| Author | Message | ||
     Maximum2 |
Yea I know its a good "deal" But isn't that why I paid for the extended warranty.Well hopefully the dealer will hook me up with a add on to the last job.After all it did happen within two weeks of getting it back.Hey reepicheep you gonna make me a unit for my speedo ???? sure would be nice. let me know $$$$$$$. | ||
| Doncasto |
In the midst of the recent Bonneville LSR cancellation, a Colorado HD/Buell Dealership has stepped up to show what it really means to be a considerate, cooperative and concerned Buell organization. When they found out that the event had been scrubbed and dozens of Buellists that had traveled for tens of thousands of miles were now bikeless at the doorstep of some the best Buell roads in the country, they stepped right up. High Country Harley Davidson/Buell in Frederick Colorado has graciously offered the use some of their inventory to the bikeless Buellers at Aaron's ranch. Included in this are the personal bikes of the Buell guy, Justin Schilling, and dealership owner Scott McMorris. Is if this were not enough, they have also offered the use of their big gas BBQ grill for the gathering on Saturday. BWBers, this is, in my humble opinion, a response way far above and beyond the "call of duty" and deserves special recognition by the Buell community. We used to have a little tradition here called the "Card Gun" in which we sent expressions of our gratitude to those that provided outstanding service where so many others had proven to be sadly lacking. High Country Harley Davidson in general as well as Justin Schilling and Scott McMorris are in my mind worthy of this recognition. So, let 'em know how much we appreciate them . . OK? High Country Harley Davidson/Buell 3761 Monarch Street Frederick, Colorado 80516 303-833-6777 highcountryhd@aol.com Attn: Justin Schilling and Scott McMorris | ||
| Aaron |
Well put, Fidel, and BIG thanks to you for putting the deal together. | ||
| Court |
And so shall it be.....in fact, let's do this up BIGTIME and we, collectively, turn lemons into lemonade. Court | ||
| Sarodude |
I must say that HCHD/Buell seems like a truly cool organization. Speaking of truly cool, I'd like ONCE MORE to praise / plug (uh, they need to come up for a better word than PLUG) Glendale HD/Buell parts guy / e-commerce coordinator extraordinaire Chris Matty for being a truly effective presence both for his dealership and for the customers. Aside from helping me out in a situation where the broken brand new part may well have been MY goof they had another of these parts IN STOCK when I KNOW that lots of other dealers don't even carry ONE. Part in question: Clutch cable. A plastic clamp had come loose on my Blast and allowed the original clutch cable housing to melt against the exhaust - resulting in a trans fluid weep. I bought a new cable over the weekend and went to install it a couple of days ago when I was changing fluids. As the rubber seal touched the primary cover I went to put a little more twist into it to get a seal and SNAP... I don't THINK I over tightened - but that doesn't mean squat. Anyway, good ol' Matty had another cable in stock - and gave me a bonehead customer discount. Ya gotta love these guys... If other Buell dealer folk are listening in, please realize that a little bit of care and availability on your part goes a long way towards developing customer loyality which in turn should bring you referral business - and hopefully repeat bike purchases. Glendale has a good thing going with their Buell folks. -Saro | ||
| Maximum2 |
Hey guys just to bring a little more faith I finally got the m2 back from Capital city H/D-BUELL, and I gotta hand it to them. They really Impressed me with the way they handle things,They added my front rocker box gasket repair onto the rear one from last month, and adjusted the primary chain while it was there. Can't beat that ayh,these guys just keep getting better and better.So if anyone's ever in Madison,Wi stop in I'm sure they'll be happy to see you. | ||
| Stormfool |
One of the things that made me go Buell was the fact that any Harley dealer anywhere will honor the warranty agreement--provide roadside assistance--bring the bike in from wherever and get you on the road again. When my X1 Millenium dumped the tranny fluid in Cherokee NC the 800 number folks spent well over an hour with me searching for the closest dealer and putting me in touch with them. Three hours away in Gastonia, Carolina Harley Davidson sent a man with a trailer. The next day I was on my way--charged only 39 dollars, because that would be cheaper than the 50 dollar deductible. I had them throw on a new rear 'cause I'd fried that 207 running roads all around and through Deals Gap. Sure I could bitch about a blown seal but Hell that's a hotrod and hotrods are known to blow some seals. At least i got the kind of service I expected when I plunked down eleven thousand Benjamins for the X1 and three years unlimited mileage. That's the GOOD dealer... When I first stopped in Fort Lauderdale Harley Davidson/Buell it was to check out the XB9R that had just hit the floor. Super Dave set up a demo ride and, though I loved the machine at 6'-3" and 240 # the ergos were too cramped--I meant to ride and ride a lot. Dave suggested a demo on an X1--he prefered that or the S3T himself a big guy. One ride on that race kit hyped Lightning and I was pretty much hooked--but the sensible side had to check the reality of reliabilty issues of past Buells, recalls, dealer service nightmares I had overheard. Dave reassured me that no recalls in years had effected the X1. Two white Lightings stood on the floor taunting me. I talked with the parts manager, the service manager, poked around the store to try and catch the vibe. I could tell it was new dealership--an offshoot from the main Harley shop to market the Buell--and new sometimes means they'll try harder to build a customer base. I went ahead and purchased a preowned Millenium as the White lightnings had sold by the time I made my mind up to buy. I was assured the bike had been sold by the dealer to the previous owner who had scrupulously (anal-retentive fanatic I believe was the descriptive)maintained the machine in unmolested original(stock) condition. I rode the bike that way one day and returned to have the White Bros. E-series pipe and Race Kit (ECU K&N) installed. Only too happy to relieve me of yet more loot I didn't have to wait a second before my bike was tooled into the shop and work underway Then when that exhaust fractured they shook their heads and frowned--it had only been ten days--but 3600 miles in those ten days--well that's not something that's covered by the warranty--not our warranty--now you could get in touch with White Bros. And so forth. The beautiful Jet Hot coated headers had been destroyed by the fractured aftermarket exhaust--Bad Luck I figured and dolled out some more benjamins for the factory race headers and can. Almost immediately the headers came loose--an exhaust stud had backed itself out. The extra vibes had fractured the front exhaust bracket--this they replaced for free--blaming a recently relocated service manager for "trying to you know just get your bike done in a hurry". All Righty Then I made up my mind that that would be the end of my troubles. I didn't want to sour a relationship with a dealer that I hoped would last at least three years... Then It was time for routine service. This required a scheduled appointment ten days away. Hmmmmm. In my owners manual a battery of tests and procedures is called for--well worth the 150 bucks they ask for it--provided they actual do them. This soon became an issue as I would return to have brakes adjusted/bled, clutch adjusted/primary adjusted. Because their were obviously in need of attention. I began to feel guilty about pestering these guys as they put me off or halfass did their jobs. Then the battery went out. I had to pay--but got a fifty dollar gift certificate (for all my trouble) from the head honcho. Hmmm. Then I discover just how much oil this "perfectly" maintained machine gobbles--a quart every thousand or less. Wow! My '79 Triumph has about the same appetite! Then I discover that the rebound damping is Kaput on the left front fork. Well, they say, we'll have to open that up and take a look. Won't that be a special order part? I ask Mybe we could order that ahead of time, I suggest Oh no, it may be something we can fix--until I open it up I don't want to do that, the service manager sez he sez to me he sez. Well right about then I figured I'd best just duck outta there cause I kin stan all I kin stan then I kant stan no mores. So after a week and another week I finally get my bike on the rack--in the mean time It developed a massive rocker box leak which also was covered. Now at the same time I note dthe airbox didn't really seal--I could reach in with my fingers and touch the intake through the gap. Pointing this out (I never even removed the cover after 0urchasing the bike) they pulled it off and found the insde had been gutted, the IAT held in place with a dab of silicon and that .95 cent airhorn with the puke line in front of the inlet. Where's all the stuff that's supposed to be in ther I sez Well after going round and round they admit the previous owner liked to TINKER with his bike--WOW that's not the bike I would have chosen at that point but whatever--then I'm told that this is what it's supposed to look like because it's the race Kit. So did you put this in or the owner I asks Uh, Uh, well I guess he did Then how come i got charged 68 bucks for a K&N race filter if it wasalready there? More stammered replies then: Well I guess (the exservice manager) so and so did it I don't remember. Whatever. just fix it, make it seal. Well this longbolt's missing--hey so's the little brass insert--gee we'll have to torder those At this point the bike had been sitting around and I pulled the plug on the ordeal. I just want to ride it, ya know? So I get charged 80 more bucks for another "new" cover (because they couldn't figure how to get that little brass insert to stay in the original) because the Emissions Warranty doesn't cover my "modified" airbox (even though I didn't know about that when I purchased the bike) which really felt like a weasel gnawing on my trigger finger. I just wanta ride, ya know? So at long last the chronicle of confuscation and vaguery grinds into the present moment. Thanks for letting me vent. If I had another Buell dealer to turn to I would at this point--but the fact is I kinda like these dickheads so whatever... Great potential for nationwide support, but fumbled at the five yard line here in Fort Slaughteredale.... Be Natural | ||
| Eastexsteve |
Shreveport Harley Davidson / Buell I called these guys to get a price on mounting & balancing a new tire on my cyclone if I brought them just the wheel and tire. The quoted me $46.40! WOW! I clarified the request twice to make sure they understood that I wasn't bringing them the whole bike! Nacogdoches HD down the highway will do it for $25. | ||
| X1glider |
Steve, just about anyone will mount and balance a new tire if you bring the wheel in only. The closest place to me is a Yamaha dealer. They charge me about 25-30 bucks. Just make sure they know which direction to mount the tire. | ||
| X1glider |
Just read back a little ways and found Don Casto's post, so I sent a thank you to HCHD. It was a wonderful gesture on their part. | ||
| Rockbiter1 |
Eastex -- Shreveport HD operates on a $55 per hour labor system, and are VERY strict at adhering to it. There ia a big book behind the parts counter, that details the "official" time required to perform a job, and thats the number of hours they charge for. For example, a "service flux capacitor" job is listed at 2.5 hours, so it would cost $138, plus tax, parts, and consumables. never mind that you or I could do it in an hour, for abut $2.50 lol On the bright side, Shreve/Bossier Harley has always done the best they can for me, (and I ride a Blast). | ||
| Stugotts |
I spoke with Justin at High Country HD/Buell last night and he informed me that their recently arrived XB9S has now been equipped with a race kit and is an OFFICIAL BUELL DEMO. It is available to any of Buell enthusiasts or anyone with a curiosity about this bike to try out during business hours at the Frederick, Colorado store. For information call or contact: Justin Schilling Buell Specialist High Country Buell/H-D Frederick, Colorado 303.833.6777 ext. 123 buellrider | ||
| Rick_A |
Rossiter's in Sarasota FL has been outstanding. All the staff is friendly, knowledgeable (except for one), and enthusiastic towards Harleys and Buells. though I still choose to do my own wrenching | ||
| Mulerider |
Modesto Ducati & Buell - Just wanted to let everyone know that I have had great service and support from Modesto. I just had an ET sensor go bad on my 02 S3T, and they got it fixed fast with no hassle. It has always been a pleasure doing bussiness with them. Thanks Modesto, -Mike Arenella- PS The Power Commander mod works great, it is a new bike!! | ||
| Rick_A |
I was in the "historic" Orlando H-D/Buell dealership today. Me and my woman were looking at a "new" 2001 X1 going for a fairly good price. I was wearing a Buell hat that I had made and the sales person goes, "you looking for a Buell to go with that hat?" Going by first impressions the first thing to come to mind was ASS. I politely told him that I own an S1 and that we were curious to see what they had as my girl was interested in getting one of her own in the future. He told me, like I didn't know, "you know, the tube frames are no longer being made by the factory"...like I should pull out my checkbook and get one before they're gone. So I told him that the only thing good about newer Buells is that you don't have to upgrade them like the old ones. He says "upgrade what?" Lemme see...brake rotor, brake lines, oil pump, rockerbox gaskets, controls, shift linkage, gear ratios, shift detents, frames, exhaust routing, shocks, isolators, etc. Why are unknowledgeable people trying to sell these things? There were 3 Blasts outside, 1 S3T, 1 X1, and 1 Firebolt. This dealership is advertised as "having the largest Buell inventory in Florida." I told this guy that in my Sarasota dealership about a quarter of the floor space was occupied by Buells, so how could they have the largest Buell inventory? He tells me that they have 20 Blasts in the back and a few XB's  ! They had every conceivable Big Twin and several Sportsters there. They won't even have 9S's 'till the next quarter. No wonder Buells don't sell well in some dealerships... Is it just me or does it seem like every dealer has one completely unhelpful employee in the parts department? | ||
| Rick_A |
BTW...the little dealer in Kissimmee rocks. They don't have s**t, but at least they order the proper parts in a timely manner...and are helpful and polite as well. Thanks Doug! | ||
| Jst |
Rick_A, I think you may be giving the guys at O'do HD the short shift. I know at least 2 of the guys are hard core Buellers. You may have caught one of the primarily Harley guys. I live in Orlando and I've never seen them advertise "having the largest Buell inventory in Florida." From your post it sounds like you may have had a bit of a chip on your shoulder. Your statement about upgrades is in my opinion out of line. All tube frame Buells are subject to what was available when built. Frames?? Exhaust routing?? Where did this come from? I didn't buy my current Buell from Orlando HD, But I'm sure I'll be buying my next. | ||
| Jst |
Rick_A BTW O'do Hd got the same allotment of 9S's as everyone (2) they sold there's from their waiting list. JT | ||
| Rick_A |
It's advertised in flyers I've seen, as well as their website! My point was that through the years Buells have been subtly upgraded in about every respect and most sales people have no idea. There's even pretty significant changes between 2000 and 2001's. I would rather have the improved parts on my bike...obviously that's not necessary on the new ones. Most of these guys don't even know. They certainly don't all get the same allotment of bikes. The Sarasota dealership I went to was very much more pro Buell...from the parts department to the sales people. They had several Blasts, a few XB9S's and XB9R's on their floor. Maybe I do have a chip...'cause they had 3 Buells on their floor amongst a tremendous sea of big twins...contrary to their advertising. It would've been a different story if they had what their advertising really suggests. I also have a chip 'cause the only thing they stock is cheesy Buell accessories instead of the parts I really need...also unlike my old dealer. BTW...I was told they didn't get any 9S's... I'm not bashing 'em...maybe criticizing a bit. There was a huge difference between initial perception and reality...that's all. I'm sure there's some Buell enthusiasts there...but I've been there a couple times now and have yet to come across one. | ||
| Prof_Stack |
Downtown Harley Davidson in Seattle has done a great job with Buells. They took good care of me and my '00 Blast. They even covered the replacing of the rocker box gasket when the bike was 6 weeks out of warranty. They've done custom paint jobs on XB9R's and S's and have their Buells well separated from their many, many Harleys, most of which are used. Finally, their sales guys know their Buells and seem eager to learn more. Two thumbs up... ![:]](http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/clipart/proud.gif) | ||
| Pdxs3t |
Why am I posting here in the Dealers - Rate yours (good or bad) section of Bad Weather Bikers. Well, it is to let people know that Latus Motors in Portland, OR is not a dealership that prides its self in providing the excellent customer service as they state they do. I had to file a complaint with the Department of Justice Civil Enforcement Division State of Oregon to have Latus Motor's replace a brand new 2001 Buell S3T that I purchased from them in July 2002. The bike had to be returned just after 5 days because it would no longer run and their service department could not get it running correctly even after being in their shop for over 20 days during that month of July. After placing the complaint, Latus Motors offered a replacement 2001 Buell S3. Until then it was, we will just refund your money and be gone with you. But legally that is not the way it works in Oregon. The Replacement bike that I received was not what I originally purchased and had to be brought up to the S3T spec's because of Oregon law. Items had to be taken off the first bike and put on to the second bike after being painted to match the replacement. Also other items had to be ordered to correct issues with the second bike. With that, It was a pretty painful process at both ends (the dealer and myself) but we made it through it and thought, we were all done with things and happy. At least I was. Well, I get a letter today from the Department of Justice Civil Enforcement Division State of Oregon and it is Latus Motor's response to them detailing all that took place. It was really sad to see the GM lie through his teeth in this letter. He claimed that the issues with the first Buell were all "factory warranty" issue's and that they spent thousands of dollars building a new replacement bike and that they installed the other items that had to be purchased to correct issues with the replacement bike. Funny, the parts that they claim were installed are sitting in my garage still in the boxes? So, I placed a call to the GM to speak about this letter and asked why the truth was not told and that I would be following up on the letter because there were things stated that did not happen or were not correctly stated? I am sure you can probably guess where the conversation went from there. The GM proceeded to tell me that he was" tired of kissing my ass" and that he regrets even doing business with me and that I am no longer welcome in the store. WAHOOOOOOOOO! Bummer for me though, I have paid for parts there that I am waiting to pick up. This dealer really gives Buell Motorcycle's a bad name. I can't even begin to count how many times I heard how bad it is dealing with Buell Motorcycle Company trying to get anything done from the service department and the GM of this dealership. You may have better luck then I but I would strongly suggest using a different dealer for purchasing or servicing of your Buell. | ||
| Rick_A |
Yeah...when dealers screw up it's always BMC's fault  | ||
| Joey |
Annapolis HD/Buell in Maryland, East of DC gets my vote for best dealer near me. Anybody near enough to care?  | ||
| Ezblast |
Hall's HD in Chico - California - They were terific!!! I was taking my second trip to Redding on the Blast (Ole Blast Vader;0)) got to Willows with a piston turning religious (all holy). Thats where this story begins. I coast into the gas station right off the off- ramp. Probably one of the most convieniant breakdowns to happen to a traveler. I coast to the mechanic work stall area, park by their tires, get off the bike and give it a once over. Oils comming out top and bottom, and pulling the plug has me putting it back - the plug looked a little chewed - shaking my head, - still I have'nt figured - I'm dead in the water. I turn to the mechanic and ask - Hey? it looks like I got problems, who's the nearest Harley Davidson dealership? He smiles and replies - Why that would be Hall's in Chico. Here let me give you their number. _ he pulls himself away from his work and gets me the number - nice group of people at that Shell station. I dialed Hall's and asked for service. After trying a few things to confirm its not a runner - they send out a truck. The gentleman who picked up my bike treated it as if it was his own. He was polite and knowledgable about the people he worked for, and he liked bikes. I pulled out of him a few tails of some of his different bikes and before you knew it we were there. A store took care of retail - Clean and stuffed, with every body helping customers and Christmass decorating - and then there is the service area. A very large warehousetype building - clean and well kept - with offices and a service area to one side of it. After a brief discussion and a quick perusal by their Buell mechanic. I wasn't going anywhere with ole Blast Vader for awhile. I was introduced to Alan Suelzle's card - my life line to my bike - lol - and asked to call him monday when he'd be in. To make an interesting story brief - we went through what was wrong with the bike, warrentee issues and options. A rebuild was in order and while warrentee would take care of a few issues it was up to me to decide a few things as well. I decided with Alen's sage advice to go for some conservative fun using almost exclusively Nallin parts and their expertise to bring ole Blast Vader back to life. There were specific things I needed done that could only be verified by complete engine tear down and rebuild - these things piled on the time but It was something I could accept - I always emphasized quality over time and new that they felt the same way about the job - do it right the first time and you probably won't have to worry about it for a while. Allen kept me well informed on all phases of the build and by the time I picked up my bike I felt not only confident but eager to feel the results. A few things were put on the table to do a later date for the bike - the new intake - doing it after break in. The weather was overcast drizzle - I felt at home - we discussed the bike's future and he sugested I take it for a spin. - Be carefull - I smiled - just like home - meaning the weather. The ride was wet and wonderfull. A series of quick rights brought me to a school parking lot - I love those parking bricks - weaving in between them the pick up on the turn arounds was effertless and quick - yesss!!! She's back! I returned wet but with a big smile. The break in has been uneventfull but fun in the relearning experiance of the bike. My Hat's off and a deep felt thank you Hall's HD/Buell of Chico, california and Allen Suelzle - their head of Service for GREAT!!! customer service and understanding of a customer's needs. Again - Thank You. Sincerely - Blasting on the Darke side - Ed. Z. | ||
| Srl |
Have to agree that the "New" poser factory Orlando HD is very lame as a Buell dealer. Went there this weekend, Zero Buells on floor, ZERO parts/clothes/accessories, NOTHING BUELL! If not for the sign you would not know they are a Buell dealer. Too bad too, once was there was a separate Buell store with everything in it and people who rode the bikes working the counter. Want to know how an accessory worked, John probably had it on his bike and would show you, no more! I tried to exchange a size on a Buell pit shirt (new, had receipt and all), none in stock, none coming in, she tells me she won't take any Buell stuff back because they have cleared it all out and don't carry anything Buell anymore because it doesn't sell. She called the other stores around but none of them carry anything either. She said it was funny because the Buell Rep was just in and he also wanted to know why they don't carry anything. After thinking for a minute she said now that I think about it there was someone else in here today looking for Buell stuff, Hummm. The store was full of people who drove their cages there to buy t-shirts and jeans and take pics of their SO's sitting on bikes that they are never going to buy. Good times! Bu-ell... that's Italian right? | ||
| Joey |
Here's my theory: "Perhaps you don't have very many customers because when they do come in, you don't have what they need." I've said that more than once at Seaford HDB | ||
| Court |
>>>>Bu-ell... that's Italian right? No, but it damn sure seems foreign in too many dealers. | ||
| Srl |
Court, Nice response (hehehe). A statement so sad and true that you have to laugh. | ||
| Captainplanet |
Srl, Thats a shock about Orlando HD. Your talking about the one that supposed to look like the HD factory right? When I was there 6 months ago, they had 6-8 Buells. A few tube frames, a blast or two, and two firebolts. I spent about an hour there talking to a very knowledgeable salesman. He knew stuff about the 9s coming out that I had not read on this board yet. I forget the guys name. This was in late August or early September. Things change quickly I guess. | ||
| Srl |
Yeah, dat's da one. Before they moved to the "Factory" they were in another location and had a separate Buell store (co-located but separated) and it was a great place, did you ever go there? I don't know if it's new folks or if the Buell store just did very poorly but something changed. |
