| Author | Message | ||
     Ezblast |
Ditch the Dunlop - its safer to do so. Milwaukee is supposedly full of good Buell dealerships - perhaps others have some specific names? EZ | ||
| Jonny5 |
Thanks EZ, That's kind of what I thought, but didn't want to spend the extra coin unless necessary. J5 | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Welcome Jonny5! Concur! While not a particularly horrible idea, as far as mixing tires is concerned, its old and too much front brake and you'll go down faster than you can think. And I'd ditch the Dunlop even if it was new too! Since you're new to riding... the front brakes on a new Blast work incredibly well. Grab them too much in a panic, and it'll lock up and down you'll go. A good front tire is very important. However, since your Blast is 8 years old they may not work as well as new, they'll still get the job done though. Maybe check around on the twin side of Badweb if you dont get an answer here on a dealer. The Blast is very simple to work on and after getting a dealer to check it out with the service, I'd plan on doing future service yourself-its minimal! | ||
| Reuel |
Old tyre! Get rid of it! Even if it wasn't Dunlop, I'd still be inclined to replace it. Oh--and check your wheel bearings regularly, or you'll be like me, looking for a new wheel. On to the classifieds ... | ||
| Jonny5 |
Thanks guys, I think I'll defiantly go with two new tires - I'd like to postpone going down as long as possible.  As far as the 5,000 mile service - does anyone know roughly what I should expect to pay? J5 | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
A quick call to any HD dealer will give you an idea. Ask for the Sportster 5000 miles service price. The Blast is much more simple, but they seem to want to charge just as much  I paid $230 for the 1000 mile service 6 years ago! (I like to get the first service done at the dealer where I bought the bike so they have a chance to check it out for proper assembly, recalls, wear etc. I dont bother after that). | ||
| Jonny5 |
Cool, I'll give Hal's HD a call and see what they charge. Thanks for the help. J5 | ||
| Jlnance |
Jonny5 - Isn't Hals near Milwaukee? They have a good reputation, as does Ukes in Kenosha, and HD/Buell of Appleton. I don't know about dealers actually in Milwaukee, but you have a lot of excellent dealers in the area. Have them change in intake boot when they do the service. The Blast is a piece of cake to work on. Taking it in for the 5000 mile service is probably a good idea. But if you want to do you own work eventually, you picked the right bike. | ||
| Jonny5 |
Jlnance, Yes, Hal's is in New Berlin, which is in between where I live (Waukesha) and Milwaukee. I was just a little nervous about taking it in due to stories I'd read online about Buell owners receiving inferior service from other HD dealers. I've been to Hal's alot (drooling over bikes) and they seem to really embrace the Buells, so I don't think I'll have any problems. Is the intake boot a problem area? J5 | ||
| Ezblast |
LOL | ||
| Cath |
Gearheaderkio, Previously, if i remember correctly, you asked if you could have my old (currently on my Blast) tail pipe if i replace it. Yes, you can have it, if i don't wind up bartering with it to get what ever i may decide to get. For the moment, i'm leaving it as is. Too many other irons in the fire. Cath | ||
| Ezblast |
Hey Cath, gonna drop by Antioch some time? EZ | ||
| Cath |
Hey EZ, Have you had a chance to get settled in yet? Congrats on the move. :-) Yes, i'd like to cruz on up that way sometime. Looks like it may be a few weeks before i'm able to do much. Let me know when you might have time and i'll see what i can do? Currently weekends would work better for me then week days.. Cath | ||
| Ezblast |
Me also on the time - settling in is a lot of work with a list that magically grows every time I get home. definitely will keep you posted - got lost now 2 weekends in a row now while taking my constitutional - lol EZ | ||
| Jlnance |
Is the intake boot a problem area? Yes. Anytime something is wrong with your bike, replace the boot. You will have an excellent chance of fixing it. Fortunately the boots are cheap ($7.50 I think.) Replace it once a year and it won't be an issue. | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Thanks Cath. If you ever get to EZ's, he can tell you (and me) who made it (exhaust). | ||
| Cath |
Gearheaderiko, you're welcome. anything i can give back, or pay forward, as they say. I just went out & looked at the pipe. I don't see any markings to tell me anything about it. cath  | ||
| Cath |
oh, EZ, Ya get used to it, after some time! :0) cath | ||
| Ezblast |
Thats what I'm hoping for! EZ | ||
| Reuel |
The boot argument goes both ways. I'm at 33,467 miles on my second boot. The first one wasn't quite cracked all the way through when I replaced it at around 20K. It should at least be the first thing you check. | ||
| Ezblast |
True, however, it is just a plain molded piece, and like anything rubber, weather, heat and age will make it weaker - replacing it at say every 5 to 7500 miles seems a reasonable precaution vs stranded on the side of the road - and this advice is for stockers, modified intakes should probably have them changed with the oil. EZ | ||
| Er_blaster |
Hey Everyone, I have been lurking around the forums for a few days since I bought my Blast 2008 and you all seem to have a wealth of knowledge. This is my first motorcycle and I have only had it 5 days. I was just wondering if there was something I should do immediately to improve the longevity, safety or dependability of the bike. Also, I would love to have some tips on some of the bike's quirks as far as riding goes. So far I love it and have been riding it around my neighborhood putting 40 miles on it practicing stops, starts, shifts and turns(quite fun) all within a 1/4 mile loop of cul-de-sacs. Thanks for any wisdom you can impart. ER_Blaster | ||
| Ezblast |
Do your own maintenance. EZ | ||
| Er_blaster |
Thanks EZ, That is kinda what i have been gathering, even from the guys at the dealership. I am planning on buying the service manual (any ideas on where to find it cheap would be greatly appreciated). Is the service manual and a garage full of car tools going to be sufficient? I also really like the stuff you have done to your bikes and was wondering what would be a simple semi non-invasive Mod that could add a little personality to the bike. Thanks for your help, I am so glad I found this site ER_Blaster | ||
| Ezblast |
Shorten your front blinker stalks, go to superbike bars, or wait just a bit and go to the new CR's handlebars, change your pegs out tho the same as Maggie is using - see the TKV handlebars,pegs,etc. section. EZ | ||
| Berkshire |
You might find a service manual on ebay, but I dunno - 'o8 is still pretty new. Really, a manual for any year should be fine though. Assuming funds are limited and you can't just get everything all at once, I would start with the manual, 1125CR bars, drill a modest exit on the left side of the muffler, change the low speed jet, put a K&N filter in the stock airbox - those things are relatively cheap & easy improvements that should greatly enhance the riding. If you want convenient carrying capacity, I recommend the Blast tank bag. Then start saving for the PS/B50 cams & a jardine pipe, and install those with a bigger main jet - or for more top end, go with N7 cams, valve springs, a high-compression piston, and an adjustable ignition module. | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Welcome er blaster!"I was just wondering if there was something I should do immediately to improve the longevity, safety or dependability of the bike." Well the first thing you could do is trade those black body panels with others on this board who have yellow and are desperately trying to get rid of them (or paint them). Yellow will get you seen! "This is my first motorcycle and I have only had it 5 days" You're going to get a lot of well intentioned advice from a lot of people. My 2 cents: You ARE now invisible. Dont pretend they see you. Dont believe they see you, they are looking right past you. USE YOUR HORN. If you have the slightest inclination they may pull into your lane of traffic (which is usually right in front of you), use your horn. Let them know you're there. Far better to risk them throwing that middle finger at you than having them use that same middle finger to call your ambulance (if they stick around). You simply cant brake for every moron that might pull out in front of you (this is SoCal-you'll never get anywhere).Someone is going to pull out in front of you, have a plan of action when they do (but its best to prevent it). | ||
| Johnnymac |
"drill a modest exit on the left side of the muffler" - Berkshire Berkshire, I've been digging through all the Blast sites for months and this is the first I've heard of modifying the stock muffler. You have any links to more details and pics? | ||
| Er_blaster |
Thanks for the ideas and advice. I had a little spill yesterday involving some well placed gravel out on a road in the orange groves but I was just going 5mph and ended up bending the shift pedal, shattering the left turn signal and cracking the "chrome" plastic around the headlamp. I only ended up with a bruise right above the boot cuff. I was awful happy the bike is so light when it was sitting on top of my leg All in all this means that I have already added my first modifications to the bike  and was wondering what kind of cost I am looking at for replacement of the shifter and signal. The whole incident has made me glad that I bought 700 worth of gear and am attending the MSF course next week. (This is what I get for buying the bike before it). Thanks for all your help guys, ER_Blaster | ||
| Ezblast |
You should take the course first, then ride - its safer that way. The parts are inexpensive, labor is not - its not hard to do yourself though and that is what I would recommend. Riding isn't as easy as folks assume or everyone would ride - please be careful. EZ |
