Im lookin at gettin one of these bikes, but ive heard many horror stories of the reliability (or lack there of) for these bikes.
I dont wanna spend more time wrenchin than i do riding so i need some hard facts about actual experience. Im in kelowna so we dont have a Buell dealer here but im not sure if thats a nessessity.
anyone wanting a buell blast needs to have their head examined especially after claiming they know about known problems. good luck in all your ventures.
From my experience, the Blast isn't a very reliable bike. I would recommend a GS500 or Ninja 500 instead. However, the Lightning and Firebolt are quite nice, but they're a big leap up from the Blast.
If you're wanting a beginner bike to use as a stepping-stone to another Harley or Buell, you'll probably get a good trade-in (I think there used to be a guaranteed trade-in value if you bought the Blast new and then traded it on another Harley within a certain amount of time). If you'll be riding something else, I think the Jap bikes are better options.
I don't know much at all about them, I'll admit it. But I remember talking to one guy about his Blast when he was getting a new front tyre at Carter. And he said he couldn't ride it in the rain, because the couple times he tried his fuses went because water got into them too easily. I thought that was pretty hurting.
There are dozens of websites, forums, groups dedicated to the unreliability of said bike and the idiotic treatment of customers by buell/HD.
But if youre absolutely hell bent on a blast, find and read up as much as you can about it, (ie, seek the best/worst model years, mods needed to make it reliable, common problems, etc.), and then dive into it. At least you wont be in for too many suprises that way, and you might enjoy the bike for what it was intended for.
the bike is fucking tiny
my knees were hitting the handle bars and im 5'11"
i dont knwo much about them mechanicly but unless you are small its not going to fit you
Blast are great, get one and I'll make you a good deal on fixing and servicing it. Even better get 10 of your friends to buy one so we can stay busy all summer. Thanks in advance
I was wondering the same thing. I would think that there are other options out there without the real and perceived problems associated with the Blast.
BTW, my recollection is that there is a H-D dealer in Kelowna. They don't carry Buells? (I wonder if one should read something into that?) I would be a little more hesitant to buyt a bike (particularly new) if there was not a dealer for it locally. (Again, I imagine that there are other options with dealers local to you.)
Don't do it man. If you want a starter Harly just go out and buy a 883 to learn on. If you want a sportbike, buy a older 600 or 500 and learn on that.
The Blast was just another bad idea from the marketing department.
Well I own a Buell Blast and the thing is crap.
I can list the million things that go wrong in the first 5000K if you like, but that would end up being a very long post. But one thing I can tell you is the famous thing on the blast is the intake manifold coupler will rip off and there goes your carb.
If this is a hint, back east is thinking about not selling them anymore.
So I would suggest from personal experience that you would be happier with something else. I spent more time on the side of the road fixing it than riding it. The added bonus to that is you learn a lot about repairing bikes...lol
I know that my first blast was a lemon, but they finally replaced it with a 2004 model, but really I am just waiting for things to fall off.
If you want to read up on people that own a blast check out this yahoo group
I rode two different Blasts over two days at the BC Safety Council road course. The one with 8000kms almost rattled itself apart. The one with lesser mileage almost got me killed as I was a newby and had the kickstand down and dropped it into gear and the engine didn't cut out. So I moved into traffic only to roll on the throttle and guess what, the bike just idled really rough. I had to push the bike back out of traffic as cars approached. Nice setup for kickstand safety.
We went onto the # 1 Hwy and I had the throttle pinned and could barely keep up with my classmates. I jumped on the GS500 on the way back and wow, what a difference.
I rode one at the safety council as well, didn't like the vibration or lack of wind protection. The mirrors wouldn't stay in place, not like I could see out of them anyway. On the last day, the exhaust manifold cracked as we were entering the highway, that ended the day. It may not be the Corvair of motorcycles, but there are much better choices out there.
I as well rode the ill fated Blast for Traffic Skills at BCSC, and as the previous posters have mentioned, it was a really bad ride, mirrors were 100% useless at a stop due to the vibration, which resulted in them constantly working loose. The transmission is pretty ragged as well, I had a hell of a time shifting gears, up or down. And I will also second the comment that it is a small bike. For those with vertical challenges, I can see the draw, but if you are over 5'8" I would think twice.
Anything you don't experience for yourself, can be construed as a rumour. So, might as well experience all the headaches for yourself, and go get one! :thumbup
Unless you're interested in a masochistic relationship with the Buell service manager, just say no.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
BC Sport Bikes Forum
1.8M posts
25.2K members
Since 2002
A forum community dedicated to all sport bike owners and enthusiasts In British Columbia. Come join the discussion about reviews, performance, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more! Open to all sport bikes models of Honda, BMW, Yamaha, Suzuki and more.