| Author | Message | ||
     Electraglider_1997 |
I have not had these problems with my 06' with 30,000 miles on it. In hindsight, I think Buell would have been better served to have not changed the engine as they did in 08'. My wife's 07' Sporty has the auto tps and timing and 2 O2 sensors and certainly doesn't look like the Buell 08/10 engine. The 08' ULY should've kept the same engine and just been improved with the larger oil cooler, improved kickstand, heated grips, auto tps and timing, second O2 sensor,3 bearing rear wheel, improved steering radius, and of course a stainless steel muffler. I know I'll be flamed for such sedition but what did that 08/10 really accomplish that couldn't have been done with the 06/07 engine, not a thing. Hp and torque remained the same and could only claim a few hundred rpm increase. Had HP/TQ improved then I might see the reasoning behind the change. Buell engineered their own demise. Change for change sake only is not always the way to go. Flame on.  | ||
| Sayitaintso |
I typed up a whole big response to where you posted this the first time, and deleted it b/c I'm conflicted on the whole thing. I too have an '06 and in nearly 24k miles the only thing I've really done is maintenance and the ol' girl runs like a champ. I did replace the rear bearings with the last tire replacement, but the OEM '06 bearings lasted more than 20k miles. Like you I'm of the philosophy "if it aint broke dont fix it". So, if the changes after '06 make Uly's better I'll never know b/c I love mine the way it is. On the other hand though, without innovation and change things never get better. When it comes to I.T. stuff I'm all about bleeding edge. However with mechanical stuff I want the what works and dont screw with it. So I dont know where exactly I stand on the whole change for the sake of change discussion. I guess my answer would be, it depends on the circumstances. | ||
| Froggy |
So a couple people have cracked ECM's on a 08+, and that makes the entire years bad? The problem is with the ECM position, and the 2006-07 bikes have the same issue. Come over to the Xboard, nobody has the same issue on their 2008+ bikes, given the ECM is in a different spot. Also, just about everything you listed couldn't be done with the old fuel injection and engine setup. | ||
| Ironhead1977 |
I won't flame your 06,but I would not trade my 08 back for my old 06 for nothing.My 08 is a lot more refined and the engine is a lot smoother running engine.I suspect due to more mass with the crank pin. Even the wire harness covering is more substantial than it was on my 06. I did put the 06 seat on my XT. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Froggy, I'm afraid I don't buy your last line at all. Like I said, my wife's 07 sportster uses two O2 sensors and has auto timing and auto tps. It certainly doesn't resemble the 08 ULY engine in the least but is close to the 06/07 engine. Like I wrote above, no hp or torque increase and only a nominal redline increase. I know some folks had problems with the 06/07 and some have had problems with the 08/10 engines. Some of us have just been lucky I suppose. It is all just a moot point anyway but I thought I'd stir ye ole pot. Nothing personal as I hope all ULY riders good luck with their rides. | ||
| Froggy |
I understand, but the auto TPS and dual O2 sensors simply are not compatible with DDFI 1 and 2, they are both too limited. The ECMs just don't have the programming to handle it, and you can't just add it. The DDFI3 ECM is leaps and bounds ahead of the older ones. From what I gather, the 2007 Sportster uses a crank position sensor and idle air control, just like the DDFI3 XB, and unlike the cam position sensor and whatever non-computer controlled idle the DDFI1 and 2 bikes have.  (Message edited by froggy on November 09, 2010) | ||
| Blake |
With the new engine in 2008, engine destroying oil pump drive gear failures are a thing of the past. The old design was deficient and prone to failure. The new beefier engine would have supported more power had H-D not sabotaged Buell's efforts in that regard, the 120 RWHP turbo XBike for instance. Increasing rev limit 300 RPM is not trivial. It amounts to better than 10% of the most useful high performance (racing) powerband. If you have a pre-'08 Buell, please routinely inspect its oil pump drive gear. | ||
| Babired |
Blake and what are the tell tale signs of this failure? I'm with Sayitaintso if is works and not broke don't mess with it. I have the 2007 and its stock except for a few Tour_A_Tec farkles. I've had the rear wheel bearings replaced and the bike left me stranded one time in the 25,000 miles I've rode it. Trade it for any other adventure bike NO WAY! I just got the Erik Buell Racing 6mm rotor I have the 2008 triple trees and hopefully next year the Erik Buell Racing ecm replacement for stock ULY | ||
| Mikef5000 |
The only 'tell tale sign' is to check it out at every oil change. Here's a scored one:  | ||
| Timberwolf |
Wasn't the oil pump upgraded for 2007? | ||
| Nobuell |
I have over 27K miles on my 08XT. Aside from the ECM issue I had at the very beginning, the motor has been absolutely reliable. I have ridden an 06 for an extended period and I would not trade it for my 08. I did have a chance to ride a friends 10X for about an hour. That engine is one step smother than my 08. | ||
| 7873jake |
I recall reading that the '07's have the "new" oil pump. In fact, I tried to order the upgraded one from a supplier to do the retrofit and when they asked for (and got) the year of my bike, their question was "why? You have the upgraded one already." | ||
| Mikef5000 |
07's have an upgraded drive gear, but the same small pump.  Can't run the larger oil cooler with that small pump. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
See it is worth discussing. Good stuff. | ||
| Reepicheep |
There were three major "step functions" in the reliability of that pinion gear... The tubers had tolerance stack issues and the old style pinion gear (pictured above, I think that one was from my M2). It had a higher likelyhood of failure (not every bike, but certainly enough that every tuber should be checked before 15k miles). The XB's up through 05 seem to have less tolerance stack issues and the old style pinion gear. A much lower likelyhood of failure, but some have failed. I'd check it before 30k, and I did on my 05 XB9SX and did choose to replace it... but it was less worn in 30k miles than my tuber was in 15k miles... and had a lot of room left to wear, but was significantly worn. The XB's from 06 through 07 had less tolerance stack and the new uber-berillyium-bronze something or other pinion gear, which seems to "fix" the wear problem. Somewhere in this 06 - 07 range there was a stealth update of the oil pump (as pictured above). At a minimum this helped oil circulation, I wouldn't be suprised if it also lowered wear on that pinion gear. The 08 and up completely eliminated the problematic pinion gear all together, and dramatically improved the oiling system anyway. And solved it even better. FWIW. | ||
| Swuly |
Well, i own a '06 and i´m perfectly happy with it, so I guess I'll never know the difference/feel between the old and new engines, but this i do know: I´m not the least worried when it comes to the 06 engine design or it´s oil pumps performance either for that matter. Besides that i don´t want a "smooth" engine. It´s a V-twin and i want it to act like one! What do worries me to some extent is the charging issue (Connector 77) and above all the rear wheel bearing failures! Other than this i´m confident in my 06 Uly (I hope it´s not built on a friday afternoon...) I´m also very thankful towards Badweb and the information treasure you provide! Besides, the "old" engine looks better...  | ||
| Timberwolf |
So is the '08+ oil pump a bolt in replacement to the '06-'07 engines? | ||
| Gunut75 |
No, the oil pump is totally different. This is a good read here. I'm getting a lot out of it.  | ||
| Uly_dude |
so to be clear, I can't go and buy the 08+ oil pump and make it work in my 06 Uly? Just in case I had nothing better to do with my time or money..... | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
The upgraded 07' redesigned oil pump parts can be put into the 06'. That being said, I have yet to read of a 06' ULY oil pumping problem. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Probably because most of us use full synthetic oil. At least, that is all I use. | ||
| Froggy |
It bolts in if you are willing to replace EVERYTHING below the heads. | ||
| Mikef5000 |
The last line of this image is odd though: I pulled that picture from the archives, and am not sure of it's origins. | ||
| Froggy |
That is the 2007 pump. It fits the 2006 and older bikes. The 2008 pump does not fit. | ||
| Reepicheep |
I thought that new stealth upgrade pump showed up earlier then 2007, I thought it was 2006... The 2008 pump is easy to spot, its built into the cam cover. | ||
| Froggy |
06's got the bronze gear, http://www.buell.com/en_us/gear/accessories/produc t.asp?Menu_ID=2&ProductLineID=4&CategoryID=6&Produ ctID=3138 07's got the pump above. | ||
| Tootal |
I have an 06 Uly with 07 springs, 08 triple trees, 09 headlights, (thanks froggy), 010 rear wheel. Seems like every year was good for something!! | ||
| Froggy |
Did you get a 2011 stainless muffler yet? | ||
| Mikef5000 |
They're on backorder. | ||
| Tootal |
Did you get a 2011 stainless muffler yet? That would be a good idea except I would hate to dent it all up using it as a bash plate. I'll keep the big heavy bash plate for now. | ||
| Panhead_dan |
Please tell me more about this '09 headlight thing Tootal and Froggy. I've been in contact with Al Lighton and he is sure the reflectors are the same. He did say the part number was new but thought it was changed to unify foreign and domestic headlights or something like that. Also he said he can get the new lights for $116. | ||
| Tootal |
Froggy had mentioned the reflectors were improved so I ordered one but of course it's still on order!! So I haven't actually seen it yet. | ||
| Froggy |
Ride a 09+ XB, you will notice they do light the road better. Not HID great of course, but better than the 03-07 assembly. | ||
| Panhead_dan |
Thanks! |
