| Author | Message | ||
     Asksteve |
I ask because I took my bike in for service to replace the VR and now it bucks in low gears under accel and if I look down I can see the belt moving all over the place. Dealer thinks the bike needs a new ECM, but I can't replace that until I get this belt fixed (which is probably all it needs) Thanks! '09 XB12XT | ||
| Froggy |
No, on your 09, the VR and connectors are on opposite ends of the bike from the belt. To R&R the VR, you just need to remove the left air scoop, undo a few connectors, snip a few zipties, then unscrew the regulator from its mounting bracket. It is a 15 minute job for anyone that has done it before, with most of the effort being to put the scoop back on. What do you mean by your belt is moving all over the place? | ||
| Rayycc1 |
I'd inspect that belt and all of its paths very carefully...lift the rear of the bike and spin the wheel in neutral and see whats making the belt move about. Sounds as if something might not have been put together correctly | ||
| Asksteve |
Right now the belt is about 1/8 to 1/4 to the outside of the rear sprocket. Ready to jump a tooth. It is tight in this position. The lower belt guard appears to be very close to the sprocket, but that wouldn't make the belt come "out" | ||
| Griffmeister |
I like Ray's idea, of course take the guards off so you can see the entire belt track. You may also find that if the bearings are all fine and sprockets and idler are okay, then the belt may walk back on as you spin the wheel. If so maybe the bucking is what caused the belt movement. Can you describe the bucking? Does the engine run rough? Is it in all gears, any speed, amount of throttle application? Dealer thinks ECM, have you done the relocation or otherwise checked for the dreaded seat contact issue? Inquiring minds want to know. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
Did they perhaps mangle the idler when jacking it up on a lift? | ||
| Asksteve |
So the bike is really heavy and I don't have a good way of rotating the rear tire... but I did roll the bike back and forth and the belt does go back into place. I'll have to investigate further. When the bike bucks, it feels like the wheel is loose and I'm going to fall over. You can here the belt slip a tooth. The bike feels "wavy". Engine runs fine at highway speeds, only in low gears under load does it happen. I have not relocated the ECU. Connecters appear to be fine for all that is worth. | ||
| Asksteve |
How would I tell if the tensioner was damaged? How would I even take that up with the dealer? | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
Perhaps the thing to do here is simply tell the dealer: "Before you touched it, the bike didn't do that. Now you have touched it, it misbehaves." Try to be polite and stuff. It really doesn't sound like it's your problem to solve here. | ||
| Fotoguzzi |
is the axle tight? | ||
| Arry |
Wheel bearings? | ||
| Uly_man |
DO NOT ride this bike as it is dangerous at present. The belt should run "straight and true" across both the sprockets. It sounds like, as been said, that either the axle has not be fitted correctly or that the wheel bearing has collapsed on the sprocket side. Maybe the idle wheel bearing as well. Given what you say "When the bike bucks, it feels like the wheel is loose and I'm going to fall over. You can here the belt slip a tooth. The bike feels "wavy"." it sounds like one of the first two. | ||
| Asksteve |
Its at the dealer now... They were less than enthused. He said "People complain that we break rear tail lights when we only touch headlights... everything is our fault". I set it up for them to rid the bike back to the service bay doors and both of the people I told to ride it did not. Not terribly happy with the service. | ||
| Fotoguzzi |
Don't know your dealer but they might have a grudge against Buell. | ||
| Asksteve |
Dealer says bad rear wheel bearings. What is the useful life on those? | ||
| Zac4mac |
IMO, factory torque on the axles are too high. Both axles, front and rear, have pinch bolts. Coat the axle in Neverseize and screw in snug(~5-8ft-lb. - half spark-plug torque). Tighten pinch bolt to factory spec. I have 25k+ miles on the infamous orange bearings. A large percentage of wheel bearing failures are from over- tightening the axles. of course, IMHO  Z | ||
| Griffmeister |
Life expectancy varies greatly due to a number of factors. Bearings with orange seals were supposed to be prone to early failures, sometimes after just a few thousand miles. Then again some people have had good luck and others even manage to pull the seals and re-grease them for longer life. Black seals were supposed to be an improved bearing giving a consistently longer life, your '09 should have had black seals. The wheel is still a two bearing set-up which seems to put too much load on the right side bearing. In '10 they came up with a three bearing design to alleviate this problem. So the answer to your question is "Who knows?". Here's hoping the outer race didn't spin in the wheel in which case you'll be getting the '10 upgrade. | ||
| Timbobuell |
Warning. Never ride a Uly that does as you described. You would for sure do damage, stand a good chance of getting hurt and might DIE. next, if your bike was ok when you took it in then the dealer broke it and must fix. The real bad things that have gone wrong with my bike have been dealer induced. Many many trouble free miles since my warranty ran out. | ||
| Froggy |
Wheel bearing failure is likely a coincidence and not anything the dealer did. I know the tech was being a dick with his comment about fixing the headlight then the tail light going out, but he is right. It happens all the time in every repair industry. I do computer repair and have to deal with the "you put a virus on my computer" crap after replacing a screen. Still, the dealer should have at least investigated it before jumping to that conclusion, but that is par for the course with many of them. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Do your own repairs. Service manual is a must to be self sufficient. Everything else can be asked here. Anytime you let a stranger work on your bike you take a chance that they actually know what they are doing or care. That is also a good reason to stay away from airlines because what passenger ever has a clue who the guy flying the aircraft is. Wasn't so worried about flying until I got my flying license. | ||
| Asksteve |
I normally do my own repairs and I'm actually pretty good at it, just don't have the time. Dealer called back and it needs almost a complete rear end... almost $1k in repair work. He says wheel, spacer, axle, bearing and then the wheel is the most $$ part. Any other options? | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
Did they say the swingarm is OK? If so, I strongly suggest the 2010 rear wheel kit: http://americansportbike.com/newdir/Item/17330 Pay the extra $20 and have it delivered to your house with the bearings already pressed in. Then you have to transfer the tire, sprocket, and rotor. I understand the "no time for anything" thing as the father of twin toddlers. $1000 sounds like total BS though. | ||
| Froggy |
Sounds like the wheel is shot if they are replacing all of that. You can get a used wheel cheaper, transfer your pulley/tire/rotor to it. I have a spare black rear wheel I can sell, but I know the shipping is going to be expensive due to the size. Another member on here, Jrobey7, he is more local too you and may have one he is willing to sell, but I can't promise that. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/cgibin/discus/boar d-profile.cgi?action=view_profile&profile=jrobey7- users | ||
| Sagehawk |
Measure the wheel out and see if it is still good. if you don't have tools or skills, shop around to make a friend. A little time spent up front is worth it. | ||
| Sagehawk |
Swingarm as well. | ||
| Asksteve |
Dealer said swing arm is ok, for what that is worth. New wheel, bearings, axel, spacers, hardware on order, waiting for dealer to make the bike roll onto my trailer. Do you want to be my friend Sagehawk? I'll have the old wheel ready for work in a few days. | ||
| Buewulf |
$1000. For what, less than $500 in parts and 30 minutes tops? Glad you chose to do this yourself. Like you, I don't have time either. But I don't trust dealers to do things correctly or effectively. My experience is most of them just start throwing your money at the problem until it goes away. Too often they keep throwing your money at the problem and it never goes away, or worse, creates new problems. I rarely take anything to a dealer, but I have always been disappointed the times I have. Of course, a lack of time and an unwillingness to use dealerships means my Uly has spent a large part of its life immobile. | ||
| Arry |
Is the dealer taking care off all this? I hope they order the 2010 wheel, as others have pointed out it is an updated design, with 3 bearings instead of 2. It should hold up better. | ||
| Sagehawk |
Asksteve, sure ill be your friend. I live south of houston tho. A bit of shipping involved. There ought to be a bike friendly machine shop somewhere close to you that would take care enough to see if wheel is usuable. | ||
| Asksteve |
Bike is back in my hands, parts arrive on Wednesday, quick drive to the local tire jockey and we're back in business. Anybody want to buy an '09 in near perfect condition after Wednesday's operation? | ||
| Nobuell |
I have a spare 2010, three bearing wheel for sale. It has an axle for and 1125 but you can buy the 2010 XB axle easy enough. The wheel is black by the way. PM me if you are interested |
