Motorcycle handling suddenly deteriorated, became unstable. Upon stopping to investigate could not determine cause. Went immediately to buell dealership where certified buell technician adjusted rear shock preload. This improved the handling somewhat but did not correct it. Another buell technician at another dealership suspected frame defect and upon disassembly determined frame to be at fault. Technician was unable to re-assemble motorcycle due to defective frame. Buell customer service refuses to fix motorcycle or give any compensation. Buell dealership unable or unwilling to help remedy the situation. I now have a $13,000 pile of buell parts on my garage floor.
The worst 1998 Buell S3T problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Body1
- Suspension1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Body1
- Suspension1
Recalls 1
Exterior lighting: turn signal
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: motorcycles. Failure of one or more turn signal lamps would not be indicated to the operator of the vehicle (no noticeable change in the flashing rate of the turn signal indicator light). This does not meet the requirements of fmvss no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment."
- Risk
- An operator would not be aware that the turn signal lamps were not working.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the turn signal lamps on these motorcycles.
Recall number 98V036000 · Recall details
See all 1 recalls for the 1998 Buell S3T
Defect investigations
Throttle fails to return to idle
To address the problem described above, buell is recalling those fuel-injected motorcycles that it built without a throttle cable control clamp.for more information on this subject, please refer to the memorandum entitled the scope of buell's safety recall, 03v‑427 copy attached.
PE03043
What 1998 Buell S3T owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The consumer did not receive recall repair (99v‑086) when being serviced, the component failed while driving due to improper recall service.
Compare the 1998 Buell S3T
Other model years
19971998
Questions about the 1998 Buell S3T
Is the 1998 Buell S3T reliable?
Owners have filed 2 complaints about the 1998 Buell S3T, close to a typical S3T model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1998 Buell S3T?
Body and structure, with 1 complaint. Next is suspension (1).
How many recalls does the 1998 Buell S3T have?
1 recall, covering exterior lighting.
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