Well, that's good to hear. For a minute I thought that my 2000 S3 was fucked up cause it would never rev over 6800. I put 65,000 kms on mine with the occasional (hehe) wheeelie and my motor mounts etc were still good. I checked. I put XB rocker boxes on mine and ran a PCV valve, no more leaks and no more oil dripping out of the breathers. I wish I had kept it, I sold it for next to nothing and had another (more expensive) Buell within the year. To the OP, buy it!! I put on a couple of thousand mile days too.
Man, to hear you guys tell it, Buells are pieces of crap. Wanna' hear about my BMW transmission that seized because the factory installed the bearings backwards? How about the Gold Wing I had for 190K miles? That thing couldn't keep front brake switches on it to save its life. I used to buy two at a time. The rear hub deformed to the point that the bearings were falling out before 25K. The final drive went to hell at 18K miles. It roached a regulator AND stator EVERY 60K, like clockwork. The trunk lid split so many times that I bought three of them before they told me they no longer made them. It ate rear shocks for lunch. They were only $250-300 for a pair but, they were crap and you knew they were only going to last 30K or so. My ZX11? They are known for blowing 2nd gear and seizing the #2 connecting rod bearing. Mine hasn't done it but, that's what I've read on the internet. Every damn bike out there has problems. As I posted earlier: the S3 doesn't have any more unusual problems than anything else. This thread is just listing all the areas that COULD cause a problem. Every bike has a list like that.
Oh, I in no way took that as anyone bad talking Buell's. It actually made me more confident about buying it, they were simply telling me the common issues, and I can handle all of them easily. Most of the issues have been ironed out on this bike already, only thing I might consider getting soon for it is a race ecm, and depending on how it handles 2-up and our luggage an aftermarket shock.
Had 2 Buell's, loved both of them but I found 2 up riding 320 lbs with some luggage to be a real problem. Had lots of warranty work generated at the dealership. Once the isolater fails it subjects other parts to stress and causes more failures. I suffered some of the failures that brought on recalls. Love hate relationship. That said I would love to have another at a price like that!
Good luck finding a Race ECM !!! If you find a source, share it with me please! That said, the Race ECM is better applicable to the 536 camshafts as that was what the ignition timing was intended for... and the Pro-Series full exhaust. With the stock cams, a Power Commander will suit your needs fine and is actually available. The Penske 8983 Double clicker shock is about $900 and will suit 2 up with luggage nicely.
I am the 2nd owner of a 98 S3T with over 60,000 miles. Runs perfect. The motor and transmission are simple but bullet proof. The transmission shifts like a tractor. No need to rev past 5,000 cause all the power is made down low. All day comfort with 200 plus mile range from the gas tank. Belt life is 40,000 miles. The bad? The hard bag latches come apart and the plastic cracks. Front motor mount is prone to failure, replaced mine with a stronger one, no issues since. Fit and finish is not good and things tend to shake loose over time. Like any used bike, it comes down to who owned it and what kind of maintenance was done to it. This bike is the most fun bike in my garage and I do not plan to sell it. Will run it until it dies. I do not ride it 2 up, but it would be pretty cramped.
This is the aftermarket mount I mentioned. Spend a bit of time at Bad Weather Bikers and you'll see lots of mentions of the stock mounts failures and attendant problems. Yes, many guys have ridden many miles without failures. I was not one of them. Mine let go at 11,000 miles. Almost all of those miles were two up, me, 6'2" and 200# with gear, her 5'0" and 115# with gear and then water and sammiches in the bags of course. Long story short, I bought the mount used a reverst twist cobalt drill and an easy out to get the sheared off bolt out of the head, replaced everything and ran it trouble free for another 14K. I loved that bike, really miss it.. You won't regret buying it.
Seen different race ECMs pop up on ebay a few times since I started looking at this bike a month ago. Hopefully I just haven't just gotten lucky, and will be able to get them later. It already has an upgraded exhaust. I'm not particularly looking for increase performance, was just hoping for no FI problems. As far as the shock, how do I go about finding one that will fit? I would've never guessed on the penske unless it was listed somewhere. I had my eye on this guy http://www.twinmotorcycles.nl/artikelen.asp?cid=18&aid=213 Thanks for the help guys.
You're making this way too hard. There is no such thing as an upgraded exhaust, just LOUDER exhausts. Put a stock muffler on it, put the stock air cleaner on it and just ride it. The bike makes 101 HP stock. If you're buying this bike for all-out horsepower, you're buying the wrong bike. All the aftermarket air cleaners will be a problem when they get wet (you said you want to tour on it). There is nothing wrong with the fuel injection if you just ride it and fix any broken sensors. If you don't screw with the exhaust or the intake, you don't need to screw with the fuel mapping and sure as hell don't need a race ECM. AFAIK, the only thing the race ECM does is eliminate the rev limiter. You gonna' rev the piss out of a pushrod twin? Just ride it.
I'm not really planning on upgrading it. I must've misunderstood, I thought the Race ECM had more control over the FI, and that the 99 being the first year had issues with FI. I read somewhere the race ECM fixed it. The exhaust was taken care of by the previous owner. Only reason I'm thinking about suspension is for 2-up riding, not for performance sake, but for the ability to ride without bottoming out. I'm all about touring, don't plan at all to race this. It'll only break 100 across Montana, and it'll never be rev'd to redline. I want this bike to last, the only upgrades I'm considering were ones I thought necessary to keep this machine running long.
Well, I suggest that you ride it for a while before you make any changes to the exhaust etc. I agree that if it runs fine you should just leave it alone. I had a vance and hines pipe, hi flow air filter and a Race ECM installed before I picked up the bike, so I don't know how it would have ran completely stock. Never had an issue with the engine with the set up I had. The factory 'bread box' air filter assembly is great crash protection.
[QUOTE [/QUOTE] Hey! That's my bike! I thought I had the only other black and orange S3t..... The most awful color combo Buell ever came up with, I think. I love the bike for its handling, lightish weight, and ease of maintenance. It's worst feature is the box of rocks transmission- if you buy the S3 just plan on installing the Baker shift drum kit. It'll make the bike shift almost like a real motorcycle and it eliminates the failure prone circlip that holds the indexing cam to the shift drum. This circlip is a known failure waiting to happen and when it fails you will be left with a box full of neutrals. It's not hard to repair but if you are on the road it's going to be more than a little inconvenient. As for the rest of the bike, it has been as or more reliable than any other machine I've owned. Like any bike it has its weaknesses (just plan on sending the shock to Race Tech for rebuilding- it's cheaper than an aftermarket shock and if you have then install their gold valve it works just as well) but with the exception of the stupid circlip in the transmission mine has been very reliable. I have used an aftermarket exhaust on mine that did yield a little more power, but I went back to stock for the quiet. And note that only the stock air box will be clear of your right knee. I average 50-55 mpg and am not kind to it. It isn't hugely fast but is comparable to a Ducati ST2. I have one of those as well, and the Buell is more comfortable and roomy, and with the race tech shock will match it for handling. The Ducati is a little more stable and the fit and finish is far superior, but it's a lot more work to service. Acceleration is probably best on the Buell, as is top speed, but the Ducati is easier to ride fast- but the Ducati will consume a LOT more gas. And timing belts. And clutch parts. And chains and sprockets. The Buell has a way of not telegraphing ones true speed, though, and you will find yourself going a lot faster than you would have planned. These are great bikes and are extremely underrated. If it breaks its easy to fix, it has a terrific seating position for us over 40 guys, and it can eat up highway like few other machines. Don't pass it up.
This bike? http://spokane.craigslist.org/mcy/3560446395.html Dump that stupid D&D muffler, put a stock muffler back on it and ride the piss out of it. The noise of that exhaust will tire you quickly. I see the 16.5" Showa recall shock on it. They die. You can get them rebuilt but, that's false economy on the 16.5" Showa. You can often find the 14" replacement shocks on Ebay (new). You need the updated front mount to install them. Sometimes, they are bundled together as leftover 'recall kits'. It's also a Showa. Not perfect but, the best of the later factory shocks. It makes so much torque that I often forget that it makes power above 4500 RPM. Hate to tell you but, it's not going to cruise at 100 MPH for very long. 101 HP just isn't enough for that and you'll be wound out to get past the century mark; it happens but, not very briskly. It doesn't matter. It's brilliant between 40 and 80 MPH and that's where most sane people spend the most time.
You are on drugs! That is the BEST S3 color combo, second only to the Blue/Orange. Black or silver frames are a yawn fest--necessary on some of the colors (green, red, etc) but if mated to black or silver bodywork, they are completely intolerable and boring.
Oh yeah, not at all planning on cruising at 100, just saying the only time it'll even break it is in Montana. I'll probably be at 50-80 majority of my riding. That is the bike I'm going after. Didn't know it was posted on Craigs too, saw it locally. I called Buell, and they said it had all recall work done already, was that showa not recalled for the 99 S3T? I also love the orange frame, think it looks great.
+1 Yeah, that orange and black looks sweet! Question to anyone--does the S3T have the most leg room of the tube Buells?
Ha! Tim, I agree, that orange frame is an eyesore. These other guys must be nuts. But I cant agree on the transmission. My 96 S1 shifts great, even better than my 2006 Uly, no issues. Years ago I bought one of those shift cam things from HD that are supposed to make it shift better but never even put it in. I think it cost me less than five bucks. I have never replaced the circlip & had the original one off once or twice. Very low cost of small parts from HD is another plus for the Buell. Compared to the cost of parts for other brands it is a pleasant surprise. Oh, yeah, the drive belt. Yes you do want to run it pretty loose. Tim, it occurs to me that you or Don probably wouldnt even have tuber Buells if I hadnt let Don ride mine years ago. He gets off the bike & says, This thing is a beast! Now he has two S3Ts.
