| Author | Message | ||
     Jaimec |
Why is it that NONE of the local Buell dealerships (Long Island, NY) seem to have commonly broken parts in stock? I mean, how hard is it to have ONE of each of these in stock for the XB Buells? 1) Headlight Bulb 2) Drive belt 3) Brake/clutch lever 4) Cooling fan 5) Blinker lens 6) Set of footpegs In every case I've heard (and some are personal experience), when one of those parts break, you have to wait TWO WEEKS OR MORE for the dealer to "Special Order" it?? WTF? How expensive could it possibly be to stock one of each of those items?? They don't take up that much room and you WILL sell it. What's the deal?? At least Jack (NewRoc HD/Buell) was nice enough to pull the left side footpeg off his own Buell (which was being repaired for something else) and put it on mine so I could get back on the road quickly but people drop bikes all the time! Just have those parts in stock, that's all I'm asking! By the way, I am working on getting NewRoc to sponsor the board. They are pretty much top notch in my book. | ||
| Mikej |
A few years ago Court did a study, he sent out a list of "should be stocked" parts to a few people, those people then went down to their regular dealership and purchased the listed items, then they reported back on the results. Not all dealerships had all the parts in stock, some did, some didn't, some who had to order the parts did so and received them in a timely manner, some didn't. I don't know what was done with the collected data, but I suspect the information was put to some good use. Good service like good bread is good when it's fresh, but gets stale and fuzzy when it sits for too long. I like good dealerships, I don't like fuzzy bread. | ||
| Court |
If that was happening at the dealer I was doing business with, I'd schedule an appointment with the dealer principle and explain that I was having a very difficult time parting with my cash. What a shame . . . . My experience has been that less than $1,000 will provide enough Buell stock to make a store look like the "King of Buell" . . bear in mind a lot of the parts we're talking about are under $10. The problem is at the dealership level and needs to be solved there. For the sake of information, Buell used to do a world class crummy job of supplying parts. . . that is not longer the case. Thanks to Dave Gess and some folks Buell parts generally ship the same day the order is received. And don't buy into any "it's an S-2, it's obsolete", there are S-2 parts aplenty. The key is getting the order to Buell. What I USED to do . . . was select 10 folks around the world and have each go to a dealership for a left front turn signal and a clutch lever at the same time on the same day. I did this after I was dubbed an "anecdotal alarmist" by a fellow at Buell Distribution. I told him the parts sucked, he told me it was my imagination, I removed all doubt. Buell has made tremendous progress and is among the best in ability to deliver parts. By the way . . if you are getting conflicting info at the dealer . . SQUEAK WHEEL SQUEAK. | ||
| Froggy |
Jamiec, my dealer, Danbury HD/Buell has most of those in stock if not all. I went in recently to inquire about getting my fan replaced, and bingo 2 in stock. I've busted the turn signal lenses so many times from off roading that they keep them stockpiled now. I should replace my clutch lever because it’s a little beat-up, ill see how that goes next time I stop by. I did have to get the left foot peg replaced because I ended up destroying half of it and it kept cutting my leg, and that took about a month to get, but other than that they have everything in stock or 1 week tops wait. | ||
| Jaimec |
I'm well aware of Danbury Buell. Those guys are GREAT and nearly every time I've needed something they've had it in stock and were able to overnight it to me. Unfortunately, this time they weren't able to help a friend of mine. The drive belt on his 2006 Ulysses snapped on his commute home from Brooklyn. He called New Roc, Danbury and Nassau County and none of them had the belt in stock. He had the bike towed to Nassau County, but if experience is any teacher, the bike is down now for at least two weeks (maybe more). And he REALLY REALLY wants to go to Liberty on the 22nd, too. | ||
| Court |
Danbury is aces. . . NYC is lucky to have a couple really good dealerships within striking distance. If he needs a belt fast, I'd have him call Liberty. I'd be VERY SURPRISED if they didn't have one in stock and I'd bet there is a story why Danbury didn't . . sounds odd. Any dealer can have a belt overnight. If they tell you differently, have them call me. Court | ||
| Techmikeny |
This is Mike with the broken belt, I just called Nassau HD/Buell to find out where they ordered the belt from. Luckily, they found one in NJ. (Liberty, most likely) So maybe this repair won't take over week. Keeping my fingers crossed. Later, Mike | ||
| Froggy |
Hmm I’m surprised Danbury didn’t have it, they must of just had a run on them and haven't replenished stock. Mike I’m surprised I haven't run into you yet, I see your from Hyde Park, I’m in that area once in a while. Just look for the carbon fiber Uly with only 1 wheel on the ground  | ||
| Jaimec |
Mike is from New Hyde Park (on Long Island), not Hyde Park, which is upstate New York (where FDR hailed from). My bike is currently in Bellmore too... awaiting delivery of a replacement cooling fan. That's one of the reasons for my original post... these are things that are KNOWN to fail... WHY aren't they regularly stocked in the dealerships? Last year when I needed a headlight bulb, THAT had to be special ordered too!! Give me a break! | ||
| Court |
What does the dealership say? I'm trying to find out.
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| Midknyte |
Not to take away from this thread, but the headlights are not a special, Buell specific item. You can get them, along with all the other bulbs, at any autoparts store and even Walmart My first stop when I needed a bulb was to my dealership. And, yeah, they didn't have em. And I agree, they should have.  Fight the good fight, but if you are only after a bulb - don't wait 2+ weeks for something you can walk across the street and get... | ||
| Jaimec |
Well in my case, the bulbs are a warranty item in the first two years (yep! True!) so if I didn't mind leaving the bike there for two weeks I COULD'VE had the bulb replaced for free. Since I wasn't eager to be down for such a stupid reason, I went to the Auto Parts store NEXT DOOR and bought a Sylvania Ultra White bulb (which the dealer did install for me at no charge). Actually, the Sylvania is a far better bulb than what comes stock in the XB12Ss. I can actually SEE at night now! (Message edited by jaimec on September 11, 2007) | ||
| Court |
>>>so if I didn't mind leaving the bike there for two weeks I COULD'VE had the bulb replaced for free. You'd leave your bike for 2 weeks to get a $4 bulb free? Send me your address. . . I'll send the $4 and you can go ride. | ||
| Jaimec |
The Sylvania was actually a bit more than $4, and as I stated, I didn't leave the bike... I bought the bulb at the auto parts store next door to the dealer. The dealer was nice enough to install it for me for free. | ||
| Buellerthanyou |
Hey y'all! I just checked our inventory and we had everything on Jaime's list either in stock or on order for stock (except footpegs for a Ulysses, an oversight which I have just rectified).  Some of us are trying! HellBuelly J "Do or do not... there is no try." --Yodalysses | ||
| Jaimec |
Now if only I lived in Austin... | ||
| Rhun |
As another note on the headlight. If your low beam burns out on an S the high and low are the same bulb. Switch them. Remember no finger to bulb glass contact. Also the auto parts store has two options an extra white (more light) and a regular. With Buell continually upgrading the belt (albeit good), I can see why the dealer might not want to stock many. Pegs a levers are way too fragile so sales are guaranteed. | ||
| F_skinner |
I wonder if anyone knows how certain dealerships are chosen to be Buell dealers. I think that the first thing is the dealership would want to be a Buell dealer based on the market in their area. I am wondering what input Buell has in this? Do they base their decision on sales alone? This seems to be the case to me but I am most likely wrong. Does Buell send people out to evaluate the dealers? I am sure they do but how often. And the question I have always wondered about; what is the criteria for a dealership to remain a Buell dealer? I think I am with the majority in wanting to see Buell split from the HD dealerships but also realize that this is probably not a viable deal at this point in time nor the near future. IMO the best way to deal with this mismatch of cultures between Buell and HD is to help the factory out in any possible way, through letters and email. It would be very helpful to know what Buell expects from the dealers that sell the bikes we love so much. Are they looking at service, sales, parts, clothing, etc? With the 1125r on the horizon and the lack of ability, knowledge and/or interest by some dealers to get with the program, could have a negative impact on what I see as a major opportunity by Buell as a serious stand alone company. Frank | ||
| Jaimec |
Here's an update: I dropped off my Buell this past Saturday to get the fan replaced. As of yesterday afternoon, the replacement fan has not yet shown up. Ditto Techmikeny's drive belt. Still waiting. But now there are a lot more people who understand why I own TWO motorcycles... | ||
| Midknyte |
FYI, FWIW, YMMV... Ok, I know "we" should not have to do this, but whenever the service department tells me it's going to b x number of days longer than I feel is reasonable to get a part, I walk over to the parts department and make them actually check hd.net for the part at other dealership inventories. Failing that, a call to Dave when he was working at Appleton got me back on the road with the lickety and splitty. Thems were the days... eh Still, MAKE them actually check. They may find the part and expedite things if you rub their nose in it [politely]. | ||
| Jaimec |
Just got off the phone with Nassau County Harley/Buell. The fan came in this afternoon, and I SHOULD have the bike back tomorrow. | ||
| Techmikeny |
Court, Nassau County HD/Buell is still waiting for my XB12X drive belt. I dropped the bike off on Tuesday morning. It was supposedly available from Liberty HD/Buell in NJ which only takes a day by UPS ground or most other shipping services to Nassau County. I believe DHL was used in this case. At the latest, it should have been received on Thursday if the belt wasn't shipped until Wednesday. Please advise. Thanks, Mike | ||
| Jaimec |
Well, for me at least... all's well that ends well. I have my XB12Ss back, and the only thing I was charged for was my NYS inspection! I hope Techmikeny has his belt in this week so we can ride in together to Liberty on Saturday! | ||
| Sath |
Hey Court, has anyone said thank you for your imput lately? Thanks Dave (sath) | ||
| Court |
Thank you Dave, I really enjoy it. Buell is a simply amazing company. It's so amazing that it's really tough to get a handle on. There are challenges to be sure. . . no growth is without them and there are always a few quick to point to the exception and cry "see, I told you so". There have been some amazing, even to me, advancements, at Buell Customer Service lately as well. These guys are in a pickle. They are avid Buell enthusiasts who are really eager to help. They're working hard to loosen some of the traditional constraints that have bound them. I'll continue to urge folks to ALWAYS contact the folks at Buell Customer Service first and then let me know if you run into snags along the way. It's cool that Buell has, with genuine concern, aligned themselves, as individuals and as a company, with the folks who buy and use their product. It's changed my life as well. During the past week, I've spoken to and been able to help Buell owners in South Africa, Israel, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, UAE, France, Italy, Barcelona (which I guess is technically part of Spain) and Moscow. . . which I suppose is part of the Soviet Union. Even my wife laughs at looks at the cellphone bill and dismisses it as "less than if you'd played 5 rounds of golf". I'm learning to overcome language and cultural barriers and it appears there is a very common language amongst Buell enthusiasts. By the way . . . I also met Crusty, Terry and Froggy for BBQ in Harlem!! The most cultural experience of all took place a hop-skip-jump from home! You are truly welcome. | ||
| Jaimec |
Would that be at the Dinosaur? | ||
| Court |
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| Jlnance |
Moscow. . . which I suppose is part of the Soviet Union. You know, there are people on this board too young to remember that there used to be a Soviet Union. | ||
| Jaimec |
I just found out that Techmikeny is STILL without his bike, and that Nassau County Harley Davidson in Bellmore still doesn't have a replacement drive belt for him. What the heck is going on?? Although many people buy motorcycles as "toys" both Mike and I use our bikes as our primary means of transportation. Not having our bikes makes it very inconvenient to get to and from work for us. I have two motorcycles simply because I got tired of having to wait to get my bike back from the mechanic in order to be able to ride. Mike only has the one bike because the Ulysses looked like the perfect "do anything" motorcycle. Of course, you can't do anything with it if you don't actually have it in your possession! | ||
| Court |
Well I sure hope that he's giving his dealer an earful and I'd suggest you might want to cut and paste your e-mail and fire that babe off to the dealer. I could walk a belt from Liberty faster than the dealer in going and there is no delay on Buells end. Frankly, if I were him, by now I'd have had my bike recovered, in a truck, to Liberty, fixed and been home for a week. |
