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Dave
| | Posted on Thursday, October 27, 2005 - 09:56 am: | 
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I don't think the forks would bend. If it is occurring, I'd suspect engine movement. (I've noticed that same 'something' on mine as well)
DAve |
Brotherbuell
| | Posted on Thursday, October 27, 2005 - 09:58 am: |
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Oh...so that's what the aft part of the front fender is for! |
Buelluk
| | Posted on Thursday, October 27, 2005 - 10:47 am: |
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I've got the tire scrub too, i am glad i'm not the only one. |
Reepicheep
| | Posted on Thursday, October 27, 2005 - 11:19 am: |
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I don't think I ever saw a Uly look so good as that shot above... They look great ridden in anger  |
Namibian
| | Posted on Thursday, October 27, 2005 - 11:19 am: |
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A lot (most?) of the various quirks (problems?) new Uly owners are encountering seem to center around timing, primary chains & FI questions. Perhaps, these are dealer rather than actual bike problems. To wit, has the bike properly been set-up?
Dave Steuves has sold a number of bikes to customers that have flown into Appleton & ridden home to the East & West coats & points in between. We hear, to my knowledge, zero, nada no "problems" from these owners.
I have a Uly on order from Dave. I live in NW Indiana. Called this AM with my wish list of add-ons. Also, asked for a charger pigtail, static time check, primary chain & exhaust servo check/adj & TPS reset. Dave explained,"All of these are part of OUR BIKE SET-UP."
Since Appleton Does all this AND their bikes seem to have NO PROBLEMS, perhaps the answer to MOST initial glitches is proper set-up.
Thanks Dave. Happy to do business with you } |
Chadhargis
| | Posted on Thursday, October 27, 2005 - 11:34 am: |
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I suspect the picture above is a perfect example of not enough preload in the forks, or compression damping set a bit low. |
Cliffb
| | Posted on Thursday, October 27, 2005 - 11:35 am: |
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Gotta agree with you Namibian. I think my dealer was hoping my Uly was good enough to get out the door. Turns out it wasn't. Hopefully it will be today.
Sure wish Appleton and Dave were closer. |
Lowflyer
| | Posted on Thursday, October 27, 2005 - 02:37 pm: |
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After closer inspection in better light, mine does not have the scuff. What I thought was a scuff was more or less a sling-pattern for the road grime. When I wiped it away, I can see nothing but virgin plastic. I figured since I am guilty of more than one rolling stoppie, that I would be sure to have it, but apparently I don't.
BTW, I agree with Nam on the dealer thing. My bike was apparently set up perfectly and it was even more perfect after the break-in service. I wish my dealer was more like Daves. I got no extras in the deal and no discount on accessories. Needless to say, I simply will not buy anything more from them anyway. When I buy the bags, the low seat, tank bag, and the orange bodywork I will go somewhere else just out of spite. |
Dragon_slayer
| | Posted on Thursday, October 27, 2005 - 08:43 pm: |
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BASH: Great shot! Now let's see both ends fully extended! Can you say rise jumping?
LOWFLYER: Way to go! 
EOR: Not dangerous, I see daylight.
DAVE: If it's engine movement, would not all XBs show this mark?
CHADHARGIS: No, I would call it a perfect example of great front brake use! |
Dave
| | Posted on Thursday, October 27, 2005 - 08:52 pm: |
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Yeah Dragon slayer I agree... FOlks were speculating forks bending and we know that isn't likely. I suspect its just road grime
DAve
(Message edited by dave on October 27, 2005) |
Dragon_slayer
| | Posted on Thursday, October 27, 2005 - 08:56 pm: |
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Other Ulysses quirks on my bike: the back rest/ luggage rack spring lock has not worked since day one, seat hits rear rocker box, and the rider loves his Uly and is glad he got it!  |
Dragon_slayer
| | Posted on Thursday, October 27, 2005 - 09:02 pm: |
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No Dave, it's the tire hitting the spoiler. I have got a solid rubber scuff mark on mine. Can you say tire wedgie!  |
Lowflyer
| | Posted on Thursday, October 27, 2005 - 11:11 pm: |
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Pictures of scuffs? |
Blake
| | Posted on Friday, October 28, 2005 - 01:21 am: |
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Steering head bearings adequately snug? |
Reepicheep
| | Posted on Friday, October 28, 2005 - 08:27 am: |
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I got a used exhaust, and could not believe the amount of damage it had from presumably badly landed wheelies. I think there is a lot of possible movement hidden in that XB chassis that is not obvious on first glance. |
Buellgrrrl
| | Posted on Friday, October 28, 2005 - 09:45 am: |
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As I've noted earlier, even the best new model introduction can be ruined by troglodite dealers who can't manage a PDI on anything but a big twin. That said, shouldn't the bikes be leaving East Troy with this stuff properly sorted- relying on dealers for quality control inspection is one of the things that lost Detroit over half the new car market.
Lest you think I'm just picking on Buell, I'm doing a minor service on the '83 BMW R80ST that pulls the sidecar. Found the valves on one side with no clearance after only 3000 miles. BMW dragged their feet on adapting their engines for unleaded fuel and this is a know trouble area on early '80s BMWs. I'll have to send the heads in for new updated valves and seats this winter. Head work seems to require a long turnaround, so I'll have to get the '92 GS ready to pull the hack in the meantime. That bike has at 60,000 miles already needed replacement of the original bodged transmission, starter, and driveshaft. There is still no fix for the poorly designed paralever driveshaft, but the other parts have been upgraded with newer or older equivelents. Meanwhile the '84 R65LS I bought new purrs on; after 100,000 miles I have yet to take as much as the heads off.
So clearly Buell is not the only bike maker capable of making lemons... and peaches! |
Bienhoabob
| | Posted on Friday, October 28, 2005 - 12:35 pm: |
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Buellgrrrl,
I'm with you one this one. In my simple mind, I would think, coming off the assembly line, the bikes should have the timing correct, the TPS right, the headlights adjusted, the sidestand nuts tight w/locktight, etc. The Buell factory needs better quality control. You'd think they would learn after so much bad press in the past.
Dealers would be the second quality check.
Thought I had a good mechanic/dealer, but I learned that the mechanic was "promoted" to service consultant. It took me two tries to get my headlights adjusted correctly. This was even after the service writer yellow highlighted the headlight adjustment on the 1m check up. Then the so called mechanic coped an attitude. Like he was above adjusting headlights.
I guess it takes all kinds to make the world go round. |
Anonymouss
| | Posted on Friday, October 28, 2005 - 01:43 pm: |
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The tire smudge on the chin spoiler is pretty common, I have seen it on close to a dozen different Ulysses. Our demo, which has seen over 2,000 miles of "ab- -use" has two separate smudges, one on the forward most part of the spoiler, and one dead center. I noticed them after doing a number of aggressive stoppies.
Nothing to worry about. This bike has taken anything thats been thrown at it(its been to hell and back...2000 DEMO miles in two months!) with out a peep.
Anyone interested in a great "adventure sportbike/adventure bike" ride, listen up.
This sunday 10/30/05 departing at 9:00 am from the Brass Ring Diner, at the junction of Rt518 and RT31 just north of the Princeton area in NJ. Should be a fun group with GS's,
V-Stroms,Tigers,Transalp's and the like. Route should run aprox 200 miles with 50-75 miles of dirt/gravel roads.
See you all there and let the smudgefest begin.
Seth
BTW The proper setup(PDI)of the bike does make all the difference. Its also the most likely cause of most of the issues in this thread.
(Message edited by anonymouss on October 28, 2005) |
Chadhargis
| | Posted on Friday, October 28, 2005 - 01:48 pm: |
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I've had bad dealer experiences and I've never owned a Buell. A guy making an hourly wage doesn't give a hoot about my bike, or anyone elses. In fact, most bike mechanics I've seen (except for the one that works on my Ducati) don't ride.
It's worth it to me to purchase the service manual, and the ECU cable so I can do my own service. There are things I don't have the tools for (such as pressing in bearings), so that might have to go to the dealer or I'll find someone who has the tool to give me a hand.
I always check over a bike when I buy it. I would never buy a bike, new or used, and ride it home a long distance without the fear that the dealer "forgot" something in the PDI.
With the exception of my BMW GS, every bike I've owned has never been back to the dealer. I've done my own work, and never had a single problem with them. |
Jim_sb
| | Posted on Friday, October 28, 2005 - 01:56 pm: |
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Amen, Chad!
Buy the FSM and learn more about your bike.
I find that I can get a bunch of stuff done in less time than it takes to drop off and pick up a bike at a dealership.
It's my bike, so I have a keen interest in doing things right.
I had a bad experience at a BMW (auto) dealership. The moral of the story is you can have good and bad experiences with anyone.
If you do it yourself and the mechanic does crappy work you can chew him out! <g>
I'm going to let the dealership do the 1k (because I think they're good) but after that I'll handle things.
Jim in Santa Barbara |
Henrik
| | Posted on Friday, October 28, 2005 - 02:16 pm: |
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Not quite fair to blame the factory for headlight set-up; impossible to know the body weight and preferred suspension settings of each buyer before the bike hits the dealer and is sold.
Just a thought 
Henrik |
Reepicheep
| | Posted on Friday, October 28, 2005 - 02:55 pm: |
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quote:If you do it yourself and the mechanic does crappy work you can chew him out!
You shoulda seen what I did to that sucker when he pressed my crank seal in too far the first time he replaced it. I berated him for a week, made him pay for new parts and do the rework himself, mocked him the whole time he was putting it in, then made him give me beer after it was replaced.
That'll teach him!
errr.... me |
Chadhargis
| | Posted on Friday, October 28, 2005 - 03:13 pm: |
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I think I know my limits as a wrench. I can do most general maintenance tasks, but when it comes time to do the really involved stuff that I don't have the right tools or knowledge for, I typically seek other help. Not always the dealer. |
Hooaah
| | Posted on Monday, October 31, 2005 - 04:41 pm: |
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I have a new Uly that I picked up on Oct 21st. Unfortunately. I haven’t been able to put a lot of miles on it yet (300 or so). I have noticed on the last two days a very distinct “thump .. thump ..thumb” with fairly hard braking. It is only audible for the last few low-speed wheel revolutions. I know you are supposed to baby the brakes for the first 200 miles – and I have done my best – but this is Washington, DC and we have arguably some of the worst, most erratic, and most unpredictable drivers in the world. Anyway, I will be bringing it in to the dealer for a look. Over the phone they think maybe a warped rotor. I also requested an oil and filter change and kind of got a sarcastic reply but hey, who cares.
BTW, I’ve also noticed a slight rub of the right rear rocker box cover from the seat. The dealer says there is nothing they can do until Buell issues a notice. I mentioned that some of the new owners have been grinding a bit off the seat pan and got the same sarcastic tone.
Still have the vibrating horn issue – haven’t been able to spin it around AND maintain a working horn. I’ll try it again tonight after work.
No rub mark, though |
Thunderbox
| | Posted on Monday, October 31, 2005 - 04:44 pm: |
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Hi Hooah, I got rid of the horn hanging bracket altogether. I just bolted the horn directly to the bracket but facing the other way and lock tighted it. The sound from the horn can only get out throught the rear of the fly screen anyway so I think it is louder now. |
Lowflyer
| | Posted on Monday, October 31, 2005 - 09:39 pm: |
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I found my first quirk. Has anyone else noted a 3-4 mph speedo error? 80 mph on mine shows up as 76.5-77 mph on the GPS. I know it's not the GPS. |
Dave
| | Posted on Monday, October 31, 2005 - 09:46 pm: |
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I noticed the same on most of my Buells. I think it's typical of Buell speedos. Keeps us in that safe zone....
DAve |
Wasions
| | Posted on Monday, October 31, 2005 - 10:09 pm: |
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That's less than a 5% error. Pretty good actually. My Burgman 650's error was an even 10%, which is typical of every other Burger, alone with most other Suzuki street bikes. It's not that hard to figure (60 actual = 66 indicated), but why should we have to?
Steve
Gear up! |
Eor
| | Posted on Monday, October 31, 2005 - 10:43 pm: |
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The thump,thump under braking is common. Mine went away after a while. Press on the rotor and you can recreate the sound...the rotor is spring loaded at the mounting points.
The seat rubbing on the rocker box is also common. |
Jlnance
| | Posted on Monday, October 31, 2005 - 10:43 pm: |
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I found my first quirk. Has anyone else noted a 3-4 mph speedo error?
Are your tires worn? |
Lowflyer
| | Posted on Monday, October 31, 2005 - 11:02 pm: |
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Not at all. 1800 miles. |
Blake
| | Posted on Monday, October 31, 2005 - 11:39 pm: |
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A 5% speedo error is typical for any vehicle, better than some. |
Henrik
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 01, 2005 - 08:38 am: |
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AFAIR there are some strict rules in place for speedo errors; the readers digest version is that manufacturers need to stay within certain accuracy parameters. The trick is, they're only allowed to indicate 1 -2 MPH less than actual speed, whereas they're allowed to indicate considerably more than actual speed. It makes sense for them to err on the side of safety.
Henrik |
Superglide
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 08, 2005 - 12:10 am: |
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So....
Has anyone engaged the horn button while sitting on the bike and reaching under the handlebars to turn the ignition key? I seem to hit the horn button a couple of times a week at the most inappropriate times, like 4:30 am. I know the neighbors don't miss the Harley with Vance & Hines echoing thru the tract at an early hour but I've got to remember to reach over the bars to turn the key..Very minor, I know....
Superglide |
Hooaah
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 08, 2005 - 12:47 am: |
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Haven't done that (yet) but I do manage to hit the "passing" lever and flash the high beams a good percentage of the times I use the directional light switch. It's especially common with the thicker gloves I use with the cooler weather.
I also think the kickstand is in a kind of lousy position and I sometimes have a little trouble getting around the footpeg to deploy the stand.
Pretty small potatoes considering how much I enjoy the bike though |
Brat
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 08, 2005 - 02:36 am: |
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I'm always hitting the horn button, I'm not sure if the key or the button are in the wrong place, my vote is it's the key! |
Bienhoabob
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 08, 2005 - 08:53 am: |
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Ha. I'm hitting the horn too. Usually I can't find the horn when I need it, now I'm hitting the horn at the wrong times. Seems when I put the heavier gloves on, it becomes more frequent.
I have the optimistic speed too. About 3-4 mph according to the GPS |
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