| Author | Message | ||
     Wesbone |
Hello fellow riders, my name is Wesley Teutsch and own a 2004 Buell lightning, I have added a few accessories to it such as a clear lense w/ led bulb, and buell series exhaust. I love my bike with a passion, when it is running, but now I am very discouraged and disappointed, let me tell you why. I bought the bike in October of 2004, fell in love with the bike right off, my fiance at the time liked it too so that made it even better, this is on a sat afternoon. Sunday I get ready to break it in and not two hours into the ride the whole bike shuts off, it would not turn over, nothing. The next day it goes to the shop, they determined that someone put the fuses in wrong causing it to malfunction. No big problem I say, new guy simple mistake, bike gets fixed. Runs good for a month, I get married in Dec. perfect time to install the new muffler while Im on the honeymoon so when I get back I can ride it. Get back, loved the new sound, drove it everywhere. Towards the end of Dec. my plugs foul out, I figured cold weather trying to start no big deal. Get it back from the shop again, runs fine. Three weeks later I blow a fuse, no prob., put in another one it blows a week later. Take it to the shop again, they think parking light is grounding out causing the fuses to blow. At this point Im a little upset but over it quickly. Another week goes by and about four fuses later its in the shop again. This time they replace a wire in the wiring harness. My patience are getting weary now. get it back then that lovely two weeks goes by and more fuses are blown including mine. In the shop again, they replace left turn signal which they think will fix it, hopefully. At this time my bike has been in the shop more than I have been able to ride it. Get it back again, riding last night the bike completely shuts off, I check the gas, it looks low but not empty, Im thinking I missed my gas light, I put gas in it only 2gallons barely, so I figure it was not the gas, now my fan is running on and off, even when the bike is cool, my engine light is flashing and it won't even think about turning over, and my battery is almost dead. I am so upset right now I just want to get rid of the thing. It is more hassle than enjoyment. Could anyone help me out on any suggestions. I love riding my buell but the shop see's it more than I do. Sorry so long but wanted to fill you in on the details. Thanks a lot, discouraged and angry rider | ||
| Davefla |
I can't offer you much more than an "I'm sorry Wesley." I've had some cold weather/plug fouling/idiot owner trouble, but nothing else. It must still be under warranty- perhaps someone here can point you in the direction of Customer Assistance? Maybe those folks' help and a new wiring harness will solve your problems. | ||
| Henrik |
Wesley; sorry to hear about your trouble with the bike. It might be helpful to know where you're located - could help to get the necessary knowledge/experience to your dealer. That said, electrical gremlins are often very difficult to diagnose. - which fuses are blowing? - is it the same fuse/fuses every time, or does it change? - before the bike dies, are there any warning symptoms? - when the bike dies, is it all of a sudden, or is there sputtering? While it's likely not the main issue, it might be worth checking some of the basic electrical issues: Is the battery, stator and voltage regulator ok? Is there a solid ground? Remove, clean and reinstall ground strap. Are the battery cables intact. In particular check for a ridge in the bottom of the seat rubbing. There were a few members here that mentioned a wire in front of the steering stem wearing off the insulation and shorting out. Please chime in with some more details, and I'm sure others will chime in. Keep us posted on your progress. Don't give up just yet. Henrik | ||
| Whodom |
Wesbone, Sorry about your trouble. To me, it sounds like mainly a service problem- i.e.- a simple electrical glitch that your dealer hasn't yet located and corrected. As much as we'd all like to have the dealership take care of things like this with no assistance, Henrik's suggestions are well worth looking into. You might be able to permanently cure this problem yourself with 10 minutes of investigation and a dime's worth of electrical tape. Correcting a minor niggle like this yourself will give you a lot more confidence in the bike (and yourself). If you do have to go back to the dealer, bump this problem up the ladder (service manager, sales manager, owner, whatever). Let them know of your frustration with the problem and their inability to correct it. Being polite but firm goes a long way here. If all else fails, call Buell customer service. Good luck. | ||
| Jlnance |
Let them know of your frustration with the problem and their inability to correct it. Definitly. They obviously misdiagnosed it the first time, and it sounds like they are just trying different things now. | ||
| Rubberdown |
Jeez Wes, sorry thats a sad and unusual story. I hope it gets sorted out. My 04' was flawless for 9k before I sold it. Hang in there. Keep a record and chronology of all that has occured. | ||
| Rmp |
Hey Wes. I understand what you're dealing with. Had the same trouble with a truck I bought years ago. Problems on top of problems. When you pay for a product and a warranty, you expect to the problems to be taken care of. You should'nt have to diagnose it yourself IMHO. It sounds like you've had a belly full. Is there a such thing as a Lemon Law on motorcycles? I would probably research that. What happens if they fix it for now and your warranty runs out? You're pretty well stuck then. I know the guys at HD/Buell of Gainesville and I thought they were plenty capable. Half of the guys there ride Buell's if I not mistaken. I would get a list of all the times it's been in the shop and get on the horn (or talk with in person) with someone higher up than the service manager. Hopefully someone will stand behind this product and make things right.  Keep us posted Wes and hope for the best. Later Rob | ||
| Wesbone |
thanks guys for the help and support so far. Henrik it is the same fuse that is blowing, when it blows I have no brake lights, turn signals, tach, speedometer, only a headlight. It is scary because I get off of work at 12:30 at night and I live in the country, don't like riding without signals and brake lights. Last night when my bike died it was suddeen, no warning, just cruising about 35 or 40 and it just shut off. | ||
| Djkaplan |
Sometimes you just have to take it somewhere else. The dealership I bought my bike from could never address the problems I was having while under warranty. I took it to another dealer and everything was finally taken care of. I didn't start enjoying my Buell experience until a full 4 months after I bought it. Since then, no problems. I stuck with the bike and I'm glad I did. It could have been a very bad experience if I just gave up. | ||
| Luvthemtorts |
Feeling for ya man! My 03' Firebolt started having electrical problems last week (a little over 3600 miles). I have went over every obvious solution but can't find what is causing it. Mine goes to the dealer on Sept. 1st. This will be my first trip in for repair work. Hopefully it will be my last too LOL! Best of luck with your problems. | ||
| Djkaplan |
"it is the same fuse that is blowing, when it blows I have no brake lights, turn signals, tach, speedometer, only a headlight. It is scary because I get off of work at 12:30 at night and I live in the country, don't like riding without signals and brake lights. Last night when my bike died it was suddeen, no warning, just cruising about 35 or 40 and it just shut off." Interesting. I have 2000 M2 - a totally different bike, and I had the same problems you describe here. The fuse blowing problem didn't start until I used aftermarket blinkers up front with the stockers in the rear. I think the resistance difference must have been causing it. The problem persisted even after I put matching blinkers on the rear, but it mysteriously disappeared soon after. I still carry extra fuses because of that experience, but haven't blown one in over 4 years. A couple of times, my bike also cut off for no reason. I was able to track it down to a bad kickstand safety switch. I don't think your bike has one of those, but it's an example of how something simple can cause this problem. Good luck! | ||
| Djkaplan |
Oh, btw, I never took my bike in to the dealer for these problems. These were just niggling little issues I fixed myself. | ||
| Henrik |
Wesley; already we're a small but important step closer. We've isolated the issue - my guess would be a wire rubbing somewhere and shorting out intermittently - to a specific area of the wiring harness. Do you have the service manual? If not, and if you intend to keep the bike, it's very well worth it to buy it as well as the parts manual for the bike. For now, can someone with a manual for an '04 XB9 Lightning take a look and see where this particular circuit may be "in harms way"? Which reminds me; wasn't there something about a bolt that was rubbing a wire behind the headlight on some Lightnings ?? Lightning owners, please chime in. Henrik | ||
| Blake |
Wes! Should have been reading BadWeB.  Can't believe I'm the first to remember this. Our XBoard BadWeBrs are slipping! http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/32777/20809.html?1051056347
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| Blake |
Oops, Henrik had it first. Great call Henrik! BTW Wes, your dealer should have known about this. Pretty sure the factory sent out documentation on it. | ||
| Reepicheep |
There was also a horn bracket cutting into a wire causing something similar. Also look closely at the wire bundle going to the ECM under the seat, it can work its way up and get cut by a sharp edge of the battery terminal. The nick can be very small and hard to see except for very close inspection. (Message edited by reepicheep on August 18, 2005) | ||
| Vfrbart |
Bad Battery/Voltage Regulator? | ||
| Joele |
Entire wiring harness sheathed in kevlar! | ||
| Buellshyter |
There may not be a kickstand position sensor but I do believe the XB's have a lean angle sensor that will kill the engine if it's limit is exceeded. | ||
| Justice |
Yeah, the XB's have a lean angle sensor. Don't ask me how I know.  | ||
| Rmp |
Hey Wes. Does the dealership have your bike? Any word on progress? | ||
| Ronlv |
i had a small electrical problem that bothered me for a couple days until i found it the rear exaust melted a couple wires in the wiring harness i had to remove the whole rearend, fan and shock to get to it and fix it now everything works great later, ron | ||
| Rarebird |
I think we all want to make good on this board, but sometimes more drastic measures are needed. Your problems are definite safety issues... Check into the Lemon Laws in your state- you could be up for a new bike, and a chance to see how a Buell SHOULD (and most do) work -Mike (Message edited by rarebird on August 19, 2005) | ||
| Henrik |
Lemon Law is a loose-loose situation for *everyone* involved. Much! better to get things resolved amicably. Now wouldn't it be cool, if Wes' problem was one of the - easily resolved - issues mentioned here and he could get back on the road in no time? Henrik | ||
| Dave |
Perhaps with an repeat issue like this, the dealership could give him a loaner bike while they attempt to solve this repeat problem. I suppose it'd be a customer focused dealership. Car dealerships give loaner cars for one time maintenance. DAve | ||
| Wesbone |
hey guys the dealership picked up my bike this morning and I am looking into calling somoeone up higher to see about getting this problem resolved. hoping to get another bike, I think I have had enough problems with this one. Still love the Buell, thanks for the continued help and support, any more suggestions are still welcome, thanks again | ||
| Rarebird |
<Lemon Law is a loose-loose situation for *everyone* involved.> I totally disagree. Lemon Laws are for just such a situation. If you get a bogus pair of shoes, you take them back and get a replacement/ refund. If you have a vehicle that can't be depended on for day to day use, especially with the amount of cash layed out, someone needs to be held responsible. Buell's are not one-off customs or restored classics where lack of reliability is acceptable. It is NOT the consumer's resposibility to be perpetually inconvenienced with service trips and down time, especially while still making the monthly payments and insurance. Most vehicles can be fixed in one or two trips, but the occasional "Lemon" gets through. This guy needs a break.. -Mike | ||
| Henrik |
Mike; Granted, if you get to a point where nothing is being done and you're still having problems. Then *maybe* Lemon Law would be an option to consider. You may think that applying Lemon Law will get you out of ownership free and clerar. But I think, that if you read Lemon laws more closely, you'll realize that you rarely, if ever, get back what you'd hoped, i.e. the full amount you spent. There are often provisions for time/miles accumulated to be deducted. You'd most likely also need some legal assistance - paid by you etc. etc. Sure looks like a loose-loose situation to me. Especially if one of the suggestions here fixes the problem. No? My suggestion to Wes would be a proactive approach. Print out the technical comments and suggestions from here and bring them to his dealer. Contact Buell Customer service and politely inform them of the issues and ask if they can have someone knowledgable in all things Buell contact the shop with trouble shooting advice & suggestions etc. But you're absolutely correct; Wes needs a break Henrik (Message edited by Henrik on August 19, 2005) | ||
| Whodom |
Rarebird, I know what you're saying but when I hear "lemon law" I think "multiple failures of a bunch of different parts" (think of the worst of mid-1970's U.S. automobiles). It sounds a lot like Wesbone has one electrical problem, probably caused by something very minor, that has never been diagnosed correctly and therefore never fixed. I hope his dealer will nail it correctly this time so he can be done with it once and for all. | ||
| Buellgator |
Wes, Let me preface this by saying that I am sorry about the trouble that you are having with your motorcycle. All of the problems that you guys are describing have been checked and re-checked on this bike. All of the wiring up to the small bulb socket in the headlamps was checked and none of it was exposed and rubbing. We went ahead and replaced the socket for it as well. The wiring for the horn was also checked and was found in good condition no rubbing or exposed wires. We are attempting to re-create the problem and have been un able to. I will have the wires near the exhaust checked, and we will check the horn and the small light again. I am hoping we can resolve this for you Wes. Again I am very sorry. Thanks to the BadWebbers for the suggestions. |
