| Author |
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Bads1
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 19, 2010 - 10:05 pm: | 
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Not knocking the Buell in any way. They just are a bit better with a person thats not afraid of a wrench. Especially with the way things are going at the HD dealers. |
Turtle71
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 19, 2010 - 10:09 pm: |
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To be fair I should say that my dual carb setup is aftermarket with stacks.
Thanks for the list, social. It seems that with Buell, when you get a bad one, you get a bad one.
I am not expecting as trouble free of an experience as I got from my Hawk, may she rest in peace.
I just want a reasonable one.
Really, I got less trouble from my 90 CBR600 than I did from my Hawk.
Do you think that your experience was typical? |
Turtle71
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 19, 2010 - 10:15 pm: |
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If you guys keep posting I'll keep asking questions,lol.
The Harley dealership issues. Is it really that bad? Short of an actual rebuild, I can do my own work. But it would be nice to have a good dealership around. |
Iamarchangel
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 19, 2010 - 10:32 pm: |
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The dealer issue seems really hit or miss. Look for recommendations from local people.
My local, Rocky's, seem excellent but pricey. I'm careful what they get to do.
The other nearest one has a good rep but I've never had to go there.
I know I can't gauge others by them. |
Luxor
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 19, 2010 - 10:33 pm: |
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Turtle, yes, most HD dealerships are completely incompetent when it comes to Buell. Now I said most, there are some really good HD dealers that truly embraced Buell and will do spectacular work and give you honest, real advice. To find these few and rare dealerships look at the BadWeb sponsor page, you'll see them there.
With all that said these things are really easy to work on and you'll most likely just do it yourself. |
Doughnut
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 19, 2010 - 10:48 pm: |
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Have a 09 Ss. little miles (3900 or so) It is an outside bike, i don't cover, don't tend or anything. Only issues were covered under warranty and not a big deal (corrosion on front rim and "N" light") |
Firebolt020283
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 19, 2010 - 11:26 pm: |
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your not too far from a good dealer...
http://www.bumpusharleymurfreesboro.com/
http://maps.google.com/maps?client=safari&rls=en&q=bumpus+tn+to+crossville+tn&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=RF6-TP-YOoP7lwfG8LXpBw&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&ved=0CAkQ_AU
(Message edited by firebolt020283 on October 19, 2010) |
Firebolt020283
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 19, 2010 - 11:33 pm: |
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ok the google maps thing wont act right form me but the first one is were Tnxbrider and Ft_bstrd work.
(Message edited by firebolt020283 on October 19, 2010) |
Reepicheep
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 19, 2010 - 11:49 pm: |
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I have one *very* good local Harley dealer (F&S in Dayton). I have a closer dealer that has their heart in the right place, but that may need a little more help to get it right (powder keg).
On the other hand my local Yamaha dealer was awful (Shipps Yamaha, months to get a bolt for $15).
My local Kawasaki dealer is OK, though if you call them on a saturday and ask to talk to parts, you could literally be on hold for 20 minutes before you give up. And you can call them in advance and make sure they have the right jet in stock, then drive over, only to find out they didn't really. Oops.
My other Kawasaki dealer (CCM in Wilmington) also screwed up on the "do you have the jet in stock so I don't waste a drive) question. But on the other hand, I needed a couple plain jane screws for the carb boot clamp (6mm fine thread maybe?)... they came out with two of them, handed them to me, and told me to have a nice day and refused to take any money for them... in spite of the fact that my kid and I were only purchasing two stroke oil and ISDE DVD's from the 50% off bin. And t hey are family owned. So they, IMHO, are great. They also gave my kid a 15% discount since he may "race" for a part for a KX-60. It made his day (and cost them $1.75... some of the best money they ever spent).
So I would say my Harley is as good as the best I have experienced with any of the Japanese brands. And all were better than I have experienced with Whirlpool and GE for sure. |
Pkforbes87
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 20, 2010 - 05:12 am: |
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"Short of an actual rebuild, I can do my own work."
Don't let a rebuild scare you. You can do anything to these bikes with a $60 service manual and a couple hundred dollars worth of tools. Much cheaper than the labor cost of a rebuild, plus you get to keep the manual and tools 
Two years ago, I had never done anything other than replace intake gaskets. I tore into this beast thinking I'd get lost along the way and have to sell it for parts.
Before:
After:
I haven't done any major maintenance on the XB yet, but it doesn't scare me after seeing how simple the tuber was.
As for your original question - since you say you're comfortable working on a bike I have to suggest a tuber, but these older models do come at a price. My 2002 X1 is the most fun I've ever had on two wheels and is a very reliable machine, but will always require more TLC than the XB12XT. There's no changing that.
In short, a tube frame bike has a persona of it's own. You will get a lot more smiles per mile and pure childish joy while riding one than you will with an XB. On the other hand, an XB will offer smoother power delivery, more comfort, better reliability, and better handling. |
Turtle71
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 20, 2010 - 09:38 am: |
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PK - That is a beautiful bike.
I looked at the tubers, and I would be interested in one as a project bike. You know, build it to be mine - but for a first Buell, I have always wanted the Lightning.
You have to tell me the story behind those pics though. That is a mutilation. |
Glitch
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 20, 2010 - 11:20 am: |
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Looks like it ran lean and holed the piston |
Brother_in_buells
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 20, 2010 - 11:48 am: |
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I think a broken valve!
http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/476 23/554793.html |
Glitch
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 20, 2010 - 12:08 pm: |
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Or possibly a valve broke |
Brother_in_buells
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 20, 2010 - 12:16 pm: |
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Yes that is also possible!  |
Pkforbes87
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 20, 2010 - 07:47 pm: |
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I bought the X1 with that damage, so can't say for sure what caused it, but the oil that I drained out was pitch black. I'm guessing it had never been changed since new. (engine had 6677 miles at time of failure) The front exhaust valve seized, and snapped off when the piston hit it. The broken piece of valve got chewed up for quite some time as is apparent by all the damage to the piston surface, inside the head, and inside the cylinder.
Details of the rebuild can be found in the links below.
This thread mostly covers disassembly
The reassembly process is logged here |
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