| Author |
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Waldo1
| | Posted on Saturday, May 10, 2008 - 11:24 am: | 
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Hey!
I rode dirt bikes for years as a kid (late teens/early 20s) and always enjoyed the heck out of it. Been away from it for about 20 years and now have the itch to ride again (gas prices also help). I've never ridden much on the street and have been real leery of it. I'm not that concerned about my own skills/awareness, but there are a LOT of idiots out there to compensate for. To help make up my mind one way or the other, I'm taking the Beginning Rider's Course at the Old Factory Harley dealership in Orlando this month. I've done a lot of reading/research and am looking at a Blast. I went over to the dealership last night and sat on/listened to/crawled around one of the trainer-bikes they use on the course. I liked it a lot and the one-lung vibe actually reminds me of the YZ 250 I rode for years. The tech/trainer there that I talked to was helpful and said that they periodically sell the trainer-bikes cheap. He also said that their Maintenance crew looks them over, but they sell them as-is, no warranty. I'm looking for (at this point) a commuter bike for a 20-mile round trip to work and back, basically straight down Sand Lake Road (traffic, but nothing over 55 mph). I've wrenched on vehicles for years including rebuilding the top end of a 4-cylinder air-cooled engine, so maintenance doesn't scare me. Having said all that, I have a couple of questions:
1. Does anyone have experience with this dealership and how good is their maintenance?
2. How wise would it be to buy a training-Blast from them with mileage and the abuse that goes along with a classroom bike getting dropped, dumped, etc?
Any help would be appreciated. |
Spinzealot
| | Posted on Sunday, May 11, 2008 - 06:22 am: |
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Waldo1 - Welcome, glad to see you're looking at the Buell brand! Smart choice to take the class especially knowing what your skill level is on road riding, very smart.
As far as Orlando Harley goes I would recommend that you stay away from them for all things Buell, they are not a Buell dealer (they where at one time but lost dealership status due to not selling the brand). My suggestion would be to contact Mike (he's a memeber here too)at Seminole Buell. He will take very good care of you. They currently have a stand alone Buell shop but will be moving back in with Seminole Harley up in Sanford at the end of this month. Hope that helps!
Doug |
Irideabuell
| | Posted on Monday, May 12, 2008 - 06:24 am: |
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Wendell,
I would echo what Doug just said. However, if they're going to cut you a great deal on a Blast, there's no rule that says the service would have to be conducted by Orlando HD.
If you have any experience wrenching on something motorized, get a service manual for the Blast and do it yourself. I do nearly everything on my 12S and it's surprisingly easy.
As Doug said, call on Mike up at Seminole Buell before they close the shop where they are. If there's a deal to be had he'll make sure you get it. Their lease is up at the end of the month and they're currently looking for another location. They'll work temporarily out of the "mother shop" (Seminole HD) until a location is found.
A bunch of us Buellers meet at the Barnie's in Baldwin Park on Wednesday evenings from 7-9, so stop by and chat and we'll do our best to answer any questions for you.
Hoping to welcome you to the Buell family officially,
Paul |
Svo1023
| | Posted on Monday, May 12, 2008 - 06:46 am: |
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Thanks guys,
We should be out of the old Buell Shop this week....
This should be interesting....
Waldo1 feel free to give me a call if you have any questions.....I don't believe we even have a blast on the floor at this time.
Mike |
Waldo1
| | Posted on Monday, May 12, 2008 - 05:29 pm: |
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Thanks for the help and the welcome, guys! Mike, I shot you a PM.
Stay safe,
Waldo1 |
Angryrobothq
| | Posted on Thursday, August 28, 2008 - 04:16 pm: |
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Posted on Thursday, August 28, 2008 - 04:12 pm:
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Waldo,
You could say I'm "well acquainted" with OHD. To answer your questions:
Q1. Does anyone have experience with this dealership and how good is their maintenance?
A1. I get my XB12S serviced there quite a bit. If they need any special parts (like for warranty claims) you're SOL. That said, if I were paying full price, I would agree with the others who say Seminole guys know their stuff. When I do use OHD, I ask for Alex to do my work. I went to school with him and I trust his work.
Q2. How wise would it be to buy a training-Blast from them with mileage and the abuse that goes along with a classroom bike getting dropped, dumped, etc?
A2. Personally, I feel once you get the feel for riding again, you may regret having bought a P3 Blast. OHD P3's are kept in good running shape, but they get dropped a lot and beaten up pretty badly. If you insist on a blast, you might try www.craigslist.org. There are a ton of them posted by people who are ready to step up to a bigger bike. Don't forget to check www.nada.com for your resale values while searching.
There are also several older models (S3 Thunderbolts/M2 Cyclones/etc...) posted that you might consider over the blast. You can get them cheap, and you'll still want to continue riding them after six months.
Hope this helps. |
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