DONT KNOW IF ANY ONE HAS SEEN THE LATEST EDITION OF VISOR DOWN MAGAZINE, BUT THERES A GOOD ARTICLE AT THE BACK ABOUT BUELLS XB RANGE.
ITS A GOOD LITTLE ARTICLE AND I'M SURE SOME OF YOU ON HERE HAVE CONTRIBUTED. THERES A COMMENT FROM A HARLEY DEALER ( A MAYBE AN OWNER) ABOUT THE SERVICE GIVEN TO BUELL OWNERS FROM HARLEY DEALERS, HOW THEY TEND NOT TO BE BOTHERED ABOUT BUELL'S.
JUST THOUGHT I WOULD GIVE MY EXPERIENCE WITH MY LOCAL DEALER - CHAPEL ASH HARLEY IN WOLVERHAMPTON. ANY ONE WHO DOES NOT KNOW IT, IT IS THE USUAL HARLEY AFAIR WITH VERY POLISHED BIKES IN VERY NICE SURROUNDINGS ( POOL TABLE, BIG TV SCREEN AND COMFY SOFAS). WELL I JUMPED ONTO THE BUELL BAND WAGON LATE LAST YEAR AS THE BIKE I HAD WANTED SINCE THE TRACK DAYS AT MALLORY BECAME VERY AFFORDABLE - 1125R. I PLACED MY ORDER IN LATE OCTOBER FOR A 2009 MODEL IN BLACK WITH LOWER FAIRING KIT AND FREE 1ST SERVICE £5100. WELL PLEASED! AS THEY WANTED TO MEET SALES TARGETS THEY ASKED ME TO SIGN THE ORDER EVEN THOUGH THE BIKE HAD BEEN DELIVERED YET - NO PROBLEM AS I WAS I KNOW RUSH TO COLLECT IT. THEY ESTIMATED A COUPLE OF WEEKS AT MOST. WHEN IT HADN'T ARRIVED 3 WEEKS LATER I WAS INVITED DOWN FOR A FULL SET OF BUELL RACE LEATHERS - FREE OF CHARGE!
FINALLY THE BIKES ARRIVE BUT GUESS WHAT THEY ARE ALL 2008 MODEL WITH BLUE FRAMES. THE CHAP I WAS DEALING WITH WAS NOT AVAILABLE AND THE OTHER SALESMEN TRIED TO PALM ME OFF SAYING FOR THE PRICE I PAID IT WAS ALWAYS GOING TO BE A 2008 MODEL. WELL I DIDNT WANT ONE AND SPOKE TO CRAIG THE ORIGINAL SALES MEN ( AND MANAGER), TWO DAYS LATER 2009 MODEL HE HAD SOURCED ELSEWERE.
SO I JUST WANTED TO SAY HOW PLEASED I WAS WITH HARLEY AT WOLVERHAMPTON AND ESPECIALLY CRAIG THE R1 RIDING SALESMANAGER - THEY AINT ALL GOT BEARDS, CHAPS AND BLACK SHADES DOWN AT HARLEY

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izzy,wizzy lets get busy............SOOTY AND SWEEP SHOW
jesus wants me for a sunbeam! I think?

Stratstone Harley in Birmingham are great too, service team etc.

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Neil Parmar - "bmer"

Nothing but praise for Shaws at Lewes for getting my 2010 1125CR.
Excellent avatar Neil

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I'm a Hornithologist, I get excited by exotic birds.........

I Have to agree, Craig Carrington at Chapel Ash is a top bloke, and it's no suprise to me that he sorted your problems and left you feeling well satisfied.
During my time as a Buell owner he sorted a few of my problems out at the drop of a hat.
It's been a while since I brought a bike off him but he is always great to have a chat and a laugh with if ever we pop by for a coffee on the FZ1.
Hope his head don't swell too much if he reads this lol

thanks deepsix. I was bored! Lol

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Neil Parmar - "bmer"

Shaws at Lewes get my vote too
It's been a pleasure dealing with their sales and service departments.
They make the effort to be genuinly interested in mine and my bikes well-being.
And do the deals on bikes and parts.
Can't really ask for more!!

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Adventure before dementia.

Think it needs a "Dual Bore" bit

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Sept 2017. Email will find me.

haggis wolves - craigs head is big enough! ure right though top bloke indeed. no more buells haggis? i wont be able to spot u round wolvo on a fz1 - unless its yellow in kenny roberts colours?! i used to have wet dreams about that bike!

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izzy,wizzy lets get busy............SOOTY AND SWEEP SHOW
jesus wants me for a sunbeam! I think?

Chapppel Ash and Birmingham are all part of Stratstones but some how manage to achieve customer satisfaction, so why can't the London branch ? Biggest bunch of liars and bodgers it's ever been my misfortune to meet.

sotv69 from your post you seem happy which is great but this would have pissed me off and is typical of the Strantsones I know

FINALLY THE BIKES ARRIVE BUT GUESS WHAT THEY ARE ALL 2008 MODEL WITH BLUE FRAMES. THE CHAP I WAS DEALING WITH WAS NOT AVAILABLE AND THE OTHER SALESMEN TRIED TO PALM ME OFF SAYING FOR THE PRICE I PAID IT WAS ALWAYS GOING TO BE A 2008 MODEL.

Given the chance they would have palmed you off with the cheapest option to them. The fertilizer consultant I bought my Uly from tried to tell me it was an 09 , that would be the 25th anniversary edition for 09 Two hours with this person has soured a very good relationship I had with the shop, they have sold 27 bikes through me since May 06.
Shaws nice shop nice people and they may get my future business.

dont get me wrong 88b i was getting well pissed of with the situation but it was the way they turned it round that impressed me. maybe it was just craig the sales manager that shone and not the franchise itself, it seems others have had dealings with craig and found him the same.
i couldnt put all stratstones in the same boat as i was originally looking at the birmingham( aston) branch to buy my bike. they wanted more money, the salesmen was a harley riding knob ( what comes 1st, the bike or the goatee beard?) and they would not stop ringing me when i said they were no closer to a deal - and they still wouldnt get near wolvo's offer!
you pays ure money.......

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izzy,wizzy lets get busy............SOOTY AND SWEEP SHOW
jesus wants me for a sunbeam! I think?

Yes indeed sotv69, it is a 2006 FZ1N in yellow and black, with an Akrapivic end can and also the best bike I have ever owned!!!!
I had a great time on the XB12 and still have a thing for a CR but for now the Yam' ticks all the boxes for me.

If I could get an new 09 1125R for £5100 with lower fairings I'd go for it.
Any takers?

the salesmen was a harley riding knob

does that make me a knob then ? Personally I don't give a damn what you ride, some are in the fortunate position to be able to own what they want, others struggle to own a ten year old Jap bike. Yes there are some right wankers who own Harleys, some own Buells, others own Ducatis BMW's or Hondas. Sept 08 I did 6000 miles on my glide Faakar See and back then a week later Lake Garda, not all of us ride 2k a year in the dry. The reason I bought the Buell was to keep the mileage down on the Glide, and about the only other bike that retains value like a Harley is a BMW

sorry wasnt trying to put all harley riders in the same boat ( even though they do nothing for me). what is was trying to get across ( maybe not very well) is that if you work in a dealership that sells both harleys and buells, you should really know the product you are selling and not, as was my experience, know all about harleys and nothing about buells. im afraid opening up your buell info manual in front of the customer to find out basic stuff didnt excatly fill me with confidence. fair enough if your in a salesroom with many brands and models ( dk for example) but they only deal with 2 types!
still want to know if the goatee or bike came 1st???.......

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izzy,wizzy lets get busy............SOOTY AND SWEEP SHOW
jesus wants me for a sunbeam! I think?

Salesmen are what the name says, they know all about finance etc. it's an added bonus if they have product knowledge. I've never bough a bike from Black Bear they were alway too expensive but both the salesmen there had a good knowledge of the product. Mike Jones at the Foundry is a really nice person to do business with, he knows his stuff . Just about everyone I've delt with at Stratstone I put in the same group as estate agent double glazing salesmen and Tony B Liar. What you have to remember with Stratstone, the dealers are really car dealers they have little understanding of the bike world. The DP of the london shop couldn't even ride a bike, it took him three goes to pass his test.