New Buell Owner. Some problems and questions

[Cobalt60]

Hello
I am in my first year of ownership of an 08 xb12x. I have some questions, which may be addressed before but it's hard to get the right search results.

My bike bogs a lot. When trying to accelerate it will bog like I am out of gas and then once around 5500 rpm will kick in full power. I have done the tps reset, changed the plug and wires,clean air filter and high test gas but to no avail...some days it will pull like a freight train and runs wonderfully. Other times it is like it decides to run crappy for a while and stumbles and backfires through the air box and or muffler.

Also one of my rear muffler hanger bolts has broken off and the thread is still in the casing of the engine. The riding season is only two more months up here in Nova Scotia do you think the other two muffler hanger bolts can handle the stress till a winter teardown or should I cut my season short?

Plus ok one more.... What drive belts fit the Ulysses. It's a four or five week wait for a new one up here and costs 400 dollars from Harley. Any alternatives or is a chain conversion a better route out of this problem?

Thanks.

 

[Simplymichaeljr]

Have you changed the fuel filter and checked the fuel pump? As far as the belt goes, check online. I paid 180 US dollars for my belt from Harley about 2 months ago (easy DIY install unless your pulley is stuck--at that point, I didn't have the patience to deal with it so I loosened the rear axle and slid the rear tire forward and installed it over the front pulley and rear pulley, then tightened down the rear axle :eagerness:. I had someone give me a hand doing that too.) And, one of the local Harley dealers will no longer be stocking Buell parts in 3 months. Since Harley dealerships are independent, I'm not sure if that will be implemented across the board. So, you may want to start scouring the interweb for parts going forward. Good luck

 

[user_deleted]

some days it will pull like a freight train and runs wonderfully. Other times it is like it decides to run crappy for a while and stumbles and backfires through the air box and or muffler.

lazy O2 sensor.

do you think the other two muffler hanger bolts can handle the stress

you now have 33% less clamping force upon the actual bracket to handle the vibes, weight, and stress. why chance it?

Plus ok one more.... What drive belts fit the Ulysses. It's a four or five week wait for a new one up here and costs 400 dollars from Harley. Any alternatives or is a chain conversion a better route out of this problem?

ulysses belt is 135 tooth count. list is $185...available online for approx. 20% less thru variety of sources all of whom ship to NS. falcon and panther and gates all offer compatible replacement belts but OEM is tried and true.... panther a distant 2nd IMO. you lack any sort of clarity regarding your belt statement/question. why are you shopping for one? and why is it a "problem" as you stated? attempting a belt to chain conversion because of delivery lag-time defies logic.

 

[Tbone]

As someone else shown on here this year sometime, their header split at a lower or middle weld, I imagine any extra vibration of the muffler will be a problem for the header.

 

[Cobalt60]

I took it for a ride and so far the muffler and header are solid with no movement. Will keep a close eye on it till I get it back home. Thanks for all the help.

Lunaticfrindge I appreciate your advice. You don't understand how hard it is to get things in rural Canada though; plus with exchange and shipping a paltry 185 for you quickly becomes close to 400 here after taxes exchange duty and shipping. Plus a undetermined wait. Having a spare is great and I asked because all the vendors say on their compatibility charts the 135 falcon is not compatible with the Ulysses. That's why I asked here not at the dealer. My thought was if the chain conversion is not detrimental to the motorcycle's transmission due to the lack of Cush drive etc I just thought it may be a better option as it is definitely easier here to get a chain and sprocket at non Harley shops In The middle of no where, that's all. And yes I am quite well versed in math thank you but I merely was wondering if this had happened to anyone else and what had happened if they ran it with only two rear hanger bolts for a bit.

 

[djs2k2]

Chain requires more maintenance where the belt is maintenance free. Imagine hippie much you would pay for all the conversion parts and the wait as well.... Congrats on the new bike and welcome to the forum........

 

[Cobalt60]

Thanks. Going to spend the winter buying parts. Seems like there will be none here soon so trying to keep her on the road for as long as possible.

 

[Cooter]

Sounds like you made up your mind before you even asked the questions.

Welcome to the forum.