Would you recommend someone to buy a Buell now?

[Blunder]

Ya know what? If I were of a mind and you really want one, I'd buy a Buell. That dude seems to have a stature, a 'tude, to where he won't give up. He'll stand behind his product and he'll answer your phone call. Dare i say it but he's the American Guzzi. Lake Michigan can't quite compare, but......

[Brad1445]

I'm amazed at how long that list was!   :lol

I had to laugh at the "noise complaints".  What a freakin' joke!
95% on that list is 100% bogus.  Who made that up?  Brad, you truly are a drunken monkey.  Really!  

Yeah I just made the stuff up.  After buying 5 new Buell's I love seeing the name trashed.  Makes me look smart for buying all them.  Pure fabrication.  I encourage you to get a new one ASAP.   (the common "made=up" noise complaint" is that the engine sounds like a box of rocks.   But I'm just making this up as I go. The Buell name is solid!!!

[falconati]

....he has a new one.

[sammyseaman]

Yeah I just made the stuff up.  After buying 5 new Buell's I love seeing the name trashed.  Makes me look smart for buying all them.  Pure fabrication.  I encourage you to get a new one ASAP.   (the common "made=up" noise complaint" is that the engine sounds like a box of rocks.   But I'm just making this up as I go. The Buell name is solid!!!

   there's a few people on here that drink lots 'o kool-aid and there's no reasoning with them. No sense wasting you energy.

[Rogue]

Brad didn't drink any cool aid, he poisoned himself to death and got his ass kicked out of BWB.  All because he hated the way the pods looked on the 1125R.  All of us Buell owners know his story since the beginning.  He is a Buell pariah!    

As for me, I'm one of the few in BWB that actually ADMIT to being aware of the 1125R issues.  I've even had arguments with people who get annoyed when I mention the 1125R's known issues.  I know exactly which ones they are and bought mine with eyes wide open.  Brad's list of stuff are complaints that he collected by reading BWB posts when the '08 1125R's were first released.  The 2008 1125R had the following recalls:

Kickstand spring (replaced)
ECM reflash (the most current was 2009 program)
Clutch Cover fluid leak (clutch cover replaced with improved 2009 model)

It also has TSB's issued if/when other issues came up:
Early rear turn signals defective (replaced with newer ones)
Instrument Cluster power drain (instrument cluster replaced with 2009)
Rear bearing early failure (bearings replaced with higher quality units)

Other known characteristics that are easily rectified:
Front rotor easily warped at 15k miles.  Need to replace rotor (I did that with mine).  I had the same issue with my XB12R.
Rear brake caliper would seize up/lock due to infrequent use (replace the caliper or use it regularly).  This happened because the exhaust would dump soot into the caliper mechanism and riders who rarely use their rear brakes loose the caliper's functionality.  The exhaust would dump soot into the caliper/rotor because it is pointed directly at it to pass DOT noise regulation.

2009 models has a chronic problem of overheating and failing stators.  Buell raised the stator's power output in 2009 (unknown reasons why) and these higher output stators did not have adequate cooling from the engine oil.  So they failed after a period of time especially in bikes ridden hard in hot climates or frequently does stop and go traffic duty.  The only known cure is to replace the stator with 2008 stators with the lower output.  This is the ONLY issue that was not rectified by Buell in a recall campaign or a TSB.

The noise that Brad complains about is BS.  The Helicon engine has finger followers for valve actuation (most engines have shim under bucket).  Finger followers allow shims to be replaced without the removal of the camshaft.  However it adds valve clatter noise.  In all honesty, the Helicon is barely louder than a Ducati liquid cooled L-twin engine.  If that L-twin has an open covered dry clutch, the Duc engine is significantly louder at idle.  It really is a none issue.  The Thunderstorm engine is so much louder at idle and it sounds more like a can of marbles.  The Helicon sounds like a highly tuned V-twin to me.  It's not VFR800 quiet that's for sure.  Most are not.  Most of the engine noise comes from the exhaust!  

All the rest of his list of complaints are BS personal complaints or stuff that somebody thinks is an excuse to bash the bike.  I mean look at it!  "Unclear oil change procedure in Buell manual"?  "the noid"?  C'mon!  

[Tpoppa]

I rode mine for 470 miles today.

When I started it up...sure enough it made noise.  So, I turned it off and the noise stopped, I thought I solved it.  But when I restarted it I heard some noise again  

What Brad knows < What Brad thinks he knows

[Rogue]

 

Nice one.

I started mine up and rode it this morning.  It sounded like a normal liquid cooled V-twin to me.  The exhaust is a bit louder than most bikes with an OEM exhaust that's for sure.  Most of the noise comes from there.  But it sounds great at revs.  I found a nice empty road so I got it up to 100.  Sounded even better!  

BTW, I just changed the oil on it about 500 miles ago.  I followed the Service Manual instructions and all went well.  I'm waiting for something to go wrong with it but so far none of Brad's complaints have materialized.  Of course I speak from experience and Brad....well I'm not really sure.  But what do I know?

[falconati]

I rode one, one time, and it was fun!

Must have been an off-day for the bike though, since it fired right up.  I also agree with the comments about the stock exhaust - it's definitely louder than your average bike...the damn thing barks.

[Squidbuzz]

(OH MY, I'm defending Brad, but he has some points)

The long list isn't that far out of whack when you start digging into BadWeb and talking to people around the country.

Many things over many years made Buell what Buell was.  HD didn't help either.

[Tpoppa]

(OH MY, I'm defending Brad, but he has some points)

The long list isn't that far out of whack when you start digging into BadWeb and talking to people around the country.

Many things over many years made Buell what Buell was.  HD didn't help either.

I think the reality check in this case is this:  Go to any brand specific motorycle forum, and do the same search for reported issues.  If you look hard enough you will find a long list of parts that have failed on at least 1 motorcycle.

In the case of Buell, the difference is/was this:  Dealer support was unusually poor.  If you had a problem with your Honda, there is a good chance you could drop it off at the dealer and they would fix it correctly.  Buell riders had no choice but to post problems on the internet (BWB) because that was really the only body of knowledge out there.  

btw, that is the rub with BWB.  The site is run by a total jackass.  But over the years Buell riders have contributed a ton of really good content.  That almost makes it worthwhile to tolerate said jackass...almost.
         

[DogBoy]

I still want to own an XB9sx or XB12s. I wouldn't hesitate to buy one when I get around to unloading the YZF and buying a street bike again. I might end up buying something else but the fact that Buell has gone out of business wouldn't influence my purchasing decision.


And its good to see Brad keeping the Buell forum on its toes.  

Did you race SM this summer?

[bomber]

I love my Tuber! Rough and ready, and makes me feel like I'm 17 again (in both good and not so good ways ;-}  ) . . . . . .

Like anything else, it's a trade off -- if you want what a Buell offers, I can't think of much else that will supply it . . . . Tubers (with their Sportie Based engines) have great support for parts and OK availability of aftermarket goodies -- I can comment on the newer models, but I no of NO owners that are trying to unload any of em . . . . . .

What I can say is that, if you have a problem, and don't act like a dick, the folks on BWB will fall all over themselves to help you . . . they know as much about the bikes, and keeping em alive, as the factory.

[Rogue]

(OH MY, I'm defending Brad, but he has some points)

The long list isn't that far out of whack when you start digging into BadWeb and talking to people around the country.

Many things over many years made Buell what Buell was.  HD didn't help either.

Squid, the list I put above is pretty damn accurate.  I searched long and hard on the 1125R issues before I bought mine.  The one I have is it.

Reading Brad's list makes it extremely obvious to me that it was written by someone who did only a cursory glance at what people are posting about the 1125R in BWB.  Some of the items on his list overlap and many are extremely vague.  If you dig deeper you will realize (as I have) that most of them are either issues that have been resolved and/or innacurate/opinions.  It's like saying, the Buell XB's vibrate at idle, mufflers rust, fans run loudly after shutdown, shoots jet hot heat into the rider's right leg, lacks top end power, hyper-sensitive to tire choice, requires accurate suspension set up to handle correctly, therefore don't buy it because it's a bad bike!    I'm surprised he did not mention the pods on the 1125R!

Like I said, the only unresolved issue is the 2009 Stators overheating and failing.  The resolution is to replace with 2008 stator.

That doesn't mean all 1125R's are going to be 100% reliable.  However, if one buys an early 1125R with parts updated with recalled items and known TSB fixes, they are actually quite reliable.  And that is why I went forward with my purchase.  So far, it has been working out for me.  Keeping up to date on 1125R BWB board, this is true for most owners.

Again, your mileage will vary, etc., etc.

[Rogue]

I still want to own an XB9sx or XB12s. I wouldn't hesitate to buy one when I get around to unloading the YZF and buying a street bike again. I might end up buying something else but the fact that Buell has gone out of business wouldn't influence my purchasing decision.


And its good to see Brad keeping the Buell forum on its toes.  

Well if you want to know about those, the XB's had some known issues too.

They have the same exhaust muffler that is prone to rust like the 1125R.  They also have loud fans that have a lifespan of about 15k-20k miles.  Front rotors also have a similar life before warping.  The early XB's (up to '06) had fuel pumps that had a tendency to short due to improper wiring insulation.  It's easy to screw up the TPS reset.  Early wheel bearings had the same weak ones fitted to early 1125's.  The later the XB's the better/more reliable they became.

In any case, none of these issues are impossible to fix.  Simply replacing the parts will rectify the situation.  Buell made improved parts later on in the XB's production cycle.  All these issues are known in BWB and all have resolutions.

[DogBoy]

I only want the reliable one where nothing goes wrong ever.  

[Rogue]

2007 models.  

2008 models had fueling issues due to emissions change.  Haha!

Seriously, I would rate overall late model Buell reliability as being below average.  Above average would be Honda.  The good news is that Buell kept on improving every single model of bike so every year it is improved with parts with greater reliability.

For example the fuel pump wiring harnesses shorting out were replaced with a wiring harnesses with a stronger insulation that covered most of the wiring to prevent rubbing against the fuel pump housing.  This improved wiring was made available as a replacement part and on late 2006 and newer XB's.  Another one is the rear wheel bearings that were fixed with higher quality wheel bearings available as replacement and on later Buells.  

You see, people won't know that unless they really dig deep into BWB or experience and fix the issue themselves.  Simply by scanning BWB won't reveal the fix.  In other words, they're not as bad as Brad makes them out to be.  I too thought the same until I really did more research.

[kevin_stevens]

2009 models has a chronic problem of overheating and failing stators.  Buell raised the stator's power output in 2009 (unknown reasons why) and these higher output stators did not have adequate cooling from the engine oil.  So they failed after a period of time especially in bikes ridden hard in hot climates or frequently does stop and go traffic duty.  The only known cure is to replace the stator with 2008 stators with the lower output.  This is the ONLY issue that was not rectified by Buell in a recall campaign or a TSB.

I don't believe this is correct.  The problem statement - yes.  The resolution - I don't believe the factory ever replaced 2009 stators with 2008s.  There was more to doing that than just the stator itself, maybe the case or cover or some of the wiring, it wasn't a drop-in fix.  There *was* a recall campaign for the 2009 which involved a charging harness rework, effectively shutting off one leg of the stator below 5K rpm to reduce the overheating.  AFAIK there wasn't a verdict in on whether that fixed the problem completely or not.  My 2009 has had the wiring harness rework.

KeS

[Tpoppa]

I don't believe this is correct.  The problem statement - yes.  The resolution - I don't believe the factory ever replaced 2009 stators with 2008s.  There was more to doing that than just the stator itself, maybe the case or cover or some of the wiring, it wasn't a drop-in fix.  There *was* a recall campaign for the 2009 which involved a charging harness rework, effectively shutting off one leg of the stator below 5K rpm to reduce the overheating.  AFAIK there wasn't a verdict in on whether that fixed the problem completely or not.  My 2009 has had the wiring harness rework.

KeS

KeS is spot on.


The charging harness update is a fix, but not very well thought out.  This was introduced by HD after Buell was shuttered.  It was without a doubt the CHEAPEST solution that HD could conceive.  It'll will extend the like of the stator, but at a cost of starving the motorcycle for power at idle.  Idling for too long will drain the battery.  Lots of people interpreted this as another stator failure.  It's a crappy fix.  HD never told Buell owners what to expect with the harness upgrade installed and there is still a lot of confusion.

Some creative Buell owners have come up with ways around this.  The best one I've seen has never been discussed on BWB.

HD will NOT replace the 2009 charging system with 2008 parts under warranty.  I have read documentation from HD to this point.

[stromgal]

I love my Tuber! Rough and ready, and makes me feel like I'm 17 again (in both good and not so good ways ) . . . . . .

Yep. All it's missing is a kicker. Well, and it has brakes and suspension that actually work.
 I thoroughly enjoyed riding it this past weekend, even if my *ss is still sore. 

[Paulie Hotnuts]

You will need to plan on taking care of your own maintenance and get familiar with the workings of your Buell. I would recommend doing that on any bike you plan on riding a fair amount.  Clocked 1400+ miles on the xb this weekend, most West Virginia/Virginia mountain twisties. Uly never missed a beat. I cant think of another bike I would rather have ridden on this trip. Just saying.....