| Author | Message | ||
     Bike_pilot |
Hi all, I've just bought an '09 XT from a good fellow who just finished up a 10k mile trip on the bike. The Buell is in Boston so I'm flying up tomorrow morning to retrieve it -- a dealer is holding it for me. It is reported to be in great shape with the exception of a cracked ECM and possibly something about an undertray. I have a shiny new Erik Buell Racing ECM in hand to fit when I arrive. This will be my fourth fly-and-ride The Uly is the faster red color. About me... I've been riding street for 9 years and off road for 18. Have had a variety of Japanese and Italian machines, but nothing from the Motor Company 'till now. I'm excited to try something new! | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Give us a rebel yell. Welcome aboard. | ||
| Jhallgren |
Welcome to the madness Josh. | ||
| Schwara |
Be sure to still move the ECM location. Don't trust your shiny new E B R ECM to the little spacer block. Have fun on your ride back. | ||
| Hooper |
Hope the rain holds off! | ||
| Bike_pilot |
Thanks y'all! I'll take care to re-mount the ECM such that this doesn't happen again. Dry weather would be nice, though it looks unlikely -- Buells run ok in the rain right? | ||
| Froggy |
My 1125R has been Irene tested, it was great having the highway to myself. No cops, No traffic  The XB should be fine, but there is a fairly common issue that the bike will misfire if wet. If this happens, you probably need to change your spark plug wires, as they like to rub against the motor causing a short when wet. | ||
| Buewulf |
Congrats and welcome! Enjoy the ride back home. Some great riding the Northeast, so hopefully you have time to take the long way home. | ||
| Rodclement |
Welcome! I am new as well, great place to be! Rod | ||
| Steveford |
Mine would sputter in the rain until I finally pulled up the front spark plug boot and gave the connector a good coating of dielectric grease inside and out. That was 55,000 miles ago and no more wet weather misfire. | ||
| Bike_pilot |
Thanks all. I picked up the bike yesterday afternoon, plugged in the Erik Buell Racing ECM (stocker was cracked), and rode back to DC last night. Had stuff to do here today and back to work tomorrow am. I've ridden new england before though. One thing that I didn't expect about the bike was the amount of vibration when underway. I know they are supposed to shake a lot at idle, but mine seems to beat me up a bit all the time, especially if <4k rpm. For example, 3.5k rpm in 5th makes the pegs vibrate enough to hurt my feet after a couple of hundred miles. Normal or should I look into new isolators or something? Its an '09 XT with 16k miles. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
BK, You shouldn't have that kind of vibration. Things to check: Front engine isolator. May need replacing. Primary chain adjustment. May be too loose or too tight. Tires might be cupped. I rode on a trip with a badly cupped front tire and it was like riding across railroad track for 1500 miles. | ||
| Schwara |
I would agree that the vibes you described do not sound like the same ride I get around that RPM (09 XT as well). That being said I have done a few things to improve day to day rideability ... that I've been happy with, lowered pegs from Knight Design (sponsor), 1" bar riser from Precision (sponsor), HVMP SS bar end weights, and also did the breather re-route. Personally, I'm very happy with all of those and I think that each contributes to my riding comfort. I will possibly look into the Rox riser from A S B to get even a little more bar height and adjustment and then also save up for a Corbin saddle, but both of those won't happen until next year @the earliest. | ||
| Bike_pilot |
Thanks, good to hear. The front tire is cupped a little and pretty worn, it'll be getting a new one asap. Rear tire is brand new. Vibes do seem to go along with engine rpm though, if I change down to 4th the vibs are then a higher frequency and usually a bit less severe, but I couldn't bring myself to make the whole trip in 4th, just didn't seem right somehow. Is there a way of checking the front isolator? I looked at it and didn't see any obvious visual faults, but its a bit dirty so I'll wash the bike and see if I can get a better read on the condition of the rubber. I'll change oil in both holes and check primary chain adjustment asap as well. Also, I've never had a 45 degree twin so its possible that I just don't know what to expect. To date I've had a bunch of 90 degree twins (which have perfect primary balance, and minimal vibration) and a few 4 cylinders (some were buzzy, some were very smooth) and of course a bunch of off road singles (some shake,some smooth depending on whether and how well they are counter-balanced). | ||
| Bike_pilot |
Hey Schwara, thanks, didn't see your post when I wrote the above. Oddly I found the bars pretty smooth, not enough vibs there to complain about really. The pegs are where it bothered me. Maybe I have unusually sensitive feet, I don't know. I was wearing the same sport-touring boots I always wear. They aren't as thin and hard as my race boots, but are still fairly thin and hard for good feel. With the HVMP bar end weights are you able to retain the stock handguards? | ||
| Schwara |
Yes, the HVMPs will work with stock guards although you need to take care when tightening throttle side, mentioned in the instructions. I actually used Knight's weights 1st & I like their clip in design a little better for the guards but both designs will just bolt right on. The Knight's have a cut groove the guard clips in just like stock & the HVMPs have a collar that it free to slide along the guard clipping surface. I noticed a real difference with the Knight weights & after checking with some others out here figured that the larger HVMPs would help even more ... they do, but they are pretty big. I have some installed pictures somewhere if that would be helpful. | ||
| Bike_pilot |
Thanks, I appreciate it! I'll probably get something like that eventually but its not super-high on the list of things to do. First I need to pre-fix all the problem spots and verify that all maintenance is up to date. One other thing with the bike. It is extremely difficult to find neutral when stopped and the shifter feels very stiff (again, I've not Harly-based point of comparison, but if the ducati shifted like this it'd be considered broken). I intend to check clutch cable adjustment and lube/clean all the shifter pivot points. Anything else to look into? I can learn to live with the stiff shifting. I'd rather not have to live with the hard-to-find neutral if I could -- I spend a lot of time riding around D.C. and there are so many lights/traffic jambs its nice to be able to snick it into neutral and rest the left hand from time to time Thanks again for all the help! | ||
| Tastroman |
I have an 09XT and once underway I consider the bike to be very smooth. I have never noticed vibes coming from the pegs that I would describe as uncomfortable through my $50 hiking boots. I would take a long look at your front isolator. As long as I shift to neutral before the bike stops rolling I have no problem finding neutral, if I wait until the bike is stopped then it's hard to locate. But that is true of other bikes I've owned in the past. I'm about 5 hours SW of you. I'd be happy to meet you halfway (Waynesboro Va.) if you want to swap bikes to see if your bikes vibes are bike specific. (Message edited by tastroman on September 11, 2011) | ||
| Bike_pilot |
Thanks very much! Sounds like the shifting, etc is normal for this bike then. Let me get all the maintenance up to date, fresh tire, check the wheel bearings etc and if I still have the vibes I'd love to meet up and swap bikes. My boots are quite a bit thinner and harder than hiking boots so what bothers me in these boots might not bother someone in hiking boots. Also, it didn't start to become a bother till I had been on the road for a couple hundred miles. My feet are a little tender today though and aren't normally prone to being overly sensitive (I race off road and take quite a pounding without complaint). I just went out to check the primary chain tension. I think it is about right. Around 1/2" of play (cold), maybe just a touch more. I didn't come up with a great way of measuring though the inspection cover. I can push it up so the bottom of the chain is a a bit (maybe a quarter inch or so) above the top of the inspection cover window. The oil in the primary looked nice and clean, I don't think it has suffered water intrusion. I'll change it anyway here soon along with the engine oil (which is at the proper level, but a starting to get a bit brown so I'll change it). (Message edited by Bike_pilot on September 11, 2011) | ||
| Jphish |
The XB Vtwins do obviously vibrate at idle - but shoudnt feel much, if any vibration, from 3k rpm on. Certainly check 'likely suspects' already enumerated - primary chain adjustment - takes 10 mins max (besides vibration - it can also contribute to clunky shifting, if out of adjustment) The front isolator should have about 1/4" gap - less than that it maybe torn inside, but not always easy to see. They do start to 'sag' over time. The clutch adj is in 2 steps - be sure to follow manual dictated proceedure & pull in clutch handle a few times to set "ball / ramp". I'd also add gel soles to my riding boots - significantly cuts down on 'tingling feet' syndrome. good luck. | ||
| Bike_pilot |
I had another look at the primary and by my best measurements had approx 5/8" of play in the chain. I reduced it to approx 3/8" cold. I also adjusted the clutch. Rode in to work this morning, which is only 11 miles and mostly city streets, and it seemed to shift a little better and neutral was easier. I'll have to go for a long ride and get it nice and hot to see if it stays that way. I think vibration in the pegs is reduced as well, but need to get on the freeway for a while to be sure. Thanks for all the info! I'm going to order up some spare parts, does anyone happen to have the Buell pt# for the rear belt and oil filter? I searched around and came up with this for the belt: G0500.1AKF Didn't come up with an OEM oil filter number yet though. Also, is an electronic copy of the parts catalog available anywhere? (even if for purchase)? I'm not much on toting paper around and it seems Buell/HD make buying parts awfully hard -- the parts fisches are on-line (part of the on-line sales for most parts dealers) for all my other bikes. Haven't found a similarly helpful HD/Buell site yet. | ||
| Bike_pilot |
Oh, one other thing. The heat is really bothering me as well. The bike has the comfort kit and the Erik Buell Racing ECM with the comfort kit programming (fan runs whenever the bike is moving). It also has wrapped headers. Any advice on the best next-step in keeping it cool? I seem to get hot air on my legs and the frame gets much hotter than I would like. I may not do much on this till spring as soon enough it'll be cold enough outside that the heat won't be a bother My thoughts were to fit a heat blanket (but I am a bit unhappy with how the special ops blanket looks like it would trap heat against the ECM, battery and shock -- any options that are kinder to these components?) and line the inside of the frame with some sort of heat-reflective/insulating material (not sure what is best). I'm assuming the latter would require rotating the motor, any comments on how involved that process is? thanks again! Josh | ||
| Schwara |
Bike_pilot - a guy I correspond with periodically put together a list of oil filters that all fit. I added his list to my maintenance spreadsheet and I'll attempt to print out everything in text below. You can find filters that will fit in stock in auto parts stores as well as Walmart. You might want to open up the boxes though as some definitely look better than others. At some point I'll probably order the Scott's as it looks pretty cool, but it is a lifetime cleanable filter and is very expensive ... for an oil filter. ACDelco UPF1233 Amsoil EA009 SDF10 Amsoil EA010 SDF11 Bosch 3311 Car Quest 85394 Champion C138 Fram PH4967 HD 63806-004 or 00y? HiFloFiltro HF177 K&N hp-1003 KN-177 Mighty m4477 Napa 1394 Mobil 1 M1-103 Motorcraft FL836 Penzoil pz39 Purolator L14476 Scotts Performance billet STP S4967 Valvoline vo40 Walmart ST4967 Supertech Wix 51394 Union Sangyo C-170 OEM Toyota | ||
| Buewulf |
The tranny is kind of rough around the edges, and as you have already concluded is the norm for this bike. Find neutral before you stop or try fanning it a touch of clutch in first with a little upward pressure preloaded on the shifter. I also notice vibes in the pegs at highway speeds. Adjustment of the primary chain does help some with shifting and vibes but does not eliminate the issue. I think "smooth" is just a relative term, and whether the Uly is smooth or not probably depends on what you are comparing it to. The peg vibes can be a little tiring after a few hours of highway droning, but I find I totally forget about it on a fun or scenic road. Gel insoles do help a little. I've read that the '08 ups are more refined beasts than my '06, so perhaps you should also take a close look at that isolator as others have suggested. | ||
| Schwara |
A S B has a thermal stick on barrier that some say works very well for lining the inside of the frame ... one of the many items on my long term list of upgrades to do at some point. If and when I need to do the engine rotate that's probably when I'll mess with that. I will definitely ceramic coat the headers at some point for looks and heat. I also did three things at once that made a noticeable difference in the heat I was feeling 1) Special OPS barriers, 2) E B R Race ECM, & 3) Mobil 1 V Twin 20w50. The ceramic coated headers were higher on my list, but after doing all of these the heat has been much more manageable. I only really notice it on long rides close to 100 deg. At 90 and below I don't even notice the heat anymore. Like you I have been putting some thought into whether I'm cooking the ECM and battery with a heat shield on top, but a nice feature to the Special OPS Uly shield is that you can un-attach that piece when concerned about that. I pulled that piece off at some point in the last month or so and haven't actually put it back on yet. I also recently wrapped my ECM in silicone tape (Home Depot) mainly for protection but I would assume that will also insulate it some as well. | ||
| Buewulf |
Best fix for the heat: If you are a giant, get the tall seat. My bike had one when I first got it. It was all day comfortable, and I had no idea why all these pansies were moaning about heat. For me though, the Uly was just too tall with that seat. I switched to a low seat. After that, my right leg would get roasted as does my arse after about 45 mins. I found the comfort kit to be ineffective. I noticed my low seat did not fit against the frame very tightly and left a pretty big gap. Someone had suggested that I fill the gap with some automotive weather stripping, and that helped tremendously. Don't know what to do about the toasty arse. The heat is nice during the winter, though! | ||
| Tastroman |
I may own an unusually cool running Uly but the heat on my stock Uly does not bother me at all. I always wear riding pants FWIW. | ||
| Bike_pilot |
You must! I always wear riding pants and am generally pretty impervious to temperature. It is uncomfortably hot even in my thick Motoport kevlar pants and painfully hot in my thinner Olympia Ranger II overpants. I think I will try the tall seat. I'm only average height, but don't mind tall bikes and being an XT it isn't all that tall to start with. I can stand the warm seat, what really bothers me is the heat on the inside of my legs. I'll have to play around a bit, but I think there's a bit of a hot air blast coming out near the frame/airbox cover/seat junction. I'll put in the Mobil 1 Synthetic when I change oil (which I'll do very soon). It has the E B R Race ECM and I think I'll go for the Special Ops blanket unless I come up with something more clever (still not a fan of trapping the heat against the ECM and battery -- maybe I can put the rear section of the blanket under those components). Does anyone know how wrapped headers compare to ceramic coated for heat? My XT came to me with header wrap already installed. | ||
| Buewulf |
Bike_Pilot, FWIW, wrapping the headers on my bike did nothing to keep the inside of my leg from getting roasted. Plus the wrap looked awful after about 3 months. On my bike at least, most of the heat blast on the right side was coming from the gap between the seat frame and fuel frame where heat from the head was just blasting out. The weather stripping helped the most. Even the frame is noticeably cooler at that spot now. I'd try it as it is a cheap risk. When I had the tall seat, there was no gap left between the seat and fuel frame, and I imagine the extra foam and vertical distance away from the problem areas made a substantial difference as well. I don't know if QC for the seats are such that you could expect the same fitment (at the frame), but riding was much more pleasant with it for sure. Stop-and-go and low-speed maneuvering were different stories though, despite being accustomed to tall bikes! Bike is an '06 X, and I am 5'8". You'll probably be fine with it on an XT at your height. | ||
| Schwara |
This was my 1st air cooled v-twin and I noticed the difference in heat the first week that I had her ... and so did my wife. As a side note I also put in the 2 smaller Special OPS pieces and I think that they help quite a bit with some of the leakages/openings .. one fits mostly underneath the stock position of the ECM so at the moment with the seat portion of the Uly-Max barrier off neither the battery or the ECM have anything reflecting heat back at them. If anything my ECM sees less heat right now than it used to. As soon as I put the other portion of Max barrier back on that will no longer be the case obviously. For the wrap verses ceramic I thought I read somewhere that that the ceramic did a much better job, when using the bright silver and applied to both inside and out, but I don't believe that I saved the info or links so I guess it's just hearsay ... sorry. I liked the idea of bright silver headers that keep an even color so 1 piece of info saying they worked better was all it took to make my decision. |
