| Author | Message | ||
     Bradj |
Hi there. I am new to motorcycles and recently purchased a new Honda VLX Deluxe...nice bike, but an awful lot of chrome and a little on the heavy side for me. My wife has shown an interest in riding and I thought the Blast would make a great bike for me to get my confidence up, and for her to learn to ride on. I figured it would be different enough from the cruiser to me to play with and big enough to give her some room to grow if she really wants to ride. My problems have been well documented on beginnerbikes.com and EZBlast has heard this before, but here it is: I live in Arkansas. There are two H-D/Buell dealerships in the sate. I first went to Denney's in Ft. Smith (approximately 60 miles) after the salesman was real excited over the phone that someone was interested in a Buell. I looked at what they had..a couple of new 2002's and a couple of 2001 or 2002 used ones...that should have been the first clue. I came back with my wife and the salesman tried to convince us that an obviously used Blast was new...the exhaust was rust pitted and there was some damage on the molding...he only acknowledged that it was used after he turned the key and the odometer read 1575 miles. He then steered us toward a "new" 2002 Blast, marked down to 4K, but I noticed it had a large scratch on the rear fender. When I asked him if he knew whether the 2002 had the paper or metal gaskets on the rocker box, he said all he new was that it was a 2002 model. At one point he mentioned that the Buells weren't selling well and pointed to a used one with an aftermarket exhaust and said that it sounds "like shit." They did have a few Buell shirts, a couple of helmets, and a few hats inside, and the women inside were pleasant and helpful. We were pretty spooked at that point. We drive to Jones H-D/Buell in Little Rock (approx. 100 miles), arriving just before noon on a Friday. We are there for 15-20 minutes looking at the two Blasts, sitting on them, etc. No one acknowledges that we are there, or offers to help. My wife approaches the counter to ask some questions and the service/parts guy that they tagged to watch the counter told us all the sales people had gone to lunch. He didn't know much about Buells. We went to a Honda/Yamaha dealer a few blocks away and were treated great. Even so, we decided to get the Buell. I called Jones the next day and asked if I came down, decided to get the Blast, and made a cash purchase, could they get it ready to go? The kid that answered the phone apparently wasn't in sales and screamed repeatedly at someone named "Strawberry" to come to the phone while I listened to people yelling and laughing in the background. For some reason, he could not hear me and hung up on me. In my quest to purchase a Buell Blast, I have driven approximately 450 miles. Even if I could overlook all the missteps and miscommunications, what the hell is going to happen to me when I need service from one of these dealers? I have even considered purchasing a Blast from one of this site's sponsors who seems to maintain a presence on BadWeb, but I can't ship the bike to Iowa for service and I am not equipped nor experienced enough to do my own service at this point. So why I am here...just to cause hate and discontent in the heart of Buell country? Quite the contrary. I just thought that Buell enthusiasts might like to know why they rarely meet or hear from anyone on Arkansas who owns a Buell. I thought that my experience might somehow make it "up the Buell foodchain" and that something could be done to help the situation for other prospective Buell owners...from what I have read here, there are a lot of Buell owners dissatisfied with the service they receive from H-D dealers. Yes, I could overlook all these "inconveniences" and go ahead and purchase a Buell from one of these dealerships but given my experience so far, it would seem to be a pretty foolish move. Maybe I'm just too picky and expect too much from dealers. Maybe I was looking for an excuse not to purchase a Blast. I'll admit to these possibilities. It has been awfully damn hard to purchase something I thought I wanted Those of you who live close to dealers who have an interest in selling and servicing Buells are truly fortunate. bradj | ||
| Cowboy |
Att: Brad. If you truly want a Buell I would sugest that you check the milage to Shreveport H-D Buell I dont think it is to far and they have the best prices on Buells I have seen in the area.They are nice people. But check with Blake first I thank they are his dealer. | ||
| Bradj |
Thanks for the suggestion Cowboy. Shreveport is about 4.5 hours drive for me... a bit further than I want to travel. Tulsa and Springfield, MO are closer, but Route 66 H-D/Buell in Tulsa only had one 2003 Blast in stock (wrong color) when I called and Denney's in Springfield is owned by the same folks as in Ft. Smith, so I'm not likely to call them. A few years ago I bought a car from a dealer in Springfield, MO (3.5 hours away) because they were nicer and gave me a better deal than those in-state, so I don't mind traveling some. It's pretty much necessary if you are interested in certain brands and live in a rural area in a predominately rural state. However, when I purchased my car, I had a pretty good idea that the closer dealers could adequately perform service. This is not the case with Buell. bradj | ||
| Crusty |
Bradj, I can sympathize with your plight.We got my wife a 2001 Blast in November of 2000. When it came time for the 500 mile service, she made an appointment and brought the bike in. When she dropped it off, no one could tell her how much the service was going to cost. When she went to pick the bike up the next day, it hadn't been touched. She asked the Service Manager why they didn't do the service after she made the appointment almost a month earlier, she was told," Just because you made an appointment, it doesn't mean we're gonna work on your bike". We've never been back. The good news is that she kept that bike until July of 2002, and put 10,000 miles on it without any problems whatsoever. If you do get the Blast, you'll love it. It probably won't need any repairs, if ours was typical. A dealer that,s 4 1/2 hours away is a bit of a reach, though. Good luck; and I'm sorry that you have morons for dealers. | ||
| Dynarider |
If you actually decide to get the Blast, I doubt you would need much in the way of work...as Crusty pointed out. Plus if you did, they are extremely ez to work on & for the hard stuff if anything happened you could always turn to the folks here for help. PS...I wouldnt buy the bike from one of those shithole dealers either. They dont want to deal with you in the first place...screw em. Plenty of dealers out there who would be more than happy to get you a bike. | ||
| Tripper |
Brad; your story and feelings are identical to mine 4 years ago when I first thought I might want to own a Buell. I monitored this silly website for 18 months before finally buying a used S1. The only reason I still own the thing is because of the friendships and help I have received from these people. One key piece of help was a board member who identified a good servicing dealership for me, and what I could not do with help in manpower, loaned parts, or emotional support from fellow BadWebers, I have allowed dealers to perform. So now I have owned a Buell for 3 years and it has been, well, overall, satisfying. Sometimes frustrating. Remember that to date I still have not rewarded Buell nor any dealer my dollars in the form of a new purchase. Not sure I ever will even though I am a fanatic for the XB12 and drag people to go look at them. Does a sales person ever show up to work for the sale? No. Suggestion for you.... If you ABSOLUTELY have to have a BLAST, then buy it. The maintenance is so simple that you may attempt to take it on yourself, but in any case I can assure you that dealers make such good profit on parts and service that you will receive better attention in the service department of any dealer than you have experienced to date. If that scares you, buy any brand where you trust the dealership. They're all fun. Whatever you decide leave us a post here to let us know, because Buell needs to know how bad this situation was for you, and they do monitor this site continually. Good luck. | ||
| Josh_ |
bradj, I have 4 Buells in my garage, but the closest Buell dealer I'd buy a bike from is ~2.5hours away. Kind of the price of owning a Buell. I'd suggest a Suzuki Savage (real beginner bike, my mom loved hers) or an SV650 (kind of an advanced beginner bike) if you'd like to ride it also. | ||
| Swampy |
Bradj, I have a couple of Blasts, don't give up yet, if you don't have to have a new one my extra one only has 800 miles on it. I think they are great. Once you get one, rejet the carb and put the Kerker on it, you can hear it from 3 miles away! The bike isn't rocket science and isn't hard to work on (You don't need no stinkin' dealer) My wife doesn't ride anymore since she highsided in a corner and had to get stiches in her knee. Tripper.. you are correct. I left my name and phone number at the dealer in Ann Arbor, the rookie sales man shot me a price of "6000 to 7500"(Used Hugger) (The lead guy was busy) and I never got a call back!?? Someday...When they get hungry... they will be selling them at your doorstep. Still, it's a good product and worth paying the toll I guess. | ||
| Chainsaw |
I'd say buy a used bike from an Instructional institution (ABATE, Rider's Edge) or a private party. Buy a service manual, and maybe a motorcycle jack. You can order your parts from Dave in Iowa of Buckinfubba in NC. If you play your cards right, neither you or your bike will see the inside of a dealership.  If you're looking to make suggestions "up the food chain", Buell Customer Service 1-414-343-8400 may be interested in your story. | ||
| Bluzm2 |
Bradj As one Bradj to another, the Blasts are quite reliable. I like Josh have more than one Buell in the garage including a Blast. Check my profile, you'll see what I mean. If you have any mechanical ability, you can do most all maintance on a Blast. Just get a service manual and a set of stands. Chainsaw is on the right track. Used Blasts are quite easy to find a very decent prices. Most are used by beginners usually with low milage. The sweet spot seems to be in the $2500 to $3000 range for a 2001 or 2002 model. Check Ebay or Cycletrader.com for a good idea of what's available. They are an excellent bike to learn on. Good luck! Brad "BluzM2" Johnson | ||
| Bradj |
Hey bradj.... We have the same name...that's just too damn weird! bradj | ||
| Rex |
Hang in there. I know what you mean. I used to live in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri. Too bad the dealers are that way. I think that Buell Harley are going to start doing something about that. Too bad you don't live in Northern cal. Vallejo, Walnut Creek, Modesto, for sure know buells and always know what is going on, and have great service. If you ever need anything, give Deeanna at Modesto a call.....She can help with anything buell...Vallejo and Terry Parsley is great too. Terry rode his Blast across the country, and runs the dyno there, so give him a call too. REX | ||
| Daves |
BradJ, How far are you from Joplin MO? I talked to Ian there yesterday. He called about becoming a Trojan Horse dealer for me. They just opened a "stand alone" Buell store, separate from the HD store. Sounds to me like we may have another "GOOD" Buell dealer on our hands. I have his number at work if you want to give him a call. Just let me know. Or, of course, I would be happy to earn your business! Ride to the edge Dave Iowa HD/Buell (Buell Cycle Center) 1-800-342-7539 ext 211 | ||
| Darthane |
Yet another instance of the bad seeds ruining things. Brad, if you really think she'd enjoy the Blast (I know I did/do and my girlfriend loves it - it is the perfect learner's bike, hands down, and a fun little scoot even after 'graduating' to a big twin), get one and invest a little time getting to know it. Blasts are very simple, very reliable motorcycles. Barring a catastrophic motor/tranny failure, you can easily fix anything that goes wrong with it in the garage. Mine has even been down three times and never cost me more than $30 to fix everything that was broken. Try that with a faired Japanese bike. Whatever you choose, good luck with it. I hope your wife enjoys the ride! | ||
| Mikej |
Even though two dealerships have the same ownership, what you find in each as far as product and expertise can be entirely different. I've seen this in a couple of places now, one location is reasonably Buell knowledgable, the other is The bottom line is that the dealership portion of the ownership equation at times over-rides everything else. Do what works for you in your own situation. Hey, you could just relocate, then on applications for new jobs under where it asks why you relocated you could say to get closer to a better Buell dealership.  But then they probably wouldn't understand, and the HR representative would probably own a Harley and her husband a BMW or something. Oh well. | ||
| Whatever |
Brad, For me two excellent dealerships have made my experience all worth while... Sauk Prarie HD/ Buell where I bought the bike from and Doc's HD/ Buell where I do BRAG and service. People just do not "get it" that many people who have little or no interest in buying a cruiser really enjoy the American sportbikes Erik Buell has made... for me the badweb has just been the icing on the cake. You can figure out what is best for you and we can help you.  Keep riding, Charlotte | ||
| Newfie_buell |
Keep the faith, I don't have a retailer here for almost 1000miles and a 6 hr boat ride. Didn't stop me from the S1. Find a reputable retailer that has passion and shows a genuine interest in the Buell Line. If you have to travel to one of those guys then its a bonus as you now have a nice ride ahead of you. There are a few guys around here that I am sure would provide exceptional service. | ||
| Wolfpak765 |
I know this is kinda off the subject but, I know that Buell isnt rushing to ship bikes to shops that treat them like vermin of the show room but, is HD doing anything to prevent dealers from driving off Buells customers? I watched an employee at a Buell dealership in Chicago (wish I could recall which one) tell one of the customers how the Buells had no front braking compared to a Harley. Uhm.. yeah, whatever dude. | ||
| Daves |
"I know this is kinda off the subject but, I know that Buell isnt rushing to ship bikes to shops that treat them like vermin of the show room but, is HD doing anything to prevent dealers from driving off Buells customers?" I don't know if that is true. Took me forever to get the first XB12R. Other dealers in Iowa had them before me. I have since had to go and buy 2 other Rs , a XB12S and a XB9SL from other dealers. I have 0,none,nada 12s on the floor to sell, while other dealers let them gather dust in a backroom somewhere. I don't get my next 12 until Oct! Oct? I guess I'll be having Doug go pick them up elsewhere. Ride to the edge! I can still get you a 12 even though the factory won't/can't send me enough! Dave HD/Buell Cycle Center Waterloo Iowa Iowa HD/Buell (Buell Cycle Center) | ||
| Glitch |
while other dealers let them gather dust in a backroom somewhere I don't get it ... I just don't get it ... Any way Bradj, do it yourself, go ahead, take the plunge, working on your own bike is rewarding. Although the way they're makin' 'em now days, all ya gotta do is keep up with maintainance ... | ||
| Signguy |
while other dealers let them gather dust in a backroom somewhere Couldn't be any closer to the truth! I went to two dealers Saturday to buy a XB9S. Went to dealer #1 at 1pm. They had one on the floor with a late 2002 build date on the frame and two upstairs in storage that they showed me - literally covered in dust - that also had build dates of late 2002. They offered me a decent price, got me financing, etc... but said I'd have to pick-up on Tuesday. I said thanks but if I still want it from you on Tuesday I'll come back so I'm not signing anything now. Went to dealer #2 at 3pm - they close at 5pm and at this point I figured it'd be impossible to get a bike by the end of the day. Walked in and said "if I want this bike can I ride it home today?" Reply, we'll do everything possible to get the deal done and the bike ready. I was on the road on a brand new bike at 5:30pm. Thats why dealer #1 has bikes sitting for 10+ months. In all fairness dealer #1 was polite and offered a good deal. But service is the key. I would not have gone to dealer #2 if they'd been more motivated. Dealer #2 also sold a new XB9R to someone at 3:30pm and they got the bike on the road around 6pm. }I didn't see any new bike (Buell or H-D) deliveries take place at dealer #1.} | ||
| Gravedigger |
BradJ, If you want to meet some of the riff raff that hangout on this website, the KCMOB and SLAB (St. Louis area Buellers) will be in the Eureka Springs Ark. area on Sept 19th, 20th, and 21st. We are all staying at the iron horse stables. You're welcome to come meet us, Buellshit, and ride. Keith hmmmm, maybe that was a bad suggestion, you guys are trying to get him to buy a buell here. He gets around this crazy group and he might get scared away.  | ||
| Richieg150 |
BradJ,go to Joplin HD.I have rode from KC down there and talked to the owner,who seemed excited about their Buells.They have a seperate building next to the main building that is ALL BUELLS!The salesman there is a Bueller and seemed like a really enthused guy!They have a greater selection of Buells,Buell clothing,Buell accessories than all the other dealers in KC combined. Its worth you time to go check them out if you interested in buying! Dave,you cant get any 12's?Weird,does someone at Buell have a hardon for you guys or think you are treating Buell customers like Vermin?If you have customers that want bikes,I cant figure out WHY they wont let you have them!That hassle alone could be the deciding factor for swaying a potential Bueller to buy another ride! | ||
| Daves |
Richie, I'm sure it's nothing personal. I think the people at Buell actually do like me(even with the ponytail) It has more to do with policies of being "fair and equitable(sp?)" to all dealers. They have to make sure that all dealers get the new models within a time frame of them being introduced so that we all are on a even playing field. In a way, I totally agree with this. Imagine being a so so Buell dealer but they come out with this new bike(insert XB9R,XB9S,XB12R,XB12S) and you actually get a buyer that walks in your door,money falling out of his wallet, I gotta have this new bike but you have no product to sell? Wouldn't make them very Pro Buell at that time and we possibly miss the chance to have another up and coming Buell dealer. Now, same situation, so so Buell dealer, hasn't done much with Buells in the past but now, the new model is out and riders are stopping in to check them out! Hmmmm goes the so so dealer, Buell might be onto something here, maybe, just maybe, I better get my act together and learn some stuff about this new bike. Hey maybe a demo day, whhoooo hooooo! Maybe these things will sell if I put a little effort into it! And there we have it folks, another dealer that finally "gets it"! Pretty quick the dealer is stocking Buell parts,shirts,starts a BRAG club,hires a wack job like me to run the Buell part, and we, the people of Badweb have one less dealer to complain about! It is happening as we type, all across the country. Now, on the other hand, the people at Buell should've known that I'd be selling the shit out of these new 12s and stockpiled some for me!  Ride to the edge! I'll still get you a 12 if you want one! Dave Iowa HD/Buell (Buell Cycle Center) | ||
| Newfie_buell |
Dave, Your a perfect example to my next comment. "If you have enthusiasm, knowledge and show a REAL passion for your product you will be successful" If all retailers showed that kind of behaviour then there would be hardly any Buells sitting on the floors. A long time ago in my own career I learned that important factor and to treat people with the respect they deserve and things are great. When you get up in the morning you decide your attitude for the day. | ||
| Bradj |
DaveS and Richieg150, Thanks for the heads up on the Joplin dealership. Joplin is "doable" from here and sounds like the closest dealer that may actually have some enthusiasm about Buells. Funny thing... I was pretty much decided on getting an H-D Lowrider after I get some time and experience on a smaller bike, but after my experience at the two H-D dealerships, I'm looking at very different long term goals,now. I'm sure losing me as a potential customer won't send them into the red, but when all the doctors, lawyers, and accountants get too old to ride or move on the the next "status fad" there will be a glut of low mileage used Harleys on the market and the H-D sales people will have to learn how to actually sell something. My understanding is that H-D bought Buell because their marketing people read the demographic "writing on the wall" and were , rightly, concerned. A good plan, but so far the execution seems sorely lacking...at least from this vantage point. I haven't given up yet, nor made a final decision. The enthusiasm of the folks here is inspiring and reassuring. Thanks to all that have taken the time to respond. I was worried that my original post might be interpreted as a "sour grapes" hit and run Buell bash. bradj | ||
| Darthane |
LOL...you'd have to do a LOT better than that to be considered 'sour grapes'. We've got Dyna and the now-defunct Cecil to claim those titles... | ||
| Dynarider |
Sour grapes??? Not in my case Darth...maybe mashed grapes. BTW....I was 1 of the first folks on this thread to give him some advice. | ||
| Nevco1 |
Fermented grapes maybe more my style after I get the results of next weeks open heart surgery on my Buell. | ||
| Mikej |
Fermented grapes lead to sloppy corners. (Stitching two threads together to see if anyone is paying attention.) |
