| Author | Message | ||
     Red_chili |
Riding my Uly home from work, with it running SWEETLY from my ECMSpy fiddling, it just dies. Electrics good, but suddenly as if there is no fuel. Get to the shoulder, cycle the ignition, fires right up. Aha, thinks I. Bank angle sensor, even post-recall. I could just flip the bit to turn it off in the ECM, but the thing does have its uses, and it is still under warranty... So I go to Rocky Mountain H-D/Buell and walk in, there is Larz the Buell guy right at the counter. I explain the symptoms, suggest the BAS. He should really keep the bike for a couple days (like heck I will) to see if they can replicate it. We talk, I suggest that we both know it won't happen again in the shop, but could in the middle of Wyoming, and for that matter could malfunction finally and fatally. He agrees. Starts writing up a ticket. Could you just order one for me? Yep. Warranty? Oh yes. Known issue. No pain. So I go to the parts counter to check on an order. Not in yet, should be tomorrow. So I grab some $1 ear plugs and start to pay... Naw, he says, take a couple pair. Gratis. So with a smile on my face, I go over to the (very small ) Buell section, and a new salesman in Harley regalia (you know, piercings, tatoos, poneytail, etc. etc.) comes over and greets me, asks me what I rode in, I tell him. We chat briefly about the Lightening and XB12S sitting there, and he asks me if I got my hydration pack. Nope, I meant to, but missed the promotion. Not to worry he says, and fetches me one. Unasked for. "Since you rode a Buell in, you deserve a hydration pack. We need more Buell guys in here." I do not feel like a redheaded stepchild for not being a Harley guy in that dealership. The tech is good, is not arrogant at all, explains everything and listens to what I think it is, and why... and service is well done. The parts guys are fast and accurate. The do-rags do not seem to have inhibited cerebral development.  Can't ask for much more than that. Well, perhaps a redesigned BAS. Maybe a redesigned VR and stator too, though I have had no issues with mine. Probably happened already, or will soon. I left smiling broadly.  I know some have reported extremely frustrating experiences with Buell CS and especially local dealers... but I have been blessed with exceedingly good experiences with both. Goodonya, Erik. | ||
| Pso |
Seems like more Hardley dearships are starting to be a little more Buell friendly. My local Buell dealership (they call themselves a HD delaership) now has the Buells at the entrance to the store along with a nice (only one however) display case of Buell bling. Before the Buells were in the back area and no Buell accessories. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that Buell is projected as one of the top four MC manufactures to show an increase in sales this year. Up around 6.?% (along with BMW, and I do not remember the other two).Also I have read that Hardley sales are down at least 12% so far in the US and expected to continue to drop. I also read HD sales are up 16% in Europe so the company is ok (still wish I had dropped lots of cash during their ISO), but not the local dealerships with so much capital invested in massive inventories. Just my far out speculation and hope (ragarding HD friendleness to Buellers) predicated upon some vague assumptions | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Cool experience! I suggest you send a letter to Jon Flickinger bragging upon that dealer. I would also suggest you send a letter to the owner of the dealership as well. This goes a long way in helping keep that good Buell feeling going. It puts that dealer on Jon's radar, and it puts the internal guys on the owner's radar. Take the time. | ||
| Red_chili |
Need an addy? I might leave out the part about "ECMSpy fiddling". BTW, I had a similar experience when my fan started sounding funny (note, not failed, but sounded rattley). The guy listens to it, says Yep, she's going out, I'll get one in and we'll take care of you. No pain. The fan is normally a stocked item AFAIK, but they had a run on them. (Message edited by Red_Chili on July 09, 2008) | ||
| Debueller |
Wow......... Many Buell owner experences at their local dealer are sort of like marrying a beautiful woman from a very disfunctional family. It's nice to hear of a positive Buell owner dealer experence........... Sorry SFB...... (Message edited by debueller on July 09, 2008) | ||
| Mike_dinger |
Great story Red! Always nice to hear about a good dealer relationship. Even if they do charge buckets for service intervals. I found a great dealer in my neck of the woods too. It's just too bad I'm moving to a different part of the state! For those in the SF Bay area, make the trip to Faultline HD/Buell and see Teddy. He is really very cool and genuinely concerned for your well-being. I just hope Rocklin H-D/Buell is equally as cool as they will be my new dealer...for parts...as needed...hopefully not often...or ever. <yeah...right>  | ||
| Hooper |
Hey PSO, is your dealer Old Glory in Laurel, MD (I guess that's still pretty far from you)? If so, I too noticed that they put an 1125r right in the entryway, and had a bunch of Buell shirts/jackets/accessories in the center of the store. I had to smile as a salesperson talked up the models to a prospective buyer as I browsed...I felt like going over and doing some selling too. | ||
| Court |
>>>>Even if they do charge buckets for service intervals. Question: Are they charing more than dealer of other brands? Are they charing what you consider an unfair amount? Have you discussed it with the dealership? I think the going labor rate here is about $95.00 per hour. Just curious. . . I just paid $1,534 to get my BMW out of mothballs for the summer including an $875 carb rebuild. I rode it for a month and it's been in the last 3 weeks. Seems they left a jet (I presume it was them) loose and when they were looking into a "won't start" report they opened the carb, the jet fell out and they lost it. Later in the day they went to move the bike when it fell out, ground to destruction, of the chain. They are telling me two weeks to get another. I'm not out of things to ride but wish I had a Buell to ride! Mine is in Colorado. | ||
| Skifastbadly |
BASTAGE! Why I oughta.... | ||
| Skifastbadly |
"I think the going labor rate here is about $95.00 per hour. " Cheesus, it's $77 in the HD dealer in SLC, and I thought I was taking a reaming. It does irk me though that they charge an hour labor to swap out front brake pads and I can do that in about twenty minutes. | ||
| Pso |
Hooper-Nope it is Annapolis. I have been to old glory those fellows seem pretty good. I got a set of plugs from them and the parts fellow knew right away about the proper one for the Uly.He was able to spit the number right out.also the wrench working on the Buells rides a firebolt all over western maryland. I meet him on the far side of Frederick in the mt.s he stopped to chat for awhile. If they were closer they would be my dealer of choice, however annapolis is much closer when I needed to trailer the bike (which now that the warrenty is over I do not invision doing again because of the ease of working on the Uly I will do stuff myself). You need to climb over the demo 1125 just to get into the bldg., but the folks are still very much harley, and the wrenches do not seem to want to listen to input from their customers. | ||
| Mad_doctor |
My dealership is in Bay City MI. They were lower by a grand than any of the other # dealers I spoke to.After I got the Uly, I had an electrical problem, They came and got it, fixed it, and I went to get it. All no Charge. The big deal here is, I live 3 Hours North of Greatlakes HD. They also have Jay (who is their resident Buell expert). Great guys, willing to do more than their share for the Buell lovers. | ||
| Court |
>>>>Cheesus, it's $77 in the HD dealer in SLC Bet you don't have 400sf studio apartments that go for $3,500 a month and $900,000 "fixer upper" homes in SLC either. . . . It's all relative. | ||
| Dynasport |
I am glad to hear about your positive experience. My fear of bad dealerships is one thing that makes me hesitant to buy a Buell. I was in the local dealership looking at something for my FXDX and decided to look at the Buell section. It was located BEHIND the parts counter. You had to ask to see anything. They had one pair of gloves, in small. I need large. I ended up buying a decent pair of HD branded gloves. I wanted to try and support Buell, but they don't make it easy. They did have two 1125s on prominent display, however. It doesn't seem they can give them away. | ||
| Buelldualsport |
Unfortunately, the amount or lack of Buell stuff is directly proportional to the interest the ownership/managmenet of the Dealership has in Buells. They (the dealership) decides what or what not to buy to have on display. Several HD Dealers we have visited, will have maybe six (6) to ten (10) Buell T Shirts, maybe a "Mechanics Shirt" and that is about it. Hard parts are almost non-existant at most dealerships. Tilley HD in Statesville NC and Carolina HD in Gastonia are strong Buell Dealers and each has a bit of Buell stuff on the floor. Both are great "friends" of Buell, however, we the Buell population do not represent the majority of their traffic. Economics 101 Demand vs Supply YRMV Buells to Alaska 2010 | ||
| Gsilvernale |
I find that my Buell dealer (Low Country Harley Davidson) is ahead of the Japanese bike dealers in town. Its not that the other dealers are bad, its just a little different experience. Kind of like the difference between the Toyota and the Lexus dealership. The bike itself, may not be as trouble free as the Japanese machines, but its still a great machine. I hear numerous horror stories about other dealers in other places, but LCHD has been good. I was in today for the ECM reflash, and while pushing it out of my garage this morning, I noticed that the clutch cable wireform guide was broken (must have happened on my 300 mile ride on Sunday). I wrapped the cable in some HVAC tape and rode the bike to the shop. 75 minutes later I was on my way home, reflashed and new improved clutch cable guide installed - no charge. I just wish they would stock some Buell gear in the Tshirt area. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Nobody likes things going wrong with their bike but that's part of bike ownership. Probably similar to owning some high strung sports car. Manufacturers have to cram parts in small spaces and make things as light as possible to be competitive. It's no wonder that bikes have more maintenance than we'd like. Personally, mine has been pretty problem free. When I need to order anything, it can be done from my phone with credit card payment and then only a weeks wait. The parts guy only lives a couple of blocks away and at times has brought my parts home with him for an easier pickup. My real complaint is that the parts aren't free.  | ||
| Bearly |
I've always had a great experience with Grove's Winchester HD & Buell in Winchester VA. They heard my fan a last year and promptly replaced it. When ever there is a recall with any of the Buells in the garage, they quickly order the parts and put them aside for me. When I go in to ask them about the recall they point to a bag of parts already with my name on them and either offer to do the service immediately or schedule an appointment. On time I was ordering some new exhaust gaskets and the Main service guy, (who races a firebolt) ask me what they were for. I told them I had a problem with my exhaust flange on my Micron pipes. I told them that the weld had come loose and that I had to get a new part. They then offered to get me a new part from Micron under warranty (even though I bought from American Sport Bike). They put the new piece of the header pipe from Micron for free and sent me on my way. They said it was the least they could do for someone that has bought four Buells from them. I was amazed. It's doesn't take FREE service and Labor to get me to like a dealer ship. But along with just a friendly attitude towards Buells and Buell customers, holding a hydration pack for me, and ordering me a 1125R service manual without even asking, I can see that the are really trying to make their customers happy. Even though I have not bought anything large from Frederick HD & Buell of Frederick MD, they also seem to have the same "Buell Friendly" attitude. Plus they carry more sport bike riders stuff that might not even have the "Bar and Shield" on it. | ||
| Jammin_joules |
Guys, all the trash talk on the Harley portion only goes to proliferate the dysfunctional aspect of your experience at dealers. I am not suggesting that there are no poor Buell dealerships either. But how you handle the whole situation can have a major effect on the outcome of a dealership experience. By analogy: If you walk into a sporting good store, do you go to the tennis section and start asking about baseball products? When you walk into a dealer, recognize that they are geared towards their customers. Is Buell 10%, 20% or 1% of their sales, parts and/or service? They are going to stock, staff and train accordingly. It's not rocket science, its just common business practices. Of course some dealers see the growth potential and future of Buell so they tip the scales to improve things. Regardless, any dealer carrying Buell will have one or two in each department who know the product, have been trained in their respective areas, and quite likely ride Buells too. Seek that person out by politely asking about such things. It will likely lead to a much better experience. I could be wrong, but I doubt it. | ||
| Court |
>>>>But how you handle the whole situation can have a major effect on the outcome of a dealership experience. I could not agree more. | ||
| Horridus |
Court!! You need to go to Heid's Hodaka, Johnsburg, NY....$55/h I went there last week, first Uly that they had seen. Great people and really know there stuff. Nice gem in the middle of no where. Of course it may take a ton of cash to get your bike to them  but well worth it. | ||
| Red_chili |
Hodaka?!? Been a long time since I heard THAT venerable name. | ||
| Buelldualsport |
Combat Wombat setting in my mother's garage waiting a restoration. Buells to Alaska ALCAN 5000 2010 | ||
| Red_chili |
I remember it well. And the feeling of envy. |
