I love my Uly, but...

I bought my Uly last year. 2 weeks to the day after HD pulled the plug on Buell. I've got 9xxx miles on the bike and feel like in many ways it's the bike I've been looking for.

It's comfortable. It's slow, but fast enough. It handles like a dream. It does back roads like I want a bike to do. It's ugly enough that I don't have to feel guilty about not washing it. With the EBR race ecm it does wheelies when it shouldn't It does simple dirt, gravel roads as well as both of my GS's ever did. Better actually. In many ways, it's a perfect bike. I miss my 1150ADV anytime I want to do more than 300 miles, but.... Well, nothing tours like that big pig did.

I don't identify with in any way, shape or form with Harley Davidson. It feels weird walking into a Harley dealership even though my local (Precision) has been great to deal with so far.

I don't want to own this bike out of warranty, so I'm looking at options. It's not the bike. It's support. Parts. Dealing with Harley etc. I was fine dealing with HD before, when Buell was in business. That was part of the deal and I accepted it. Now? Well, I'm curious what other Buell owners are thinking these days. Clearly, I'm not a Buell faithful. This was my first.

I know the feeling. My lack of confidence in the service network is exacerbated by the fact that since about 20K, I've had a shitload of problems. Voltage regulator, sheared exhaust head bolts, 77 connector, ECM, rear bearings...and right now it's in the garage with a problem I haven't yet diagnosed. And here's the problem...I'm going to eventually have to take it into the HD shop, and they'll charge me $95 an hour shop rate while they poke at it with sticks and try to figure out what's wrong..because not enough of these are around for the mechanics to swiftly diagnose issues. It pisses me off, because, well, when it's good, it's very very good, but when it's bad, it's horrid.

And by the way, what's your avitar? As a homebrewer, it looks like a big ass yeast starter to me.

My first Buell is near the end of its second year. Warranty expires about Thanksgiving Day. I had a lot of reservations about it year one when the coil died, but feel better about it with every passing day.

I'm very comfortable with the local HD dealer - I've owned 3 Harleys and never bought any from them prior to trading my 03 Road King for the 09 XT, but have always been treated very well. They are a customer first outfit. Long story short to give you an idea. Two years ago there was a big Winger deal here and their sponsors backed out at the last, leaving them in town with nowhere to go. Beartooth HD found a food caterer, beer sponser, band, and gave them free use of their facility for their party, all at no charge except they had to pay for what they ate and drank.

A lot of Harley riders stick their noses up and ignore me. I use the term "riders" rather loosely describing them. Tank tops, fingerless gloves, doo-rags and maybe 1k miles a year in the saddle. The real riders are a better story and put my miles per year to shame. I worry more about me than others.

I have my XT set up about perfectly for me - Gobi cases, Avon Distanzias, XB9 gearing change, 1" Precision Eng risers, Cobra spark arrestor and an Alaska Butt Pad. I can go 14 hours in the saddle without discomfort. New belt & black seal bearings. Long term, I may go to the 2010 wheel and a chain conversion ala Skinstains.

Parts may be an issue in the future. If it becomes untennable, I'll part it out and it will probably be worth more for parts then than I could sell it for now.

It's a keeper and handles the forest service and fire roads I ride. Never mind that it's a torque monster and that V-twin gets my ass down the highway at a good pace. Mountain twisties and two lane are abundant here and you can find me and that dirty red beast out there.

Latest challenge is the Pryor Mountains and my only real compaint about the Uly is fuel capacity. Need a lot more for the Pryors, an amazing place in the shadow of the Beartooths and Bighorns.

See you out there and ride safe.

Thanks guys. Two different perspectives. I haven't had any real problems with the bike. A short in the headlight, but that's it. Runs great, and it's alot of fun to ride. Still, I don't trust the future support, and that's the bottom line. Too bad, I really feel like Buell was just getting ramped up to do something really impressive. Maybe, HD felt threatened?

Skifast, yep, that's a big ass yeast starter. I love that picture. That's cool that you figured it out. No one has ever commented. What type of beers do you make mostly?

Here's another hint to what I do alot of

I have an '07 and haven't had too much trouble with it. I'll be keeping my collector's item since I don't worry too much about parts. I have a 1960 Rover P5 saloon afterall and have been able to get parts for it. Ain't the internet great?

I have the same bike as you Jim, bought mine 1 week to the day that Harley pulled the plug. I have just at 10,000 miles on mine and no worries. I am not dependant on HD and not the least bit worried when the warranty runs out. Al at ASB will get all my business and I'll never set foot in the Harley stealership again. I have been planning ahead by ordering a part here or there so if I do have a failure I won't have to wait for anything to come in.
The only problem I have had was a cracked ECm which still worked (replaced by HD under warranty) and a broken front muffler strap. When I had the bike in the dealership to get the ECM replaced I told them that I was getting avibration around 3000 rpms and the shop mgr said it was my TPS. Yeah right, this is my 4th Buell so I knew better. Well the next day before I could really check it out my strap was broken. Typical HD dealer, so I took it back ond told them what THEY did wrong. I also asked for a comfort kit reflash and after 2 tries I just said forget it... again typical HD dealer. The thing is that this is a very good dealer, I'd hate to have to put up with a bad one. This is the reason I trust myself more than I trust any HD dealer out there, can't wait for the warranty to run out. FUHD!

I bought my 10 XT right after the announcement about the shut down was made. I have had 8500 trouble free miles in the past year. I understand the official line is that HD will supply parts for 7 years. I don't really believe it as they got rid of all the Buell tooling right after the shut down and I don't see outside suppliers continuing to produce parts in the low volumes that will likely be needed. With that said, there is no way I am selling my bike. First, the resale on it is terrible. I would almost have to give it away. Second, I love riding the bike. I don't want to be without it. Third, it has been trouble free so far anyway. I hope with good care it stays trouble free for a long time. Fourth, until I need a part I can't get, I think it would be premature to be so negative about the situation. I mean, the absolute worst thing that could happen to me is to have a part break on a trip. If that happens I will simply rent a U-Haul and truck it home.

I have kept my previous bike, so that if my Buell is down for an extended time I will still have something to ride. In the mean time I am going to enjoy my Buell for as absolutely long as possible. I am more likely to buy another Buell than I am to sell the one I have now. An 1125cr would be very tasty. I also would love to have a tuber that has been well cared for. Too bad I don't have the disposable income right now, I would probably have a garage full of inexpensive Buells.

As far as service goes, I have a local shop that can do the basics I don't want to do. If it needs a dealer, I use one 150 miles away because I don't care for my local dealer. I have the shop manual, and while I have no mechanical ability to speak of, I am trying to learn so I can take care of things myself if needed.

Best of luck to you whatever you decide. I think selling your Uly for fear of future problems would be a mistake though, but you have to do what you are comfortable with.

Have you had to deal with Harley often?

I've owned Buell's for 4 years now, and been in a Harley dealership less than 5 times.

I support those who support Buell, which is generally not Harley dealerships, but AmericanSportBike.com, ErikBuellRacing.com, and a select few dealerships that are sponsors on the Buell forum.

Erik Buell Racing (as I'm sure you already know since you have the ECM) is beginning to carry parts for our 'older' Buell's, and I have a strong suspicion they will carry more and more parts as their profits allow, and as Harley carries less.

Didn't a bunch of guys just ride a bunch of old American bikes(pre 1915) across country?I don't worry about service.Between myself & others I will keep my Uly running a long time.The only time I worried about service was when it was under warranty & I HAD to take it to the dealer.My stator went out when it was 6 months old & I had to take it to a dealer for warranty work.They had my bike for 28 days.I could have had the parts in three days & fixed it in 3 hrs.For me I'll just keep changing oil & putting on tires.

Another '07 owner here. Bought mine used with 4K miles 2 weeks before the shutdown. I now have 23K. The nearest H-D dealer to me that handles Buell is 4 hours away, so I never had any intention on bringing my Uly to a dealer anyways. I planned from the beginning to do all my own work. One of the nice things about Buell is how simplistic they are. Pick up a service manual and don't worry. I'm not concerned about parts availability. Accessories yes, parts no. Between American Sport Bike, Erik Buell Racing, and a handfull of loyal Buell dealers, you'll be well taken care of. Many of the parts could be sourced outside of H-D/Buell if needed in the future. The guys on Badweb are a great resource too.

As for problems, I've had a few, but none were unexpected. Rear wheel bearings, belt, fork seals... Just maintenance items really.

Eric.

I brew mostly all grain pale ales. What that photo you have up is, I have no idea. Looks like a fermenting nipple, but that can't be right.

That's a cask venting Nice guess though

When I bought my XT a year ago I knew there would be no guarantees. If parts become unattainable I'll just park it in the corner of my garage and pick up something else for my daily duties. They will not be making anymore XB's so I'll take pride in owning a part of American motorcycling history.

Good point.
I'm not paranoid, I just don't want to own more than one bike even though I can afford to. I'll probably take your advice and keep it. Fix as needed and if it gets bad, buy another bike. Or, maybe I'll buy another bike anyway..

Sr / Itile -

Gotta say, you're one best posters of the Uly on both this site an BWB. I don't post much but lurk on both quite often; your stuff is always informative and entertaining.

For me, 23,000+ miles in 15 months with no significant issues - - best bike ever.

Ride Safe.

Paul

I had a 2006 XT that I purchased used in May of '09. I had it set up so it was perfect for me: race ecm, muffler and airbox mod, Hepco/Becker top box, Buell side cases, Cal Sci tall windscreen, XB9 rear shock, and taller bar risers. I would have done the XB9 primary swap next. I did all my own maintenance. When the plug was pulled on Buell I started paying attention to parts availability. When drive belts were on back order with a 6 week wait :eek1 I knew it was time to move on. Maybe Buell owners are stocking up on parts. I sold it in August. The Ulysses was by far the funnest bike I have ever owned. I replaced it with HD Screamin Eagle Road Glide, which I just traded for a new Triumph Tiger SE. With all that said I feel your pain. I regret having to get rid of the Uly, but the Mr. Spock in me said it's totally illogical to hang onto a bike that could break down and sit for weeks or months waiting for parts. I would hang onto it until March or April and try to sell then as prices are way down right now.

I had a 2006 XT that I purchased used in May of '09. I had it set up so it was perfect for me: race ecm, muffler and airbox mod, Hepco/Becker top box, Buell side cases, Cal Sci tall windscreen, XB9 rear shock, and taller bar risers. I would have done the XB9 primary swap next. I did all my own maintenance. When the plug was pulled on Buell I started paying attention to parts availability. When drive belts were on back order with a 6 week wait :eek1 I knew it was time to move on. Maybe Buell owners are stocking up on parts. I sold it in August. The Ulysses was by far the funnest bike I have ever owned. I replaced it with HD Screamin Eagle Road Glide, which I just traded for a new Triumph Tiger SE. With all that said I feel your pain. I regret having to get rid of the Uly, but the Mr. Spock in me said it's totally illogical to hang onto a bike that could break down and sit for weeks or months waiting for parts. I would hang onto it until March or April and try to sell then as prices are way down right now.

I had a 2006 XT that I purchased used in May of '09. I had it set up so it was perfect for me: race ecm, muffler and airbox mod, Hepco/Becker top box, Buell side cases, Cal Sci tall windscreen, XB9 rear shock, and taller bar risers. I would have done the XB9 primary swap next. I did all my own maintenance. When the plug was pulled on Buell I started paying attention to parts availability. When drive belts were on back order with a 6 week wait :eek1 I knew it was time to move on. Maybe Buell owners are stocking up on parts. I sold it in August. The Ulysses was by far the funnest bike I have ever owned. I replaced it with HD Screamin Eagle Road Glide, which I just traded for a new Triumph Tiger SE. With all that said I feel your pain. I regret having to get rid of the Uly, but the Mr. Spock in me said it's totally illogical to hang onto a bike that could break down and sit for weeks or months waiting for parts. I would hang onto it until March or April and try to sell then as prices are way down right now.

The belts went on backorder after the shut down because everyone and their brother wanted to get one or two on their shelf. They have not been on backorder again since that initial sales surge.

The only parts I know of that are causing problems anymore are the Uly frame pucks. Give it time, someone will make more. Whether it simply be harley fix their mess up that stopped their production to begin with (talking frame pucks here), or an aftermarket company (like EBR). Their are tons of these bike still on the road, parts aren't going to simply disappear forever.

I feel the same as most of the folks, most of the bikes in my garage have been out of production for years. I have an 05 XB and have very much enjoyed it with no parts problems. Like Nortons, Vincents and all they will be around and people will continue to find solutions.
Just enjoy it