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Buell Motorcycle Forum » XBoard » Buell XBoard Archives » Archive through June 15, 2007 » Important! Please Tell Us the Condition of Your Firebolt's Headlights « Previous Next »

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Archive through June 11, 2007Gowindward30 06-11-07  02:14 pm
Archive through June 06, 2007Saintly30 06-06-07  09:44 pm
Archive through June 04, 2007Unibear12r30 06-04-07  10:25 pm
         

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Ridrx
Posted on Monday, June 11, 2007 - 07:39 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

I keep having a fantasy that the UPS man delivers a set of High Performance replacement lamps from Buell to my front door. With a nice letter saying thanks for waiting, while we fixed our problem head lamps.


I think the key word there is fantasy. Nice thought though.
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Strato9r
Posted on Monday, June 11, 2007 - 11:15 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

My low beam housing was toast after 20,000 km. The "plating" wiped off with a tissue. I coated the inside of the thing with aluminum tape and shined it up, and left that reflector out and so far, so good. I'm going to try a PIAA bulb in it next, since we sell them at our shop.
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Gjwinaus
Posted on Tuesday, June 12, 2007 - 12:09 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

My 03'R with 17,000km ( 11,00 miles) has cooked off the silver coating ( metalized aluminium ) as most others have on the low beam, I have pictures but I have trouble uploading them, My high beam is in nearly new condition, The PARTY PAN SET has 4 of what I believe would be a simple fix, It would need a tool to produce a reflector to fit snugly inside the existing reflector molding with a square front shape and and 4 screw hole to fit between the lens holder molding and the reflector molding and should be chrome plated (not aluminium metalised)in the reflector area.
Personally I think the correct fix is to convert the existing reflector tools from molding thermoplastic material to zinc or aluminium diecast, Chrome plate and polish the reflector area and provide it free or sell it as an up grade, Just one component for each light is all that is needed to fix the problem.
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Fulgur
Posted on Tuesday, June 12, 2007 - 04:30 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

XB12R - 40,000 km.
Mine have tarnished slightly but only slightly. A bit darker with a bit of a like oily sheen (like the color change on your pipes once they get hot). No pic', sorry.
......Fulgur.
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Rd3501
Posted on Tuesday, June 12, 2007 - 09:35 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

So was out late last night and almost died because of these headlights in the canyon. The heard of 6,000 pounds of deer cross the street in front of me and I couldnt see them because these lights suck so bad.. So I broken down and picked up some new headlights...

FYI I tried to paint the inside of the headlights with chrome paint..you guess it. It turned brown/yellow and no shine on the paint inside. So trying to repaint them chrome didnt work for me......

Here is the difference from 2003 and 2007. Blake and Court..take note....Buell has looked and redesigned the lights now twice and still cant get it right.. Or you could call it an update or what ever but again Buell didnt correctly fix the RIGHT problem..

2003 headlights were $35.00 for both the high and the low beams.. In 2005 1/2 Buell up the price on the high beam because they put a small circle about 1" of a kind of deffuser/scratched/bubble lens.. Now the price was $55.00 for the high beam. But low beam was still $35.00 because of no changes...

IN 2007 Buell just upped the price for the low beam to $55.00.. The reason for this is that now the low beam also has some kind of defusser/scratched/bubbled glass about 1" in the middle of the lens. Almost exactly like the high beam lens but not so bubbly.. Also they changed the metal defusser inside the lens. From anadize gold to plain metal... Now it takes up half of the lens inside. As the old one told up only 1/4 of the lens..

So price has gone up on both lens.. And both lens have been changed...But the original problem never got fixed..

Here is the really bad part. I took apart the new headlights and I can say without a doubt that quality control is in the toliet. There was dust and dirt painted into the lens on both.. And the inside finish was not even smooth because of this. I would say for sure that my 2003 lens inside were smooth as glass no dust or dirt in the paint when I took them apart. So the NEW lights just look like junk. Even my $1.00 Coleman light from WalMart looks like a rolex inside compaired to these Buell lights...Someone should be fired for letting these get buy quality control.

So there you have it Buell has made two different changes on the headlights and still didnt fix the first problem. The coating coming off the inside of the lights...So trying different defussers on the lens to try and correct the lighting issue didnt work..

Buell if you are reading this....IT IS THE COATING ON THE INSIDE OF THE LENS THAT IS NOT WORKING...........

I will try and post some pictures for everyone if they are not to large..

Ok I did my part...found out the changes and posted them...paid $127.00 for new headlights that I can throw in the trash in about 6 months....damn....
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Blake
Posted on Tuesday, June 12, 2007 - 11:46 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Philip (Rd),

What convinces you that the new version will fail prematurely, your other observations notwithstanding? Is the reflective coating and plastic substrate unchanged?

If there is an issue with the new lights, please return them asap. I know, big hassle, but mounting up a goofed set of new lights ain't going to be a better option, is it?
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Spatten1
Posted on Tuesday, June 12, 2007 - 11:47 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Even my $1.00 Coleman light from WalMart looks like a rolex inside compaired to these Buell lights

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Rd3501
Posted on Wednesday, June 13, 2007 - 01:35 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Blake,

I see where you are trying to go with this one. Yes, Buell did not change the headlight design you can still see model numbers, markings, on the lights are the same. The material/plastic is slightly different which means they changed supplier who ever is making them. This means that they in trying to cut costs, they are using a cheaper plastic and coating and lens. No it is not a better plastic. I will explain as you read on..keep reading... But same company is still selling them to Buell, the suppliers name is still on the lights. Made for SFC(I think)for Italy. They quality on these are bad. They look, feel much cheaper in design, than of the older model 2003 ones I have. They even made the glass lens ever so slight smaller/cheaper (not as thick) to save a few pennies, and you can see the grove marks in the glass lens where they cut it with water or lazer and were in a hurry. Not like the 2003 model lens that where smooth as glass on the inside of the lens towards the light bulb..

Are the newer design lights going to fail you are asking? Humm...can I say yes with out you flaming me!!! The part numbers have not change and these are the same lights going into the 2007 models that are failing on here some have shown.

The coating is the problem....They havent changed the inside coating or really the shell design to accomodate the high heat inside the headlight that is killing the coating.

Buell is still looking into the lights..I just talked to them yesterday...SO as far as I know they havent made any changes since we started this thread...yet..I said yet..lol

In fact the inside of the coating is now much worse in workmanship than the older ones I had. You can see now two screws holes coming through in one lens and the other lens has one screw hole going through it. The coating looks half-ass inside and there is dust and dirt painted right into the chrome reflecting coating on the inside of the plastic shell. Now I know why the 2007 models are failing so quickly with so little miles on the bikes. Who ever is making these headlights really cut to many corners to save a few pennies. And it is showing much quicker than the older models..I have looked over some of the 2007 headlights that have fail on here and you can see the same problem with dirt and bubbles in the coating.

Should I put my old ones back in and take these back? Wow..that sounds like a really good idea..except....you havent seen my old ones. There is a really big difference in lighting with just the smallest changes in quality in the reflective coating.. I might as well put a bicycle light on the front to see they are that bad and painting them didnt fix it.
So I am stuck I need lights...

The dealer told me that I have 90 days on these parts. So for everyone on here. I am going to ride the hell out of my bike for the next 89 days and see how they are holding up. Then try and get a warranty on the bad parts and put some new ones in and start over again ever 3 months until Buell comes up with the correct fix....

Blake, I am not trying to upset anyone. Just trying my best to educate everyone on here as to what I have seen, found and learned. I am sure Buell will make a change to the light again since they are still looking at them at this time. It takes time to fix things. But the reality is that Buell tries to fix and fix and fix things and keeps missing the mark. Belts and side stands come to mind. That they have tried to fix many times and they are still failing..

I do have some pictures but they are to big to up load..
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Ducxl
Posted on Wednesday, June 13, 2007 - 09:16 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Philip (Rd),

Maybe you should do a study on people who've replaced their reflectors and how they fare over,say,5000-10000- and 20000 miles.Then you may back up your ascersions(sp) that they're still the same defective products.

I think they are,but we need facts.
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Tim
Posted on Tuesday, June 26, 2007 - 07:01 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Did my badweb duty and pulled the low beam out of our 03 xb9r this weekend.

It looks like the pic posted by Saintly, of bdabuells light up at the top of this page.

Switched the pods around, putting the highbeam pod with the "spoon" added, on the low beam side. It should buy me some time to decide on my permanent fix.

I will make report to NHTSA.
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Saintly
Posted on Friday, June 29, 2007 - 07:00 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Here's the high beam housing from hammer71's 2005 bolt:





Its got a nice burn going, and there's a real nice heat crack too.

Mind you, this is the high beam (used less). His low had already been replaced with a new housing, and discarded. I wish I had a chance to photograph that.
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Jaelliot
Posted on Friday, August 08, 2008 - 07:01 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

I have a 2007 XB9R Firebolt with about 5,500 miles. Low beam just went out. H-D may or may not cover it...It seems to depend on which dealer I take it to. Anyone else have this trouble so soon?
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Blake
Posted on Saturday, August 09, 2008 - 01:28 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Yep.

See the applicable Buell service bulletin and upgrade program on the Knowledge Vault - Manuals... - Recalls, Service Bulletins, Technical Alerts page.

You'll want to carefully read through #B-076 Product Program 0501 - 2003-2006 Buell Firebolt (XB9R/XB12R) Headlights.

They should cover your 2007 as well if it its headlights are degrading. If they balk, have them contact Buell customer service.
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