| Author | Message | ||
     Caucapon |
Greetings All, I'm an old fart located in Southern NJ. I'm interested in picking up a Buell in general and an 1125 specifically. I've done enough research to know that there are one or more apparently persistent issues. What I don't know is whether or not there are true fixes for them. The stator/rotor/VR problem seems to be the most serious. I've read of several corrections that were touted as being permanent. However, I've never been able to find substantiating evidence that supported any of these claims. I gather the "official" HD solution done under warranty is considered a bandaid. Is that true? Precisely what was involved in a warranty repair? Were the stator, rotor, and VR replaced? Was a modified sub-harness installed? Is there any repair for this problem that can honestly be considered permanent? I've also read of wheel bearing issues. How many 1125 owners have been beset with this issue? Is it specific to only one or two years or to all? Will replacement bearings from a particular source solve the problem for good? Are there any other nasty and persistent problems with these bikes? Is there real concern regarding parts availability in another two or three years? Thanks in advance for any info. The 1125 seems to me to be a special bike with many unusual characteristics. What a shame that it happened upon the scene only a couple of years before Buell and Harley went their own separate ways. Al Jarvis | ||
| Stensg |
Buy a 08 1125r put in the new clutch piston and ride. 09-10 have the expensive charging problems. | ||
| Ljm |
Al, The charging problem on 09,10's may be the most expensive and troublesome to fix. EBR has had, and Twin Motorcycles does have fixes. Several people have had rewinds done, with mixed success. 08's have clutch weep problems. EBR fix worked for me, Oberon has a slave cylinder as well. The Buell update did not work for me, twice. Bearings, some people have some difficulty with them. I just changed mine with the rear brake pad replacement. 08's have instrument cluster issues, but don't seem to happen often. Some folks have power loss as a result. Stop with kill switch rather than key. If a stock can on it, buy turnouts from APH (sponsor here). Directs exhaust gases and heat away from rear brake. Everything seems workable, electrical fixes are expensive though, at least by report. Otherwise, lots of fun and not really much maintenence most of the time. | ||
| Figorvonbuellingham |
If you change the voltage regulator regularly my experience is no rotor stator problems on my 09. | ||
| Brumbear |
PM Puzzled he has a nice one for sale used to be MJR Photo's the price is right and the machine has never been down and maintained properly. http://www.njbuellowners.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f =20&t=1531 | ||
| Duphuckincati |
That looks like a good buy all things considered. I don't think you'll do any better than that, including relative closeness to you. | ||
| Rogue_biker |
All of the 1125R issues do have fixes. All '08 issues have recalls and fixed by Buell/HD. YOu have to do a service history search at your local dealer to find out if an '08 has had ALL of the recalls and known issues fixed. If you're looking at '09-'10 1125, the two most troublesome are the clutch weep and Stator overheating. Clutch weep was fixed with new parts but installing it correctly is crucial. Installed incorrectly and it WILL leak again. The overheating Stator fix requires the new and improved stator from Twin Motorcycles or Erik Buell Racing with the improved oil cooling holes. Neither is cheap (about $800 for parts). Once fixed, the bikes are reliable. | ||
| Caucapon |
Appreciate all the responses. What I see here is what I've seen on other threads. There doesn't seem to be any one correction that has solved the issue for a majority of owners. I had hoped that several 1125 owners would have advocated the EBR modified rotor, perhaps with an aftermarket VR on a good stock stator. Something like this would have been encouraging. There's just a lack of consistency. I'm also wondering how many '09 and '10 owners have put significant miles on their bikes, say something in excess of 20,000. Most of those that I've seen for sale offer mileage well below 10,000. It was Puzzled's bike that lead me to start this thread. I spoke with him prior to doing so. Nice, friendly guy. I also PMed MJRPhoto regarding the bike's history. So far, no response. Hopefully, he will be generous enough to offer some insight. The responses I receive here are necessarily critical to my determining whether or not I want to take the plunge. There are at least two 2009 1125Rs for sale in my area. Haven't seen a 2008 listed. I know I'm preaching to the choir here; but, a nice purchase price around $5000 can really explode when the expense of fixing persistent inherent problems is factored in. Thanks again to all who replied. Taking the time and making the effort to do so is really appreciated. Al Jarvis (Message edited by caucapon on February 19, 2013) | ||
| Duphuckincati |
I'll though in my two cents here and I'm expecting some flack but... Being that you live in NJ (and I lived there 32 years) I don't see the sense in owning the 1125, or any other really fast machines. There's just too many people, cars, traffic lights/stop signs and PISSED OFF COPS!! to really enjoy the machine. I moved to central California and really enjoy the 1125 on the open roads in my area. Since you are drawn to a Buell, find one of the Sportster motored ones. Because issues with the 1125's are bothering you and where you live, you may be better off without one. But I do LOVE mine. $900 EBR early rotor kit btw. Flame away. (Message edited by duphuckincati on February 19, 2013) | ||
| Bumpnzx3 |
My *opinion* on the stator.....stay out of hot stop/go traffic and you will be fine. My rear wheel bearings got a little stiff and I replaced them once. I didn't screw the axle in quite as tight as you're supposed to (advice/tip from a Buell rider/racer friend of mine) and it's been fine since. I think the 3 bearing axle/wheel is the permanent fix though- not sure on that one. Bearings are cheap- so I never really looked into the "fix" since I haven't had any problems since then. | ||
| Wymaen |
^ (this is for Duphuckincati) You sonofabitch...offering legit advice applicable to the receiver AND trying to keep him on a Buell? What strange demon are you, sir? I shudder at the thought of actually being helpful on this forum...I only signed up here because everyone on the other Buell forums claimed that every person posting here was unhelpful and mean- likely the kind of people who would kick a veteran pushing a wheelchair filled with kittens and Girl Scouts to the soup kitchen. You're a bad person, and you should feel bad. Kidding aside, that's great advice that I hope he doesn't take. Hopefully he pulls the trigger on the 1125, realizes you were right, then ALSO buys an XB  (Message edited by wymaen on February 19, 2013) | ||
| Captjoe |
I bought my 2009 new and the dealer performed the harness upgrade before handing it over to me. 12,000 miles later, I've never had a problem with the stator. I've had the clutch weep, but other than having to wait for HD to ship the parts, I've "so far" not had any repeat issues. Supposedly, I got the Rev C version of the fix. Those are the only problems I've had. I'm going to replace my tires soon so I'll find out how the bearings are doing then. Honestly, as far as costs go, I'm more worried about the 12,000 mile service than replacing the bearings. If the bike you buy still has the extended warranty, then you should be covered for the problems. However, buying anything used always comes with some risk. Get it checked out by a good mechanic beforehand and pull the service records. If you do your due diligence beforehand, then all you have to really worry about is how the previous owner rode the bike, however, the service records are usually a good indicator of that. | ||
| Caucapon |
Duphuckincati said: "Being that you live in NJ (and I lived there 32 years) I don't see the sense in owning the 1125, or any other really fast machines. There's just too many people, cars, traffic lights/stop signs and PISSED OFF COPS!! to really enjoy the machine." I've had the misfortune of living in Jersey for sixty-two of my sixty-seven years. Fortunately, South Jersey's not the unbelievably godawful North and Central areas. My wife and I owned a vacation cabin in West Virginia for ten years. Fantastic riding. We also spent five years living in Southwestern Virginia, not the equal of W. Va., but nice nonetheless. Fortunately, I now live right on the edge of the Jersey Pine Barrens. The Pine Barrens Act passed in the 1970s prevented developers from covering the area with concrete and strip malls. Most of it is reasonably open with little traffic, especially during the fall, winter, and early spring. Yes, it's flat. However, it does have the occasional curve or three. It's also beautiful and not well patrolled by our friends in uniform. I can be in West Virginia in four hours, the Poconos and Central Pa. in three. The mid-Atlantic ain't California; but, it doesn't have to be a motorcycling tragedy. | ||
| Brumbear |
Caucap0n the fix is simple folks make it complicated. Most of all the bike doesn't like traffic and overheating it's death to the charging system. A.) change to an 08 system B.) Change to EBR rotor stock stator and VR, drop the fix if you have it (takes all of 10 seconds to do) C.) Run it for quick rides and rides that move pretty good and leave the fix in. I have 13,000 miles on my machine an 09 CR and have replaced the clutch from ebr and the relay in the fix $10 from h-d The Bikes were $13000 bike new for $5500 with less than 6K miles on it any one of the machines to me would be a no brainer. The worst case scenario to fix it is less than a G note and $6500 for a liter bike with less than 5 K thats at that point pretty much bullet proof as you can get but if ya got doubts ya got doubts. | ||
| Duphuckincati |
Well just for the hell of it I'll post something I wrote on a mc forum from the San Fran area to a guy thinking of moving to the Jersey area (not sure how much will get censored here).. "I'm sitting home here in San Luis Obispo area where I have lived since 1988. Before that (32years) was a native New Jersey boy. After 22 years out here I still every day ( and am an agnostic at best) PRAISE GOD that I live in California now. With regards to moving to NYC area, DON'T •••••• DO IT!!!! Look at the USA map and notice that LA to SF is roughly equal distance as Washington DC to Boston. Now notice that i[In between[/I] those two east coast points is Baltimore-Philly-NJ (most densely populated state)-NYC-Hartford and a non-stop flow of smaller cities in between all those major cities. So take the LA sprawl and run it non-stop to SF and out to Vegas. Now mix in hot/humid/rainy for much of June to September and cold/damp/slushy for November to March. Then watch "Jersey Shore" and imagine millions of those assholes driving all around you. Then throw in pissed-off cops and Donald Trump wanna-bes. Riding consist of waiting for a gap in the flow of cars and pulling out of your driveway and getting in line and staying there. I'm still in glory of being able to put my motorcycle in top gear and leaving it there for many miles. NEVER happen back there. I could go on but I'll just say again DON'T DO IT!! Go have a fun visit and eat some •••••• good-ass pizza (ONLY thing I miss) and call it good. As a motorcyclist it's Hell. For the others, it just sucks. This is all coming from a place of fellow-rider love. If you're friends see that your mental health is tied into riding, believe them about that's not the place to be. Califuckinfornia baby!!!" Have fun with your new Buell, whichever you get.. | ||
| Brumbear |
I have lived in NJ my whole life and I ride mostly in NY State  | ||
| Coastrambler |
Interesting bits of "knowledge" here. Currently have 31,000+ miles on my '09 1125R, black. On 4th stator, 2nd rotor, 2nd VR, all covered under original warranty. Last time in dealer, at Milwaukee's direction replaced stator and rotor. That was 8,000 miles back. I don't ride it real hard for the most part. There've been many 300+ mile days. This on central California coast. No place better to ride. | ||
| Guard_rail |
Well. Mine had $17,000.00 of Warrenty work over the 2 years and 17,000 miles. 09' with 200 mikes when I got her. Best bike I ever owned...when she ran and wasn't on a lift for 2 or 3 months at the Harley shop. Do I want another...??? HELL YEAH but crackheads want crack and that don't make it right either...!!! And that's why I switched to Jap. You can't go for a ride if the ride ain't rideable. It's a FANTASTIC 2nd or 3rd bike in your stable but if you have only one then you will be the only one waiting for your bike to be repaired while everyone else is enjoying one ride after another. BEEN THERE DONE THAT...!!! But yeah I still love that bike. Maybe an 1190rs next | ||
| Froggy |
What Brumbear says is right, there are 3 fixes, first being the 2008 stator components, which have a lower output but do not overheat like the 09/10s. Second is the EBR rotor mod, which significantly cools the stator so it will not overheat. Last is to ride the thing like you stole it, as to date there have been zero stator failures on bikes ridden constantly at high RPMs due to the increased cooling. The 08 component swap is the most expensive, but at the time was the only proven option, some got lucky and were able to get it swapped in under warranty. The EBR rotor is dirt cheap after you get the core charge refunded, and you get to keep the higher output of the newer stator design. This is the setup that all the 1190RS bikes have, and most likely the future models too. Cheapest solution is to keep the revs high, but obviously that is not always practical on the street.
Yea your problem was your extended warranty and using a dealer. You could of ate the cost and put the EBR rotor on and most of your problems would of been cured for good. If the VR was really bad like the dealer wanted you to think, the CE 605 regulator would fix that for good too. | ||
| Stimbrell |
The real question,for 09 and 10 model owners, that I have not seen answered by an "anonymous" poster, and I am certain many want answered is; if you have the rotor mod, do you need to remove the harness and is this then a permanent fix? | ||
| Jonesgw |
Guard_rail You are right about 2nd bike. My bike has been in the shop more in the last four months than it's been in my garage. But Still, I love the ride and the ergonomics of that ride meaning, I'm not humped over unless I want to be unlike the others I've ridden. Once I get the second VR replaced again then perhaps I can puts some miles on her and give another report on the thread I started, After the fixes. Soon after the stator/rotor/first VR she was pulling like a freight train and riding great for that day. Then the VR died so I'm waiting again. As for the harness, if you have all the fixes replaced I'd remove it, as has been stated before by others on this site. For an older gentleman looking for a sport ride not needing to be in full race angle I'd got for it, if all the mods have been fixed or you are prepared to have them fixed yourself. 2 cents | ||
| Guard_rail |
Thank you froggy and jonesgw for acknowledging my post. It should be apparent that I have respect and admiration for the 1125 and all us bad weather bikers. I've been 8 months without my Buell. And let me tell you I miss it everyday. Whenever some ask what kind of bike do I ride I always start with "well I use to ride a Buell 1125R but now I'm on jap." I usually don't even say which jap. And when they ask further then I'll say that one over there. Hardly acknowledging her. She's a good faithful bike but while I'm making sweet canyon curve cutting love to her... I'm picturing my Buell. Shhh don't tell her I said that. Everyday I'm with out my Buell is another day with out my heart. I REALLY LOVED THAT BIKE. AND THE SHE USE TO GO DOWN ON ME THEN GET RIGHT BACK UP AND KEEP RIGHT ON GOING...!!! Yeah I'm getting another Buell 1125 or better | ||
| Guard_rail |
That's why I'm still hanging around here. This is the best site for the best bike...!!! So yeah go ahead... Get one. Just make sure it ain't your only one. | ||
| Caucapon |
Stimbrell wrote: "The real question,for 09 and 10 model owners, that I have not seen answered by an "anonymous" poster, and I am certain many want answered is; if you have the rotor mod, do you need to remove the harness and is this then a permanent fix?" At this point and for me, this is the primary question. Apparently nothing except possibly the modified rotor installed on an otherwise good system has resulted in a satisfactory fix. Would love to conduct a poll among those 1125 owners who installed the EBR or Twin Motorcycles modified rotor to find out whether any had subsequent charging issues. Since this bike would be my only ride, I'd have to have confidence that a valid fix was available. I would imagine that a number of potential purchasers have a similar approach. Has anyone with the modified rotor experienced charging problems after that fix? | ||
| Guard_rail |
Dude if this is your ONLY bike and your lifestyle INSIST that you... A.) can get to work on time B.) can get home time C.) can get ANYWHERE. SHORT AN ACT OF GOD DO NOT GET THIS BIKE. NOT YET. IN A FEW YEARS MAYBE. IT'S TOOOOOOOOO MUCH OF A GAMBLE...!!! Get a Honda. Suzukie. Kawasaki. Yamaha. In that order | ||
| Caucapon |
Guard_Rail, Your opinion is noted. The $17,000 worth of warranty work mentioned in one of your previous posts is quite an eye-opener!  You may well be right. Still, just trying to cross the "Ts" and dot the "Is". Be a shame to miss out on such a nice bike if there is a ready solution at this time. (Message edited by caucapon on February 22, 2013) | ||
| Guard_rail |
Yeah. That's what I said. I paid $6450 for mine in 2009. Thought it was too good to be true. An 09' with 200 miles and I put 100 of that on my test ride. Wasn't worth it when my timing chain tensioners got all chewed up internally. Or when my instrument cluster went out on me 650miles from home. Or when my fuel pump went bad. Or when the valve in my clutch went bad (not the weeping clutch). Or the head lights. Or the 4 or 5 stators, regulators and rotors (not brake rotors) &(each not all together.) THANK GOD FOR ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE WAS INCLUDED IN MY INSURANCE 20 tows times $175 is $3,500.00. Do I love that bike HELL YEAH...!!! Best ride ever She sings a song at 155 mph that is UNBELIEVABLE and the mechanic had the same bike. His was white mine red. He had all the same stator, regulator, rotor, clutch issues I did and at or around the same times or mileage as me. I'll buy another one when I see all problems fixed on the sales tag | ||
| Guard_rail |
Plus look at this web site. What's the percentage of post saying "HEY...!!! EVERYTHING IS GREAT...!!!" -VS- "#%@$ this bike...!!!" or "need help please...???" | ||
| Froggy |
While I don't have an official answer, I do feel that the harness is no longer needed once the rotor is modded. The purpose of the harness was to cool the stator by reducing the output, but the cheap relay causes more harm than good. I would remove it as the rotor does more for cooling than the harness, and it is not an unreliable flaky band-aid.
I agree, but only because having two 1125s is twice as awesome as one. Both of mine have been fantastic and reliable. Not perfect, but reliable.
Yep, the EBR rotor fixes it, but I can't speak for anything TM has done. I've seen enough data to know for a fact that the EBR rotor is the fix. Also, I am yet to see a single post by anyone on here with a new stator and EBR rotor have the stator fail, only failures were due to old already damaged stators.
I personally disagree, I've had more Buells than fingers, the 1125s are no better or worse than the others, with only two common issues, both of which can be eliminated before they fail. Anything else you just take it as it comes, nothing you do will prevent a failure like a fuel pump or gauge cluster, which can happen on any bike.
Yea it would of been a 10th of that if his dealer was competent.
Actually, go to any website and you will see that. Be it R/C cars, to some random Yamaha forum, a Toyota Prius forum, or so on. People post when they require assistance, they don't report the millions of problem free miles. I've done several trips from NY to FL and back on my Buells without any trouble, and never posted about it. The one time I lost wheel-bearings going to Wisconsin I did post about. | ||
| Stimbrell |
WOW, what can I say, everyone should go out and buy ten of these bikes based on this thread! |
