| Author | Message | ||
     Naustin |
KM is right. A mail order only model is completly unrealistic. Plus, if Buell builds a xblast before they build me my 1125GT, I'll buy a C14 and never buy another buell, ever. LOL Hell, I might buy a C14 or an FJR anyway... We'll see how the ride out to NYC and back 2up on the S3T treats me... It might convince me that I need a bike with an adjustable fairing, adjustable seat, and saddlebags that don't have to be held together with fiberglass and superglue... | ||
| Ezblast |
They've done it before and though that was a logistic nightmare to para-quote Court - still now such a project would be much easier to do - Ducati's been doing it for a while now - lol - so I really don't see the negative - the XT is the answer your looking for anyway - and the rest I already answered in my last response - proving your buddy quite wrong. EZ | ||
| Naustin |
The XT would be pretty close to what I'm looking for IF it had a fairing on it... I'm bored with the dual headlight look of the lightning, ditch the hand guards and put a fairing on the damn thing. Use the same headlight assembly as the 1125R, but make the fairing a little bigger with a more upright screen to match the more upright riding position. I guess we're both the same, EZ - we both want something from Buell that we're just not going to get. At least, not anytime soon. | ||
| Ezblast |
You know - some vendor should pay attention and make a traveling fairing set up for that bike - It would be cool if Buell did that, but I think others could give that a good shot as well - they make R fairing kits - why not a XT Traveler's fairing kit - if thats the only thing stopping you and others then I'd get together on it and start approaching vendors - thats how those belt to chain kits came out for the XBs as well. EZ (Message edited by ezblast on January 24, 2008) | ||
| Naustin |
How many guys would buy a $500 Fairing kit for a $13,000 bike when they can buy a Triumph Sprint for 10,900? I'll have to see how Al's project turns out with that Eleven Fairing, though. Too bad Buell started with a Lighting instead of the Eleven with they decided to Build an "Adventure-Sport Touring" bike. Maybe they'll come out with a Hyper-Adventure-anything so as not to call it just a sport-touring-Sport Touring bike next year based on the 1125R chassis... Who knows. I'm expecting 2-5 more seasons out of my S3T anyways... Unless I wreck it or it breaks or I win the lottery. Edit: You know, I'm tempted to think the XT doesn't have a fairing, becuse if it had a fairing, it would obviously be a Sport Touring bike, and they said that they wouldn't do a sport touring bike becuase "Sport Touring bikes don't sell", so by God, the XT can't have a fairing...  (Message edited by naustin on January 24, 2008) | ||
| Ezblast |
1st question - answer - any Buell owner. Last statement comment - as any Buell owner will pipe up and shout - 'So we'll make one! - lol - proof positive I've been in this forum way too long;0) EZ | ||
| Kmbuell |
If we return to the Blast for a moment, and go back to the "reliability" issues with intake couplers, sheared exhaust studs and the like, how many of the issues were on stock un-modified bikes? I think the issue is that many of us have already modified the bikes to various degrees of what "we" think the perfect Blast should be. Some of us may be pretty good mechanics, some not so much. Some of the loudest noise makers seem to have the most modified bikes. Buell cannot foresee what we may dream up to "Fix" our bikes. Blaming them does no good. Many of the "fixes" I've read about in the Blast forum are good. Some are going to get you in trouble. I don't own a stock bike, never have, never will. Sometimes the same bike goes through several versions before I get it right and love it or I decide I need to move on. My point is if we change the bike, we have to take responsibility for the outcome. Good or bad. I vote for modifications. I don't want to ride what everyone else is riding. If I did I'd be back on the softtail that went away in '94 for the S2. | ||
| Ezblast |
Actually - those issues involve stock bikes as well by new owners - why I brought it up - many of those boards above show that - no one is blaming anyone - rubber gets old and cracks - especially when put through a world of heat cycles - a daily rider for instance - nor are the problems rampant - except the boot - but they do show up on the boards with an annoying regularity of a few times a year - so I suggested perhaps a QC review in the head bolts mounting area and exhaust - both exhaust and mounting points. Modifying the bike is definitely part of the Buell motorcycle life style though - so yes - some issues are self induced - I'm trying not to include such bikes as that in my above statements though - even though I've experienced every one of those issues - but since both of my Blasts are the very earliest editions - I accepted the fact that they would have issues and that DP would fix them under warrentee - which they reluctantly did - I still love my Blasts for their simplicity and durability - but then I've addressed all those issues, done my mods and am happy with the results.  EZ | ||
| Luckyduck |
Wow, at least the Blast gets people excited.  A little story on quality issues with stock Blasts, sample size of me. 1900miles, rubbed through wires under gas tank. 2300 miles, boot. 2500 miles, belt broke. 4000 miles, trans reassemble to even up detent pins and get rid of neutral between 4th and 5th. That was my first year with no mods to decide what I wanted to do with it. After the frustrations and urges to burn it while sitting beside the road, I really like it now that it is sorted out. That was definitely not the kind of issues you want a first time owner to get. Except for the boot, they were all things that could have been taken care of with better assembly. The boot may have been from a rejet to get it to run better in cold weather. ( I did not call the factory because these were way simpler things than my last bike had and so I just fixed them) The upgrades we really are asking for, better shifting with XB gears, better power with XB pistons and heads, are things that the rest of the line got years ago and are straight bolt in this instead of that sort of changes. The only design work we ask for is firmware in the chip to raise the redline, a better flowing stock exhaust, and come up with enough room to run a standard size rear tire. Even 140/70-16 is used in quite a few scooters and has some options, if the factory pre hammered the shock mount, it could fit. As for the XB6. I think it might surprise some folks how many people would like a more modestly powered sport bike. There are non on the market now to benchmark, so there is some risk. It is sort of like the argument against making a nice small car in the late '90's of "People won't buy a $20,000 small car" followed by "Does anyone make them?" followed by "No, because people don't buy them". Followed by something like the Prius that sells out production capacity for years. Anyway. Update the Blast, it is time and then some. The XB's have proven the tech enough that it should hold up to Blast use. Paul | ||
| Prof_stack |
As for the XB6. I think it might surprise some folks how many people would like a more modestly powered sport bike. Luckyduck +1 and perhaps a lighter one as well. | ||
| Ezblast |
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| Jlnance |
Ah, we are back to the Blast As to the boot, it does break more than it should. It probably doesn't show up on the HD/Buell radar because they are tracking things by warranty $, and it is a $7 part. I suspect this is the same reason Uly clutch cable retainers still break. The problem with the boot isn't that you have to spend $7 every now and then. Rather, it is the fact that a bike with a cracked boot can display all sorts of weird symptoms and often still runs. These things are passed around as beginner bikes and owned by people who don't know it isn't supposed to run like that. They show up on websites complaining about how Blasts are a POS. Ed spends his days telling these people to replace the boot (no matter what the symptom is, replacing the boot has about a 90% chance of fixing it.) It sure would be nice to see this problem disappear. | ||
| Rubberdown |
I bet an XB6 single would not need a fan! Cool bike! | ||
| Rainman |
5,000 miles, no belt problems, no boot problems, no exhaust problems, about to change out my Dunlops which are still legal and get about 63 mpg in almost every day riding. Didn't change the oil for 4,000 miles and it's a Rider's Edge bike. I'm waiting for everything to go wrong at once. | ||
| Midknyte |
keep talkin like that and I'm sure someone will tell you ;) | ||
| Midknyte |
was pokin around for shirts - look what I found http://cgi.ebay.com/BUELL-BLAST-T-SHIRT-SIZE-MEDIU M_W0QQitemZ190081481303QQihZ009QQcategoryZ15687QQr dZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQtrksidZp1638.m118.l1247QQcmd ZViewItem | ||
| Ezblast |
Ahhhhh - you forget - the Blast is still HD's most dependable/reliable - leaving all the rest behind it in that category - if they where to address these few minor issues - you'd have a damn near dealer-proof/perfect all around bike. EZ | ||
| Rainman |
Ah, dealer-proof: My dealer has some pretty darn good Harley mechanics in the back room and some good Harley sales folks on the floor who know their product. I actually sold a new Blast for them one day and they managed to undo the sale by trying to peddle the person a Sporty instead. Oh well. | ||
| Ezblast |
LOL - same thing almost happened to me at Dudley Perkins - the guy was going to buy it on the Main-land and ship it to Hawaii - retiring union guy - I sent him to DP - the Dudley P folks wanted to sell him a Sportster and he was about to walk out when I walk in and see him walking out - I stopped him, gave him a tour of the bike and then my modified bike - showing him the things he wanted to do and how easy it would be to do it - I told him buy the bike, ignore their stupidity and have an outside company ship it to Hawaii - he did, I later told the owner's son the story, he sighed and just shook his head - dealer's are their own worst enemies - they have no real idea of what true customer service is - there are a minority of good ones out there, and with the tightening of the economy - you'll bet they will want to get better overall, but others are just going to put themselves out of business - it is the way of business. EZ | ||
| Court |
There is no better sales tool than an enthusiastic owner. I kept track for a while, during the first year of Buell Motorcycle Company, and stopped counting at 62. These were folks I met on the road who'd never even heard the word Buell that ended up buying one. Folks like Jeremy Ricker who later became advocates and great friends. In my 1997 "9 ways to sell a Buell" one of the elements is that a dealership, in order to be effective, needs to engage the efforts of their local owner enthusiast to simply hang out in the showroom on weekends. One thing that is kind of unique to Buells is that often the person (prospective owner) who comes in knows more than the salesmen. In my own case, before I bought my first HD, I bought the service and parts manual and had the 11 errors I had found highlighted when I went in so I could look at the bike to make sure I was right. Typically folks who are interested in Buells have done a good deal of reading and we are living in a day when LOTS of information is quickly available. The key is for folks who are enthusiastic to help, not criticize, their local dealers. | ||
| Swampy |
I would gladly help my local dealer....... But there are none! | ||
| Ezblast |
God knows I've tried. EZ | ||
| F_skinner |
EZ, I hear you, I have tried several times.... No joy. I did learn why our local dealership was somewhat turned-off by our local Buell group. It is not forward progress but at least I understand their attitude. A good Buell dealership is usually attributed to a few enthusiastic people with support from their management. | ||
| Rainman |
My dealer's staff all ride and they ride well. They can tell you everything about any Big Twin and Sporty, and really get the product. They just don't ride or understand Buell. | ||
| Cityxslicker |
"There is no better sales tool than an enthusiastic owner" Hmmm pre-sold the New XT in the hunting aisle of Walmart yesterday. If you wont come to the dealership, the whacko way over enthusiastic crazy off road guy might find you at your local outdoor hang out. Look out Cabelas ;) Ps our XT shows up in three weeks. Its the company koolaide that I seem to be mainlining. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Cityx - we get ours first week in March. I can't wait, I already have a lead on that one too I wish I didn't look like such an orangutan on a Blast - they are a ton of fun to ride. We used to have a shop Blast that had the race cams, filter, and a V&H pipe on it. That thing was wild. I'm trying to talk management into letting me put a big bore kit in a floor Blast, "just to see". LOL. | ||
| Cityxslicker |
Good luck, they shot me down for the Dual sport Blast-ard. I have the build list and prices at my desk, the first used Blast that comes in this year will be mine.... Damn shame Buell didnt build a DS/SM Muell for us factory direct. (it will be pumped to 600cc ) | ||
| Ezblast |
It looks to me - through the various threads I've started over time concerning this - that yes - a lot of folks would love to see an updated Blast - contrary to traditionalists - lol EZ | ||
| Guell |
Ez, yes many would like to see it, but how many are going to put down money when it comes out. Hell id like to see an updated blast, but that doesnt mean ill be buying one. | ||
| Ezblast |
A lot would, or its competitors would not sell as well, with that thinking. The Blast has a definite place - people would love to say - "Here is Buell's Latest rendition of fun basic motorcycling at its best!" Many think the Blast a great bike as it was first conceived, and an updated version would really make them marvel - and not really cost the factory much of anything in new tooling - I really think it could be a win/win kind of thing and popular with those watching the economy as well. EZ |
