| Author | Message | ||
     Uly_pirate |
Rolled out the beast (2008 Lightning), start her up and dang, check engine light. No biggie, I've got backup. Roll it back into the shed and roll out the Cadillac (2009 Uly). Lovely, but cool, ride to work. Slave away for the man, then on the ride home the Uly starts buckin' and the CEL comes on. SOB, should have stayed in bed. Get home and pull out EcmSpy and I get: Lightning: Fan shorted Uly: O2 Sensor always rich Okay, worst case, new fan, new rockerbox gaskets for the Lightning and new O2 sensor (possibly new injector) for the Uly. I won't mention how many times I threaten each of this bikes that I will sell them. They don't listen. But this was a very frustrating day. As usual - "Don't Panic". Deep breathe and start analysis. Hopefully it's not bad. Turns out the Lightning fan issue is a blown fuse. Replaced it, looked for oil or other causes and found none. Fingers crossed for next outing. On the Uly, it has 65k miles and I would expect a bad O2 sensor about this time. So ordered one from Al (americansportbike.com). In the meantime flashed the ECM with O2 sensor off. The Uly is running great without it, but will turn it back on once I get a new O2 sensor. The irony is that I have had issues with the Lightning and as a result it has a new O2 sensor, but I will not scavenge from it (for now). Anyway, just another "it's not easy" post. When these bikes are running I can't imagine having something else and I've tried. But sometimes they can bring me to tears. Almost bought a Yamaha FZ-09 last weekend to replace the Lightning. After some serious thought and simple math (same weight and less power) I decided to give the Lightning more time to enjoy my company. Even if some of that is wenching in the shed. | ||
| Brother_in_buells |
You could Switch parts between the bikes!  | ||
| Ducbsa |
Tell us more about this "wenching in the shed."  (Message edited by ducbsa on January 16, 2014) | ||
| Nateba |
"Anyway, just another "it's not easy" post. When these bikes are running I can't imagine having something else and I've tried. But sometimes they can bring me to tears. Almost bought a Yamaha FZ-09 last weekend to replace the Lightning." I've owned a 2008 Buell Uly for about a year and a half now, and 9 of those months have been spent fixing problems. I can't tell you how much I can relate to how you describe that relationship. I've also been seriously considering adding an FZ-09 so I can stop hopelessly relying on the Uly as a solid commuter. Then I figure, maybe the FZ will be so great that I can either have time to fix the constant Uly problems, or finally bring myself to sell the damn thing. The FZ-09 is no do-it-all machine, and it too has its flaws. The thing that is driving me though, is it's fun as hell, and there's no doubt in my mind that if I hit that start button, it will do just that…start. | ||
| Uly_pirate |
Follow up: Lightning: Fan fuse keeps blowing. Testing wiring and no issues found. New fan on the way. Uly: New O2 sensor in hand. Will replace and turn O2 sensor back on in the ECM after getting the Lightning back together. Both are fairly minor. | ||
| Uly_pirate |
FYI. Tempted to leave the O2 sensor off. The Uly has been running great without it. I know it's nice to have the minor adjustments due to the environment, but here in California those swings are minor. | ||
| Cataract2 |
Keep in mind, the O2 will also help you maximize your gas millage. More miles = more smiles. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
also, remember if you go into the mountains, the oxygen sensor will "rejet" your mixture for less air density. | ||
| Uly_pirate |
Well, new O2 sensor arrived, I installed it and turned the closed loop learning back on. I know it's better to use it than not, but it was a cool experiment to run without it. The bike ran great, maybe even better than before. But it was running a little rich. I did notice a drop in MPG though. Thanks for the comments. |
