Howdy Inmates.. I just picked up an 07 Buell XB12 Super TT today. Rode it from the dealer to work approximately 30 miles in town and on highway without a hiccup. Leaving work it started up quickly and idled around 1k rpm, stuttering a bit in the parking lot while rolling out. I crossed the street at very low speed/rpm to the gas station. I filled her up and took off not worrying as it started and idled normally again. Immediately upon acceleration above 2500rpms it started to hesitate and impressively backfire and died soon after above 3k rpms. It runs enough to move if below 3k rpms. So.. I'm pretty unfamiliar with these bikes. I limped it back to my shop where I have tools to use. I don't have an ECM cord yet. Is there a way to do a TPS reset without the ECM spy on a 2007 Lightning? Any connections etc I should check. All lights are working and it starts quickly. It has an aftermarket exhaust and and I can see the airfilter without any cover on it below the "tank" Other than that it has the factory ECM. That about sums up my knowledge of the bike as I haven't even parked it my garage to tear into it. Any help is appreciated as I would prefer not to get a ride home..
Check the simple things first- make sure the battery connections are tight, no obvious loose or rubbed-through wires, etc. You do have to have a cable to do a TPS reset. Post up at Badweb (www.badweatherbikers.com) in the XB forum. Someone there is bound to have better troubleshooting ideas for you.
Hmm...this happened immediately after gassing up? I would say the fuel may be the culprit. Steve 05 st3 00 sv6fity
That makes sense and it's certainly worth a check. There is a drain plug on the fuel pump at the rear/bottom/left side of the frame if you need to drain the tank. BTW- you didn't "blip" the throttle while the engine was cold, did you? These bikes will foul the spark plugs in a heartbeat if you do that before the engine is warmed up. It'd be worth checking the spark plugs just in case. It's a good idea to have a spark plug boot puller tool to get the plug wires off without damaging them. Remove left side scoop and you can loosen the front spark plug with a combination wrench (5/8" IIRC). For the rear plug, you have to remove the outer airbox cover, air filter, and airbox base plate. You need a spark plug socket and universal joint to get the rear plug out. To install the rear spark plug, use a length of fuel hose pushed over the plug to guide and thread it into the hole. Oh yea, be sure and use anti-seize on the plugs before installing.
Thanks for input y'all. I'll do an oil change and plug change tonight just to make sure everything is in order before I'm stuck with the bike. I'm thinking a compression test might not be a bad idea. I did pull the seat and check the battery cables. It also looks like most of the visible wiring has been wrapped in a black cotton tape. Is this factory? I hear these bikes are prone to wires getting sawed through from contact with other parts of the rig. Everything seemed in order to my unfamiliar eye. I may have blipped the throttle slightly when I started it up. Not a squid like half way-cry for attention-throttle rotation but odds are I ticked it few degrees as I tend to do on carburetor bike. Truth be told I cant recall. Thanks for the heads up on this Hughlysses. The bike did backfire a bit rolling out of parking lot so I don't think gassing up did it. I just didn't have a chance to rev it up past 3k in the 1000 feet between the lot-neighborhood street-gas station. The bike has a clear title and looks unmolested but I have to wonder if it was repossessed or impounded or sat in a dealer trade in lot for months before I got it. Maybe a fuel drain isn't a bad idea. This bike delivers what I want out of a moto and I really want to like it but need it to be reliable. Surely a Buell can be ridden daily without too much maintenance.?. I like to turn wrenches in the garage but getting stranded isn't an option.
sounds like spark plugs to me my 07 done what sounds to be the same thing once and new plugs fixed it right up..
Two40two- Yes, the cloth tape is stock. It's apparently more abrasion resistant than plastic. These bikes are reliable, but you can just count on any used bike needing to be sorted out. Maintenance is easy, and remember, no valve adjustments and no throttle bodies to sync! If it sat on a dealer's lot for some time you can bet the throttle was blipped PLENTY by people firing it up to listen to it. It's OK to ease on the throttle to keep the bike running after starting in very cold weather, you just don't want to sit there repeatedly revving it; that's a sure way to foul the plugs. Stick with it; it'll be worth the effort.
Yeah a set of plugs/cleaning the plugs will likely fix it. They are very sensitive to blipping the throttle when cold and it will cause fouled plugs. The ECM mapping has an "accelerator pump" programmed in it and it is generous so repeated application of the throttle will literally dump large amounts of fuel into the engine fouling plugs. Starting an EFI Buell is an acquired routine. Leave the throttle alone and let it run. If absolutely necessary opening the throttle a little to keep a cold engine running is OK but only if ya hafta. It's the repeated opening that causes problems.
I put new NGK 8E non-iridium plugs in this evening. More or less the same story , It might get a little closer to 4k before problems arise. Nothing looked to be out of place or damaged. At this point I'm wondering if a fuel injector is screwy or if the ECM is compromised. It's odd that it ran well under varied and sometimes heavy-handed driving on the maiden voyage but let it sit for 7 hours and boom- not the same. No engine light, perfect idle, normal until 3.5k rpm. Oil is full and fresh enough, starts quick and all lights/accessories work. This all might a chapter soon to close. The dealer is kindly offering an even swap for an 09 1125CR. Vroom vroom. I don't see any reason to turn this down. Sent from my Walkie Talkie on the Soup Can & String Network
Nice, but very different bike from an XB. The 1125's have had two significant issues (1) leaking clutch slave cylinders (eventually fixed with dealer installed kits) and (2) frying stators. HD has never satisfactorily fixed the stator problem; the only known permanent fix is a new rotor and stator from Erik Buell Racing. The EBR rotor has an oil jet in it that keeps the stator cool.
I'm not stoked to do valve adjustments either. I'm thinking the extra 40 horses will make up for the issues. The stator was replaced under recall. I suspect that means it got a new Rotax part instead of a EBR or 3rd party rewind? The clutch slave cylinder is news to me. Once again- thanks for the heads up. I'll be furiously researching these until I check it out tomorrow.
Supposedly the valve adjustments are fairly easy compared to most late bikes. There are finger followers that can be easily moved so you can replace the shims; no cam removal/reinstall required. Shims are the same as used on HD V-Rods so they should continue to be readily available. The ~40 extra HP is pretty awesome. I had a CR for about a year- I just figured out it was about 40 more HP than I felt comfortable riding on a regular basis. I haven't kept up completely with the latest on the 1125 stator problems. It's not a 100% universal problem and HD did issue a recall in which they installed a supplemental wiring harness and changed the ECM programming to reduce the stator output at low speed. It's hard to tell if that helped at all. Some people have installed the smaller 08 stator/rotor, some removed the supplemental harness, some left it alone, some have tried different voltage regulators, some have installed custom-wound stators, others have installed the EBR rotor (which is apparently the same one used on the 1190RS). A LOT of stuff has been tried; AFAIK the EBR fix is best. Read all about it here: http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/290431/646530.html?1348680828 Here's a link to the replacement rotor with cooling oil jet from EBR: http://www.erikbuellracing.com/store/2009-2010-charging-system-rotor-modification.html At $425 it's not cheap, but they refund you $250 after you send in your core which means your net price is $175. The clutch slave cylinder isn't such a big deal. The dealer should have updated that and even if they haven't it's a fairly easy/inexpensive replacement.
The bike IS running, it's just not running well. I mention the potential issues with the 1125 because I don't want anybody buying a bike to get blind-sided. Neither of the issues I mentioned would keep me from buying an 1125 if I REALLY wanted one.
Ding ding ding. I put 3 or 4 hours on the 1125cr today. It's cool and all but I equate it to a boat. Good to know someone who has one but not so good to use and maintain everyday. Way too fast for me and my insurance. The XB offer a helluva lot more fun below 100mph. Oh- and I fried the stator on my way home after a long day of working on the XB. Go figure.... The XB problem seems to be a bad intake gasket. Idles great but spray some carb cleaner in the vicinity and it sputters or dies. New HD gaskets were installed and worked well for a short while. A little bird said to use a more Buell specific brand to better seal. We'll see what tomorrow brings but hopefully it's that simple. I'm astounded at how nimble the XB is and the longer travel soaks up whatever holes/bumps the roads around here endlessly supply. Then again, when you're comparing suspension to a KLR and 10 year old shadow you likely to be a happy customer.
For what it's worth, After putting 4500kms on my XB12STT this summer I am enjoying it more than I enjoyed my 1125R....and I liked that bike a lot.
