| Author | Message | ||
     Florida_lime |
Quoting Davo from another thread " If the Uly broke down in front of a dealer I would be stranded for days just waiting on parts." I'm at 2 1/2 weeks total now waiting for warranty parts -- how long does it usually take you guys to get parts ? Long story short -- I had a lightly leaking rear rocker, and then started blowing the fan fuse. I figured I'd get the clutch cable done at the same time (typical wireform guide break, melted cable). Turns out after talking to the mechanic, I was given a BS story from the service "adviser". They ordered a clutch cable, waited for that to come in, then fixed the leak and tested the fan. Now waiting for a fan. The BS part was they didn't order one before because it was in stock -- mechanic said no way, and he's "the only one that will even work on these Buells".  | ||
| Maximum |
Yeah, I hear ya Florida_Lime. I waited two days for them to look at my bike, one week to get the infamous "77" connector, then another couple days to fix it. My dealer does good work, but they never seem to have a sense of urgency. It's winter in Colorado, so they are not that busy, but I can't seem to get them to understand that I am a "Bad Weather Biker"!  | ||
| Froggy |
Most of my stuff I’ve needed was in stock when I needed it or only a few days to get. Only once I waited over 3 weeks for something, and that was a new foot peg. That was ok though, I still had half of the old one on the bike  | ||
| Dio |
Maximum - what is the infamous "77" connector? | ||
| Maximum |
It is the connector that attaches the voltage regulator to the battery. From what I've read...this connector works it's way lose, which causes it to arc, which ends up in melted pins or connector. It is called the "77" connector because it is labeled that in a parts manual. Here is a link that was posted previously: http://docs.google.com/View?docid=d4rbxwr_20dq5khf | ||
| Rays |
Dio, I put that document together after I had some grief with the "77" connector and my dealer couldn't find the problem. If you need any more information please let me know. I now have just over 50,000km on my '06 and I have long since forgiven the issue of the "77" connector.  | ||
| Xbimmer |
Ray is The Man. When my dealer screwed up the diagnosis and half-fix of my charging problem Ray came through. Unfortunately my 77-connector was so far gone (melted!) I replaced it completely.  At that point I abandoned my dealer and the warranty and went to another and bought the parts to fix it myself. Currently that same dealer has the parts now in to warranty fix my fuel pump and fan, I waited less than a week for them to come in. Problem is they're telling me they have to disassemble the back half of my bike to fix those things and it'll take up to EIGHT HOURS! I'll have to wait up to eight hours to fix something that I KNOW I could do in under four! But of course they need to do the work for the warranty coverage. Worse than that, I met another BadWebber at the Rock Store today, he recently had work done at the same dealer and they didn't refill his oil to capacity and left parts off and rolling around under the seat! No wonder Buell riders get pissed about the HD affiliation. Delays for parts that SHOULD be in stock, crappy wrench work, enthusiasm for the customer as long we're spending $$$... | ||
| Teeps |
Xbimmer Posted on Saturday, February 09, 2008 No wonder Buell riders get pissed about the HD affiliation. Delays for parts that SHOULD be in stock, crappy wrench work, enthusiasm for the customer as long we're spending $$$... That's why the only time my bike has been to the dealer, is for recalls. Took them 2 hours to do the BAS recall. And, my bike was first on the appt list to boot! | ||
| Dio |
Rays - Do you know if the "77 connector" issue is an early production, late production, or all production on the '06? I have only 3000 miles on mine and I am wondering if I need to investigate further. Thanks. Xbimmer - what are the fan and fuel pump issues pending? I have less than 9 months left in warranty and wonder if there are "clouds on the horizon". My closest dealers are 100+ miles away. | ||
| Xbimmer |
Xbimmer - what are the fan and fuel pump issues pending? I have less than 9 months left in warranty and wonder if there are "clouds on the horizon". My closest dealers are 100+ miles away. And that's the problem for some of you guys. At least here in So CA they're generally much closer. But the dealer where I bought my bike is 10 miles away and I have zero confidence in them now, and the one that has my parts to fix the fuel pump/fan is 40 miles away. Even though they made me pay a deposit to order the warranty-covered parts (!) now I'm having reservations about their work too. Fan problems have cropped up here often, they get rattly and/or stop working altogether. My fuel pump was diagnosed as being the cause of my low-fuel light going on/off and tripping the mileage counter even though I had full fuel. I've heard it can be a problem with XB's. I have a new spare fan but I'm saving it for when the bike is out of warranty. The fuel pump is too expensive for me to justify buying it myself and fixing it myself and making sure the job is actually done right. My bike is an October '05 build, bought new in May '06, and I've currently got 43k miles on it. My fan's been rattling for over a year, and my stator/regulator/77-connector failed around 30k miles IIRC. | ||
| Ronmold |
All these parts & service issues are making me think a Buell might not be a great choice for a dependable bike, even though I could push one from home to the local dealer being he's so close. I hope that there's many out there that have had lots of trouble-free miles and that I'm just reading the exceptions. | ||
| Xbimmer |
All these parts & service issues are making me think a Buell might not be a great choice for a dependable bike... I think it's well known here it's the lack of dealer support at too many dealers that's the real problem. I wouldn't consider my Uly undependable any more than other makes and IMHO from what I've learned BMC is much more supportive for us than the dealers. I've had good experiences with Buell C/S. Yes I've had some problems but I ride more than the average guy I think so maybe I'm pushing the parts a bit, but a lot of Uly and other Buell riders put on the miles also. Yes I think you may be reading the worst cases regarding failures but that's what forums are best for, bringing this stuff out into the open. When I asked my original dealer's Svc Mgr whether they had ordered the regulator along with the failed stator for my bike when I brought it back for the repairs, he replied no since they'd "diagnosed" the problem as "stator". When I pointed out that on BadWeB it was a known problem of both failing at the same time his smug response was that they "didn't read the Buell forums". Should have seen the dumb look on his face when they replaced the stator and nothing was charging at all... when I "suggested" they actually check the regulator they couldn't even separate the 77-connector to do so. The wrench left two bolts loose on my primary cover which fell out on the way home, oil all over everything, filled it with Syn3 instead of Formula+ like I specified, gouged my front wheel in the rack, and somehow disconnected my neutral switch when he jammed all the wiring back together like a rat's nest. And these guys are expected to service Rotax Buells? | ||
| Rays |
Dio, I don't know if the "77" connector remained the same through the '06 and '07 model runs. Given the major change for the '08s in the charging dept that is probably different but I haven't actually seen one. As for the fan and fuel pump issues - they are by no means a certain early failure items. There have been a lot of fan failures but (touch wood) I am still running the original with just over 50,000km on it. I commute through a combination of freeway and city traffic and that poor device screams its heart out every day. My warranty ran out 3 months ago and given I live on the other side of the planet and Buell parts are harder to find than they are in the US, I have a spare fan sitting in my garage. The things that I would do if I had an '06 that was so young would be: 1, fit the modified loom guide - I think it is part no Y1000.2AK but I'm not certain. This may save you the hassle of broken wires in the loom that can cause blinker failures and losing back-up power to the instruments. Both issues are easy to fix if you are electrically capable but would be a pain in the butt if you're not. 2, Pull both wheels off and coat the axles with grease to prevent corrosion and use anti-sieze on the threads. By the time I pulled my rear wheel off the axle was white with corrosion. 3. Don't overfill the engine oil. It might be tempting to have the oil at the upper mark thinking that you are erring on the side of caution but the extra oil will probably just end up in your air filter. 4. Check the routing of the two earth lugs that are mounted on the lower front of the steering head. If they are touching the rubber covers of the headlight when you sweep the bars from lock to lock they will eventually break. Symptoms are either headlight failure of horn failure or both. I found that by mounting them 180 degrees to where they are standard they are pulled closer to the steering head and don't get caught by anything. 5. Mount the horn backwards so it doesn't beat on the inside of the flyscreen. 6. Now that you have done these couple of little nickel-dime tidy-ups, treat yourself to a ride on that beauty. If you treat it well with regular services the odds are that you will get fine service from it. In 50,000km (other than service items), I have had to replace a neutral switch, a broken drive belt (43,000km) and the rear wheel bearings (fitted too tight from new). I have also had the trouble with the "77" connector and the other wiring things mentioned above. Overall I am very happy with this motorcycle and intend to keep it for a long time - I hope yours works out well for you. | ||
| Crusty |
Ronmold; Don't let Internet Amplification steer you away from a great bike. I have an '06 Uly with 32,000 miles on it, and I have to say it's the most reliable and easiest to maintain motorcycle I've owned in 39 years of owning motorcycles. I'm not alone, either. There was a thread about high mileage Ulys, and there are quite a few. Not all dealers suck; some are pretty damned competent. The proportions are about equal to shops that sell any other marque. My local dealer has a good Buell wrench, an enthusiastic "Buell" salesman, and a Parts manager who goes out of his way to be helpful. They aren't perfect, but they do try. Also, Buell as a manufacturer goes to greater lengths than anyone else in the industry to make things right, if there is a problem. The Uly is a great bike. | ||
| Ronmold |
My dealer said they have some NEW '06 Ulys for around 9g's. Would the changes on the '08's be worth the extra $$$? | ||
| Florida_lime |
Update: The fan came in on Friday at the shop doing the warranty work after I was there. It was done on Friday, but no one called me to let me know it was finished. I happened to stop by there today to get my free Buell gaiter, and they told me it was done. After I loaded it up in the van, I saw the mechanic who had done the work. He asked me when they called me -- I told him that they didn't. You could tell his frustration level was close to mine because he specifically told them to call me after my last visit. | ||
| Slowride |
Florida_lime I experienced the same issues and frustrations with my local dealers also. I decided to become friends with the Parts guy and found out that the dealers in my area order parts every Monday. The way he explained it to me was that if any parts were ordered Tuesday - Sunday they would be ordered on that coming Monday and BMC usually had a 3-5 day ship time. So, I started timing my parts ordering on a Saturday and would go back into the dealer the following Saturday checking for my parts as the dealer never called me, and whatcha know.... My parts would be in. I can't say this applies to all Dealers, but it has held true in the Dallas / Fort Worth Texas area. |
