my buell and my buell dealer has let me down

[keisersozae]

im dying to know as well

 

[mrdozer2you]

Yeah, I would definitely push for a new bike....or at least your $$$$$ back. I'm pretty sure that Buell will take care of you. Don't rely on the dealer anymore...they had their chance/s.

I hope you weren't too hostile in your letter to Buell, I always try the super nice approach first...before I release the attack dogs .

 

[keisersozae]

i used a standard form to inform them of my intentions. nothing hostile. i havnt even been that crabby with the dealer. i just call them alot because im usually wanting it back.

 

[zombieBUELLer]

sorry to hear youre having such shitty luck with your bike. i think youre on the right track with the letter. and im really interested to hear how this turns out.

 

[keisersozae]

i started this thread over two months ago. it will end when that bikes fixed or gone. i sent out the letter to the manufacturer today explaining i wanted it replaced or bought back. next im sending a form called a lemon law complaint form to the texas department of transportation along with my $35 fee. i also called buell customer support to notify them of my situation. so now all i have to do is wait. i havnt decided if i want a new one or i want it bought back. im looking at other bikes and they just dont do it for me. wish mine was ok, it really is hard not to grin when you get on the gas and you hear that grunt. updates will follow as my situation continues.

 

[keisersozae]

called the dealer this afternoon and they said that they were going to replace the crank position sensor and the ecu. this came from a recomondation from buell. they said "we are confident this will fix your motorcycle". parts are supposed to be in on monday and they assured me they would get right on it as soon as those parts arrived. anyone down here in south texas wanna loan me bike for the weekend, i have seperation anxiety.

 

[dgp]

I feel your pain Keisersozae. I was foolish when I got my 07 xb12s and took it out to do some corner action, things didn't go so well (this was my first bike)

The bike after dropping it needed a frame replacement, and some other minor things (suprisingly just the mirrors handlebar grips and seat)

The shop had my bike for 4 and a half months! I guess producing a frame for a lightning takes some kind of modern miracle.

 

[devildog3042]

im really sorry to hear about your problems. i ride an xb9r and it had some engine trouble a few weeks back too, but it only took 2 days to fix. when i rode it the motor would start sputtering sporadically and the engine light would come on. also when i shut it off the cooling fan would not kick on. that is how i KNEW something was wrong and took it to the shop. im stationed in north carolina but i bought the bike in chicago (home). i rode the bike down here in early october and along the way the engine temperature sensor rattled loose. downfall of a harley motor...it shakes and sometimes it shakes shit loose. they fixed it and the bike has been running great since. as a guy who rides a couple hundred miles a day just cuz i can, i truly sympathize with you. i was off the bike for 2 days and was having withdrawals. i cant imagine a couple months! especially considering all i have is my buell. but on that note the sun is setting and the bike is calling me. (sorry, dude!)

 

[keisersozae]

didnt get my bike back today, maybe tommorow.

 

[keisersozae]

i am so sick of waiting around on my dealer to fix my bike. they said they ordered the parts on friday OVERNIGHT. well today is tuesday and they are saying they are still not there. who knows. i think they are trying to push me over the edge.

 

[mrdozer2you]

Their lying...been there done that. They tell you what you wanna hear so you stop calling.

 

[keisersozae]

talked to buell customer service this morning. i feel like even if my bike is fixed today they at least owe me an apology, or maybe a shit load of stickers, or some free scheduled maintanence or something but when i brought this up he was like NO. we cant just do that for everyone, thats not the way we do business. so i said it would be easier than repurchasing the bike from me, to keep me happy. he said they have very high paid attorneys and if i wanted to go that route they would fight me. i dont know what im gonna do, i really didnt expect him to be a dick. i really thought they would try to make things right and keep a customer. but hey im suprised everyday at this shit. gonna roll up to the dealer here in a few and pick up my problem if they finish it. they are probably reading this thread and laughing at how long they can drag something out.

 

[mrdozer2you]

he said they have very high paid attorneys and if i wanted to go that route they would fight me.

Let them.....your problem isn't with them. You would be suing Buell corporate(if you go the lemon law route), not the dealer. Then Buell will probably settle with you and either give you a new bike or, more likely, force the dealer to give you your money back. So that you'll "go away". Its kinda sad that companies treat people the way they do, but such is the way of the world.

 

[Merddyn]

Keisersozae, I am VERY interested in how this turns out for you. I am also new to Buells (actually, I am new to motorcycles in general) having only bought mine 2 months ago. I have also had issues with my bike and problems getting timely service though nowhere near your level as of yet. My bike has been in the shop twice though with both times taking over a week. The most recent time, just got it back this week actually, they had to order a back tire cause they didn't have any in stock. Both my own experiences and reading of yours as well as some others makes me rather sad as my Firebolt is an AWESOME bike...when it works like it is supposed to and I can actually ride it, but the support for it is simply awful.

Yes, I did see the posts regarding getting parts in that don't get sold much and service centers not seeing that many Buells come through the door so they are hard to work on, but frankly I feel that's a load of llama dung. For you service techs, please don't misunderstand my comment. I do not hold you guys accountable for the lack of support provided by Buell. My issues with my dealer's service group were when they sat on the bike for 3 days before anyone ever got around to looking at my bike when I had a service appointment in advance...but that's another subject. My thoughts on the matter are that Buell is self-perpetuating their own problem. They aren't doing a good enough job providing adequate parts and goodies for the Buell enthusiasts because not enough Buells or parts get sold. If you want to build up a brand, you HAVE to stand behind your product and support it for your distributors. If you do that, you get a better reputation, which draws more customers, which sells more parts, which gets the service techs more experience in fixing the issues, which provides Buell with data to improve their bikes by resolving common issues, and so on in a circle of life that grows the brand. Of course Buell dealers don't sell many Buell parts or customizing accessories because they don't sell many Buells because they aren't supported enough. [mad]

Bottom line is this, Buell needs to get off their rear ends and start supporting their product or they need to call it quits and shut their doors. Harley has grown because it has always supported it's product and given the owners what they wanted as far as accessories and customization and the same goes for all the jap bikes out there and Buell should take some notes if they want to succeed. I love my bike's look, performance, and sound and would be a Buell owner for life if Buell turned things around, but right now all I can think is that maybe I should have gone for something a little more mainstream. I have even determined (after only 2 months) that my next bike will NOT be a Buell unless things change.

Just my two cents.

 

[BuellPartsGuy]

My two cents are, if you guys were on the other side of the counter and saw the things that went on, your views might change. A lot of the times, it cant be helped. It cannot be changed, because trust me, I have tried to help rid the problem for this side.

 

[flicky]

My best friend is a motorcycle mechanic and has been for many years, He now works for a Yamaha dealership but has worked for all the "jap" dealerships in the area. His main complaint is that dealerships are stocking less and less parts than before and you have to wait to service the simple things.
This problem you're having with getting parts is NOT just Buell/HD related. It's a problem everywhere. Some dealerships are better about about keeping parts on hand then others.

 

[keisersozae]

My two cents are, if you guys were on the other side of the counter and saw the things that went on, your views might change.

Believe me, there is not anything that goes on behind the counter that would change my mind. probably a lot of grab ass and harley jokes anyway. i understand that its not your job to defend their business practices so i wish you wouldnt if all you can say is "it cant be helped" "It cannot be changed".

Small minded people think like this. people who are complacent think this way. when i think of Buell, i think of innovation. All the hard work that went into designing these bikes takes a strong minded individual. someone who didn't say things like "it cant be helped" "It cannot be changed". It can be fixed, it will be changed or this brand will never thrive the way it should.

My bike still isn't tip top. it idles rough and is hard to start. if your hauling ass, it runs good but it will often die at a stop sign. and just since i got it back this last time the speedometer stops working sometimes. will your bike run through 5 gears with the kick stand down? mine does. But hey, its running and thats a lot better than it was. I'm not giving them another chance to throw parts at it while i sit and wait.

I am hooked on the bike. It is so much fun. I'm at 3800 miles now and i seriously am lost when its gone. it is an escape into another reality, twisting the throttle, feeling that v twin grunt as it propels you forward.

Eric Buell made an awesome bike. I think that his mind set and principles will eventually follow over into the support of the machines. until that day comes, it is what it is, no excuses.

 

[BuellPartsGuy]

Believe me, there is not anything that goes on behind the counter that would change my mind. probably a lot of grab ass and harley jokes anyway

That just proves right there you have no idea whats going on.

With an attitude like that, bad karma will follow. I have zero sympathy. Good luck ever getting it to run right.

 

[keisersozae]

tell me buellpartsguy what goes on that i dont see that would make me change my mind. i didnt mean to offend you i was only trying to keep it light.

 

[BuellPartsGuy]

These are the hard facts, argueable about how they are or not...

It is primarily a Harley dealer, yes they carry Buell, but they are only a fraction of the sales that go out the door, so we only stock a fraction of the inventory to supply them. 90% of Buell stuff is pretty much a special order process. Dealers stock what sells on a regular basis, and Buell stuff just doesnt that often. Dealers are always ran by the almighty dollar, if you can fill the space with something that sells, then do it. Dont waste money making space on things that sell once a year.


Whether you guys try to be or not, when it comes to dealing with most Buell customers, you are a rare breed. Most people that work in this industry find most Buell riders hard to deal with. So that complicates things.

Depending on the dealer's size and onwership, not very many dealers actually send their employees to all the training offered. Some only send one person, once because that is all that is needed to pass the stanards to be an authorized service center. So it depends on how well that person pays attention in class and passes the knowledge on to others at the dealer.

Getting parts from Buell is also a problem in lots of parts of the country. It is very common place for them to take considerably longer to ship things then say Drag Specialties or Harley. Buell parts tend to backorder more frequently and for longer periods of time also.