2009 Buell XB12X Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2009 Buell XB12X, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Fuel system266.7%
- Electrical133.3%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
I HAVE A 2009 BUELL ULYSSES THAT HAS AN INTERMITTENT CEL THAT OCCURRED WHILE RIDING ~50MPH (STEADY) ON HWY 89 S/B IN PRESCOTT VALLEY. WHEN THIS OCCURED, THE IDLE BECAME ERRATIC & POWER DROPPED NOTICEABLY. THE BIKE NOW SHOWS DTC 'FUEL PUMP SHORT TO GND ' DTC 33-1-3'. JUST A LITTLE BIT OF ON-LINE RESEARCH LEADS ME TO WHAT SEEMS TO BE A WELL-KNOWN & SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM THAT HAS PLAGUED MANY OTHER BUELL OWNERS; HTTP://WWW.BADWEATHERBIKERS.COM/BUELL/MESSAGES/142838/227943.HTML HTTP://BADWEATHERBIKERS.COM/BUELL/MESSAGES/142838/687395.HTML?1342928158 ). THE ROOT CAUSE IS WIRING INSIDE THE FUEL TANK THAT RUBS/CHAFES ON A 90O EDGE OF THE FUEL PUMP HOUSING; HTTPS://WWW.GOOGLE.COM/SEARCH?Q=BUELL+FUEL+PUMP+WIRES+CHAFING&RLZ=1C1SQJL_ENUS888US888&BIW=1422&BIH=678&TBM=ISCH&SOURCE=IU&ICTX=1&FIR=LLRV44I8AFNWWM%252CMYSTFULWUW0ZKM%252C_&VET=1&USG=AI4_-KSZODRS7RCBJJHFHZZY-3QRZB32VA&SA=X&VED=2AHUKEWJO7PKLIDVVAHWKZM0KHSD6A_IQ9QF6BAGPEAE#IMGRC=LLRV44I8AFNWWM HTTPS://WWW.GOOGLE.COM/SEARCH?Q=BUELL+FUEL+PUMP+WIRES+CHAFING&RLZ=1C1SQJL_ENUS888US888&BIW=1422&BIH=678&TBM=ISCH&SOURCE=IU&ICTX=1&FIR=LLRV44I8AFNWWM%252CMYSTFULWUW0ZKM%252C_&VET=1&USG=AI4_-KSZODRS7RCBJJHFHZZY-3QRZB32VA&SA=X&VED=2AHUKEWJO7PKLIDVVAHWKZM0KHSD6A_IQ9QF6BAGPEAE#IMGRC=LLRV44I8AFNWWM&IMGDII=S7PGVQR3CIP4-M ). OBVIOUSLY, I NEED MY MOTORCYCLE TO BE SAFE & WANT IT FIXED PROPERLY. IF NHTSA NEEDS AN EXAMPLE TO PROVE THIS SAFETY ISSUE TO HARLEY DAVIDSON, I'M MORE THAN WILLING TO BRING THE BIKE TO A CENTRAL OR NORTHERN ARIZONA HD DEALER FOR FUEL PUMP REPLACEMENT WITH AN OE COUNTER-MEASURED PART.
2009 BUELL XB-12X MOTORCYCLE: ENGINE STOPPAGE BROUGHT ON BY AN ELECTRICAL SHORT IN THE FUEL PUMP SYSTEM. RIDING THE MOTORCYCLE WITH ONLY A PARTIAL TANK OF FUEL SEEMS TO RESULT IN THE ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP OVERHEATING OR OVERLOADING, RESULTING IN A BLOWN FUSE. THIS CAUSES THE ENGINE TO STOP RUNNING AND COULD RESULT IN A CRASH. MY 2009 BUELL XB-12X HAS HAD THIS HAPPEN THREE TIMES, RESULTING IN MY BEING STRANDED IN TRAFFIC. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, AVOIDING A CRASH. REPLACING THE FUSE IS A TEMPORARY FIX. ACCORDING THE BUELL WEB SITE (BADWEATHERBIKERS.COM) IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL MOTORCYCLE THAT CAN RESULT IN A CRASH OR INJURY. HARLEY DAVIDSON (THE PARENT COMPANY) SHOULD RECALL THE AFFECTED MOTORCYCLES AND INSTALL NEW FUEL PUMPS THAT DO NOT OVERHEAT OR OVERLOAD THE ELECTRIC SYSTEM. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
I HAVE A 2009 BUELL ULYSSES THAT HAS AN INTERMITTENT CEL THAT OCCURRED WHILE RIDING ~50MPH (STEADY) ON HWY 89 S/B IN PRESCOTT VALLEY. WHEN THIS OCCURED, THE IDLE BECAME ERRATIC & POWER DROPPED NOTICEABLY. THE BIKE NOW SHOWS DTC 'FUEL PUMP SHORT TO GND ' DTC 33-1-3'. JUST A LITTLE BIT OF ON-LINE RESEARCH LEADS ME TO WHAT SEEMS TO BE A WELL-KNOWN & SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM THAT HAS PLAGUED MANY OTHER BUELL OWNERS; HTTP://WWW.BADWEATHERBIKERS.COM/BUELL/MESSAGES/142838/227943.HTML HTTP://BADWEATHERBIKERS.COM/BUELL/MESSAGES/142838/687395.HTML?1342928158 ). THE ROOT CAUSE IS WIRING INSIDE THE FUEL TANK THAT RUBS/CHAFES ON A 90O EDGE OF THE FUEL PUMP HOUSING; HTTPS://WWW.GOOGLE.COM/SEARCH?Q=BUELL+FUEL+PUMP+WIRES+CHAFING&RLZ=1C1SQJL_ENUS888US888&BIW=1422&BIH=678&TBM=ISCH&SOURCE=IU&ICTX=1&FIR=LLRV44I8AFNWWM%252CMYSTFULWUW0ZKM%252C_&VET=1&USG=AI4_-KSZODRS7RCBJJHFHZZY-3QRZB32VA&SA=X&VED=2AHUKEWJO7PKLIDVVAHWKZM0KHSD6A_IQ9QF6BAGPEAE#IMGRC=LLRV44I8AFNWWM HTTPS://WWW.GOOGLE.COM/SEARCH?Q=BUELL+FUEL+PUMP+WIRES+CHAFING&RLZ=1C1SQJL_ENUS888US888&BIW=1422&BIH=678&TBM=ISCH&SOURCE=IU&ICTX=1&FIR=LLRV44I8AFNWWM%252CMYSTFULWUW0ZKM%252C_&VET=1&USG=AI4_-KSZODRS7RCBJJHFHZZY-3QRZB32VA&SA=X&VED=2AHUKEWJO7PKLIDVVAHWKZM0KHSD6A_IQ9QF6BAGPEAE#IMGRC=LLRV44I8AFNWWM&IMGDII=S7PGVQR3CIP4-M ). OBVIOUSLY, I NEED MY MOTORCYCLE TO BE SAFE & WANT IT FIXED PROPERLY. IF NHTSA NEEDS AN EXAMPLE TO PROVE THIS SAFETY ISSUE TO HARLEY DAVIDSON, I'M MORE THAN WILLING TO BRING THE BIKE TO A CENTRAL OR NORTHERN ARIZONA HD DEALER FOR FUEL PUMP REPLACEMENT WITH AN OE COUNTER-MEASURED PART.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .