| Author | Message | ||
     Palerider |
I think this a great thread. You guys are working toward solving some important problems. But, I'm not a mechanic,an electrical engineer, a computer expert,etc. A lot of us aren't. We're just average guys who like to ride. I liked the 1125 and I bought it to ride on the street. I had heard about some of the problems and found this board and began to see some of what others were experiencing. I spent $11K plus and now instead of just riding and having fun,I've got to worry if my dealer can properly fix my bike, is the computer reflash going to make it better or worse. Will I have to pull the motor at 6000 miles,will the valves be carboned up? I mean some of you guys are just tearing into fully warrantied machines changing this removing that. Intake solenoid. If it causes so much trouble for a small sound reduction why doesn't Buell just remove it and or figure something else out? What I'm trying to say is I just wanted a bike to ride and enjoy. Now I constantly watch this board truly amazed at the shear magnitude of problems this bike may or may not have. I don't have the time (or experience) some of you seem to have to put into all this exploratory work. I guess the initial fun of going down into the garage everyday during winter just to look at it and imagine that first ride,was somewhat tempered after reading some of the earlier problems that started as a few and then multiplied rapidly. Why are we forced to spend our time and money(in some instances)to straighten out problems that the factory really should have had a handle on already? I owned 5 Kawis over the last 30 years and all of them together didn't have anything like this. Two, I still have and are 20 plus years and still run very well. I know the Japenese have more money and larger resources for R&D than perhaps Buell, and their bikes follow a basic plan that's tried and true for the most part but I think for a bike to come out (first year or not)with so many questions and problems isn't exceptable. Maybe they should have held it back and did some more real world testing before sticking owners with some of these problems. As I said I like the 1125 I just want to ride and not have to worry about surging, stumbles,wearing brake lines, mirrors moving, heat, boiling gas,etc. I know some have long distances to get to their dealers, I have 45 minutes when traffic is clear and that's still a pain. How many trips will I have to make and how many days will the bike stay there? I do hope that with all your help Buell can at some time finally come up with a grand fix-the- problems plan. My wife was upset with me when I secretly bought this bike. Eventually she came around. But after she read some of these threads, she actually told me I should sell it and get a new Japenese bike. I'm not and I hope I don't regret it. | ||
| Chameleon |
Best advice is to get out there and ride your bike. Ride above 4K RPMs to keep the charge up. Adhere to the maintenance intervals and keep feeding her fuel. Don't worry about problems you might experience until and if you actually encounter them. If you do, keep a level head and deal with them through the proper channels and with plenty of patience. Service personnel are people too and you catch more flies with honey. You need to realize that this is the first year of a practically all new bike. It is almost guaranteed to have some issues. Same thing happens to major automobile manufacturers. The Dodge Durango was plagued by many recalls and the Neon was significantly redesigned after the first year (1995 is a lot different under the hood from 1996-99). http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/motorcycle_recal ls/index.html http://www.internetautoguide.com/auto-recalls/inde x.html Were your Japanese bikes all new designs when you bought them? Be careful not to compare apples to oranges. Rest assured that Buell cares about each and every one of its customers... It has far more at stake due to the low numbers produced than large foreign manufacturers producing many times more units per year. | ||
| Tasmaniac |
G'day Brian Mate not all of our beloved Buell 1125R's are experiencing problems. all motorcycle manufacturers outsource their components this is where some problems lie with quality control. it does seem that most of the issues being reported here are because of a faulty component of some kind. Hopefully your bike will be one of the good ones Brett | ||
| Zac4mac |
According to several people I talked to at the Factory at Homecoming, the 1125R has been in development a LONG time. Perhaps release WAS rushed a bit to get it out for the 25th Anniversary. I have 11,400+ miles on mine with no complaints other than "not enough time to ride". If yours doesn't run smooth from 2k rpm up, put her in "learn mode". 45 mph, 4k rpm, flat to slight decline, 4-5 minutes. Hold the rpm as steady at 45 mph as you can. I can idle in first at 9 mph and second at 13 mph, hand off the throttle. School zones are a breeze, I could enter a "slow race" with confidence. Z | ||
| Doerman |
Hi Brian and welcome to the board! I have said it before and I think it bears repeating. Judging the health of an 1125R by reading this board is like judging the general health of the population by observing an emergency room. It is the nature of the beast that problems get discussed on a board like this. With 9K miles on mine I am totally satisfied with my purchase. It is the best bike I have ever owned. | ||
| Pizzaboy |
doerman said it best with his emergency room analogy! ive got 3800 miles on my bike in less than 3 months since purchase.. and though it has its issues, i am completely satisfied with the bike. it is to be expected that you will have these odd problems that many of us are experiencing... after all this WAS the initial year for the 1125 platform. expect issues. also note that this forum is a small sampling of the amount of all 1125 owners... and an unbalanced sample. most of the guys on here are overly enthusiastic about their buell and brand loyalty and stuff like that... and guys who had a problem and looked to an online community to find a solution. | ||
| Funktron |
Palerider - don't worry about it. The bike will work out for you. It works out for all of us....there are just some who are more apt to jumping on problems themselves than drive 100+ miles to their nearest Buell mechanic (especially with gas prices as they are). I thank them for pioneering the fixes for the issues that plague us. I follow up with thanks to Buell who takes steps to make things right in a timely manner. This bike has been a complete joy in my life....and those problems that get fixed just help me know my bike a little better each time I come across one. But most importantly, don't EVER let a woman tell you what to do.......  | ||
| Chameleon |
But most importantly, don't EVER let a woman tell you what to do. Amen to that! My wife told me that when her bike gets out of the shop*, I'm not allowed to ride it... So I told her that I'd simply stop making the payments. She recanted and said of course she wouldn't really deny me from riding it, that she was just kidding. *She got the front wheel caught in some train tracks and high-sided on Mother's day while we were riding together in staggered formation. I went over the tracks first and didn't have a problem. Fortunately she didn't get hurt too badly, just a twisted ankle & thumb and a banged knee. ATGATT! | ||
| P_squared |
I must've missed that memo. My wife tells me what to do ALL the time. I say, "Yes Dear" and comply with her wishes. Seems to work pretty well for me, since she's yet to tell me, "No, you CAN'T have that bike." BTW, I love my 1125R. No major issues with it that I haven't been able to easily overcome. | ||
| Tpoppa |
Sorry, but I agree with Palerider. The first model year excuse is just that...an excuse. Unless you were given a discount to be a Beta Tester, you should expect that the bugs have been worked out. XB's have been refined over the years, but the first XB's were pretty well sorted out. We should aim a bit higher than a '95 Neon. XB's did a lot to overcome a reputation for poor quality, but many 1125 reviews mention design/quality issue. Flame on.............. ...from Motorcycle.com And now we come to the problem child. Seems there’s a kink in the works on some 1125R bikes. Our test unit was plagued with surprisingly rough fueling from earliest throttle openings until approximately 3,500 rpm. Once past that point all is well, and it certainly wasn’t something we ever experienced at the track. But most folk who purchase this American stud will probably keep it as a dual-purpose machine, using it for trackdays and commuting or running around town. It’s this around-town use where such poor fueling can be a major nuisance. A quick call to Paul James, Director of Product Communications for Buell, revealed that this problem is a known issue but apparently not something the company can pin down as of yet. “We’ve heard of some customers having this or a similar problem, but we can’t account for why it happens to some and not others.” There’s validity to that response. Months before saddling up to our test unit I met an 1125R owner who said he had no such issues, but had heard of and met other owners who had. Here’s to hoping you don’t draw the short straw if you purchase an 1125R. | ||
| Slaughter |
I have TWO ex-wives who told me what to do. Sunny and I get along just FINE. She bought a dirtbike and TOLD me that I had just two weeks to buy my own dirtbike. I can tolerate being told what to do this time around. | ||
| Chameleon |
Tpoppa: My point was that virtually all vehicles regardless of manufacturers have recalls. If you had checked the URLs I posted, you would have seen that even such brands as Rolls Royce, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Maserati, Honda/Acura, Toyota/Lexus and Nissan/Infinity have recalls. At no point did I intend to explain away the problems... Rather I was pointing out that Buell is not immune to human error and seems to be taking every appropriate measure to correct the problems as they are able. Surely you, as a Software Project Manager, can understand this. Really I don't see why you're even contributing to this thread since you apparently don't have an 1125R. I do and I have experienced some problems... True they are frustrating and disheartening, but I do have faith that they will be sorted out and that time and patience are required. It is unfortunate that Buell's reputation may be slightly smeared by the defects and surely they are most upset about this fact; more so than any of us. Slaughter: Definitely an exception to the rule and a keeper for sure. | ||
| Tpoppa |
Chameleon: My comment was not an attack on you. Recalls are not the same a rideability issues. My point is that corporations are responsible for testing and working out the bugs...not consumers that pay full price. Surely you, as a Software Test Automation Specialist, can understand this. | ||
| Palerider |
Thanks for your support guys. I feel better already. And with the new model coming out and possibility of retrofitting parts, mapping,, maybe re-gearing I guess things are looking up. Thanks Zac4mac, I knew I'd read about learning mode but couldn't remember what it was. My wife saw a couple of the replies about wives. From the slap on my back ,I don't think she came around after all. Now I just need more hours in the day and more vacation time. Again I appreciate the support. | ||
| Chameleon |
Recalls are the result of issues found in the real world that were missed by QA. Real world scenarios can only be tested in the real world with real users. A simulation can only come so close; even the best simulation is imperfect. In spite of best efforts, bugs still occasionally slip by a staff of fully trained and experienced testers. Anything made by humans is prone to flaws. |
