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Buell Motorcycle Forum » Quick Board Archives » Archive through September 19, 2008 » "Released to Plant" - What does it mean? « Previous Next »

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Xl1200r
Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 04:29 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

The new bike was supposed to ship on 9/19. Then it was changed to 9/12.

Today is 9/16 and the ship date still shows 9/12 with a status of "Released to Plant". Any sales people care to enlighten me?

Does this mean it's released to begin building? Or released to ship out?

I CAN'T STAND THE WAITING!!!!!
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Glitch
Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 05:03 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

It means the seed is ready to go in the ground.
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Dalton_gang
Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 05:14 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

It will be worth the wait.
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Xl1200r
Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 06:11 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Worth it or not, I gotta put 620 miles on this thing (finish break in) before my track day in October!
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Glitch
Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 06:21 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Now I understand the frustration better.
I hope you get it in time.
If it makes you feel any better, 650 miles in one day is doable.
Shred and I rode from here to Fletcher, and back in one day.
I'll not do that again though!
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Cityxslicker
Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 07:10 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Released to plant means that the order and bill for the bike has hit the build line. Your parts are at hand and the bike will be assembled as the next stage.

For us on the left (out) cost it means a week from shipment, and from shipment, a week to arrival.
Remember that bikes can and will adjust that status. We had the same schedule for our CR that we had for our 1125R. And that didnt show up until DECEMBER.
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Doon
Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 08:02 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

yeah mark 650 in one day is pretty simple. Let me know when you get it an we can take my big loop : ) It involves at least 4 states, some decent roads, normally some good fallafel in Brattleboro VT and some good Mexican in Hudson NY. And yeah and 1 sore butt..
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Paint_shaker
Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 08:52 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

I just did 400 riding local in 2 days... I hit all 11 curves in Florida too!! LOL

(Message edited by Paint shaker on September 16, 2008)
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Xl1200r
Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 09:14 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

It takes a week to build a bike?!?!

It's a little annoying - I put my name on the first CR my dealer got, but my dealer seems to be behind the times in getting one. Other East Coast dealers already have gotten them, and this one isn't even built yet.

I have no doubt about doing the miles, but I'd like to not be rushed. Riding days are getting sparse up here in the Northeast - days are getting cold, nights are getting colder, and it gets dark a lot earlier.

Pat - I'll have to hit you up for a ride regardless - I'm always game for some good Mexican.
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Cityxslicker
Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 09:25 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

It doesnt take a week to build the bike, It may take a week for your bike to get to the start of the line though.
All this stuff is available on H-D net, they should be able to track it, but our experience is that released to plant is 14 days from our door. (remember that we are on the west coast, your actual time to arrival may vary)
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Court
Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 09:43 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

It takes 7 minutes and 14 seconds 9 times to build your bike.

But . . . Im just a construction worker and that's a guess.

: )

By the way . . . .if it's important I can tell you EXACTLY (like to the second) how long it took to build and the sequence and torque of every fastener installed.

: )

But . . .again. . . . it's just a guess.
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Dalton_gang
Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 09:51 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

This thread is starting to sound a lot like the ones posted last fall / winter when all or us R guys were going out of our minds waiting.

Good luck.
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Xl1200r
Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 10:00 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Haha - Court, thanks for the build time.

9 stations - seems like quite a few less than what I saw at the KC plant for the Sportsters...like, by half. But I could be mistaken - there was a lot to take in and no cameras.

Exact time isn't important, but it sure would be neat info to have.

I really hope this bike isn't something close to 2 weeks away...

I'm trying not to bitch... I know this is really beyond most folks control, and yet in so many. It is what it is.

City - Thanks for the info as well. The sales guy I talked to didn't really know what to make of the status.

The only good thing I can think of I've always just been told the ship date, never the status, so it could have been in "Released to Plant" for quite some time already. That, and the ship date still hasn't been pushed back, which I hope means they bike is close to being sent out.

Crossing my fingers.

(Message edited by xl1200r on September 16, 2008)
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Court
Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 10:31 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

>>>Exact time isn't important

Uhhhhh . . . that's inaccurate.

Exact time is EVERYTHING.

One of the most amazing people stories in Buell history PLANS that time and the number of units to be built every day.

It's not just lowering your head and going like hell.

The moment the EXACT time is "busted" the display color on the station icon on his desktop changes.

Immediately a procedure to determine "person or process" is initiated.

It could be that an Elf got distracted, a true single event.

But what if, let's say station #4, goes over 7:14 . . . let's take it one step further and say that during the course of a jelly bean (building a different model each one down the line) that each time an XB12ST comes up the station goes to 7:23, 7:25 and 7:27.

All other builds are as expected.

What would you look for?

What is a fastener that is to be delivered to Buell "720o of rotation from torque" is actually requiring 7 turns not 2? What if the bolt attaching the horn is slightly larger than the hole?

The point is that each and every build, just like each and every bike, must be consistent and one of the first places to pick up anything is closely monitoring changes.

There is a VERY SMART fellow who moved from India years ago, and my favorite and most interesting lunch partner at Buell) who tracks this stuff in great detail with math I couldn't begin to understand. He can tell you the mean number of turns (actually he prescribes it) that the axle nut turns to reach torque.

Those of you who have toured know that each tool is connected to a computer and each bike is "virtually" built before the Elves build it. Part of knowing something is not right is knowing and defining exactly what right, the expected outcome, is to be.

The coolest part is that The Elves are still the most amazing part of this. I'd put a couple of their hands against a digital reading any day.

There have been, Lord I'll be struck down for admitting this, some folks from very interesting companies in foreign countries who have sojourned to Buell to try to understand how you can do certain things so precisely, accurately and consistently without a robot.

I said it in 1995 and I'll say it again . . . Buell has Elves on the line for the same reason NASA puts Astronauts in the Shuttle. Nothing is smarter than an skilled human.

Time is critical.

Court
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Cityxslicker
Posted on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - 02:35 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

From that description I get they idea that they spend all day screwing around ; )
The assembly line is truly fascinating to watch. Amazing to see the bike go from a crate motor to up on a drum wheel for function testing in less time that it takes me to weed through my SPAM email. (I get a bit of junk)
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Ratbuell
Posted on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - 09:18 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

+1 on the amazing tour. My wife even enjoyed it, and she won't step foot in my garage at home!

Released to Plant, as stated above, means the order has been put into the assembly line order. It's "scheduled to be built" and will come to life soon : )
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Oldog
Posted on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - 11:50 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Court I heard that an Xb build is like an hour and a half start to finish, the was from one of the elves last year at daytona its amazing to think about 90 minutes!

we the owners can take days to reassemble our bikes after service!

BTW Xl1200 you gota CR comming?
Congrats, I just saw the R in the flesh up close recently WOW!
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Xl1200r
Posted on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 - 03:00 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Uhhhhh . . . that's inaccurate.

Exact time is EVERYTHING.


Haha... I know exact time is EVERYTHING (I took enough operations management classes in college to know that).

I just meant I didn't need to the exact time my bike was built, lol.
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