So let's set it straight from the off..... I love my Buell...... a lot...... It's not just that I love riding it and I love the looks of it, it was a gift from Anna for my 40th at a time we really couldn't afford it, so it has enormous sentimental value..... and she loves it too, for that reason.
So when I found out there was a Buell specialist in Manchester, and apparently the only place in the world who works solely on Buells, I was delighted..... even more chuffed when I found out that they were having a BBQ and open day last Saturday.
So, my beloved Buell and I join arse in seat and skip down the road for a look-see.
Upon arrival: all very ordinary. A shitty industrial estate on the edge of town, a bike garage...... and lots of chaps (some actually wearing chaps) on Buells........ Friends to be made!!!!
I dismount, remove lid and waft fabulous hair in the sun...... in slow motion of course, and head off for a mooch.
I was in the doorway of the workshop when a chap (just jeans) says to me "you look lost", to which I reply "no, I'm just being nosey"........ and that sets of a conversation with 'Maz' who I later learn is the owner of the establishment, a Buell nut and widely regarded know-it-all of the marque...... and right foul mouthed cunt, I might add.
"what have you got" he says
"an XB9" I reply, to which, some randomer in the background shouts "don't say that, Maz hates XB's!!"
me, looking at Maz - "why?"
Maz - "because they're shit"
me - "well I love mine, what's wrong with them?"
Maz - "where do I start?"........
and of-the-fuck he chunners....... for about half a cock sucking hour!!!!
I'll bypass the incidentals (of which there were many) and cut to the main bug bear......... "and, of course, they ALL blow up, and there's fuck all you can do but throw the cunt away" (nice cuntage I remember thinking at the time).
Turns out, that there's a cog in the oil pump mechanism somewhere which wears down over time and spits pieces of steel in to and around the engine, causing all sorts of untold damage, eventually resulting in a full on, old school 2 stroke stylee seizure (of which I have considerable experience).
Mine, having covered a shade over 17K is well past the point at which it could have been saved and according to Maz "is like a fucking hand grenade with the pin pulled out" (I'm sure there was a sneaky "cunt" in there too, but it was too subtle for me to remember).
According to old potty mouth, it's only a matter of time, and very little at that, before my beloved Buell shits itself and becomes salvage parts........ at which point, more randomers interject with "I'll have your <insert part>"........... fucking nosey cunts......
"So, what do I do Maz?"....... I ask him, hoping that the friendly familiarity of name use may just eek out a nugget of compassion and a consequential lifeline...... but no, 4 options apparently:
1. Ride the cunt until it fails and flog the bits
2. Sell or trade the cunt..... fucking pronto!!
3. If you love the cunt so much, stick it in your garage and buy a decent bike
4. Engine swap, if you're insane and love the cunt so much
I don't want to break it, I don't want to sell or trade it and I don't want another bike taking up more space in the garage. An engine swap will also require a strip to make sure I'm not swapping bad for bad.
Anyway, I'm not looking for answers....... a problem shared, is a problem halved by all accounts, so I apologise in advance for the inevitable loss of sleep you're all bound to suffer henceforth.
Fucking Buell............ but I do love the cunt
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/32207503_10155465018395205_9043278504740782080_o.jpg?_nc_cat=105&_nc_oc=AQnvGCAJTaPCdFtQ4RW4o0fZndwSqBOSpz00Xs5ycLCRqjhyFXhHadXrUjVmLjPCz0U&_nc_ht=scontent-lhr3-1.xx&oh=76d638f311c1ebdb952266924aed4748&oe=5DA30291)
1. You'll always be worrying about a catastrophic engine failure.
2. You love it so can't.
3. If you love riding it - not an option. If you love it without riding it - an option.
4. Lookout for a low mileage motor (if you can find one) and try and learn what this whole cog failure is all about and design a replacement that doesn't fail and save the old Buell owners of the world whilst still riding and enjoying the bike. It might not fail for years?
Is this nodding dogs? Why the overuse of the C word?
Quote from: The Wizard of MOz on July 10, 2019, 03:57:02 PM
1. You'll always be worrying about a catastrophic engine failure.
2. You love it so can't.
3. If you love riding it - not an option. If you love it without riding it - an option.
4. Lookout for a low mileage motor (if you can find one) and try and learn what this whole cog failure is all about and design a replacement that doesn't fail and save the old Buell owners of the world whilst still riding and enjoying the bike. It might not fail for years?
old potty mouth has actually developed a replacement which doesn't fail but only recommends fitting to really low milers........ finding a low miler and having the fix done is an option but it seems the old c........... is off the road for a while as I've more important things to spend Anna's money on.
Your bike could be the exception to the rule...ignorance is bliss...delete this thread...get Anna to knock you clean out...get concussion...and forget the whole sorry episode.
Won't fit the 'fix' to a bike that hasn't gone bang?
Never heard so much fucking bollocks in my life.
Everything and anything can be replaced, especially if it hasn't actually broken yet!
Cunt.
Surely unless it fully disintegrates then it can be saved by fitting the fix and stripping the engine to clean it out.
Quote from: David W on July 10, 2019, 08:55:05 PM
Won't fit the 'fix' to a bike that hasn't gone bang?
Never heard so much fucking bollocks in my life.
Everything and anything can be replaced, especially if it hasn't actually broken yet!
Cunt.
He was a bit of a cunt to be honest...... but what he was saying was that enough of the gear teeth will already be floating in the engine causing damage that replacing it with the improved version won't undo the damage already done and won't stop ultimate failure.
At least he wasn't scaremongering and angling for work.
Quote from: Neio79 on July 10, 2019, 09:12:40 PM
Surely unless it fully disintegrates then it can be saved by fitting the fix and stripping the engine to clean it out.
Indeed..... and replacing the crank and various engine bits depending on the damage..... his point is that it's not worth it.
Quote from: Lord Danoir the first on July 10, 2019, 09:15:09 PM
Quote from: Neio79 on July 10, 2019, 09:12:40 PM
Surely unless it fully disintegrates then it can be saved by fitting the fix and stripping the engine to clean it out.
Indeed..... and replacing the crank and various engine bits depending on the damage..... his point is that it's not worth it.
maybe but you won't be sure until you've had a look see, you may be lucky and get away with fitting the fix, assuming the bike is running OK at the moment.
Quote from: Lord Danoir the first on July 10, 2019, 09:13:45 PM
He was a bit of a cunt to be honest...... but what he was saying was that enough of the gear teeth will already be floating in the engine causing damage that replacing it with the improved version won't undo the damage already done and won't stop ultimate failure.
At least he wasn't scaremongering and angling for work.
Change the part, check the condition of the old one, flush the oil a few times.
Struggling to think what terminal damage this mysterious part is causing on a pushrod v-twin?
Did he actually say what the part was, or is it part of his aura of guru and you have to reach a level of consciousness via your credit card first?
Quote from: Lord Danoir the first on July 10, 2019, 09:15:09 PM
Quote from: Neio79 on July 10, 2019, 09:12:40 PM
Surely unless it fully disintegrates then it can be saved by fitting the fix and stripping the engine to clean it out.
Indeed..... and replacing the crank and various engine bits depending on the damage..... his point is that it's not worth it.
But that is his opinion. Hes talking from a purely black and white cost POV. For you and the sentimental value it holds it probably is.
You can do it slow time over the next year or so etc. Then when done you know you have a good one which holds the sentimental value as well .
I'm not looking for answers, just having a moan, but thanks for your thoughts.
I'll get the Lotus finished and put the MV back together then decide what to do.
Anna didn't resist the idea of punting it too much, so I may have lightened on that a bit.........
Shame I won't be riding it much though.......... a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, as they say.
Please don't ever visit a Fortune Teller. ;)
Quote from: Lord Danoir the first on July 10, 2019, 09:13:45 PM
Quote from: David W on July 10, 2019, 08:55:05 PM
Won't fit the 'fix' to a bike that hasn't gone bang?
Never heard so much fucking bollocks in my life.
Everything and anything can be replaced, especially if it hasn't actually broken yet!
Cunt.
He was a bit of a cunt to be honest...... but what he was saying was that enough of the gear teeth will already be floating in the engine causing damage that replacing it with the improved version won't undo the damage already done and won't stop ultimate failure.
At least he wasn't scaremongering and angling for work.
Smells and sounds like bullshit (Buellshit ?) -- of course its fixable - if parts are "worn to the point of being filings the majority will be in the oil" -- drain it and check ..
Quote from: mc101 on July 11, 2019, 12:08:44 PM
Quote from: Lord Danoir the first on July 10, 2019, 09:13:45 PM
Quote from: David W on July 10, 2019, 08:55:05 PM
Won't fit the 'fix' to a bike that hasn't gone bang?
Never heard so much fucking bollocks in my life.
Everything and anything can be replaced, especially if it hasn't actually broken yet!
Cunt.
He was a bit of a cunt to be honest...... but what he was saying was that enough of the gear teeth will already be floating in the engine causing damage that replacing it with the improved version won't undo the damage already done and won't stop ultimate failure.
At least he wasn't scaremongering and angling for work.
Smells and sounds like bullshit (Buellshit ?) -- of course its fixable - if parts are "worn to the point of being filings the majority will be in the oil" -- drain it and check ..
Big bits should sit in the sump at the oil pickup, little bits should be caught in the oil filter. Anything that does damage in the gearbox or bottom end can be replaced, but the top end should be clean as the filter should protect it. If I loved the bike I would do some investigating before flogging it or buying another engine. Maybe just a small batch of gears that failed. He will only see the failures, not all the ones that are still going strong
Have you sought advice on how common this could be on a Buell forum ?
Quote from: Neio79 on July 11, 2019, 01:54:42 PM
Have you sought advice on how common this could be on a Buell forum ?
Yeah cos the vast majority of forum users know what they're talking about :rofl:
Quote from: The Wizard of MOz on July 11, 2019, 02:08:53 PM
Quote from: Neio79 on July 11, 2019, 01:54:42 PM
Have you sought advice on how common this could be on a Buell forum ?
Yeah cos the vast majority of forum users know what they're talking about :rofl:
Ill have you know i value every thing you guys say :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
I can only add that I can at least sympathise with the mindset and the umming and ahhing about it.
My Explorer recently went in to Triumph for 3 weeks and needed £1050 of gearbox work on a bike with less than 12,000miles on it. Before I put it in I considered selling, considered leaving it as the problem is so intermittent but eventually it put me off riding the damn thing.
None of the above helps you I'm afraid. But as others have said I can't imagine the engine is beyond repair or not worth fixing. If it means alot to you then it IS worth fixing despite what cunty mccuntface said.
Also, if it's such a well known issue, this guy can't be the only one aware of it with valuable info.
Quote from: Neio79 on July 11, 2019, 01:54:42 PM
Have you sought advice on how common this could be on a Buell forum ?
People there were in agreement and apparently there's plenty of info on the forum....... we all had a laugh about it (me).
Don't worry though kids, it's all tongue in cheek....... it was supposed to be a bit of a funny story, but I didn't tell it very well...... what a cunt.
You wouldn't believe some of the damage I've witnessed over the years due to my connection with Phil .. the state of some engines that arrive you can only assume they are fit for the bin. However the vast majority are fully rebuild-able - even those with more of the moving bits outside the cases than in !
Quote from: mc101 on July 11, 2019, 04:39:10 PM
You wouldn't believe some of the damage I've witnessed over the years due to my connection with Phil .. the state of some engines that arrive you can only assume they are fit for the bin. However the vast majority are fully rebuild-able - even those with more of the moving bits outside the cases than in !
<--------------- Lotus owner
Quote from: Lord Danoir the first on July 11, 2019, 07:19:27 PM
Quote from: mc101 on July 11, 2019, 04:39:10 PM
You wouldn't believe some of the damage I've witnessed over the years due to my connection with Phil .. the state of some engines that arrive you can only assume they are fit for the bin. However the vast majority are fully rebuild-able - even those with more of the moving bits outside the cases than in !
<--------------- Lotus owner
Think the Buell trumps that :rofl:
I have just put a grand into the engine of my DR350 which only cost me £1300 to start with.
Fact of the matter is I could not buy another bike with any guarantee of less problems for the same money and it does everything I need it to and makes me smile.
I will get a new bike eventually but I will keep the DR.
Quote from: Neio79 on July 11, 2019, 07:49:49 PM
Quote from: Lord Danoir the first on July 11, 2019, 07:19:27 PM
Quote from: mc101 on July 11, 2019, 04:39:10 PM
You wouldn't believe some of the damage I've witnessed over the years due to my connection with Phil .. the state of some engines that arrive you can only assume they are fit for the bin. However the vast majority are fully rebuild-able - even those with more of the moving bits outside the cases than in !
<--------------- Lotus owner
Think the Buell trumps that :rofl:
IIIIIIII'mmmmmmm not so sure......
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/17235_234043680204_7178306_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&_nc_oc=AQngKZ8braDqGDE-5n5MkdGDNUj5t6RsspUxaBPY0GopXnW1QehdR4ix8O4RhlynyWI&_nc_ht=scontent-lhr3-1.xx&oh=f4fa6279e08d388fb2528ddd0e4848f4&oe=5DA93C47)
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/17235_234136635204_6175059_n.jpg?_nc_cat=108&_nc_oc=AQkX1cs4kOtWhewNO04JCAIKUZxaABOK5zirsdd4mCc-e6_PUM37MvP-3zUAFHrgSPs&_nc_ht=scontent-lhr3-1.xx&oh=c87c79ce7698f68f32300333d83a7358&oe=5DA13C40)
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/17235_234136680204_5490914_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&_nc_oc=AQkuz0ZsRL7RAYT6y8YMrCsnx6IM5i3lhTNhq6d6IBnHA27nNdGIHxjqtwz6fFvis5U&_nc_ht=scontent-lhr3-1.xx&oh=88c528b2891282b921b1074aef170eb5&oe=5DA22F76)
Is that meant to be engine oil or the mold for a chocolate cake?
Engine oil, mixed with tears
Decided to stick the blighter on eBay, soon ran up to 3.3k which is more than I paid for it 7 years ago.
Needs to be replaced with something similarly interesting and cheap...... Original Speed Triple I'm thinking. I've always wanted one.
Really? That's a shame.
I approve of a Speed though. I suspect good ones are thin on the ground now?
I'd just clip the picks with the garage, cars and reg places showing in the background mate. Plenty of people can see you have a nice Lotus and Rangey tucked away.
Paranoid maybe but deffo worth being careful.
Yeah I've not had much joy revising the listing. I'll give it a try when I'm at my pc.
Decent original triples..... very thin on the ground