| Author | Message | ||
     O2ride |
Well, I did have only 5,035 miles day before Homecoming, but now have 5,700+.. (oops, that 5K mi. service just slipped right by). Too late to have it, or should I just change the oil and wait till the 7.5K? Anybody have any recommendations? Btw, did anyone make it to Homecoming? Kept my eyes and ears open for familiar names on this board but only found Blastin. Needless to say, it was a BLAST!!! Kinda sad yesterday however, after it was over. Tashben - I also have the windshield. It is great as far as cutting the wind down. The only negatives I have found is that I hear engine noise a little more and I can't leave my faceshield unsnapped on my full-face helmet. The wind comes up from underneath and blows it upward. Those are minor, however and I would say get one if you're main interest is cutting the wind down. Oh, another thing is if you are quite short (like me at 4'10", so you're probably not) the top of it is unfortunately right at my line of vision. I do most highway riding sitting on the higher back part of the seat (which is more comfortable anyway) Heh, but then at 4'10", one clears ALL the wind that comes over the top, too... 02 with '01 (Black) | ||
| Crazymike |
Got the Pirelli tire mounted( can't sell the roach with a bald tire). Quick road test and as I pull into the driveway the freakin' clutch side mirror fatigues off. | ||
| Prof_Stack |
bad vibes, Crazymike, bad vibes...   As I learned with my earlier thumper, a 78 Yamaha SR500, periodic checks on nuts and bolts was necessary. What are you going to try to sell your Blast for? | ||
| Crazymike |
Prof, the only thing that ever fell off my 82 Ascot with 60k was the license plate and me. The bike has to go to the dealer and get demons exorcised before it can be sold. I hope the service dept in Tucson is as customer oriented as their parts dept. $3000 still owed, put 500 more in my pocket and you'll save 5-700 over dealer new (3299+ tax, freight, license, registration and dealer rapeage), have 9 months warranty left and a tire that will last more than 3000 miles. How long before the next problem? You'll have to take Harleys word on that. | ||
| Pinkpank |
Wow, a voice from the other side. Amidst happy Buellers, one that is bailing. Interesting. Wish I coulda made it to BRAG, but had four full days of track runs at Road America (about 45 minutes north of there). Saw a few H-D guys rolling in from Milwaukee, but the call of the racetrack was stronger than a visit with the bikers. Oh well. Waiting for my Buell to spit up parts. Placing bets now on what might go first . . . . ;-) Oliver '00 Blast '89 951S (track ho) '88 951 | ||
| Tashben |
Sorry to hear about your disappointment in the Blast Crazymike. I'm still in love with mine. Maybe your expectations were too high? Drove it to 4 Corners again on Sunday and put another 50 miles on it before I got back home. It is very responsive on curves and in the hills. I'm impressed with the sound of my new Vance and Hines exhaust, especially if I need to make myself heard! My husband took it for a spin while we were @ 4 Corners and I could've swore it was a Harley. Would like to see more postings from female Blast owners . . . are you out there? | ||
| Fssnoc2501 |
Crazymike, You have my sympathy with the luck that you seem to have had with your Blast. Your discription of the problems are very unlike mine. I thus far have had no issues concerning the Blast and reliability. Most of the problems that I have had are of my own creation and have nothing to do with the manufacturer infact they relate to R&D on my own modifications that needed more thorough thought prior to implementation. My Blast uses only alittle oil and I ride it fairly hard. It uses about 1/2 quart every 200 miles and this consumption is decreasing with added miles. Questions that I have for you are did you follow the suggested break in procedure as this can effect the tolerances within the motor and thus oil consumption. Also have you presented any of these problems to your dealer? There is a warranty for a reason and by presenting problems like some that you describe helps not only you but the rest of us Blast owners. They bring problems to the surface that may be occuring with more than just your Blast and prepares Buell to better serve us all. I can appreciate your frustrations, and it saddens me that we are about to lose an important member of this community. BTW thank you for tha explanation of how your modified your seat. I purchased a gel pad and recarved the foam inserting it. This has improved the comfort of the stock seat imensely. Tires, I get my new MT75 Perellis mounted the end of this week. Hope they wear as well as Prof describes. The Dunlops are just too soft. Thanks Prof for the info and suggestion. Ray | ||
| Whimsical |
Hiya Tashben! I believe a few of us are out there but I haven't seen too many on this board. In fact, I haven't seen any other female riders with Blasts in my area (Northern VA). The only female riders I have seen around here ride Harleys. How did the makeshift windshield work out this weekend? I definitely love mine especially when I see that humongous bug heading straight at me and I'm thinking "Oh sh*&" but at the last minute the winshield deflects it up and over my head! I also haven't had any problems with my Blast but I only have 600 miles on it **knocking on wood**. But since this is my first bike, I probably wouldn't recognize problems unless it breaks down or starts spewing fluid. Rosa | ||
| Crazymike |
Sorry to be such a complainer people,but things just haven't gone well. Ray; The bike was very gently broken in. I've never done or tried to do a burnout on it. I've only hit the rev limiter twice in 5000 miles. Oil consumption puttering around town is nil. On the freeway it does the mess up the airbox thing. It's now at the dealer. I can't believe I'm asking too much from this bike. The daily ride is 12 miles rolling hills at 40-45 mph, 20 miles down the freeway at 45-75mph, and 10 miles stop and go city cage dodging. I had a Honda 185 twin that did this for almost 50'000 miles(except the 75mph part). I'll keep ya posted on what goes down at the dealership. I went in there feeling like a piece of John Wayne toilet paper, but they didn't give me any reason to have a wall to wall discussion with anybody. | ||
| Jimalexander |
Crazymike, just in case you need a "blast from your past," no pun intended, there's a Honda ft500 ascot with 5k miles looking mint for $1000.00 obo on cycletrader.com. There's a picture also. Jim. | ||
| Sarodude |
Finally got a call from the dealer. My Blast is ready. Never mind that it's been over 1 month. It's gonna be delivered to the office sometime today. I'm p1ssed as hell at the dealer. They've been evading me and trying their best to not answer my questions and not keep me in the loop as to why it took so long to fix. I believe they botched a parts order... Anyway, if I understand California's lemon law, 30 days out of service during the manufacturer warranty period or 18 months (I've read both versions, I qualify either way - about 2 months old) and it's a lemon. End of story. About 30 minutes before the dealer called, I called up Buell CS and left a message for their lemon law person. Waiting to hear back... Unfortunately, the action works against the manufacturer and not the dealer. Buell did little wrong other than install a sh1tty valve in my motor. I'm curious what you think I'm owed - if anything - and by whom. -Saro | ||
| Pinkpank |
Since I don't have any ill-reports on the Blast, I just wanted to say that you get really funny looks puttering through the Chicago Loop with TWO boxes of home bookshelf speakers on the passenger seat. I felt like one of those Italian delivery guys in Rome, with two 26"x18"x12" boxes bungee-corded to the underseat eyelets. ;-) Oh, and the "belt squeak" is DEFINITELY louder when you have 360 pounds of human cargo on the bike. Makes sense since that strains the belt a LOT more, eh? Oliver '00 Blast ~700 miles | ||
| Sarodude |
Belt Squeak Question: Has anyone tried using some belt dressing on it? Woudld it cause the belt to slip or would it kill it in some odd way? -Saro | ||
| Buellersdayoff |
Speedo Question: I know some of you have experienced problems with the speedometer sensor on the Blast and I was wondering what the exact problem and remedy is. My speedo refused to register this morning once you got past 25mph. But then after restarting it appeared to work again. I'm just wondering if something else is gonna happen now. | ||
| Blastin |
Did anyone else happen to notice the Smiley Face in the right lane on I-43 about ~1mile South of the Buell Factory in East Troy? It put a smile on my face. I also got lucky on Saturday. I was about 3 miles south of the Buell Factory on I-43, and it was a gourgeous morning with hardly anybody on the road for a Holiday weekend Saturdy morning, the Blast was feeling good and so was I. So I started thinking to myself, I have hit the rev limiter on the Blast in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd but never in 4th. Let's give it a shot. So I rolled on the throttle and let her rip. Passed 70mph and kept going. Hit 80mph and still no rev limiter.(When does the rev limiter kick in in 4th gear?) Started climbing a small rise in the freeway, but on the top of the rise was Mr. Smoky. I was so intent on hitting the rev limiter I didn't even see him there. He had me dead on, no way out of this one I said to myself. That's when I got the warning shot. Mr. Smoky flashed his bright lights at me a couple of times and stayed put. I hit the brakes and slowed down to the legal MPH. I figure he either didn't know that I was on a Blast loaded with tail and tank bag approaching my max speed and there was no way I was going to outrun him, or he recognized it as a Buell and being so close to the factory and it being Homecoming weekend he decided to be nice. Regardless of what he was thinking, I was damn lucky. He had me in his sights the whole time, all he had to do was pull the trigger. Next time I'll pull my head out of my butt before I decide to wind her out. Jerry P.S. Homecoming was a lot of fun. Put about 650 miles on the new Pirelli's. It was awsome to meet everyone: Pammy, Paul,Cap, Andy, Jmartz, and everyone else. I'll be talking to Paul about an Aussie trip sometime in the next few years. | ||
| O2ride |
Crazymike, Forgive me for askin' a non-blast related question: Is that Honda 185, a twinstar CM185T, around a 1978, 79 or so? (Got one of those in the garage next to my blast, still runs great)! Jus' curious... | ||
| O2ride |
Buellersdayoff: Re: that speedo ? I'm one who's had my share of that nonsense. Had the first one replaced and the second one is doing the same thing. Had the first two services done at two different shops and they both said they couldn't duplicate the problem. I "know" they are aware of it, it is a common problem with the Buells from what I hear. The fix: pull over, turn bike off, restart bike, just like you did. If I'm not mistaken, it's a Sportster speedo. Mine occasionally registers only 2/3rds the actual speed. The dealer where I bought the bike graciously replaced the first under warrantee but the second is doing the same. I think it has something to do with not being exactly in sync with the rear gear or something and not enough of a big deal to redesign one for the Blast (in Buell's opinion). Mikej could explain it better. Mikej....? | ||
| Ezblast |
Hi Guys! What would cause the bike - cruising at steady state - I figure around 5000 rpms, and the moter cuts out. I can't get it restarted by poping the clutch, so I pull over and in a couple of minutes it restarts like nothing happened, yet not ten minutes it does the same thing. The dealer ship is going to pick it up however, when I described the trouble to them they(as usual w/D.P.)were clueless. Any idea guys? Anything - my wife and I suspect (she might even be right)fuel filter clog?(shakes head) - just don't know. Help - please! | ||
| Wolverine |
I purchased my Blast about a month ago, and I've been putting a lot of miles on it (1500 miles in the first month!) With as much driving as I've been doing, I purchased a Corbin seat a couple of weeks ago. At first I didn't think it would be worth the $400. I really wanted to get the V&H exhaust first. With all the freeway driving I do, I was having trouble driving more than 30 miles without some serious pain and I live in Michigan so I travel about 75 to 80 mph on the freeway. Well, I can say that the new seat is the best purchase you can make for the Blast. Last week I did a 300 mile trip across the state and I didn't feel a thing. Also, the seat is wider and my sitting position is greatly improved. So far I've had a couple of problems with the Blast. After a couple of weeks I checked my oil and it was dry. A bolt didn't have any teflon tape and oil was leaking out of it. The local dealer fixed the problem and tossed in some free oil. Then last week I heard a grinding sound from my bike. I took it in to the dealer and a weld on my muffler broke. The good news is that he said he would install a V&H exhaust instead of a stock exhaust at no cost to me. I have had some problems, but the service I've received can't be beat. Overall, I love my bike and I plan on keeping it for a long time. Anyways, I have a question about gas mileage. The spec's I've seen say that the blast will get around 70 mpg. I have only been getting about 45 to 50 mpg. My driving style isn't overly aggressive. I was wondering what some other Blast riders have been getting for mileage. Thanks for the info. Lawson | ||
| O2ride |
I have been getting anywhere from 67 ~ 74 mpg, but then I'm a real light-weight, under 100 lbs. Doesn't seem like average size folks would be getting the same....? | ||
| Crazymike |
On mileage the Blast doesn't seem to care how much you weigh. What matters more is how much air your pushing. I'm 5'10- 250 and was getting around 55-60 stock. Lowering the seat an inch and using clubman bars about 2" lower brought that up to 65-70. O2- Thats the bike. Electric start on a mouse motor, or crank it over with your right hand. And (laughing heartily) people think the Blast has a low seat. | ||
| Prof_Stack |
With the Buell windshield the gas mileage went up some. Nowadays I get between 67 and 76 mpg, with a couple tanks of 78 and 79.5 mpg. The higher mpg's are from day trips of 75 to 120 miles. City mileage is obviously lower. Prof | ||
| Sarodude |
Blast update... Got on my bike after work to go and seat those new rings on the new piston in the new cylinder... The valve / lifter clatter I'd previously described is HELLACIOUS. It wasn't there when first started riding but it appeared and got worse over the course of the 70-ish mile ride. I parked it. Loli (my wife) bought me this bike as a gift. She didn't want to ride alone! I do love the Blast. I just don't seem to love mine anymore. -Saro | ||
| Mikej |
I have no idea why the speedo sensors go bad, I just replaced mine when they did. I'm now on a '95 S2 with an old fashioned cable driven speedo, so no more speedo sensor problems for me. Unless I get me a Blast to play with and tweak into a cafe style flat tracker, that would be fun. Hmmm, wonder if any of these unhappy Blast owners would want to trade for a kit car or somethin'????? MikeJ | ||
| Buellersdayoff |
O2Ride, Thanks for the info on the speedo, that was the first time it did it and had been fine since. If it continues I'll try and get it replaced under warrantee. Easyblast: If DP stand for Dudley Perkins then, urgh, I know what you're going through. If the Blast is a CA model the charcoal canister might be full and clogging the engine. It seems as though the excess condensation in the air with airborne particles (typical SF fog) creates this problem. They need to replace the cannister (under warantee as EPA problem) and they flip a t-valve so the water can drain. DP did this about 300 miles ago and haven't experienced that problem again yet. | ||
| Pinkpank |
Saro, Maybe the "new" clatter is just a lot stronger than the "broken in" clatter and you're especially sensitive to it now that you had a semi-broken-in bike for a while?!? It surely isn't a "sophisticated" sounding bike, that's for sure. Does yours sound EXCESSIVELY noisy now?!? O | ||
| Adam |
Ezblast (and all others too) I had similar symptoms as yours - engine quitting while cruising on highway at about 75 mph, and I couldn't restart it on the fly but after coasting to a stop and eyeballing it for a while it would start again. When I dropped down to 50 mph it stopped quitting. In my case, I had just finished putting 2000 miles on it in a week with a stock seat. (In retrospect I guess I just thought intense posterior pain was a normal part of riding. Note to self: investigate Corbin seat.) The dealer (which I have gotten good service and support from) had done the prescribed 10k maintenance just beforehand (fashionably late at 11500 miles). There's no way I could have made it from Charleston to Key West and back if they had forgotten to refill the oil after draining it. But after the second time the engine cutout and I reduced my speed I noticed the oil light on and I'm reasonably sure that I hadn't overlooked it previously. I checked the oil and it was effectively empty - it took all two quarts that I had with me. (I had half my tools with me too, for all the good they did me. A Harley place halfway down the Keys sold me some leather saddlebags, flat metal stock to hold them off the brake assembly and belt guard, and the requisite Dead Head t-shirt.) I was pretty alarmed that the oil level could have been that low, and I wasn't comforted by a persistent new tapping noise that followed engine RPMs the last couple miles home. The dealer's tech recently gave me the lowdown. He said the piston and cylinder were almost completely chewed up from overheating. The damage was too great for him to tell if oil had been leaking by the seals, but when I told him all the relevant symptoms and details he thought I had probably burned oil the whole trip. The engine had quit at high speeds because it seized, twice. Letting it sit for a few minutes each time, and then afterwards driving at a much lower speed had let the piston shrink enough to continue running. I had no idea that an engine seizure would occur with so little fanfare. The dealer thinks he can get Harley to cough up most of the dough under the "Goodwill" program. So Ezblast, I would be curious if you're out of oil or overheating for some other reason. And, like some of you have already suggested, I'll be the painful voice of experience saying, "just another reason to check your oil at every fillup." I don't think I trust the oil light either, since it only flashed to tell me effectively "you have now driven off the cliff." I wish I knew of a nice way to put a real pressure gauge and temperature gauge in the oil system. Anyone else experienced significant oil consumption? I hadn't notice anything until this, but I wasn't all that concerned or attentive to it either. Incidentally, I'm at 13700 miles. So either they burn oil later in the game, or mine has its own particularly nasty little gremlin, or it was sabotaged by cannibalistic Carolinian tribesmen. Sorry for the novel here. I don't know if it's worth a several hundred dollar engine rebuild, but the drive down was nice, especially south of Jacksonville on A1A. That's a big ocean east of us. Adam | ||
| Mikej |
Probably not the case, but could you guys have been running the carb dry by running at sustained high speeds? That can happen on the twin-Buells which is why some people convert to the Pingel petcocks. Just another option to consider. Also running lean I'm told can cause the heat to rise, which would be the case if you are starving the carb. I'm probably wrong, so I'll step back and let the engineers jump in here with their calculators and formulas. | ||
| Sarodude |
Pink- My wife also has a Blast. A side by side comparison shows psychotic amounts of noise on mine and (in comparison) a velvety smooth idle on hers. It's not that hers is that good. It's just that mine is THAT bad. The noise got WORSE as I rode home. I halfway wished the motor let go before I made it... I know everyone wants to tell me it's the box of rocks. Just take my word for it that it's not. Not a Harley guy heard my bike that didn't ask what was wrong with it... I'm rapidly approaching the end of my Blast handling fuse. -Saro | ||
| Ezblast |
buellersdayoff - you seem to have it - I'll leave a message for them to do the same thing - they screwed up so much I'm afraid something else will break in their hands. |
