Buell XB9S Lightning 2003 Transmission issues

[tigerboy2187]

My 2003 Buell XB9S wont shift into gears 3-5 on most occasions. Sometimes it will shift into 3rd, and even 4th(once in one month) but most of the time its only 1 and 2 that work. That is until neutral becomes 3rd gear and i drive around in neutral. When the transmission is working normally going into 1st and 2nd only, the transmission makes what could be described as a grinding or knocking noise. When I use the normal shifting of 1st and 2nd, if the bike rolls back even slightly then start to move forward, the bike locks up within 6 inches of moving. then i roll it back, and within 12 inches, it locks up, then i have to shift back to neutral and then drive off riding the clutch hard, which is the reason why im assuming its in 3rd gear. i just adjusted the clutch today because a backfire made it not engage.(??) I am worried that the trans will lock up on me while driving. Hoping its a cheap fix. Harley Davidson out here wants 2400 dollars to do a rebuild.(thats just parts only!) Anyone have any ideas on this strange behavior, and any ideas on how to fix it? Anyone else experience this? It's my first Buell...

 

[Chicknstripn]

STOP RIDING THAT BIKE BEFORE YOU HURT YOURSELF OR SOMEONE ELSE!

Now that that's out of the way, how long have you owned the bike?
Sounds like your transmission is toast!
Your best coarse of action will be to replace the motor. The dealer is wanting to charge you an arm and a leg because a transmission rebuild requires the cases to be split. That pretty much means an entire engine over haul.
You could probably find another xb9 for less than what the dealership will charge you in parts.
You can definitely find motors on eBay for less than half what the dealer wants to charge you in parts. Swapping motors would probably take you a weekend at best.
Do as much research as you can on the engine swap. Down load a service manual at www.buellmods.com and educate yourself on what you're in for. Swapping the engine out really isn't that difficult.

 

[Cooter]

Theres a complete transmission for sale in the for sale section....

 

[tigerboy2187]

No it is not a joke, this is really what is happening with it. So im looking at some serious money for this specific bike......

 

[tigerboy2187]

Theres a complete transmission for sale in the for sale section....

This would be the best option because out here in TX even paying the 2400 for a rebuild from factory would still be cheaper than the value of the bike. I am one of 3 owners in the el paso area for this model.... the others are starting at 4000.....

 

[tigerboy2187]

Can I get a direct link to the transmission for sale via PM pls.

 

[Cooter]

If you can post on this forum, you are able to scroll down to the "Buell parts for sale" section and look for "complete transmission for sale"
Harley won't install used parts.
Taking it to Harley would be silly anyway.
Spending $2400 to fix a $4000 bike is silly.
If you can't do it yourself, talk to a local V-twin shop and see if they'll split the cases and install the used trans. It would be helpful if you just bring them the motor.

 

[Mope]

Even if you had to have one shipped, a replacement engine is the way I'd go.......except I'd get one from a known buell recycler cause I wouldn't want something showing up from an unknown seller that I had never heard/seen run.
Parting out your existing engine would recoup a few hundred bucks toward the purchase price of a $700 used/running engine.

And you taking the bad one apart, with a manual in hand, sounds like it would teach you a ton too. And where I come from, that's worth something, as well.

 

[tigerboy2187]

the engine runs fine. its just the trans thats all messed up... am i going to have to replace the engine too?

 

[Cecilsan]

I'm in a similar predicament as you (in terms of a good top end but locked transmission).

You basically have two options.

1. Tear the motor down to find out whats going on with the transmission.
2. Throw a different motor in it and then get rid of the "bad" motor

Option 1 is going to be the cheapest option but the one thats going to be the most time consuming. Between tearing the motor out, ripping it down and splitting the case, diagnosing the problem, and then putting it back together

Option 2 is simple, take out the old motor and put the "new" one in. Higher cost but low time sink.

Most people will go with option 2 due to its ease. You can recoup some cost, as suggested, by selling the bad motor and you'll be back to riding in no time. The major downside would be the difference in mileage of the donor motor vs your actual bike.

 

[Cooter]

The engine and transmission are all in one 'case'. You would need to completely disassemble the engine to even access the transmission.

No offense but with a question like that, it's best you have someone else work on it.

 

[Simplymichaeljr]

IMO I would replace engine = back to riding. Take the other apart, repair transmission, put a kit on it, slap it on another bike = 2x fun

 

[Cooter]

Since I work on my own stuff, that ^^^^^ is exactly what I would do.
Maybe one that runs on Methanol.....:angel: