| Author | Message | ||
     Cgameprogrammer |
I was at a nearby HD dealer today inquiring about the 2009 Buells, and he said the 2009s will have a fixed ECM flash to give them proper fuel economy. Note that I did *not* actually ask about this or mention anything about the 2008 issues; he just mentioned it out of the blue. He's probably telling the truth; there's no benefit in trying to hype a motorcycle that they'd barely be getting any of. So... good news on that front. | ||
| Cityxslicker |
UM, I think without running a few tanks of gas through them and doing a couple hundred miles that comment may warrant further testing. | ||
| Jaimec |
According to this article, the OFFICIAL EPA figures for the 2009 1125r are 39 mpg city, 53 mpg highway. No official figures were ever released for the 2008 models. http://hellforleathermagazine.com/2008/07/buell-11 25r-available-in-new-c.html | ||
| Randomchaos |
Yea, they supposedly improved on the DDFI3 system and the maps. They exclusively claimed the 1125R has much better gas mileage when compared to the 2008 model. Im betting all the fuel mileage issues with the 08s will be a thing of the past with the 09s. | ||
| Arctic_firebolt |
That's very interesting, since we have beat this to death over in the 'MPG Buell Needs to fix this thread'. Thank you for the encouraging information!!! I just hope it will apply to us 2008 owners. | ||
| Schleppy |
I sincerely hope they give that flash to all the 08 owners free of charge. That's a pretty major fix... | ||
| Court |
>>>>that they'd barely be getting any of. They can order and will get as many as they want unless someone has drastically changed. Orders are in phases throughout the year and can be amended. | ||
| Bombardier |
Speaking of Flashes. My dealer who shall remain nameless has just recently been falling over themselves to reflash my ecm. Is there any word about that Buell have changed all of the reflashes so that ECMSpy cant be used on all the XB models? | ||
| Court |
Make sure your dealer knows that if they have ANY problem there is immediate help available from Buell. | ||
| Arctic_firebolt |
Hello Court: I wish it were that simple. I made dang sure I was respectful and asked politely. When it comes to the reflash topic unless 'they' feel there is a reason the dealers are very reluctant. I even had one dealer tell me he would have to charge me for it but that the dealer where I bought the bike may be more willing to help.  Any additional info you can provide will be GREATLY appreciated. John | ||
| Xbgeorge |
UKE'S HD/Buell, Kenosha, WI, wasn't reluctant at all. My 08-12R is in the shop now with a broken clutch cable bracket, and they said they would look at reflashing it again. It ran great after the first reflash, but then regressed after about 400 miles. I haven't had to pay for anything yet. Very good service. They don't hide their Buells either. After hearing all the problems Arctic_firebolt has had getting proper service, I feel pretty lucky. | ||
| Darthane |
After hearing all the problems Arctic_firebolt has had getting proper service, I feel pretty lucky. You should always feel lucky getting decent service at a HD stealership when you bring a Buell in - it's far, far too rare. The dealership I bought my XT from just called me yesterday to get my opinion on the process, etc. I was right in the middle of tearing tile off of my upstairs bathroom wall (let me tell you, they did that shit right back in the 50s, none of this concrete board crap) and was really tempted to tell her I was busy, but I decided to actually tell her what was on my mind. ...I doubt it will make any difference (yes, Court, I was very polite through the entire thing), but I told her precisely what my gripes were, some of which are concrete and some of which are perception. Overall my suggestion to her centered around one thing and one thing only - get someone into that place that not only knows about Buells, but actually LIKES them...heaven's forbid, maybe actually OWNS one. | ||
| Arctic_firebolt |
XBgeorge, I just made an appointment for the exact same issue, broken clutch cable keeper, if you want to call it that. One of the guys over on another post gave me some insight to the issue, along with a great pic of the new bracket. It looks like 2 1/2 weeks before the service. Said he had to order the parts. I will try to prevent it from further melting till then. I am hopeful I just had a string of bad luck that is over now. Fingers crossed.  | ||
| Spacecapsule1 |
is this a DIFFERENT flash than the reflash the 08 owners have already been trying to get? | ||
| Arctic_firebolt |
I believe so. The flash I just got on Monday 7/28 has been nicknamed, 'tach upgrade' If I am understanding it correctly there have been some mods to the ECM flash for 2009 models. Aka, MPG flash.  However, the link provided further up this thread specifically targets the 1125R. A completely different engine. (Message edited by Arctic_Firebolt on August 01, 2008) | ||
| Rhun |
I had my 08 re flashed, also. Didn't seem to help the MPG. Hopefully, there will be a re re flash. It is still a castrated Buell, when compared to my 05 9SX or my 04 12R with race kit, but was somewhat better afterword. The difference between the old and new is like a the big Harley and the Vrod. NOOOO bottom! | ||
| Jaimec |
If you read about the MISERABLE mpg this year's 1125r's have been getting, you'd understand the relevance. They are all using the same injection system (DDIF3) so what affects one model SHOULD affect them all. | ||
| Kev187 |
I got the Beta ECM update July 12th, it did not seem to do much of anything. I am currently on vacation traveling & averaging 35mpg still. My bike is going back in the shop on August 14th for what appears to be a warped front rotor at 3500 miles (pulsing) plus my throttle cable is biding & sticking, & in the last 1000 miles she went through nearly a quart of oil??? So along with all that... we will see also if there is another ECM update for the 2008 models while its in the shop? The pre 2008 mnodels all sipped gas, so its something that should be fixable. WIsh me luck on the other stuff... | ||
| Jaimec |
99% of the time, pulsing from the front brake is caused by deposits left by the stock brake pads and NOT by the rotor getting warped. Lyndall Gold brake pads solve this once and for all. | ||
| Arctic_firebolt |
Hey Jaimec, we have been beating this DDFI 3 issue to death.  Unfortunately being so new no one has any good info. The trickle which started this tread is by far the most promising info we've got. Almost every member here with an '08 seems to suffer from poor MPG. What concerns me is that the 1125R currently owns the spotlight. Being a completely different engine the ECM maps are probably all different. When a flash is released for the 1125R it won't necessarily be what helps the rest of us, even though it is the same FI system....but we are hopeful we will be included in the solution. | ||
| Kev187 |
I started the other 08 MPG issue~ My 2002 X1 consistantly proved 45+ MPG running around town & 50+ on open road. My 08 ULY gets around 30 average. Its painful on the 4.4 gallon tank, filling up all the time. WIll Buell do anything for us? I mean, its not a totally different motor? I love my ULY, but its going in the shop for some more nickel & dime stuff, the MPG is insult to injury. It came down to the 990 KTM & the ULY. I went with the ULY for dealer network & fuel mileage. I hate to say it, but more days lately I am regretting my choice & wishing I went with the KTM. I know its typical of us here on these forums to bitch about whats wrong, but I am a rider, I ride 10K +++ annually. MY 2005 Tiger was flawless for 2 years 1600 miles, my two hondas prior were Bullet Proof. My 2002 X1 gave me headaches, but i dived back into Buell again with all the praise of the XB line. This fuel range this is terrible & at $4.45 a gallon for high test gas in my area, my ULY gettting 30MPG & my 2004 4cyl 2wd toyota tacoma getting 24MPG, its more economical to drive my truck to work & back. Its just crazy considering there is no point for this small low RPM push rod motor to get such poor mileage. Now add in that mine is burning a quart of oil between changes & the front brake is possible warped at 3600 miles. I am starting to get really depressed at my $11K purchase. Paid cash, I have several big road trips planned. Just wondering now, should I just eat if for a while, then get my tax return & ebay the bike... move on to other things. Hope Buell does something to help all of us out while also working on its new flagship 1125R | ||
| Arctic_firebolt |
Hey Kev. Well I appreciate the fact that you started the other thread. It is my number one grip. Funny you should mention the Tiger. The '08 Firebolt is my 4th consecutive HD product. I also, still own my 2003 NightTrain 1450cc, which gets 43 - 45 MPG consistently. My choices for owning a second bike were the Speed Triple, Tiger or Sprint, Yamaha FZ-1. That was after I narrowed it down from many. I was ready to sign on the bottom line for a Triumph and very eager to try something different. I went to the Leesburg, Florida Bike Fest and watched some extremely talented guys on XB9SX bikes and was totally amazed at the bikes capabilities. Realize I said the "bike" not me. I started to look much more closely at the Buell. In the end, I did not like the Speed Triple's exhaust, number of dealer support and the MPG!!! This being a second bike and gas prices out of control I bought the Buell. I owned a Sportster and a FatBoy at one time and truly believed in the Evolution Engine. I did some homework and read it for myself that '07 and '06 owners were getting MPG well into the upper 50's. When I am not on the road for my job I have an 80+ mile round trip commute. I am completely disappointed and feel that the numbers advertised are mis-representation at best! If it doesn't get straightened out I will sell the bike and move on. It will also be the last time HD sees me on the new owners list. John | ||
| Randomchaos |
If I remember correctly, the Buells can consume a decent amount of oil until roughly 5000 miles are on it. The front rotor pulsing is most likely from brake dust deposits. Many people have had this happen, including me. Im really hoping they can get the 09s gas mileage working, and the 08s fixed. 30mpg is pretty crappy. | ||
| Kev187 |
Lets hope the 2009 fix is applied to us 2008 Owners? I also hope the oil consumption & brake pulsing is also a simple fix? Yeah, the Triumphs are nice. My 2005 Tiger had the 955i triple, i pulled high 30's around town, mid 40's MPG open road. Last year on the way back to DC from Deals Gap my Tiger got 51MPG! This was with myself, the girlfriend & 60lbs of gear in the 3 piece luggage. Not too mention the 955 triple had gobs of power & torque, it would kill my Buell in anytype of speed contest. But I had one local dealer who was a mess... made it hard to own the bike, the other dealers were over an hour away in each direction (If in DC traffic that might as well been 3 hours away) So went back to Buell. I looked hard at the KTM 990, KTM's get about 36MPG (still better than my ULY) that was a turn off, but even more than the MPG pissing me off is the range. Even my TIger getting 40MPG average, it had a 6 gallon tank! I could always go over 200 miles. The ULY on a road trip is going to suck, pulling over every 100 miles fearing their might not be another gas station before the light comes on at 135-150 on the open road. Miserable. Yeah.. I always hate when people go on tangents on these forums with their woes.. but it seems we are all in agreement here on this one. Ill give Buell another season to sort my bike out, then its ebay time & Ill work some overtime to look at what my next bike is. I just ride too much & rely on my bike as my major form of transportation. | ||
| Jaimec |
Look up at my previous answer. I gave you the fix to the brake pulsing problem. | ||
| Kev187 |
Yeah, brake dust deposits. Ill have them look at it regardless. I am currently on vacation, been traveling the last week. I stopped at a local Buell dealer here & they claimed all the bikes that had pulsing were warped rotors. I plan on going to the better pads once American Sportbike gets them instock. But Ill have my Buell dealer look at the rotor, as well as replace my binded up throttle cable & make me feel better about the oil consumption... along with seeing if their is an update out for the 08's to bring them on par with the 09's if any of that is true~ | ||
| Jaimec |
Of COURSE they'd say that. They'd make a LOT more money selling you a rotor and charging you the labor to replace it, than just replacing the pads. And it'll work, too! Up till the pads start gunking up the rotor again, anyway. LOTS of information about this particular Buell foible in the Knowledge Vault. | ||
| Kev187 |
Yeah they would say that.. but at 3600 miles it would be a warranty issue anyway. The dealer I talked to local just replaced the rotor on a 2008 Lightning under warranty. So no worries, we shall see what my dealer back home says & I go with the gold pads everyone recommends. | ||
| Spacecapsule1 |
try to contact spooky_pooky about the oil consumption. she had high oil consumption and had the dealer look at it, but she never posted the results......... | ||
| Arctic_firebolt |
Hey Kev. I hear you on the DC traffic, lived in Mt. Airy, MD for about 13 years and lived the DC nightmare as well. I-270 Washington's biggest parking lot. For me the Triumph dealer is about the same as the HD dealer distance wise but the HD dealer I bought the bike from is about 90 minutes away. Anyway enjoy your vacation and please do keep us posted on all of it. Will do the same on this end for MPG and clutch cable warranty service. John |
