STILL DOESNT RUN! XB9 PUZZLE

[July4]

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/...ps69e20f38.jpg

Here is the picture of the filter with the little bushing or piece of hose. Does anyone know if this is just hose?

Sorry I can't seem to post the pic directly, you have to click the link.

[July4]

Mrlogix, thanks, you are right on the money with that link, but Chickenstrips sent it first. I cut and pasted one of the pics from this into an email to my service writer with an explanation of how it all fits together. So as rchuff pointed out, all this is online if they really don't know how to do it. I think the technicians are indoctrinated into replacing assemblies and they really don't look at how the assemblies work so they are lost in these situations. When my bike is out of there they will just blame the bike and the stupid guy that owns it.

If they had been sent to training on a regular basis, this would be a non- incident. My dad said it's easy to be a parts replacer but hard to be a real mechanic, which one are you? I think that's why I always go back to German cars, those technicians are really trained! They logically diagnose and go right to the problem. I really hate paying people to learn on my dime.

[Chicknstripn]

Here's another thread with good pics.
Also check the service manual. I'm pretty sure there's a fuel pump break down in there somewhere.
http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buel...77/632890.html

[July4]

I just had my first disagreement with my service writer, but it's ok. I don't think we are going to break up.
Yet.
He wanted me to sign a work order so his tech could get paid. Really, what happened to we are going to make this right and fix it without charge due to the fact you came 2 times and it didn't run on either one of those occasions? After some discussion, he relented and agreed not to charge labor. Hey, he offered! I didn't bitch, push, complain or pressure him in any way for him to make it right. I was polite and smiling both times I tried to pick it up; Mr. ****ingunderstanding I was. Got bitched out by my wife both times. That's worth $400 right there; you married guys know this. So it is disappointing that he wanted to now have me pay after 2 months of waiting and the promise of making things right.

I'm sure that I'm becoming less welcome there every minute, as all this is my fault. Stupid Buell guy! (That's what Homer Simson would say). Maybe I should change my on line name to that. Naaaa.

[Shawns]

I so can picture and hear Homer saying that in my head.

[jetlee]

This is an odd story considering that shop used to sponsor, build and race Buell's.

Have you complained to Mario Vindeni, the General Manager?

[July4]

I was thinking that should be on my "to do list". They want me to come by and sign a work order today and I was considering a talk with the top guy but I didn't know his name. Do you know if Mario is still the manager?

And yes, this is an odd story. When they got it running, they supposedly took it for a 3 mile test ride. I'm surprised it idled correctly for them then, and equally surprised the battery wasn't charged after doing extensive electrical diagnosis, and probably leaving the key on for a couple of hours. Keep in mind the battery was only about a week old and I topped it off on the charger before they picked it up. Yes, a lot of this is odd. A guy with many years of experience doesn't know how the revised regulator is plumbed? It isn't terribly different from other Harleys, I googled the images. After looking at Marios' Linked In page, I find the condition of the shop even more odd. He seems like a together organized guy. The shop, not so much. They couldn't even find the tech, much less get him to talk to me.

[July4]

Last week I had a conversation with the service manager who was pissed at the service writer for allowing work to be done without a work order, (The work was the service writer promising to repair the fuel pump at his cost). The service writer called a few days later saying they were going to replace the entire fuel pump assembly at their cost! While I do not understand why they just didnt put it together with the parts they had ordered per the pictures I provided of the assembly, they certainly stepped up to keep their word. So I was as gracious as possible and thanked them for doing this. The new pump took almost a week to get here, but hey it's guaranteed to work and cost me zilch. So fine, a little puzzling, but fine. Another week without a bike. (I've been looking at used BMWs on-line in my spare time. Not that I'm paranoid about reliability or anything.

I've truely remained calm through all of this, ...until now. I got a call this AM saying the pump assembly came in yesterday and it might be ready today. Great. I get a call about 3:30 saying the bike is ready but... Yea? But what, what could it be? They rode it and dropped it I'm thinking. The battery is dead again/ Well no. It seems that somehow the charging system is not charging and the voltage regulator is now pronounced dead. Really? Never had a problem before, no light or anything. Didn't seem to have a warning light when they test drove it the first 2 times. They only went about 3 miles each time. How did a voltage regulator go bad while it was not being used? Too much ****ing dust from it sitting so ****ing long? WTF!!!!!! Just a big coincidence ? For those of you who have been following this saga, Now I really am feeling like Steve Marting in Planes Trains etc. where he flips out on the rental car person. I just want to type bad words now. ARRRRGGGGG> I wanted to smash my car into perfectly innocent unaware drivers on the way home! "You didn't use your ****ing turn signal so I ****ing smashed into your ****ty ****ing car!!! but I didn't. I wanted to. Help me!

[July4]

It just keeps getting better! I know some of you are just rolling around on the floor laughing and kicking your feet in the air when you read this, I can't blame you. Comedians use real world stuff cause sometimes u just can't make up stuff that good. and so it goes.

My boss gave me some good advice saying to have them put on the regulator so it is warrantied, and so that if their diagnosis is wrong, they eat it once again. So I had a final conversation with my service writer, who by the way is only as good as the technitions behind him. He tells me harley calls for an hour and a half labor to instal it. This is where I really start to loose my patience. It's 2 screws for the regulator and the chin fairing needs to be partially removed, 3 screws on the countershaft cover, and then plug it in. He comes back and says ok, it will be a 1/2 hour labor. Ok thats better. Then he needs to check to make sure thats ok. Nope, gotta have 1.5 hrs labor, $150 to install. Then I ask if the regulator is covered if I put it on, first he says yes, then wait a minute, no-we have to put that on or it is not covered. I kind of figured that was the case, and I attribute the back and forth to his inexperience in that matter. But I'm pissed now. I gotta run home from work, get some tools together but I don't know what fasteners I need wrenches for, allen, torks, mm or std.?? then go to the dealer and put the part on in the parking lot, all before they close. So I get there with all this crap in the car and we go through the bill for parts, he removes all the fuel system parts from the bill since they provided the F/P assembly I wouldnt need them. That was really nice, since I had agreed to pay for what they ordered. Now comes the interesting part. The original tech is off today so the service writer had another tech check the charging system after my rant about the system working fine before. Literally, in a low sheepish voice he says "I had a tech check it and it's charging now" I truely couldn't believe I heard that and had to have him repeat it louder. Are you F@*@ing kidding me! I didn't say that but I wanted to. It may have an intermitant problem. Man oh man. Someone is testing me! "sir you have a fatal disease, no wait a minute, I'm an idiot, I had the paper upside down, your fine".

How much of an emotional roller coaster does this need to be? It's a F**ing inanimate object, its a machine! I was so pissed last night I really couldn't sleep. But now I'm close to the damn finish line, I can't be bothered with this any more, I want to pay and leave with my stupid regulator in a box. I know some of you might say it's charging, why buy a regulator? The ever careful, worst possible scenario electrical engineers at work pointed out that the regulator could allow too little or TOO MUCH current to pass, so a voltage spike could occur if it is bad and that would take out an ECM. Thus, I went with the new one in the box. I think this bike will go a long way if everything is sorted out, and that is worth the price.

So I gear up hoping the third time is a charm as Rich my service writer says. (Long sideways glance to Rich here). Don't jinks it F$&cker! The tension was killing me too... press the starter and ka boom.. it runs F&ING perfect. YAAAAAA, loud applause here. Take a bow you assholes in service, it only took 2 months.

Now I havn't ridden since June and I admittedly suck as a rider anymore. I go about 60 feet and San Fernando road is jammed with cars, all stopped. Do I lane split with my Renthal low bars and bar end mirrors stiking out the sides? Been a while and the road is narrow, F#$ck yea. So I'm following another bike by about 100 yards and a few times it is so narrow I have to stop and put a foot down. I come to a really shiny black Chrisler (SP) 300 and some sh@tty looking white Nissan, slow to walking pace and go closer to the nissan. WACK goes the mirror on his mirror! HA! Oops! Must have just grazed it caus the adjustment didn't even change. Gas it! I'm FREE, I pass a sh$#tload more cars and roar up the freeway. Man it feels good!