| Author | Message | ||
     Raceghost |
Ok, Let me introduce myself since I have been mad posting for the last hour. I suffer from...HARLEY DEALER sold me USED BIKE for NEW Price 1 year ago, and have had nothing but trouble with it. The bike in question: 2003 Buell XB9R. THe bike was first a demo bike, then sold, then returned, then sold, then repo'd then sold again to me with out my knowledge fo the first sentence, funny what some mechanics know... Either way, I bought the warrenties for the bike that cover engine and tires and rims, and all that stuff for 3 years from purchase. Upgrades...Trouble finding till I cam here...So a shout out to all who have searched and found, cuz god knows I have warn down a keyboard finding things for this bike. I have a K&N, Buell Race ECM, and the Custom built, triple chamber FlowMaster Franken-muffler, that I built. Before you laugh let me explain. I had 3 canisters, stock exhaust's we should say, all my buddies opted and had the benny's to purchase the race kit when they bought there bikes, so I ended up with the stock cans. I tried several creations on paper, and etc. Called aroun, did some research. THe stock can has a car muffler in it, I found this out when I gutted one. So I went to the exhaust shop, and looked a t a FlowMaster to get an Idea of how to creat good backpressure, but open run. I did some math and created, a triple chamber, delta flow, muffler in the stock buell can. Now, again while your choking on your tears, the dyno produced more power with this muffler then over the race kit. The problem with the race kit muffler, is you loose low end torque, not much but enough to realize it, and then you pick a lot up in the high end. With the creation I made, I have solid pull from the bottom to about 4500 rpm's, and then, my bike takes off. The bike literally rockets from 4500 to rev limiter about 7rpms or so. SOunds great, and performes great, the warmer it gets, the faster my bike gos...weird I know. So anyways, back to the problems. Since I bought my bike, I have had it warrentied over 30 times on various problems. not related to the exhaust or the chip. Rear fender/seat holder/undertail replaced Rear seals replaced Rear brake rotor replaced Rear rim replaced Belt replaced twice Belt tensioner replaced twice Rear Swingarm replaced Rear axle replaced Timing chain replaced(now needs tightend like every month) Oil cooler lines to and from replaced Re-thread of one sparkplug hole because the damn harley tech striped it out 5 rear tires 4 front tires and a few others. I was coming out of San Bernadino, CA, and riding down the highway, and it felt like I blew a rear tire. pull over, tire is fine. get going again, all of sudden rear end goes all over the road, slow down, and check tire again, nothing. GO a little further, and it gets worse. Pull over, and I cant figure it out. BUddy rides up, tire is full of air, he looks and says dont go anywhere. My Axle fell out, along with everything else in the rim, and grinded the spacers on the axle and the swingarm, grinded the rim against other metal, and etc. The only thing holding my tire on, was the brake, and the belt. Another quailty servicing from my Harley dealer. The bike had 2200 miles on it, and now has 6100 miles. Make your own thoughts, but im tired of not being able to ride my bike. Harley wont do anything, they keep telling me that I rod my bike to much. Im the slowest one on the damn streets. Now, when I go to warrenty stuff, I get the run-arround, and told that most of it wont cover under warrentie. Lemon law hear I come. This is bull. If any one has had several problems like this, please tell me, what you have done. cuz this bike has cost me close to 3000 dollars extra above and beyond the loan and gas just to ride it for one year. Thanx for listening, im sure there is more, but im getting to the point where I just want to go throw it though the front window of the harley dealer. Oh yah, they laugh everytime I come in... Rantin and Ravin in Idaho... Raceghost | ||
| Buells Rule! (Dyna in disguise) |
Timing chain replaced(now needs tightend like every month) Minor point but the Buell v-twin has no timing chain..it does have a primary chain though. | ||
| Bfwaits |
hey, i have a 03 xb9r and i know exactly what you mean. i took my bike in for the 1k service and had to have the neck bearings replaced because the steering head had not been torqued. i then at 1700 miles went to reno and could not keep my bike running to save my life. the bike would not set an idle and if i let off on the throttle it would die. i took the bike in 8 times for similar problems and finally got it fixed last week. they had to replace the engine temp sensor and the oxygen sensor. i now at 7500 miles had the rear belt break while riding on the freeway. so that cost me another 180$. so my answer. go directly to the factory. buell stands behind their bikes, regardless of what the dealer makes you think. good luck | ||
| Eor |
There was a bearing issue in the XB's that was addressed with replacements during the 2003 model year, I believe. In response to some premature belt failures, the belt drive system was changed in the 04 models. I wonder if allot of your problems might be related to one or both of those issues? | ||
| Roc |
I wish I had a warranty that covered tires. | ||
| Charlieboy6649 |
Not to poke fun, but my 03 has been flawless and I ride the dog shite out of it!  Dumb luck I guess. They are machines and they WILL have problems. I'll prolly break down now that I've gloated LOL! Anyway, wrench the thing, do your regular maint, and love it; or leave it... I hope that either way you go, it works out for you... Have you tried (or have) another dealer? | ||
| Briz31 |
Trash it, buy a 2005 model... Sure does look as if yours is one of those that got away and should have been SHOT long long ago. I have a 2003 XB9s, no troubles at all.... Was made in March 2003, I purchased in December 2003. Just over 6000 Km... All running good. | ||
| Ingemar |
Find another dealer that loves buells. Or contact Buell Customer Service and patiently explain your story to them. | ||
| Court |
>>>>I wonder if allot of your problems might be related to one or both of those issues? No. Nor does the Lemon Law have anything to do with this. Spend your legal dollars as you see fit, but this has nothing to do with lack of "fitness for purpose or merchantability". You, your dealer or some combination (I am not, nor do I intend to with such limited information, speculate as to which party contributed what to the mix) thereof have abused and failed to properly maintain a perfectly good motorcycle. You can not, which makes me question your facts, buy any warranty for tires that I am aware of other than the standard road hazard and such. I'd suggest you sell the bike and take the hit. You may have a cause of action against the dealer if they ACTUALLY misrepresented the bike. Dealers are now held to a much higher standard. It used to be "if the customer doesn't ask", that's no longer true a dealer now has a legal obligation to disclose material facts and these appear to have been material. You have no cause of action with regard to Harley-Davidson. Court | ||
| Thepup |
As a person that has had problems with my Buell,I find this story really hard to believe. Something tells me very little if any of this story is true. | ||
| Dago |
I'm calling bu11$h1t, too. There's no way you could ride more than a few inches with a missing front axle. I believe you may be having trouble with your bike. But I don't believe the extent to which your troubles have occurred. I can also see why the dealer would try to avoid you like the plague. They've certainly heard the same story as we've just heard here. Riding without an axle....give me a break. You loose all credibility with that claim. Good luck, and take the advise from those who've already said to bail now. | ||
| Raceghost |
All who posted, thanks for your comments... Court, there is a tire and wheel package offered by harley dealers that does infact cover tires. THe tire problems were that they were getting cupped do to bearings and mis-alliend or unbalanced rim. The pup, Right here buddy, suck it. Drive to Idaho, and Ill show you the stack of papers from the dealer on the repairs done to this bike. Buellsrule, My mistake, the primary chain is what I was talking about, the dealer mechanic that works on my buell said it acts as a timing chain. My apologies. Dago, it was a missing Rear Axle. And yes, it had fallen out not 20 feet back. (Message edited by raceghost on June 02, 2005) | ||
| T9r |
I could see if the maintenance schedule was not followed you could have such issues. THe cooler lines can rub, causing a leak to occur. Nuts can come loose, even on the axle and possibly come off. Your primary chain... new will need to be re-tightened after so many thousand miles as it stretches. One problem may have lead to other components failing. Owning a Buell, can be more enjoyable, when you can diagnosis problems opposed to having to rely on a dealer mechanic. After the bike has been to the dealer... do it a once or twice over of all components that were worked on and parts that were taken off. Good luck with what ever route you take... a non-Buell motorcycle might fit you better in terms of maintenance. | ||
| Raceghost |
Thanks again to all, just to clarify, It took me two years to claim ownership of this bike. I worked my butt off to get the funds to get it. I love them, the torque, the feel, the looks...Im just so frustrated at the malfunctions. Even if you laugh, even if you agree, or disagree, the point is, I like to ride, and correct, Im not a mechanic, but I do ask questions, and try to do my research. The other firebolt owner in town has had similiar issues. 3 of our other friends bought blasts and lightnings. The service department takes nearly 2-3 weeks to repair our bikes every time. This is why I say, its in the shop more than I ride it. I dont want to get rid of it, I just want to ride. I needed to vent, and see what others have seen or thought, so that is why I approached you. Its nice to see an active buell thread. | ||
| New12r |
17,000 hard ridden stoppie every chance I get wheelie from just about every stop bouncing off the revv limiter on wide open runs miles and nothing is broken other than the stuff I broke dropping it. Love my BUELL!!! | ||
| Roc |
I don't think your bike is malfunctioning. I suggest you find another mechanic to work on your bike. You also need to take more of an ownership role in maintaining your motorcycle, it is your safety on the line. You need to give your bike a through pre-ride check every time you ride it. It sounds like you had a serious rear wheel bearing failure. You should have recieved warning from the bike about this long before the axle came out. Look at your bearings and axle before you ride. Your primary chain should not need that much attention. How do you go through so many tires in so few miles? | ||
| Raceghost |
I have done a lot of Highway miles, that is why there the mileage put on the bike in a year is roughly 4000. THe roads in Idaho suck. I was running stockers for ever.They kept putting the stock tires back on, the first tire was damn near bald when I bought it, I was just so excited to finally get it, that I wasn't thinking. Then bought second rear tire, and oops, 6 days later, NAIL. Idaho sucks. Plain and simple. The roads here are just not maintained that well. And then bearing issues caused it as well. Wich by the way, the dealer said they changed the bearings last summer the second time the bike was in, cuz I looked for recalls. but guess what, the rear bearings never got changed. THe point in question with the rear swing, axle, etc, was this spring, when i and a few friends went and road Long Beach. Was riding north on 15 to Vegas to meet the guy with the trailer to take them home when it happened. I will take a picture of the inner steel tube(not sure what it is) or axle spacer inside the rim, that puts tension on the rim some how, it has severe grind marks, and about a centameter is missing. THe rim sliced through it. When I stopped and realized the last time, the right side of the tire was WHITE, because of the heat and the pull from the belt offcentering the tire, the right rear bearing as you face the handle bars was the primary failure, which allowed the rim to move right and left as I rode, then as the axel slipped and slipped as it turned, loosend the axel and it slid out. So, just think about it, map it in your head, bearing fails, peices of the bearing were splattered to the rim, undertail, and side of the swing arm. it falls out, rim rotating on gap here off cenetered, as the belt pulls on the right side, the rim will move, and with the stress, starts cutting the inner shank that sits over the axle inside the rim. as miles go on, the pressure of this off balanced rim, grabs the axel and starts to turn it...you get the picture. Some of you, the next time you speak, think it through logically first, I would hate to hear about a similiar instance on the board, only there is a RIP statment and the viewing cerimonies are yet to be scheduled. I hope it doesnt happen to any of my fellow riders, cuz trust me, it doesnt give you that warm fuzzy feeling, or excitment. It sucks plain and simple, had I kept riding, and he not noticed it, I would be a permanent attachment to the side fo the road out side Barstow, CA. | ||
| Johncr250 |
Sell that piece of •••• an buy an R1! | ||
| Dago |
I get the picture.  Man, I don't think you're elaborating enough on just how bad the roads in Idaho are. Are you sure you're just not running over a bunch of potatoes? It must be like riding on the moon up there if you didn't notice all of that damage happening while running at highway speeds. I'm glad you corrected me about which axle was the one that fell out. It brings up a question: How can a wheel that's spinning clockwise loosen an axle that must be turned counter clockwise to be removed? Just curious... | ||
| Raceghost |
Yah, I get alot of potatoes, no prob, have your fun, but look at the bike on the left side there dago, now when the tire is spinning forward, the left side of the bike, the brake side, the axle is spinning left, or forward, or counter clockwise, whatever. Dude, enough of this, you think your bike is so F......Fast, cool, but it cost you your left nut to get it there. Really cool, some of us work for a living, and some of us, get luck, whatever, you work hard, you play hard, the best to you... One thing is for sure, when you have lots of good stuff on your bike or mod it every day, or race it, you notice lots of things. Your right, I should pay more attention to looking at things before I go ride, usually I just check to make sure nothing big is leaking and dont think to look at the finer things. But hey, you have a hell of a lot of time on your hands, come show me your mechanical genious. Texans, big Belt buckles, big ego's. Your cool man, really cool... | ||
| Glitch |
I would never buy a bike with that bike's history. | ||
| Dago |
Oh I'm far from a mechanical genius. But I do indeed work hard and play even harder. One must keep his balance. I hope you get your ride back in check asap. It sucks being without a ride. Good luck on that. Yeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaaaw!!!!! | ||
| Signguyxb12 |
someone give this guy a good dealer to go to...please!!! | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
Anyone who has actually removed the axle from his Buell XB will find the episode described above to be largely fanciful as it would necessitate a large scale repeal of the laws of nature. Am I the only one who thinks that this Buelligan is more in need of a psychiatrist than a mechanic? | ||
| Jerseyguy |
I dunno, but I've flogged my '03 9S mercilessly since the day I got it & have had almost no problems. I'm sorry to hear that your experience has been different. | ||
| M1combat |
I think there are a few communication issues here... One of the largest being - "If you don't have anything nice to say..." Ghost... If everyone you know has these things in common - You all have your Buells worked on at the same dealer. And - You all have problems. Then - Find a different dealer or do the work yourself if you think you can. I think the problem is the dealer. If the axle itself is installed properly (pinch bolt) it will not "fall out". I'm getting the impression that the axle itself did not fall out, but that something else did and you are calling it the axle. In any case, if all the Buells in town have problems, and that's not the case in other towns, get a different mechanic. | ||
| T9r |
As usual someone else is right... M1 My #2 suggestion is that you buy another bike... lets say... an S1 Buell. Good to always have a back up bike even if it is another Buell. Take that #2 for what it's worth and do with it what you want. Good day | ||
| Reepicheep |
Raceghost, if you want to start fights, do it on some other board. If you have a question, ask it and we can probably help. If you just want to rant, you already did, please stop peeing in the well. If your "timing chain" won't stay in adjustment, I would advise you get some other mechanic then you have previously been using to pop off the "timing cover" and check to see if the "timing chain" tensioner shoe teflon or backplate is cracked... you or your previous mechanic probably adjusted it too tight. If you are lucky, it just broke the shoe, and did not destroy the crank and tranny bearings. You are either misrepresenting your experience, you are mechanically and logically impaired to the point of being dangerous, or your mechanic is staggeringly incompetent, or some combination of all three. Regardless, your recent posts have descended into simple trolling, which is not tolerated on this board, especially when done clumsily and with vitriol. | ||
| Jon |
Is it a confirmed fact that RaceGhoast is a Troller, or could it be that he does not understand the bikes problems well enough to accurately depict them? I'd hate to see someone get a bum's rush out the door who might just need some patience and assistance. | ||
| Hogs |
Thats BS IF I ever heard it before!!!!!!!!!!!!If thats all ya can do get a REAL LIFE!!!!!!! |
