| Author | Message | ||
     Wbrisett |
Bought an '08 Ulysses XT on Feb. 23, 2008. Tonight it's got nearly 9,500 miles on it Darn.... Bought my '07 right around that time and thought I was putting miles on it with around 6500 right now. So far the only thing that needed repair was the exhaust sensor. Tires are starting to look a bit low on the tread, but still have some miles left on them. I figure within the next 1000 miles I'll have to replace those, but hey, that's expected. Wayne | ||
| Hooper |
Pirnie, the BAS is the "Bank Angle Sensor" that tells the engine to shut off if the bike leans over too far (like, say, parallel to the ground...ouch). It's a safety feature. There was a recall on them for the '06s (any other years?) because they were shutting the bike off unexpectedly. You'd have to cycle the key to restart. I never had a problem, but took it in for the recall work anyway, of course. | ||
| Markog |
i've got a little over 12k on my 06, my only problem is a kinked front rotor, but in defense of the bike i've bent the rotors on my 1200gs, my triumph sprint, and my 97 vfr, i must be a ham fisted f**cker marko | ||
| Florida_lime |
-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ quote: "Buell parts are hard to get, plus we don't stock many. " -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ That statement would be cause for me to question the honesty of the dealer. There are very few (including the entire compliment of 1995 S-2 parts) that you can not have from Buell within 24, maybe 48, hours. The next time your dealer tells you that kindly ask them to call me and I'd be pleased to guide them to the light of wisdom and truth. Court, You know that, and I know that, but.... I threw that in there because it shows where Buell fits into their priorities. Not really 'my dealer', but it is the closest Buell dealer for warranty work. Plus, the mechanic that work on the Buells seems pretty decent. Going to my selling dealer would cost me $150 in gas and tolls for dropping off and picking up my Uly.  Oh, what's your number ???  | ||
| M_singer |
>>>>The 06 and 07 bikes have some stator/VR problems as well that were addressed in the 08 models. They changed the stator yes but it is too soon to say that the problem is fixed. Buell are awesome bikes in many ways but if reliability is your "top" priority, I say look elsewhere. That is my opinion that is certainly not shared by all here. Read enough of this forum and draw your own conclusion. | ||
| Dirt |
Buell are awesome bikes in many ways but if reliability is your "top" priority, I say look elsewhere. A true statement in my opinion. While I love to ride the bike and have no complaints with the engine or handling, I have come to the conclusion (after 2 bearing failures and 10 weeks in the shop during the my first 18 months of ownership) that the bike is not the reliable daily commuter I thought it would be. I still love to ride the bike but I have come to accept it's limitations as well as those of the servicing dealer. | ||
| Ihavemanyfleas |
15k miles. new motor at 5k, but that's a different story. Std recall's, bas, stand... rear bearing at 12k replaced forward spark lead at 12k replaced ecm at 14k Other than regular maintenance, that's it. It's been a pretty cheap bike to own. My warranty is about to expire, so we'll see where it goes from there. All in all it has been a great bike. Would I buy another one? Why not, this is the second buell I've owned. The first one never had any issues AT ALL - sold it at 10k when the uly came out. | ||
| Lopoetve |
Well, this is definitely a different side of the story. My main purpose for buying it is a 7000 mile jaunt from Denver to Anchorage and back, with stops at the arctic circle/etc, not always on pavement at all. One thing I definitely need though is reliability, as my rides before, during, and after that may not be the nearest to civilization, or easy access, if you know what I mean. Especially since that 7000 mile journey will be attempted with no maintenance during... I'd have to do the bearing before leaving and hope it lasts. Would you all be willing to hop on yours for 7000 miles of God-knows-what and no, or limited parts and service? | ||
| Froggy |
7000 miles? Sure thing. 2007's have less issues, with the only real issue to worry about is the wheel bearings. Ride on, be happy. Do a service before you leave, check everything over and you should be good to go. | ||
| Crusty |
Would you all be willing to hop on yours for 7000 miles of God-knows-what and no, or limited parts and service? Lopoetve; I plan to do just what you're describing next year (or maybe 2010, if we can't save enough in one year), except that I'll be leaving from Massachusetts. I figure it will be about 10,000 miles all told. My wife will accompany me on her Lightning Long. So, to answer your question; Yes, I would be willing. | ||
| Skyclad |
I agree with Crusty, and I was one of the bearing failure guys. Twice in 6600 miles. I replaced it with better bearings the second time and don't worry about it much any more. The bearings have been the only problem that I have had. Mine is an 08, purchased Jan 7 and I have just a bit under 11k on it now. | ||
| Lopoetve |
what better bearings did you use? | ||
| M_singer |
>>>>Would you all be willing to hop on yours for 7000 miles of God-knows-what and no, or limited parts and service? No way! There have been 4 separate bearing failures reported in this short thread alone! Badweb members who have changed to non OEM bearing have reported failures on the non OEM bearings too. No offense meant to anyone but to me this is just common sense. (Message edited by m_singer on August 04, 2008) (Message edited by m_singer on August 04, 2008) | ||
| Etennuly |
As soon as I can sort out my 'run/skip without being too hot' issue, I'm gonna hit the road in the next couple of months for two trips totaling about 4,000 miles(but I need to be able to run faster than 65 mph).  If I were to worry about bearing failures I could never let my wife drive my Denali anywhere again.  | ||
| Jlnance |
Would you all be willing to hop on yours for 7000 miles of God-knows-what and no, or limited parts and service? Yes, did this last fall. | ||
| M_singer |
>>>>>If I were to worry about bearing failures I could never let my wife drive my Denali anywhere again. Did the Denali have a WB failure in less the 4k miles? Is it "common" for low millage Denali's have WB failures? How many miles were on the Denali at the time of the failure? Were the WB's inspected and lubed every tire change like many are doing with their Uly's? There is a difference between a trend and an aberration. Just b/c other vehilce are known to have breakdowns doesn't make the Uly a reliable motorcycle speaking in relative terms. | ||
| Crusty |
Just because you want to be paranoid doesn't mean my Ulys haven't been 100% reliable. There's a difference between being unreliable, and being afraid that something might break. | ||
| Neurorider |
Gotta love forums....every time there's a post about Uly's offroad, there is a guy (same guy) that posts that the Uly is NOT a dualsport. Every time somebody says their Uly is reliable...we have someone say "no it isn't, look at all these posts..." Like it's a duty sort of thing to re-state the opinion. M_Singer, you would have loved the early Buell days with recalls, drippy heads, bad isolators...we still thought they were fun bikes! This is nothing compared to then. I had a 1983 Honda V45 that had the front cam sprocket come unbolted with 2500 miles on the bike. Almost grenaded the whole thing! My Buells? I just maintain them and ride them. :-) Richard | ||
| Court |
My Lap of America trip aboard a Buell was in direct response to very similar comments. As several detractors opined about what "could" happen I simply suggested we see what "would" happen and set out to circle the United States (I only made 37 states on this particular trip) on a Buell. Someday . . . perhaps when I get a Uly. . . I MAY be stranded but all the internet chicken little fears expressed since 1994 haven't caught up with me yet. I do, however, have a habit of doing myself in my running out of fuel, filling the tank with diesel and other "Court Induced Maladies" which Mr. Buell refuses to accept as "warranty issues". He assures me the bike was designed to deal with the most errant of riders but that does not approach my level of personal stupidity. I just, like yesterday, get on, ride and enjoy. Court | ||
| Darthane |
As my profile says, why worry until you have cause to? Aren't there enough things to stress yourself out over without inducing additional worry simply because of what MIGHT happen? To take anything from a message board and extrapolate that a large percentage of the population will experience the same thing is pure fallacy. Message board posters are a small percentage of the whole. I'll worry about my Buells when they give me cause to. Thus far all three of mine have been extremely reliable and I see no reason to think that's going to change any time soon. | ||
| Buelldualsport |
Relative new comer to Buells, first X1 in the fall of 1999. Have had five (5)and other than a ground cable being loose from the Servicing dealer, have had no issues. The 06 Uly went to Alaska and back with out challenges. And may go again in 2010 as part of the Buells to Alaska ALCAN 5000 2010 contingent. The second X1 has over 55,000 miles by three (3) owners, the second S3 is approaching 45,000. 09 Uly is expected to be better than all of the others combined. YRMV | ||
| Lopoetve |
darthane - when one is planning thousands of miles of back country, one is prepared for problems and takes the right tool for the job. Hence the thread. I don't want to break down at the arctic circle. I'm narrowing the list down. | ||
| Darthane |
I wasn't directing that at you, Lopoetve. I agree that a lot of planning is necessary for long trips, particularly if one is straying from the 'beaten path'. I was more referring to the 'woe is me, I bought a Buell' attitude that many people seem to express regarding their purchases even though they may have never had a problem with their bikes. My truck eats u-joints (not mine personally, but the year/make/model). Does that stop me from getting in it and going camping each year? No. '03 Firebolts had the kickstand recalled because some people had them roll off it, and the belts were upgraded due to an unacceptable percentage breaking before their listed service time. I don't park on inclines and my original '03 belt is in the garage, looking as good as the day I bought the bike after being replaced per the service manual at 15K. Check things every now and then and move on. I choose not to lose hair worrying about what MIGHT happen, genetics can accomplish that without me hurrying it along.  | ||
| Lopoetve |
ah, yeah, I agree with the rest of that. | ||
| Svh |
Darthane do you have an 03 or later Dodge? Lol | ||
| Darthane |
Heh...it's an '02. I'm actually getting ready to sell it when I get back from camping in a couple weeks. I don't have enough use for it to justify keeping it in the garage anymore. Know anyone that'd be interested in a really low mileage, garage-stored for nearly 2 years Ram? | ||
| Svh |
I just replaced the 2 in my rear drive shaft last week. 89000 miles on my 03. Another don't believe the hype. Its good to know what to look for but don't worry too much about it otherwise all we could do is walk everywhere and thats too much like exercise. | ||
| Dirt |
I MAY be stranded but all the internet chicken little fears expressed since 1994 haven't caught up with me yet Wish I had your good karma with Buells. When I bought my uly, I too disregarded the things I'd heard about how unreliable Buells were. Several people tried to talk me out of the purchase. Told me I'd be sorry. However, I had heard the same talk about Harley's before I purchased my 04. 100K miles later, and if I hadn't pulled the motor apart to freshen it up, it would still be running strong without issue. Hands down the most reliable bike I have ever owned. As for my uly, I'll let you be the judge as to whether it is reliable or not. Let me ask you this and be honest - Do you feel that 10 weeks in the shop during the first 18 months of ownership is the definition of reliability? Had to have it towed 3 times, has blown 5 fuses. Not to mention I'm on my 3rd belt. Upwards of 2k in warranty claims. Unfortunately, numerous friends and coworkers take joy in telling me "I told you so". I can't comment on all Buells, just the experiences with mine. I'm sure some on this board will get great service from theirs just like I did from my Harley. As I said earlier, I wish I had your good karma with Buells. Best handling motorcycle on the market and even with the problems, I don't regret buying it. But that doesn't mean I'm going to cover up or dismiss the problems I've encountered. Frustrated would be the word that best describes my experience so far. Before everyone jumps down my back and tells me quit crying, I don't hate Buells. Just wish they could improve upon some things (including the dealer experience). I do want to say that I did just buy another Buell, a used S3T. It goes without saying that the uly is a fun bike to ride and handles superbly, but I don't know of any bike I've ridden that can compare to the S3T. I probably won't have many problems with the uly for awhile, because I'll be spending the majority of my time on the S3T. I love that bike. Time will tell as to how reliable this one will be. | ||
| Etennuly |
M_singer, GM 4WD bearings are a sealed unserviceable, untestable hub assembly. Good today, dead tomorrow. No warning. No way to pack grease in there. Made to fail at some point. First one went at 70,000 second at 115,000. Not great in what should be considered a 250,000 mile $52,000 vehicle. Just to go on a little more I bought a new Suburban in 1997. The first engine started knocking at 600 miles and was replaced. The second engine started knocking at 1,000 miles, I was told to run it by GM. It ran out of oil pressure at 6,000. By then the brakes had total intermittent failure and the airconditioning had quit(living in Florida at the time). After six months of battling they bought it back. Funny, I never felt secure in that $38,000 vehicle! | ||
| M_singer |
Etennuly A truck wheel bearing going at 70k mile is certainly less then I would hope for but due you really consider that premature? Expecting the truck to last for 250k miles is reasonable but expecting nothing to break over that period is not. I don't see the relevance in comparing cars and trucks to motorcycles. The frequency of Uly wheel bearing failures is simply unprecedented. There is a serious problem here. Some of these Uly's are not making it 4k miles before a wheel bearing failure. That is just plain crazy! There are a lot of things that I hear others wine about on these bikes that do not bother me in the least. I don't think I am overly demeaning. The character, innovation, comfort and performance of the Uly are awesome but if it cannot be trusted to get me home then that is a deal breaker. I do have some faith that BMC will come up with a solution. I still have plenty of warranty left. |
