the PO had actually fixed the ground issue and it started up so I could see it run.
Did he say what ground it was? Coil? Steering neck? With the rest of the bike in the shape, I'd be wary of the PO's 'repairs'
First thing, I ****ing love this bike. More character than I thought it would have.
welcome to the Buell addiction
I love the design/engineering and the quirks even though I know it makes some maintenance a pain.
Totally not true. These bikes need the least amount of maintenance of any late model bike I know of. No valve adjust, no chain adjust/replace, no carb jets... Plugs (the rear one) are a pain every 50k. haha.
and not dripping oil and gas everywhere.
Even considering their close relationship to Harley Davidson... Buells have proven to be pretty clean. Oil is a distant maybe, but GAS!?! I sure hope not!
Big Issues:
- Front brake pulses like the rotor is warped. Probably just dirty or deposits. Going to disassemble everything, clean (sand), new fluid, pads, maybe hardware. And new bearings.
You're right. Very possibly dirty hardware or improperly bedded pads. A good disassemble/clean, re-assemble will tell you. I highly recommend the EBR brake rotor mounting kit (if you can find it). It mounts the rotor solidly to the front wheel and makes a big difference - Aftermarket brake lever pushes the piston in the master cylinder about 1/8in. The lever is the right part number and it doesn't look like the pad is dragging, but I have to look into this. I've read about the front brake locking up due to this.
The thing to note is: Look inside your master cylinder as you install the lever. Does the piston try to cover the hole partially when installed? A little depression is ok, but you should't be able to see the end of the M/C piston. You can always bring the lever stop a little or even the piston plunger part of the lever if you are worried
- Sputters once in a while. Getting better with a stock tune and some more miles to clean everything out.
- Drips gas out of the breather.
*Yikes
- The oil tank/swingarm has a dime sized hole in it. I have a replacement swingarm, but I will have to clean/paint it.
*Yikes!!
- Leaks oil out the clutch cable connection.
Easy O-ring swap should cover it. Clutch cable replacement procedure in the manual (Buellmods.com or Buelltooth.com has a free .pdf download
- The clutch feels like it's slipping. Haven't ridden it hard enough to test this more than once.
Get the adjustment right when you replace the o-ring, heck pull the primary off, clutch frictions out and look. It's easy.
- Something sounds rattly above 4000rpm with a lot of throttle. May be the primary chain or tensioner (my guess).
Also in the service manual. Check the tensioner foot with the primary off. If it's good, I actually adjust mine the OG way, Loosen 'till noise, tighten 'till noise, then back off between the two. Too tight is WAY worse than too loose.
Small Issues:
[*]Big dent in right tank hidden under CF panel it came with.[*]Clock resets every time I turn it on.
Typically a weak or cheap battery. These need a minimum of 220CCA. Deka Big Crank Batteries are a great deal for them.
[*]Tires are garbage. I'm looking at Pirelli Angel GTs, but TBH don't like the look of the tread.[*]Too loud - pretty much straight pipes. I was able to find a stock muffler for it, and replacement headers. I think my stock muffler has been modified though, as it's still too loud.
Stock mufflers are actually very quiet. Look into Kevin Drum (Drummer). His modified stock muller with packing is really, really, quiet.
[*]Front signals short out when I brake. I have some stockers that I'm going to put back on and check the wiring.[*]Seat is all torn up. I found a non-SX seat that works better, and has the scoop in it which the SX seat doesn't have. More comfortable, but it bends the knees more because the seat is an inch or two lower.
https://www.buellxb.com/forum/showth...ght=upholstery
[*]All the plastics are scratched up.
https://www.buellxb.com/forum/showth...light=plastics
[*]Holes put in the airbox were hacked.
Your choice, leave it, remove it completely, or go stock. But get the tune to match what you do with the intake and exhaust. Buelltooth.com
[*]The back brake feels like wood.
Yes. lame.
[*]The back light is painted black inside. Real safe...
You can find the OEM stock LED taillight cheap from Lance at SPHDonline.com
[*]Finding parts in Canada is a pain.
But your bacon and your whisky are worth it! (But Molson still sucks...)
What I've done so far:
- Cleaned it up
- Put on the stock bars/hand guards/mirrors/plastics
- Changed the seat
- Changed the muffler
- Ridden ~200km
- TPS reset
- Stock tune for now
- Come to the conclusion I've bought a total POS, but in a good way I hope.
You have a GREAT attitude! You'll enjoy her in no time and she'll reward you with good vibrations
The next step is to build a good stand so I can lift or suspend it to work on all the parts.
The rear paddock stand needs to be pretty wide to accommodate the wide swingarm. I believe the T-rex stands work. The jack points on the stock muffler are a good argument to keep it.. For me, a sturdy A-frame ladder and tie downs are a good substitute
this was fun too
https://www.buellxb.com/forum/showth...light=swingarm.