in for are Zx-6R, CBR-600RR, RC-51, BMW R1200S, or Ducati 1098. I'm not too serious about the 1098 because of cost and their rep for reliability is worse than Buells. The BMW looks like a sweet street bike but heavy and big to be fun on the track plus it costs more than the jap bikes. RC-51 would be cool but doesn't look like I could put saddle bags on it, I heard it gets horrible mpg and it's a 6 year old chassis. The 2 jap 600s would have the reliability, fun on the track and canyons, but have a high theft rate, no torque, and I am not a big fan of reving the crap out of engines to get some place but I might get use to it. If you made it this far thanks for reading.  | ||
| Spatten1 |
Tough to find a perfect bike. How about a used 636 Kawi. They are relatively torquey and do the commute and track day reliably. Then there is always the GSXR 750 or a Triumph 675. | ||
| Socalbueller |
It is tough to find a perfect bike. I wish there was an aftermarket for Harley charging systems since OEM doesn't cut it. Haven't thought about the GSXR 750, I'll add that to the list. I did test ride a 636 in December and wasn't impressed with the mid range. I rode an 07 ZX6 when I did the Cali Superbike School and I think that might have more mid range than the 636. It was in a different environment so I might be wrong. The 675 is a sweet bike but I think it is a little too exotic for what I want. Thanks for the suggestions | ||
| Aj06bolt12r |
the new cbr600rr is supposed to have amazing low end torque for a 600, if your lookin to buy brand new that is. And I think the aprilla tuno is just about the coolest bike on the planet if you can find a dealer and afford the sticker price. p.s. im sure i spelld that wrong but yall kno what im talkin about | ||
| Buelltroll |
I've had my whole charging system replaced in the last year. Weird electrical failures ending all the parts you listed. Last one that went was the stator. | ||
| Fookinbueller |
I sure hope I don't have ANY charging system problems!!! | ||
| Lonz |
I had exactly the same symptoms. Eventually they replaced the entire wiring harness. I now have 35k and counting miles on my Uly. | ||
| Brent_crossbronkos |
Have you considered a Triumph Speed Triple? I had an 05 - awesome power and almost Buell like handling. Very reliable too. | ||
| Dago |
No one bike can do everything. I don't think 2 can either. 3 is perfect for me. 1. Dedicated track bike (r6) 2. Solo streets (XB12R) 3. Two-up capable ripper that can do a 500 mile day. (not sure yet) 2 down, 1 to go!  | ||
| Spatten1 |
Dago: Good to see your still around! I thought you and Dereck had sold your Buells. | ||
| Dago |
Hey Scott, the Buells are still around. Derek wants to sell his, at least he says he does. I have mixed feelings about selling mine, and probably won't anytime soon. Have a look at what just opened 40 minutes from my front door: http://www.eaglescanyon.com/ I couldn't resist getting the jr. membership. | ||
| Spatten1 |
You're kill'n me. How good can life get? | ||
| Spatten1 |
Remember when Derek would never sell the Buell because it was a work of art? Sounds like the the racer bug has bitten him again. Sorry for the thead hi-jack guys, got carried away. (Message edited by spatten1 on June 19, 2007) | ||
| Dago |
Right?!? I've only been on it once so far. Derek has been prepping my bike for me. And the rain here has been non-stop lately. BTW, he has to be one of the coolest people I've ever known (for more reasons than working on my bike). Thanks for introducing us. It's been nice to know someone else who enjoys "hanging onto things for dear life" too. And yes, the racing bug has bitten him again. He's been dragging me out on the weekends to sail his flying dutchman. I find myself browsing through them on craigslist all the time now. I'm a little while off from going down that road though. Emma needs to get another year or so under her belt. SORRY FOR THE HIJACK, Socalbueller!!! | ||
| New12r |
Sounds like my buddy mikes bike, exact same down to the wire on the failures. What is the manufacture date on yours?? | ||
| Thepup |
Socal,check the two prong connector from the voltage regulator to the bike,you will need to take it apart,I have had the same problem you have had twice,seems the plastic melts on and coats the terminals inside the terminal,I sanded it down and you got the connection back. (Message edited by thepup on June 19, 2007) | ||
| Olinxb12r |
Triumph is about to release the Street Triple. It is a 675 set up just like the Speed Triple, so that might be something to think about considering the other bikes you've listed. It sucks that you've had problems with your Buell. Electrical demons are the worst because you might as well just replace the wiring harness, battery, stator and voltage regulator even though it is probably only one of the 4. It seems like once you start having problems with any electrical component it wrecks the others. | ||
| 07xb12scg |
Sorry for the rant but I am really bummed out now. I feel my Buell has let me down and I can't think of another bike I'd rather have. However I am not going to ride a bike that can't make it 7000 miles without needing a tow. Socalbueller: At least it took two years for this to happen. My bike is brand new and has only 3,500 miles on it and it's already had its share of problems. 1. It coughs, backfires, and stalls and it's done this since day one. Two trips to the dealer and nothing really changed. 2. The voltage regulator died on me and the bike let me sit. Luckily it was only a couple of miles from home. 3. When I got the bike it didn't take any oil at all. It was switched to Syn3 synthetic at the first service and now it honestly makes oil disappear faster than anything I've ever seen in my life. It "ate" about 200mLs in 80 miles. It's insane. It goes into the dealer for this problem on Monday. I don't like to say the word never, but I honestly think I'll never ever buy any HD product again. And I certainly won't recommend a Buell to anybody. Erik supposedly reads these sites and if he does I hope he sees this comment. Split from HD, get rid of the HD engine, and make your own engine. At least make the bikes reliable. I've read so many accounts of fuel injection and charging system problems on 3 different Buell sites that it's insane. | ||
| Spatten1 |
A buddy of mine just bought a KTM Adventure, his first new bike. He test rode the Uly and loved it. He didn't buy it because he rides through Canada and Alaska and does not trust Buell reliability. Two guys on his CG Base have XBs and both have had to go back to the dealer with oil leaks, which to me are not such a big deal. He also cites my 5k rebuild to replace the tranny bearings. He would own a Uly now if he was not afraid of reliability problems. I told him that there are plenty of trouble free Buells out there, but he has seen too many issues first hand. I would get rid of mine now if I didn't believe that it would be fine from here on out. All of the Denver Buell riders seem to have great reliability except me. It is generally a reliable machine, just some of us have had some horrible luck. The bad luck is tougher to stomach after many trouble free years on Japanese bikes, which seems to be a common theme for a few of us. | ||
| Socalbueller |
New12r, mine was built in April of 05. I went to Hollywood Honda today to look at a couple bikes. The salesman wasn't any help but I checked out the cbr, zx-6r, and R1200S. The R1200s is physically a bigger bike than I am looking for and a little pricey so that is off the list. The cbr and the zx didn't really do much for me sitting on them in the showroom and of course they don't do test rides. I'm having a tough time finding dyno sheets on them to get an idea of the torque curve. Thanks for suggestions on bikes, this weekend I'll check out the Triumph dealer to see what they have. Tomorrow I'm going to call Buell customer service to let them know about my situation and if it is common at all. I really do like the bike I just wish I could ride it without worrying when is it going to die again. | ||
| New12r |
Thanks | ||
| Socalbueller |
Well I called Buell CS today and they were pleasant to deal with. They checked out the service history and since this is a reoccurring problem they will cover it under the warranty, even though it technically expired almost a month ago. So when I got home from work today I plugged the voltage regulator back in, put the pulley cover back on, and went for a spin around the block to see if it drains the battery back down. After riding around for 30 miles not going farther than 4 miles from my apartment everything appears to be normal. Get back home and check the battery with a volt meter and it's charging between 12.5-13.8 volts. GRRRRRR... WTF!? I don't know what to do now. Ride it till it dies again? Trade it before it dies again? I made an appointment to drop it off at the dealer on Sunday. I guess I'll bring it down so they can look it over. Another thing is I have a vacation planned at the end of July riding to the MotoGP and then heading up to the lost coast the following week. Should I trust my bike? If I do I'm not going to feel comfortable taking the scenic route. Then again I'm wouldn't have any fun thinking like that, so •••• it if I break down I break down. | ||
| Wantxbr |
THAT's THE SPIRIT!!!!!!!!! | ||
| Thepup |
Socal,check that plug betwwen the voltage regulator and the bike,believe me I had the same symptoms as you. | ||
| Thepup |
Socal,check that plug between the voltage regulator and the bike,believe me I had the same symptoms as you. | ||
| Socalbueller |
Thepup, how does that connector come apart. I did unplug it and noticed it was a little melted inside there. It didn't look bad enough to cause a break. From what I could see there was nothing on the pins. It is a possibility that happened and by reseating it got the connection back. | ||
| Spike |
Here are dyno charts from an '06 600cc shootout and an '07 600cc shootout. They were done on different dynos so the results can't be directly compared, but you can get an idea of the shape of the curve and how it has changed.   What's also interesting is that the March '07 edition of Motorcyclist has an article on the '07 CBR600RR that features dyno charts of the '07 CBR600RR and the '87 CBR600 Hurricane. The interesting part is that although the new bike crushes the old bike up top, the low end is actually similar between the two. Below 7k rpm the '87 and the '07 are within a few ft-lbs of each other, both hovering in the 30-35ft-lb range. It's not until ~8k rpm or so that the '07 model pulls out a big lead, eventually peaking at 46ft-lbs at 11,000rpm. The ironic part is that despite not breaking 40ft-lbs till 8k rpm, Motorcyclist still praises the '07 for having a "stout midrange." The thing is, there is no magic bullet. While better breathing can help pull more power out of an engine when it is spun up, there is only so much that can be done to increase the low end torque output of a given engine without increasing displacement. In another 20 years we may see 600s putting ~125hp to the rear wheel, but there's no way we'll see 50ft-lbs below 7k rpm. | ||
| Swordsman |
Looking at those charts, the Triumph is kicking butt! Though the ZX-6R is a bit more consistent. ~SM | ||
| New12r |
Every time I ride a 600 I miss those extra 35ft/lbs of torque, wind it out and get off. I think the same thing after every ride, that was fun, for a second then it got boring. | ||
| Dago |
Yeah, those 600's sure do suck. |
