| Author | Message | ||
     Metalstorm |
First let me state that this is not a rant. I'm not pissed off beyond repair, I bear no ill will toward the dealer & I certainly still love my bike. I took the girl to Dudley Perkins a little before 9:00am today for the 1000 mile service & to have some warranty work done. I've been blowing ignition fuses like there's no tomorrow. Being that I had no other transportation & I live over 40 miles away I stuck around & waited. The service went well, took maybe 2 hrs if even that. They did all that was listed in the service schedule plus a little extra looking around & checking. The fuse problem however has them perplexed. At around 5:00pm (yes I sat there for 8 hrs.) I was told they have not found the problem & I could not take the bike home. The Buell tech will be gone Monday so Tuesday he's gonna go through the entire electrical system. He wants to be completely thorough which is a good thing I reckon. There were no loner bikes available so I got to borrow the owner's (Tom Perkins) own personal tricked out 100th aniversery FatBoy. It took me a few blocks to get used to the forward controls then after that it was pretty intuitive. It's kinda like a big Sportster but with half the lean angle. So rather than getting pissed off & whining, I look at this in a positive way. A.)My bike will be fixed. B.)In the meantime I get to experience a big ol' Fatboy! I'm trying real hard not to bevel the bottom of the floor boards.  (Message edited by metalstorm on June 11, 2005) | ||
| Bigblock |
I told ya to get in a test ride on a big bike while ya waited!  Little did I know you would take me so seriously! | ||
| Metalstorm |
LOL Yeah, I took you very seriously alright. Sheeeesh, I'm almost thinking you mentaly willed this | ||
| Ingemar |
Electrical problems can be the worse to solve. But it still shouldn't take weeks IMO. In the mean time, have fun with the Fatboy. | ||
| Rocketman |
Jeez how long to sort a blowing fuse? There's a short to ground. Simple to start by isolating each individual component associated to the blowing fuse. Do these guys have access to wiring diagrams? Rocket | ||
| Donutclub |
I feel for you. My bike has been in the shop over a month. They had to split the cases and replace a large portion of the transmission. At least you got a loaner bike to ride..........even though it's a chopper.  | ||
| Cataract2 |
Now THAT is how every dealer should be. | ||
| Anonymous |
Amen to that,Cataract! Make sure to give the Perkins guys a big thanks, Metal, it'll pay off for other Buell guys down the road. | ||
| Thepup |
Donut,same problem here,only this is the second time for the tranny. | ||
| Metalstorm |
Apparently it takes time to sort out a blown fuse I've gave them a big thank you for the bike before I took the FatBoy out. They'll get several more when i return it. I forgot to mention one other thing. After about four hours the tech came out and apologized for taking so long. He looked real sincere and I told him "no problem, I'd rather not rush the tech. It'll take as long as it takes." I do not want to pressure the guy working on my bike. Quality is worth my time. I feel bad for you guys with the tranny problems. I can't compare mine to yours cause mechanical & electrical are two different beasts. As far as I know, my bike is mechanically sound & healthy. | ||
| Odinbueller |
Electrical problems can be the one thing that really gets everyone involved angry, customers, technicians, even the motor company. We had an issue with a 2005 Screamin' Eagle V-Rod that kept blowing the accessory fuse, and some of the LED indicators were no longer working on the clamshell console. The technician working on the bike (mercifully not me) checked everything on the accessory circuit, but found nothing. We called Tech Services at the motor company, and the rep said to disconnect one accessory item on that circuit at a time and to test ride the bike to duplicate the concern. Well, after server test rides and no solution, we called back, got another tech services rep and he recommended we replace the entire main wiring harness, sent the faulty one back for inspection, and to order the replacement harness. The reasoning behind the replacement is the harness is mostly covered in protective conduit, and to find a short or open would ultimately destroy the harness conduit. Trying to install a main wiring harness back into a bike when the conduit had been removed is much akin to sticking a wet noodle up a wildcat’s arse. Once we replaced the harness and the console, there were no more problems. It did take some time to get the parts, but when the bike is under warranty, there are people at the motor company that will get a part off of the assembly line to send to a dealer that needs it for a warranty repair. This is, of course, as long as the part is not backordered or available from another dealer. | ||
| Eor |
You got a loaner bike? Damn.  (Message edited by eor on June 12, 2005) | ||
| Starter |
Electrical problem - I consider this far worse than anything going around. Currently helping a mate from work with a Suzuki 600 Bandit. It's been at my place for 2 weeks now and we still haven't found the reason it is blowing the Main fuse and accessories fuse every now and then. We've had the whole harness out and have checked every wire for good continuety, tested all the lights, horn, computer terminals, console and regulator. None of the sheilding on the harness has been damaged at all so there are no clues there. The computer has been replaced by a spare from a wrecking yard and the problem is still there (thanks to the boys for allowing us to return it). We've done tonnes of test riding with different components connected/disconnected and the problem is still very random. | ||
| Krassh |
On my 9s the wire harness going by the battery was starting to rub and the exposed wires were blowing fuses. My dealer looked and looked and said there was nothing they could find I told them to look hard again because the fuse was blowing before I brought it to them. They finally found those wires near the battery under the seat that were the problem. | ||
| Metalstorm |
The tech thought he found the problem. Under the fuse box there was a pinched ground wire. It was pretty flat & even though the insulation was still good, flattened wires have been known to transfer through it. Unfortunetly that was not the cause so the search continues. I gotta have the Bigboy back tomorrow & I can't wait. It's very pretty to look at but I can't lean left & I can't lean right! The low lean angles are driving me batty. If my bike isn't ready tomorrow I'll try to coax them out of the 12R I saw there last Saturday.  | ||
| Cerbero |
dudley perkins is my dealer as well. i have found them to be both helpful and friendly... they know me on a first name basis and have even worked me in on short notice, despite being booked up for weeks... they've also been really good about getting me in and out the same day... they know my M2 is my only vehicle and they always do what they can to provide good, timely service... there's so much negativity cast about when talking about dealers that i thought i'd put in a good word for this one! metalstorm: i love the roads up where you live... one of my favorite rides begins by a run up to the station house cafe for breakfast, followed by a few hours tearing around the headlands! by the way, have you tried golden gate harley or vallejo buell? i've always wondered how their service is. | ||
| Metalstorm |
I go to Golden gate HD often for parts (for my sporty). They havn't worked on any of my bikes yet but they just got two new Buell techs there I believe. I've never been to Vallejo HD but I've heard good things about them. I have no complaints about Dudley (obviously ) the tech there was a really cool guy. I just feel bad for him having to go through this wild goose chase on my bike looking for the cause of the problem. It's gotta be frustrating. The roads here are pretty nice arn't they? They're the only reason why I don't move to a more affordable town (that plus I was born & raised here). Be carefull out here on the weekends. There are many, many slow caged tourists doing dumb stuff. There is also usualy a very large, fat chp around here that does not believe in mercy or kindness. When I'm putting through Main St if I should see an M2 parked outside the Stay Ho (local word for the Station House) I'll pop in & yell out for ya. | ||
| Koz5150 |
I wonder what it would be like to have a bike as my only vehicle... Probably pretty cold up here in Wisconsin. | ||
| Metalstorm |
Just invest in some electric gear & give it a try Hmmm....maybe some one can invent a little snow plow attatchment for bikes. (Message edited by metalstorm on June 14, 2005) | ||
| Steve_mackay |
Koz, Since the end of March, I've driven a car exactly 3 times While My S3T isn't my *ONLY* vehicle, I treat it as such. Metalstorm, that's great you gots yourself a good, Supportive dealer. | ||
| Koz5150 |
well, I do have a Jeep with half doors and a drop top so that's pretty fun too. | ||
| Metalstorm |
Woo Hoo! Problem found! Or I guess I should say "problems" found. There was a chaffed wire in the main harness & the right side switch assembly has been found to be defective. The factory is shipping out a new assembly. It should be here Friday so the bike should be back on the road late Friday. The best part is that it will be better than it was new. Literally! I get to keep the owner's bike a few more days. Thank you Dudley Perkins HD/Buell & staff! | ||
| Reepicheep |
Excellent! Kudo's to Dudley Perkins for sticking it out and fixing the problem! |
