Hey y'all

[RogueRebel]

Hi everybody, I'm new here and have been a long time buell fan and just picked me up a 06 uly with 31,000 miles woohoo. Has expected wear on wearable parts but seems pretty well taken care of. I do have to sort through one of the electrical bugaboos and my front brake is a little wacky before it's tip top but I'm looking forward to learning my new bike.
So far the only problem I get is the fuel light will sometimes comes off and on (sometimes faint sometimes bright) and it will start running funny (a little surging or powerloss) but it doesn't stop or blow a fuse, just runs bad sometimes and sometimes not. I assume the fuel pump wires are starting to rub through. The symptoms from the front brakes it sounds like a little clunk when the rotor turns while the brake is applied as it rotates. Other than those two hiccups it seams really good and I already like it a lot.

 

[user_deleted]

The symptoms from the front brakes it sounds like a little clunk when the rotor turns while the brake is applied as it rotates.

culprits typically are: brake pads with severely worn pin mounting points....heavily worn or notched mounting pin......loose/faulty steering head bearings. all should be checked by competent tech as the noise is not only annoying as hell but adversely affects both steering and braking.

 

[Silverrider]

John is correct as always ^^^^^^^^^^ In addition, Have the tech check rotor mounting hardware.

 

[rchuff]

Nice bike but what the heck is with the windshield? Just have to ask.

 

[RogueRebel]

Nice bike but what the heck is with the windshield? Just have to ask.

Thanks. It's like a double windshield extension thing?. Came on the bike when I got it. The previous owner did a lot of touring on it so I guess he added that to keep the wind down because it's set as high as it will go.

 

[Cooter]

Did you buy it from Shaq? lol.

You are right about the fuel pump wiring probably being the issue. It's an easy process to hang the rear of the bike from the rafters or and A-frame ladder, remove the lower shock bolt to hang the swing arm and the pump will come right out of the frame.

Lunatic is right to check steering neck bearings (balance the bike on the rear tire and side stand, have a helper pull on the bottom of the forks), and the caliper mounting hardware, pad pins, and front rotor hardware. A good upgrade to the stock floating rotor hardware is to use the EBR rotor hardware that solid mounts it to the wheel. IMO, it was a double engineering solution where the wheels were manufactured to such a high degree that there was no run-out to need the floating mounts.

 

[RogueRebel]

Nice bike but what the heck is with the windshield? Just have to ask.

Did you buy it from Shaq? lol.

You are right about the fuel pump wiring probably being the issue. It's an easy process to hang the rear of the bike from the rafters or and A-frame ladder, remove the lower shock bolt to hang the swing arm and the pump will come right out of the frame.

Lunatic is right to check steering neck bearings (balance the bike on the rear tire and side stand, have a helper pull on the bottom of the forks), and the caliper mounting hardware, pad pins, and front rotor hardware. A good upgrade to the stock floating rotor hardware is to use the EBR rotor hardware that solid mounts it to the wheel. IMO, it was a double engineering solution where the wheels were manufactured to such a high degree that there was no run-out to need the floating mounts.

Ha I don't know how tall the p.o. is. Thanks for the tip .The reason I was thinking it was the fuel pump wires (or a wiring problem somewhere) is because when I was going up a steep hill it stopped sputtering and started running good, (like the wire wasn't touching what it was shorting out on when the bike is facing up) then it started back when the bike leveled back out on the top of the hill. That was my first assumption was fuel pump. Because I jiggled the ecm around and it didn't seem to change the condition any

 

[RogueRebel]

So I got the front wheel up and pulled on the forks up and down and it seems nice and tight. The front brakes on the other hand look like they are worn to the baseplates and if i hold the brake a little to give the wheel resistance and rotate the tire there is a small spot where it frees up and gets tight again. Can these rotors warp easily or do you think the pads are worn unevenly? Either way i need to change my front pads and I'll change the hardware while I'm in there. I'm just wondering if i should go ahead and get a new rotor or just try the brake change first?
Rear brake looks brand new

 

[rchuff]

Yes they can warp and sounds like yours is. If you put new pads on and it feels the same it is the rotor. You could see is John (aka) Lunatic has any for sale. A great guy to get parts from if he has in stock. I bought one from him.

 

[Cooter]

I second getting pads and even a rotor from Lunatic if you need one. Don't forget that improperly bedded pads can cause the exact symptoms of a warped rotor.

EBC HH pads are a really good all around pad. Replace pads, flush fluid, clean rotor, clean rotor hardware, bed new pads properly, and test ride. If you still feel a pulsing after all that, a new rotor is a good idea.

You aren't looking to push up and down on the forks to check the steering bearings, you want to push forward and backward. Listen, look, and feel. With 30K on it, it wouldn't hurt to change them anyway. You can replace the stock ball bearings with tapered rollers from All Balls (Lunatic also).
or just tighten them a bit (not TOO TIGHT!) Remove handlebar clamp, loosen upper triple fork clamps, loosen stem cap allen clamp, torque steering stem cap to spec, and put it all back together.

 

[BuellyBagger]

If you dont want to just throw a rotor on it try this with new pads. Remove the rotor from the wheel. clean all the attaching hardware (soak it in brake cleaner). Use a flat pad on a DA sander or a block and do it by hand with some 80 grit and sand the rotor keeping the sander or block perfectly flat, until it looks evenly clean and sanded. clean it off with brake clean. then put her all together ( i used some brake caliper grease on the springs and sliding part of the attachment bolts).bed the pads in right and i bet that will get rid of most or all of your warped rotor sensation.

 

[RogueRebel]

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm ordering some pads today, along with some plugs , air filter and fluids. So I can make sure everything is fresh. I'll keep you updated on what happens when I get it all cleaned up

 

[RogueRebel]

Yep, just as I thought

 

[RogueRebel]

Runs pretty good, still have a few hicups to iron out

 

[Cooter]

Pics are good! Glad she's running:eagerness: