| Author | Message | ||
     Dr_greg |
Some of you may recall that a charging problem in the '06 Uly prevented me from my long-anticipated trip to attend Homecoming 2010. After Mrs. Greg rescued me for the second time and we hauled the Uly back home in my '68 GMC pickup, I tried to diagnose the charging problem. When I began, I noticed that both battery terminals were not that tight. Turns out that I have several additional terminals for my accessory connections, and the stock battery bolts were only marginally long enough. AHA! Got some longer bolts, but I figured it couldn't be that simple. Went through the tests in FSM Section 7.7, and passed with flying colors! So it WAS the battery bolts! Wow, a $1 fix, but I'm sure ticked off at missing Homecoming. Just to make sure, I did two rides of 90-100 miles in length while not going more than 30-40 miles from home (while carrying a spare battery just in case). No problem. Upon getting home battery was fully charged. Excellent! Anyway, I already had the vacation time allotted, so I decided to take a 4-day camping trip in the Gila Mountains of southwest New Mexico. Loaded up the Uly (okay, he was already loaded, but I had to change a few things for a different style trip) and headed down I-25 to the junction of NM 152, which is a lovely twisty road up and over Emory Pass and down to my campground (about 7,400 feet elevation). Had a very enjoyable time camping; did a lot of hiking (my back is improving) and saw some bears and wild turkey (or was that the bourbon I took along?) Very restful, and I was beginning to recover from my disappointment at not attending Homecoming. The morning I was going to leave I tried starting the Uly...he fired right up! EXCELLENT! So I started loading him and left a couple hours later (in no hurry, since it's only about a 170 mile ride home). Just south of Socorro, NM I decided to visit "historic Fort Craig" which involved about a mile of gravel road, then backtracking down a paved "frontage road" which paralleled I-25. Fort Craig was 12 miles ahead. It was about 1:30 p.m., and I was probably halfway to Fort Craig, when...CEL !!! WTF ??? I knew what that meant...the battery hadn't been charging, and I was done. Even though I was parallel to I-25, I was in the middle of nowhere. I hadn't seen a single car on the frontage road. And it was toasty warm:  So I hiked up to the top of a nearby hill, and found a cell signal. Telephoned Mrs. Greg to come rescue me yet again. It was 110 miles to home, so we figured it'd take her about two hours. She loaded the '68 GMC and started out. Now I WAS very fortunate in that about 200 yards down the road was a dirt road underpass under I-25. SHADE. I coasted the Uly down to the underpass, carried my gear down there, opened up my folding chair, got my water bladder out of the tank bag, and started reading a book on my iPhone while waiting (wind blew my chair over while taking the picture):  Another good reason for being in the shade was that the "monsoon season" had just arrived in New Mexico, and a thunderstorm was approaching:  Having loaded the Uly into the '68 GMC truck ourselves a few days earlier, perhaps we were overconfident. Note that both Mrs. Greg and I are in our 60s, and not overly large (I'm 5-9, 140 lb). Okay, I'm making excuses, but this time THE BEAST got the better of us:  We finally got the Uly off the tailgate and laying flat on the ground. With some steel road signs we found we were able to lever the bike upright, amazingly. Of course we then had to try to load it again, but this time we succeeded. Damage: (1) one PIAA light shattered, (2) one "operator tube" destroyed, (3) front molding on left side airscoop broken (scoop still functional), (4) Left mirror scuffed but not broken. The Barkbusters and HVMP bar-ends save me yet again. There might actually be more damage; I haven't done a thorough inspection yet. So we arrive home about 8:00 p.m., having driven most of the way through the thunderstorm. The Uly is still in the truck (my son says he'll come over and unload it tomorrow...I'm not touching the @#$%^&* thing). Fellas, I'm rapidly falling out of love with this bike. Some of you know that I've had everything apart on this bike (and its predecessor) except split the cases. And I used to be quite a Uly evangelist. I've put over 80,000 miles on the two Ulys. Sigh. Obviously the charging problem is intermittent. And so is my enjoyment of the Uly. Guess I'll re-read FSM Section 7.7 again... Anyone interested in "one and a half" '06 Ulys? (parts bike in addition to this one). Oh yeah, my back is now worse again, too. --Doc | ||
| Froggy |
$10 says its the 77 connector like mentioned in previous posts. How much are you looking for the bikes?  | ||
| Sleez |
sorry to hear that greg, but glad you are ok for the most part. would have liked to shake your hand at homecoming. | ||
| Okc99 |
Greg, Keep the memories and sell the bike. As an academic I'm sure you know all about the point of diminishing returns. With this bike, I think your best stories/memories are behind you. And I say that with positivity. I sold mine last week when I hit my own personal PODR at 14k miles. The PODR is unique for every Uly owner....but inevitable. | ||
| Ronmold |
The bike knows you've been trying other bikes and is jealous! "Hell has no fury like a Uly scorned!" Maybe time to move on but it still grieves me to hear all this happening to you, good luck! | ||
| Iliad |
Love your stories Doc. Sorry for your troubles. | ||
| Cyclonedon |
Doc, sorry to hear about your problem with the Uly. Mine acted-up for the first time just prior to this year's Homecoming and it turned out to be such a simple thing but it sure had me totally pissed-offed trying to fix it! My problem was the front spark plug wire, a $9.95 fix but I couldn't find the problem for the longest time and had I taken my bike to the cycle shop, I would have likely missed homecoming. Now if I had ridden 100 miles away from home and had the problem that you had, I would have been S.O.L. because I don't have a truck or someone to come and get me if I have a break-down. take a couple of days and then tear into it, look it over and see if you can find the problem. If you can't find anything and you feel uncomfortable riding it because of the past problems you've had with it, then maybe you should part ways with it and look at another motorcycle. I hope you get it fixed and I'm looking forward to seeing you at next year's Buell Homecoming. | ||
| Badrap |
Dr. Greg, You are making me paranoid about taking may bike past the driveway. Good luck with your bike. | ||
| Thesmaz |
Dr Greg, I'm in the same spot as you. I've been stranded three times by my Uly and have had numerous other issues that I've addressed and then something else fails. I've got all of the parts to get my Uly back on the road finally, just having a hard time motivating myself to rip the bikes apart, again. I've got to replace the stator, volt reg w/upgraded 77 connector, battery and fan (and I just installed the rider comfort kit - really looking forward to ripping apart the entire back end again - NOT!). Oh well, maybe I'll get started on it today.... | ||
| Xbimmer |
Are you sure the CEL wasn't due to the heat? Did the engine quit? | ||
| 12x9sl |
Dr. Greg, I am sorry to hear about your troubles. Hopefully you can get it sorted out. Your writing is very well done and you are as asset to the board, we'd miss your tales.... | ||
| Motorbike |
Dr. Greg, I would enjoy meeting you sometime but I would really like to meet your wife. She must be one heck of a good woman. Take care of her! If I had as much trouble with my bike as you have had, I would be divorced and bikeless! Thanks. | ||
| 12x9sl |
+1 to what Motorbike said!! | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Whenever you think you've fixed the bike for $1 then it is time to keep looking for the real problem. | ||
| Rotorhead |
I've enjoyed your Uly adventures GOOD OR BAD. I hope you stick it out with your ULY. I'm not in the market for another 1 1/2 ULY but when that 68 GMC decides to piss you off I'll take her off your hands.  | ||
| Buellerxt |
Greg, Sorry about your troubles with the bike. I fully understand your frustration. There is a better approach though than putting your wife through stress every time you tell her you want to go on a ride to 'relax'! LOL GET A TOWING SERVICE!! Everybody that tours on a bike knows, or darn sure should, that you need three things to tour on a motorcycle: 1. A good cell phone, 2. A good credit card, and 3. A good towing service (AAA, MTS, etc.). My wife is my best friend and a great supporter of my motorcycling but I'd never consider putting her through the long drives, having to help lift a 500 lb. bike, the stress, etc. A tow would have been dispatched out of Socorro if you had AAA, you would have gotten out of there an hour or more earlier, and your wife wouldn't have been bothered. To me, that's the first thing you should be looking into 'fixing'. Good luck on the bike, whether you fix it or sell it. (Message edited by buellerxt on June 27, 2010) | ||
| Skinstains |
Hey Doc. I really hope you don't off the Uly. If however you do, don't forget to test ride a F800GS and something from KTM. | ||
| Towpro |
I know it's not the cure, but it is an earlier warning system. http://www.customdynamics.com/LED_battery_gauge.ht m#LED_Battery_Gauge_with_Remote_Flush_Panel_Mount_ LED | ||
| Skinstains |
I put one of those on my Uly (Fatty did a step by step and it's a real clean easy install)and a switch that shuts off every light on the bike except the guage lights (yes even the brake lights). If my monitor goes yellow or red we immediatly initiate stealth mode and hope it's during daylight hours. The flash to pass still works in stealth mode so Ifigure I'm good. | ||
| Eulysses |
Just a challenge for a smart guy to get to the bottom of. I think the hard thing now is that black cloud of questionable long-term support. If Erik and HD were cranking these babies out and we were all excited about the new 1125 Uly and the XB upgrades for 2011 we would be whittling away on our model issues...like we had a future. But that black cloud feels like we are investing in something that won't matter in the long run. Weird. Going to do it anyway though. As long as you guys are there...I will be too. | ||
| Dynasport |
I understand that different people have different priorities and that any motorcycle can break down. Still, I like to travel occasionally on my motorcycle and breakdowns have a way of ruining trips. If I ever lose confidence in my XT getting me there and back, wherever there is, it will be time for me to buy another bike. I hope that day is a long way away. | ||
| Slowride |
~Well said Dynasport~ I have been there and back again. 06 Uly left me stranded more times than I can count w/ 7 pages of warranty work before I traded it in on a 08 Goldwing. BUT I just sold the Goldwing in April and purchased an 09 XT because I just couldn't get that damn thing out of my head. The sad part is, between every time I ride her now... the 09, I am looking for her replacement due to me thinking ill of her previous sister. After every ride though, I am sure I made the right choice coming back to the Uly... until I read shite like this on Badweb. | ||
| Buellerxt |
Three posts in a row where I can't wait to say 'well said'. Eulysses, Dynasport, and Slowride, I have the exact same sentiments and feelings in regard to Uly's. Well said, all of you. Had a great 160 mile ride yesterday and really want to trust this thing on long, extended trips I like to take, but with all the issues and the scarcity of dealers and Buell parts at those scarce dealers. . . . . Greg knows these beasts better than most and can handle roadside issues better than most, I think, yet show stopper issues keep popping up. I still plan to get a spare belt, spare bearings and spacer, and eventually a 2010 wheel, and take this bike on long trips but for the time being it's stable mate carries that load as the Uly stays within a 100 miles of home. I did take a quick 1000 mile ride but with relatively new bearings and belt I figured I'd be okay and was. | ||
| Eulysses |
Buellerxt...I do take comfort in mine being an 09. I own a spare belt and bearing etc. Lots of bugs worked out from 06 early X's. Just going to ride. Have an AAA card if needed. Found a local V-twin pony-tail guy in town this weekend with a small shop and 33 years of V-twin certs from Harley...loves those Buells. He is my backup. I really like my X. That helps too. | ||
| Buewulf |
The PODR is unique for every Uly owner....but inevitable. Ha! Funny! I imagine that is true for any bike. I confess that I am not a very forgiving owner. Motorcycles are expensive contraptions these days, and I expect high levels of reliability out of them. I fall out of favor with any vehicle that leaves me stranded once. I intend to do the prescribed maintenance, and I even intend to replace the drive belt around 15K just as I would a chain for good measure. I like the Uly a lot, but if it ever prematurely snaps a belt, shreds the wheel bearings without warning or develops some other issue that leaves me stranded on some gravel road or robs me of a carefully planned and anticipated riding adventure, the Uly's trial will likely result in extreme prejudice. I'll keep a close eye on the known issues and will address them at the first sign of infraction. But when the bike is on duty, it had better work. Flat tires, bad batteries, consequences of my own stupidity: those are the types of punches I'm willing to roll with out in the great wide open. If a major failure happens in my driveway or close enough to coast to it, I may even give the bike a pass. Otherwise, you'll likely see it on Craig's List. | ||
| Ourdee |
Doc, I think it's the back talking. I vote for the 77 connector. | ||
| Pso |
Been stranded three times. Bike cut off on weekend andventure, and then could not get a voltage or over about 12.8 at 4K rpm. As a result I the took wifes wee strom on last weekend adventure because I just could not trust Buell to get me home. Electronics driving me nuts. I am now looking for an alternative bike to replace Uly. I will add that the Uly is the most comfortable and most fun bike I have ever owned, it is also the most unreliable vehicle I have ever owned even more so than early 60's British spots cars (Mg's and Healey's). I do no t mind most mechanical things, I carry a spare belt and also I have a 10K wheel in the garage awaiting the new. So Dr. G. are you going to start looking at bike's again? | ||
| Florida_lime |
He's had a deposit on a 2010 Ducati Multistrada 1200 since he did a demo. Not sure how much looking he's doing now.  | ||
| Barclaypierce |
The 2010 Multistrada will be my next bike also, once I can pick up a used one. | ||
| Smac |
Well, I know that the one thing I'd do if I was Dr. Greg...not buy another 1st model year bike (I believe he has an '06). I'm sure the 2010 Multistrada (like most new model year bikes) will have its share of glitches...especially with all that new electronic gadgetry. Let someone else be the guinea pig! Just my 2 cents... |
