| Author | Message | ||
     Shea |
I called to schedule a 1000 mile service appt and it's 3 weeks. I am at 850 miles and I know in 3 weeks I'll be over 1000. So if I have a problem and the bike doesn't run, I guess it's going to be in the shop for 3-4 weeks before anyone is going to even look at it? That is just rediculous. Harley dealers should be required to atleast have a Buell tech at all locations. The two local places refuse to service Buells, so I have to go back to the place I bought it, an hour away. I am sorry to say, this WILL be the last time I buy a Harley. Not because I don't like the bike, but because the service blows. | ||
| Stealthxb |
Would you rather have your bike serviced locally by someone that resents having to work on it? Or would you rather go the extra 60 miles to have work done by a staff that represents and is knowledgeable of the brand? There is a Buell dealer 10 minutes from my home. I choose to ride and hour to Stone Mountain Hd/Buell because they care about the brand and go they extra mile with their customer service. | ||
| Rich |
I work on my own bikes. Always have, unless it's a warranty issue, and even then, I might. | ||
| Daves |
I would think all bike shops would be a little booked up this time of the year. I tell my customers to call and make the 1000 miles service when they hit 400 miles or sooner if they ride a lot. I would rather see the bike with less than 1000 than over. Maybe it's just me but don't you think some of the responsibility should be on you to not wait til you are only 150 miles away from needing the service to schedule the appt? I suppose they could make all the people that made their appt before you wait while they work on your bike? Plus all HD dealers should not have to have a Buell tech. All Harley dealers aren't Buell dealers so why would they need one? If you are taking your Buell to a HD only dealer you are already asking for trouble. They would not have the filter on hand as it is a Buell only part. They also are probably not going to do your TPS reset correctly. I probably wouldn't take a Honda to a Yamaha shop for service either but that's just me. Not trying to bust on you but come on. Blaming the shop for being extra busy in the spring of the year and you not planning ahead is just not fair. | ||
| Doon |
Especially up here where we have those nice cold winters, once the spring comes around. All of the dealers are busy. I have 3 Buell dealers within riding distance, so I had a choice when signing up for my first service. The closest to me was booking appts in the middle of May. I wound up getting an appt for the middle of next week at the next closest one to me (About 60 miles from home, but only 10 miles from my office). I am at about 750 mies now. Made the appt at 650. Will probably be about 950 by the time I get home tonight, so I will just ride my other bike for a bit  But to be fair, most of the dealers by me (non harley) are booked way out also. the place I get the work done on my other bikes is booked 2 weeks out also. Just the time of the season when everybody wants to get back onto the road as soon as possible since it is getting warmer. | ||
| Spike |
Agreed. It's spring time. I'd be wary of a motorcycle shop that wasn't booked up at this time of year. Most shops have to get pretty creative to keep their techs fed through the winter, then when spring hits they're booked solid. It's like walking into a good restaurant at noon. The easiest way around the problem is to schedule services well in advance. Your other option is to learn to do the work yourself. A service manual is ~$50 and most of the maintenance work on an XB is fairly easy to do. | ||
| Kurosawa |
Wherever you live, there's some Harley wizard with his own shop who's willing to work on Buells, and he'll have very little waiting time compared to a dealer. You can mail order your parts and take 'em to him. I take my service manual with me when I visit. A good mechanic is a good mechanic. Go where the brains are. PS, I bought used and have no warranty. | ||
| Glitch |
At Stone Mountain HD & Buell, they have a first come first serve on every Saturday. Try to find out if your dealership does the same thing, or another Buell dealership near by does. Then get up extra early and be the first one there. I've done this before when I didn't plan ahead, it worked, I hope it works for you as well. | ||
| Shea |
My dealer/salesman gave me absolutely no information or help. I realize that some of it is my reponsibility, but I had no idea it would be 3-4 weeks to get in for regular service. I have had a bike before and went to a couple local shops and never had to wait that long, even during the spring. Taking a Honda to a Yamaha shop is just a rediculous comparison. That's like saying that a Suzuki dealer won't work on your Intruder because they prefer GSX-Rs. Honda and Yami are completely different manufacturers, where as Buell is still made by Harley, so why is it not fair to believe Harley should be responsible to have a Harley Buell Tech at Harley service shops? | ||
| Brineusaf |
Didn't Dave state that not all "Harley service shops" are Buell dealers, and/or are not directly affiliated with Buell, therefor having a tech to work on something not sold would be less of an investment than a tech that maintained a model sold on the showroom floor. Shop around, some shops might be willing to cut you a "deal" for your going out of the way to bring them business; not all will, but it is always a possibility. Or you could buy a service manual, and take care of the work yourself.. since you already seem agravated it would probably save you a few gray hairs.  Well... how ironic I was just reading the thread about how buell is going to survive... and someone's comment came to mind, something about weeding out shops and patrons... at least I got a chuckle out of it.  (Message edited by brineusaf on April 20, 2006) | ||
| Glitch |
so why is it not fair to believe Harley should be responsible to have a Harley Buell Tech at Harley service shops? If by that you're asking why a Harley only dealership, doesn't have to have a Buell tech, the answer is simple. While they share a few parts, not many I might add, a Buell is not a Harley. | ||
| Shea |
I would service it myself, but I am not sure how I would dispose of the fluids and I am not going to change the spark plugs myself. I already took off as many parts on the top that I was comfortable with and I still did not see the plugs. I got to a part that I could not figure out how to take off and then got worried I would mess something up. | ||
| Joele |
When it comes down to making money - the HD / Buell dealers, I have visited with, are leaving a lot on the table. Seems like they could benefit from going to a Toyota dealership and seeing how continuous improvement in customer service and satisfaction can pay high dividends - and a lot of these improvements don't require a large investment - just a desire to be better than mediocre. Mr. Buell's desire to improve his product and grow his sales doesn't really match HD's culture of leave it alone - it's a shame. | ||
| Court |
>>>Blaming the shop for being extra busy in the spring of the year and you not planning ahead is just not fair. That is an accurate statement. Buell is a different franchise, takes many unique parts, requires unique (and somewhat pricey) tech training and some inventory. If you wonder why, try asking your non-Buell Harley dealer if he'd be interested in flying some folks (as in taking them out of his service department for 2 weeks) to MKE, putting them up in a hotel, feeding them and paying for their training at HDU. In addition, ask him to ante up for the tech equipment necessary to work on your Buell. All this at the same time he has chosen not to carry Buell. Tough sell in my book, take your Buell into that situation at your own risk. >>>>>where as Buell is still made by Harley That also is a highly inaccurate statement. Let me clarify that Harley-Davidson, Inc. owns 100% of the Buell common stock. The identical situation existed with Holiday Rambler. RV dealers were never allowed to service Harley-Davidsons. Man...could you find a better illustrative example than that? By the way, HD got out of the business of making bomb casing for the DOD but man I wish I still had that one....why, when you need them the most are the bombs, Tri-Hawks and golf carts no where to be found! Do it right. Call ahead and have your bike serviced by a reputable Buell dealer. Court | ||
| Glitch |
I got to a part that I could not figure out how... My friend you sir need a service manual before you get in over your head. A service manual can be your best friend. Just about all our sponsors carry them, and at a 10% discount just because you're a BadWeBber. How cool is that! Now about your service, you can do it yourself, just make sure you keep ALL your receipts, and document EVERYTHING just in case you need some warranty work done down the road. | ||
| 007firebolt |
Spike has a point, where's your shop manual? This could save you so time and money...not to mention you know the work was done correct. As far as your plugs; I'm a bit baffled. There are only a few parts to remove; the air induction scoop, your filter cover and the plastic lid over the filter. Loosen the screws on the bottom filter plate and rotate so you can get your extension/socket down on the rear plug, the front one is just way to easy to describe. This bike is far easier to work on than any foreign bike, trust me I've had a few. If you don't feel like servicing your bike, make your appointment way in advance...the same problem exist in so. cal. | ||
| Skully |
There is simply no substitute for being able to service the bike yourself. These bikes are about as easy to work on as anything that I have ever owned. Other than the rear spark plug, pretty much every maintenance item is easy to do. Keith | ||
| Shea |
007, the last piece you speak of was attached to a tube that prevented me from moving it far enough to do anything. I could not figure out how it disconnected. This is the point that i got to that I gave up because I was afraid I would not be able to attached the piece again since it was a tight area to get in. I suppose I will just keep pleasure riding to a minimum for the next three weeks. | ||
| Daves |
"My dealer/salesman gave me absolutely no information or help" That is too bad | ||
| 99buellx1 |
Ok, how about taking your GSXR to the local Suzuki car dealership, they are the same company.........right? Just because you own a company dosnt mean things interchange at will. Or have people or parts to take care of said things.
So can he do your TPS reset that is needed? How bout a check engine light? | ||
| Outrider |
The Independent I use has a real scanalyser and will do all but the TPS reset. Actually, he can do the reset but does not want to for good reason. Then around here, all you need to do is show up at Hal's early in the morning, park in the lowest numbered stall available and chances are you will get serviced that day. Nice comfy lounge to work, play or sleep in. Great bikes, parts and accessories to drool over. Tis truly one of my favorite places to browse while I wait for my bike to be serviced. So for general maintenance, tires, performance mods, dyno tunes, etc., I use the Indie. For anything recall or voluntary upgrade oriented I use Hal's and give them the maintenance biz along with it. Seems to keep both quite happy.  | ||
| Stealthxb |
How bout a check engine light? You do not need any special tools to check trouble codes. | ||
| Barkandbite |
...and all you need is the TechnoResearch tool ($250 or so) to do TPS resets... I am not particularly mechanically inclined but I do all the work on my bike. Get the shop manual. Start small. Work your way up. Chris | ||
| Daves |
it is true, there are a lot of very gifted people owning or working at independent shops. I can think of a few I would have no problem letting work on any of my bikes. | ||
| Outrider |
Daves...One of these days, I'll schedule an appointment with your service department to service the X1, do a dyno tune and install the new belt and the new oil pump drive gear. Have read nothing but good about your service department and figure I should give them a try. Do me a favor and email me a ball park for both time and dollars for a 500 mile service, dyno tune (Techlusion DFO), new belt and new oil pump drive gear. Thanks, Bill | ||
| Johnparts |
look in your area for an independent I'm not trying to sell anything here but I was a buell tech and I own my own shop now there are qualified people out there just look for them | ||
| Daves |
Outie, I'll get an idea for you tomorrow | ||
| Vaneo1 |
sorry there is a lot to read above mine so if its been said sorry...but I woul seriously invest the 60-80 bucks and get the service manual. It is EZ to follow and will save $$ in the future. $80 labor rate/ hour, thats rediculous. Not to mention I had to buy a fairing screw lat time because the tech FORGOT to put it back in, a $2 mistake I had to pay for. Also I noticed out here the best way to deal withg these old school Harley Jerks is to come in with an attitude and give it to them. They get you what you need with out all the "oh you have a Buell? PMS!" Daves, people out here in the dealerships have heard of you so your an effective guy, too bad your knack of customer service isnt contageous enough to strike those out here. Do yourself a favor and do your own service. Theres no telling what your paying these jokers to do as you cant watch them perform the service  (Message edited by vaneo1 on April 20, 2006) | ||
| Outrider |
Daves...Thanks! |
