| Author | Message | ||
     Hdbobwithabuell |
Good news is, I was sitting in the garage after a 100 mile jaunt when I saw the chewed up rubber around the perimeter of the rear wheel.  Bad news, the broken strap put enough tension on the idler pulley to make things ugly.  | ||
| Hdbobwithabuell |
To credit the bike's design: I have no idea how the belt didn't break. It's so flimsy I can literally pull it off the bike. Even though the idler pulley can now be turned by hand with the belt still on, it kept enough tension on the belt to keep it working. Confidence in the belt/pulley = much improved. Confidence in the muffler straps = not so much. | ||
| Froggy |
Was your muffler recently changed? | ||
| Hdbobwithabuell |
The muffler has never been changed. I just had the bike in for a bunch a warranty work and thought about having them try and replace it for rust but decided to wait. I guess now would be a good time.  | ||
| Court |
Bob: A short narrative about what happened please. Looks like things . . . while going bad . . went as well as they could have. Should be an easy fix. Keep us posted. Eager to hear more. Court | ||
| Hdbobwithabuell |
As Court said, things definitely went as well as they could have. Went out for a July 4th ride just exploring a bunch of local, back roads waning to get lost for a couple hours. On the way home, about 70 miles in (and 30 miles from home), while stopped at a light I noticed what smelled like hot brakes. Noticed the same smell about 10 minutes later at another light. I had just had the front rotor and pads replaced and thought maybe they were dragging a little, so on with the trip. Didn't see what was really going on till back in the garage with a cold one. Nice break down! | ||
| Court |
What broke? . . the muffler strap? How? Fitting or did the strap fail? | ||
| Froggy |
Can you elaborate? What was changed? | ||
| Hdbobwithabuell |
Not sure how to describe it, but there are some pins/feet that attach the actual strap to the bolt assembly that tightens/loosens the whole thing. It appears that one of those pins failed and allowed the strap to loosen. I'll post some more pics showing what I'm talking about. | ||
| Hdbobwithabuell |
The warranty work was to replace the front rotor and rocker cover gaskets. Hmmm... I guess they probably had to remove the muffler to fix the gaskets? | ||
| Froggy |
Bingo. They most likely rotated the engine to give access to the rear jug. You need to remove the muffler to rotate the engine. Sounds like your issue is with the reassembly. I recall reading the straps are one time use. Also they might of not correctly torqued them. Needless to say, call them up, and calmly explain what happened and give them a chance to fix it. You should be getting a new belt out of the deal  | ||
| Jlnance |
The front strap is one time use, I believe you can reuse the rear straps, but I'm not sure. I didn't replace the front strap the last time I took the muffler off. Learn from my mistakes, it cost me probably about $300 to get that all sorted out. If you need another source of straps, you can get them from clampco (Buell was back ordered at the time.) Here is the link for the rear strap. I'm sure they have the front too, but I don't know the dimensions as that one was available from Buell. http://store.fastcommerce.com/trucknbusclamps/prod -ff80808117d194ac0117e6dfee9f6cf7.html | ||
| Tginnh |
I recently removed my muffler for a repaint (and yes, it's already rusting again) and did not change the front strap even though the service manual indicated doing so. It looked like a perfectly good strap to me, so like the 10k fork oil change, I simply disregarded the recommendation. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
If I send you a bunch of pencils could you go for a short ride and sharpen them for me with that crazy new fangled wittling machine of yours?  (Message edited by electraglider_1997 on July 06, 2009) | ||
| Court |
>>>I recall reading the straps are one time use.
Look at your service receipt and see if there are NEW Torca clamps on their. I think we have found the source of your chagrin. That's one sharp Frogster . . . . memorized page 4-37 of the Service Manual. Welcome to Badweb . . . the single most definitive source of Buell information . . . er, good and bad. | ||
| Hdbobwithabuell |
There are no clamps listed on the service receipt. I just dropped the bike off at the dealer today and failed to mention this. I'll give them a call tomorrow to make sure they get some new ones. I've got the original clamps on my '05 12R that have never given a problem (reinstalled with a Buell race can). Just goes to show these things can go either way. I think I'll order a replacement set before there is reason to regret not doing so. | ||
| Hdbobwithabuell |
On the bright side. Having the Uly in the shop lately has been a good excuse to get the Firebolt out. I almost forgot how much fun this bike is! | ||
| Jlnance |
It looked like a perfectly good strap to me, so like the 10k fork oil change, I simply disregarded the recommendation. I did too, mostly because the strap was not in stock and I was in a hurry to get the bike running again. It eventually broke. The problem is that it is not immediately obvious that the strap has broken, the muffler does not fall off or anything, it just vibrates a little more. You can hear it IF you know what you're looking for, but I didn't. I did think it was a little louder and checked the header studs and torka clamp, but they were both good, so I figured it was all in my head. I rode around for hundreds of miles like this. Eventually it vibrated enough that I sheared off a header stud and lost a back muffler strap. That I did notice. Header stud removal is neither fun nor cheap. I don't think you're doing anything terrible by not replacing the front strap. Just be aware that it can break, and check it periodically. If it breaks, replace it before other stuff begins to fail. | ||
| Scooter808484 |
When you can't find the straps at the dealer, check a marine supply store. The had them in every shape and size, for about $6. I've heard that big truck centers might have them too. | ||
| Chadhargis |
What am I missing here? The muffler strap isn't connected to the idler pulley in any way (at least on my bike it isn't). How did the idler pulley get screwed up due to a muffler strap. I am at work, so I can't look at my bike. Perhaps the relationship is obvious, but I've not looked under my bike in quite awhile. | ||
| Hdbobwithabuell |
Chad - It's hard to see but if you look at the 2nd picture in the original post you can see the strap right up beside the pulley. The nut on the strap was actually riding inside the pulley not letting it turn. | ||
| Court |
>>>There are no clamps listed on the service receipt. Mystery solved. | ||
| Chadhargis |
AH! Well, I don't see that in the picture (crumby monitor maybe), but that makes sense. Wow...true testament to the belt. I've had my Ulysses coming up on four years and replaced my stock belt as a preventative measure after two years. I still have it. The one on the bike now looks great too. | ||
| Hdbobwithabuell |
Update: The dealer replaced the belt and pulley without cost or any argument. I asked about the rusty muffler and they got that replaced under warranty too! (Now to find a coating to keep it from rusting right away) Oh yeah, lots of clamps on the invoice this time  | ||
| Froggy |
I love it when a plan comes together | ||
| Cyclonedon |
If I had it to do over, I would jet coat my stock muffler and header black. | ||
| Hdbobwithabuell |
The Jet Coat looks great. I'm afraid I have more of a Rustoleum budget though. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
Too bad the engine doesn't leak. That would protect the muffler from rust, eh? |
