Harley.... question and complaint. 2007 XB12Ss

[TheyCallMe]

FLHP, it is not fun for me to "bash harley" not at all, this is rather frustrating. It was an all around bad experience. Communication, extra charges, over priced to begin with, bike worse off then ever. At this point i'm wondering where to go from here.

[thrstrmech]

Two options: as stated before, take her back to the dealer, it's their F... up! second option: drain the oil into a clean container, measure the required 2 1/2 quarts -minus what's in the filter. Use a large measuring cup from the kitchen(warning don't let the misses catch you). Start from there, get her all warmed up:D and check the oil level afterwards. Remove and wipe off your dipstick before inserting:D to get an accurate reading. Take her out for a ride and see how she responds, check oil level again while she's good and hot:D good luck, bummer you had a crappy experience at the HD shop. If possible try another in the future. My local HD dealer is awesome, no hassle at all, parts and service guys are great, knowledgeable fellas. But I still do my own maintenance at all possible. Buy my tires online and remove the wheels and take 'em to local sportbike shop and out the door in 30/30... minutes and bucks lighter. :D

[TheyCallMe]

Thanks thrstrmech. I plan on testing her out with the correct oil level today.. I'm really hoping there's not extensive damage done by riding too long with too much oil... (first 60 miles or so seemed fine, then i started noticing problems and checked oil) I appreciate the help. I'll post back with my findings.

[thrstrmech]

[TheyCallMe]

to update everyone, after removing the extra oil my bike feels as though it's running fine again. (this makes me rather happy) Although now i see i have some pretty bad leaking from the rear rocker box... not sure i want to get into that project. with the amount of time i have these days i may never finish... (chance it with harley again... hmmmm)

[user_deleted]

Although now i see i have some pretty bad leaking from the rear rocker box... not sure i want to get into that project

might be something as simple as the rocker box cover breather fitting popped out of its fitting/grommet. only takes about 15 minutes to check. remove seat, airbox cover, airbox lid, filter, airbox base and look. that's assuming you have a few basic hand tools and 15 minutes of time.

[mmcn49]

Do not go back to HD unless you’re certain that they have a Certified Buell Technician. Then make absolutely certain only he will be doing the work on your machine.

Two far better options than ever dealing with HD again.

1.Learn to do the work yourself.
2.Find an independent wrench with a good reputation.

Had warranty issues with my new Buell. The dealership where I purchased it couldn’t figure out what was wrong and actually broke more stuff while trying to troubleshoot. I bitched to Buell Corporate. They arranged for a dealership with a certified technician to work on it. All the problems were fixed.

Never have either of my Buell’s been in an HD shop since!

[Baal]

+1 with lunaticfringe- check out the breather fitting.

I share your frustration with overfilling the oil. I did the oil change on mine at 600 miles (both holes), and took it in for the TPS reset and other scheduled adjustments. The mechanic, thinking he was doing me a favor, checked the oil while it was upright for the clutch adjustment, and promptly overfilled it by about eight ounces. I was not amused. But, I added it to the list:

XB12Ss: Overfilled
VW Jetta: Overfilled every time the dealer touched it.
Wife's Ford Fiesta: Overfilled at the 5K
My MINI Cooper: Overfilled at the 10K
My R1200GS: Overfilled at delivery!
Wife's Ninja 250R (bought used at dealer) Overfilled at delivery!
Our 1986 Nissan pickup (okay, I don't change the oil on this one, because the filter is a PITA to get to)-- never overfilled: I don't give them enough oil to over fill it! I top it off when I get it home.

[go cytocis]

@FLHP: I bash Harley because it's the only part of the entire experience of interacting with them that I derive any satisfaction from.

As a Buell owner at the Harley service/parts counter I wait in line behind a bunch of guys trying to decide between the mirrors with flames or skulls; that's time I could be riding! Â*Then I finally get to the head of the line to be greeted with an attitude and implication that I am wasting their time with my pathetic Buell. Â*They fumble around trying to find and interpret the Buell catalogs, charge me ridiculous amounts for parts that will not arrive for 6 weeks, then make me follow up to check when they have arrived!

Bash Harley? Every chance I get!

Typographical errors byÂ*iPhone

[user_deleted]

I wait in line behind a bunch of guys trying to decide between the mirrors with flames or skulls; that's time I could be riding!

i'll choose flames every time. but they look goofy much as i look goofy on my Ulysses.:D