| Author | Message | ||
     Buellinachinashop |
How does the frame get welded, by hand or by a robot? Anybody have a clue as to what type of alloy is used? | ||
| Jwhite601 |
JB weld I think  | ||
| J_s_machine |
from the looks of them I would say a robot, or either a very skilled human. It takes a lot of practice to make a weld look that good. If they were MASS producing these bikes I could see a robot, but since Buells are kind of rare, I would say by hand. | ||
| Glitch |
The Italian frames are hand welded. The newer Chinese frames are robot welded. This is what I was told, but not by anyone from Buell, so take it with a grain of salt. Edited for typo (Message edited by glitch on October 11, 2007) | ||
| Court |
Just so we are clear . . there are NO Buell frames made in China. | ||
| Hughlysses |
I thought the current (08) frames are made in the USA? | ||
| Glitch |
NONE of them were made it China? | ||
| Glitch |
I guess it was just the swingarms and wheels then? | ||
| Anonymous |
Current swingarms on XBs and 1125R are Japanese parts, because of the availability there of an extremely high quality, extremely low porosity die-casting process that makes structural capable parts. Frames are made either in Italy (XB) or Illinois (1125). | ||
| Court |
The anonymous information is 100% accurate. | ||
| Court |
By the way . . . none of this has a hoot to do with any of the trivial arguments surrounding fraternity and sourcing. The world is a big place and some folks at Buell (Purchasing folks are assigned at the very first possible moment) have worked very hard to find the BEST (consisting of elements of quality, cost, reliability of supply, on-time performance and several other measurable metrics) possible source for each part. These folks, the purchasing folks, are not as good looking as a lot of us but they are just as passionate. | ||
| Dick |
Hey Court maybe you could have your purchasing people come work for Boeing then we could get parts that arrive on time and actually fit.They did a good job on my 06 XB12Ss | ||
| Court |
>>>>Hey Court maybe you could have your purchasing people come work for Boeing then we could get parts that arrive on time and actually fit. I've been reading and kinda keeping up on the Dreamliner. Interesting how dependence on foreign supply of fasteners has toss the project off track. Did you see the article I'd posted a while back? There is so much more to purchasing than price. . . there are parallels in choosing your dealer. I'd never buy based on price . . .you are effectively setting yourself up by establishing and telegraphing your SOLE criteria. . . . Court | ||
| Glitch |
I've been wrong before. No surprise there  Have the frames always been made in Italy (XB)? I thought that when the Uly came out the frames were outsourced? | ||
| Ccryder |
Court: Truer words have not been spoken. Try and convince the corporate types when someone has sold them on the "e-bid/ reverse auction" for EVERYTHING! Time2Work (in the corporate world) Neil S. | ||
| Buellinachinashop |
"theres so much more to purchasing than price" You're not a buyer at my company. | ||
| Court |
Probably best for me and your company. I, over a 35 year career, have had the good fortune to have spent time in some pretty fascinating places doing some neat stuff. A company that bought on price alone and I would quickly lack much in common. | ||
| Glitch |
Have the frames always been made in Italy (XB)? | ||
| Court |
Yes. | ||
| Glitch |
Thanks Court! | ||
| Froggy |
As much as I would like to see the rims made in the USA, the chineese rims are very strong and somehow can survive me  As long as I don't get a recall notice for lead painted rims, I'm happy. | ||
| Ridrx |
Wheels are manuf. by Enkei for Buell, no? | ||
| Diablobrian |
yup, enkei wheels. | ||
| Court |
cool, eh? | ||
| Ridrx |
Cool link Court, Enkei makes some nice products. I used to work for a local aftermarket wheel retailer, and was amazed at the fit and finish of their(Enkei's) stuff. Concentricity, runout(lateral and radial) and balance were near perfect on every set I ever sold/installed. I used to get a laugh when people would drop $2-3k on a set of "fancy" wheels ...cause "Enkei's are cheap kid's wheels"...then we would inevitably have to reorder one or more of the "fancy" wheels to replace a defect, excessive runout and balance weight are rampant in the aftermarket automotive wheel industry(knock-offs will get you every time). Kudos to BMC purchasing...good choice. Sorry for the thread jack...now back to your regularly scheduled frame topic already in progress. (Message edited by RidrX on October 13, 2007) | ||
| Coal400 |
I've got 2 sets of Enkeis for my wife's car. They make a damn good product - To my knowledge, all Subaru cars come with Enkei wheels from the factory. I noticed that Buell was using Enkei wheels and it came as no surprise to me. I can not think of a better wheel, for a production bike. | ||
| Drfudd |
I had some Enkeis for my car. Best wheels I could get. Completely transformed the way the car handled, every wheel was perfectly balanced and had no problem running free-way speeds day after day.... In Detroit MI of all places, I was one of those aggressive drivers weaving around traffic in my college days. | ||
| Socalbueller |
While the design of the wheels I am impressed with on my Firebolt the fit and finish are horrible. I have actual dried paint drips on my rear wheel. The shade of amber is not consistent over the wheels and there are shades of red in random places. My front wheel has a few places where the paint is pretty thin. I can't complain too much because you get what you pay for. I could not get an extra set of rims off ebay for a Ducati for less than $400 like I did my bike. But these are far from the best rims available. | ||
| Court |
>>>But these are far from the best rims available. Who do you think the vendor is for the Ducati OEM wheel? Do you think they are the best rims available? I ask because there is a heated discussion on the Ducati forum about wheels and the urgent need to ditch the OEM wheels in favor of BST and Marchesini. | ||
| Court |
By the way . . Bucci forged wheels are getting lots of attention as well. If you are needing the best wheels for your wife's Ducati I'd suggest www.motowheels.com Please note they are not a board sponsor. | ||
| Buellerthanyou |
Court, That website is cool, except that "Flashbutt Welding" sounds like what might happen if, on a frosty day, you "moon" someone and accidentally back into a flagpole.  HellBuelly J "Death comes to all, but great motorcycles build a monument which shall endure until the sun grows cold." --Ralph Waldo Buellerson | ||
| Socalbueller |
Sorry I should have clarified, I am talking about the Ducati Superbikes. The 1098 has Marchesinis and from what I have seen the fit and finish are better than the wheels I have (both sets). I'm not saying the Buell wheel are shit but I wouldn't be entering any contests of craftsmanship with them. | ||
| Badlionsfan |
Truer words have not been spoken. Try and convince the corporate types when someone has sold them on the "e-bid/ reverse auction" for EVERYTHING! reminds me of a quote from an astronaut from the apollo area, Jim Lovell i think. he was asked what the scariest part of space travel is and he said "right as the engines light, and the whole thing starts shaking. you look around and realize that everything on this thing was built by the lowest bidder. you have to wonder, how were they able to do it cheaper?" |
