Speaking of rear wheel bearings- from a post by Crusty on July 25:
"Abe Askenazi told me at Homecoming that there was an upgraded bearing that should be available by the end of this month, if it isn't already. He said that water damage was the cause of the bearing failures that they investigated, and that water was getting into the bearings through damaged/inadequate seals. He seemed pretty positive that the upgraded bearing would end the issue. I believe him."
Posted on Wednesday, September 03, 2008 - 09:35 am:
I stumbled onto this thread last night and read it with great interest and read it again this morning. This is a great idea! It would be great for all Buells, not just Ulys although I can see it starting with the Uly Adventure types.
Kristi, remember last summer when you called for a stator for the S2? Unfortunately I was in NM but it might have worked because I did have a sporty stator that would have fit. You call me, I ship, and rider installs or gets help installing from the BRAN. What I am getting at is maybe we can go by bike and also cross reference the common parts. I agree with everyone else that a Dealer should jump all over this, especially with current models but I would would much rather see a 1-800 number at Buell.
Since I have never ridden my Buell (Buells) across country I have always setup up my pickup truck (with ramp) to come get me with a number of someone I trust to drive the truck to me if I break down. I also carry one saddle bag full of "Buell Support Equipments" tools, clutch cable, belt, throttle cable, air pump, tools, beer, etc.
So if I am out in the mountains on my Uly (if I had a Uly) and I break a belt I would just need a number to call and an address to deliver the belt? Sounds like it could be an extension of the BRAN to some degree as long as someone is on the list that is close by (within 100 miles or so).
Yes, the more I think about it the more I think Buell should take this on. It would be like BRAG except fully functional and without the BS.
I like it, LET ME KNOW WHAT I CAN DO TO HELP. I like Ulys. I really like pulling them out of the mud with my S2... Just kidding Uly people LOL..
Posted on Wednesday, September 03, 2008 - 10:19 am:
Kristi, remember last summer when you called for a stator for the S2?
Exactly - what I needed that day was info from S2 owners. I knew if I called a HD only dealer with Buell info, I'd get no where, but if I had a part number, my chances were better. So I called all the S2 owners I had numbers for until I got someone on the phone with a parts book in front of them.
It's about having info and parts available. Buell or a really good dealer(s) should take this on, but I'm not convinced that the interest is there yet. I know we/they can't stock every part for every bike, but some parts just make sense to keep on hand for people who ride pretty much on a daily basis and to have a bike down for 2-3 weeks because of a belt or clutch cable is ridiculous.
Posted on Wednesday, September 03, 2008 - 10:50 am:
It would be great for all Buells, not just Ulys although I can see it starting with the Uly Adventure types.
I proposed it for Ulys because they have a propensity to eat their rear wheel bearings, which in turn can chew up the rear wheel.
I'm on ADVrider and I see people who would like a Uly, but this issue scares them away. I like to ride my Uly on multi-thousand mile trips, and I worry about it as well. Simply being able to know a replacement wheel was available tomorrow would go a long way toward eliminating this problem.
I'd love to see this happen, and grow into something that can benefit all Buells. And to some extent it already would. The Uly wheels fit the other XB and 1125 models. The Uly belt will fit the Long, TT, and perhaps the Tubers. Of course the other bikes don't seem to eat their bearings, so it isn't as much of an issue for them.
But we have to start somewhere. Besides the fact that I own one the Uly is a good place. It's the bike designed for long trips, which is where the "come get me with the truck" solution fails. It also has a fairly well understood set of failure modes, which gives us a set of fixed targets to address.
Posted on Wednesday, September 03, 2008 - 02:17 pm:
theres gonna be a big con-ex box in Denver and we will all travel to it like a pilgrimage to Mecca To complete the image, a good dose of gas shortage is due and a desert of mutilated mechanical rides run by a maurading gang of miscreants.
Our STore with in a Store will be up before next riding season, and I will be working on our portion of a list of what we can get and support for the con-ex
Posted on Thursday, September 04, 2008 - 09:02 am:
Fskinner......
I think it is more complicated than you elude too. It isn't going to be as easy as calling an the part is in the mail. The part needs to be paid for before it is sent.
So your gonna need a computer and probably a paypal account. To pay before it is shipped. Also most of us have jobs and lives. So you need a belt, I have the belt, I am at work, UPS and Fedex closed by the time I get home and back out to ship. I ship the following day, assuming overnight it will still be at least three days for the part. Again that is if the guy with the parts doesn't have something else going on that night.
The part needs paid for before it ships, period.
Now if Buell had an online part store it would remove the entire delay because of real life.
Posted on Thursday, September 04, 2008 - 09:27 am:
more complicated than you elude too
I agree and BTW I would love to be able to order parts from a web site without having to call the local dealer and wait 10 days. IMO that is the way to go.
Back on track, I thought about this very little last night but the logistics are the real concern. I think it will take a combination of the BRAN and a common parts bin to accomplish. If a XB or 1125r breaks down close to me the only thing I could do is haul the bike to a dealer and hope they can fix it for the individual. Now if that same bike is a tuber I have a lot of parts on hand and most likely can get the person back on the road. I have those parts because of the three tubers I have.
The BRAN is great but I think we need to verify who is actually still willing to help. What I mean is there are people in the Colorado section of the BRAN that have not logged onto the BadWed for years. That info may be out of date. If every state, depending on size and population had at least one or two people that had a large selection of parts for the Uly or other bikes we would know who to call. That person may or may not be close enough to physically help and may have to ship and then you run into the problem you highlighted.
I am still thinking. I usually need some quiet time, a few beers and a pad of paper to figure anything out. It would be interesting to see what kind of scenarios come up.
I use to do this for a living (figure out solutions for these kinds of problems) and always had to put pen to paper before I started using computer simulations.
As for paying. Yes, another challenge. I may be too trusting of people on the BadWeb but it has been my experience that trust is well placed with the Buell community. I wonder if a membership fee would help offset cost?
I did a little comparison of AMA, HOG, the BMW organization (cannot remember the name) and checked out the Victory site. There are a lot of challenges that have already been worked out but it is usually by much larger organizations with larger resources.
Anyway, we have more Hurricanes to watch and the RNC is not over yet so back to my other job... Thanks, Frank
(Message edited by f_skinner on September 04, 2008)
Posted on Thursday, September 04, 2008 - 10:18 am:
The BRAN is great but I think we need to verify who is actually still willing to help. What I mean is there are people in the Colorado section of the BRAN that have not logged onto the BadWed for years.
When Kristi took over the BRAN last year she called everyone on the list and verified that they were still interested in helping.
(You see why I'm glad she is interested in this project?)
Posted on Thursday, September 04, 2008 - 10:35 am:
When Kristi took over the BRAN last year she called everyone on the list and verified that they were still interested in helping.
Actually, that was 2 years ago and needs to be done again.
We'll get together and plot this out on paper. Frank, any ideas or suggestions you have, please post them or e-mail them to me. If you're gonna be in NC anytime soon, we will include you in our BEER meeting!
Posted on Thursday, September 04, 2008 - 10:50 am:
Kristi, I do have some ideas and I will try to jot them down this week.
I do not think I will be in NC until next year. My job search has wained due to work. Lynn and I have even talked of moving to WI (she is from Fond du Lac, WI) but I am unsure. I really did like that area, in the summer.
I may just quit and take a ride! That seems to solve most problems LOL.
Back on track: I will be very interested to see what you come up with from your BEER meeting. The devil is in the details but I am confident this can be done and it can be done well.
the Uly is a good place. It's the bike designed for long trips, which is where the "come get me with the truck" solution fails. It also has a fairly well understood set of failure modes, which gives us a set of fixed targets to address.