1998 Buell M2: complaints, problems and recalls
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
1 owner complaints analyzed
1 distinct recall campaigns
Not available median reported failure mileage
Scope: 1998 model year. Data updated: . 0 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.
This selection has limited data. It remains available for lookup but is excluded from search indexing.
Most common problems
Service Brakes, Hydraulic is the most frequently named component, appearing in 1 of 1 complaints (100.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Braking behavior | 1 | 100.0% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 |
Service Brakes, Hydraulic: 1
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 0 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 0 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 0 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 0 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 0 |
| 150,000 and above | 0 |
Under 25,000: 0; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0
No usable failure mileage is recorded. 1 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 1 |
2001: 1
Pattern summary
Service Brakes, Hydraulic leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 1 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Examples from the source records
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 10006446 · 2001-06-01 (June 1, 2001)
REAR BRAKE IS SO INEFFECTIVE IT CAN NOT LOCK UP TIRE ABOVE 25 MPH, MANUFACTURE CONTACTED AND STATED THAT THIS IS HOW THEY INTENDED THE DESIGN TO BE "HIGH EFFORT". THEY HAVE NO FIX AND DO NOT INTEND TO PURSUE ONE. ALTHOUGH REAR BRAKE IS ONLY A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE STOPPING POWER IN A STRAIGHT LINE STOP, IT IS MUCH MORE IMPORTANT IN A TURN SUCH AS AN EMERGENCY MANEUVER. I HOPE THAT THE REQUIREMENT FOR A REAR BRAKE ON A MOTORCYCLE INCLUDES THAT IT FUNCTIONS TO A MINIMAL LEVEL, ABLE TO STOP OR LOCK-UP THE REAR TIRE AT SPEEDS ABOVE 25 MPH. *S…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10006446 at NHTSA ↗
Recall history
1 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.
98V036000 · Exterior Lighting:Turn Signal
Reported: 1998-02-23 (February 23, 1998)
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."
Consequence: 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.
NHTSA campaign record ↗Vehicle analysis explorer
Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.
Data completeness
1 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.
Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.
Problems by model year
Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.
| Component | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2002 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine | 133.3%ODI 850011DEALER NOTIFIED OWNER NO PARTS AVAILABLE FOR THE FRONT ISOLATOR MOTOR MOUNT. *AK | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Seat Belts | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 150.0% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 1100.0%ODI 10006446REAR BRAKE IS SO INEFFECTIVE IT CAN NOT LOCK UP TIRE ABOVE 25 MPH, MANUFACTURE CONTACTED AND STATED THAT THIS IS HOW THEY INTENDED THE DESIGN TO BE "HIGH EFFORT". THEY HAVE NO FIX AND DO NOT INTEND TO PURSUE ONE. ALTHOUGH REAR BRAKE IS ONLY A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE STOPPING POWER IN A STRAIGHT LINE STOP, IT IS MUCH MORE IMPORTANT IN A TURN SUCH AS AN EMERGENCY MANEUVER. I HOPE THAT THE REQUIREMENT FOR A REAR BRAKE ON A MOTORCYCLE INCLUDES THAT IT FUNCTIONS TO A MINIMAL LEVEL, ABLE TO STOP OR LOCK-UP THE REAR TIRE AT SPEEDS ABOVE 25 MPH. *S… | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Suspension:Rear | 133.3%ODI 757495REAR SHOCK THAT WAS INSTALLED ON MY VEHICLE AS A RECALL ITEM HAS FAILED. *AK | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Tires | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 150.0%ODI 104572732002 BUELL M2 MOTORCYCLE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO A DEFECTIVE PIRELLI SCORPION TIRE *TGW WHILE RIDING THE MOTORCYCLE, ALL OF A SUDDEN THE CONSUMER LOST STEERING IN THE FRONT TIRE AND ALMOST CRASHED, BUT HIS ARM STRENGTH PREVENTED IT FROM HAPPENING. WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED, THE CONSUMER GRABBED THE HANDLE BARS AND EXERTED OVER 150 POUNDS OF PRESSURE, ALONG WITH DECREASING DECELERATION TO 40 MPH, THEN TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE CONSUMER NOTICED THE TIRE WAS COMPLETELY FLAT AND THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF ANYTHING PENETRATING THE TIRE. THE… |
| Unknown Or Other | 133.3%ODI 757496THIS PART WAS REPLACED AS A RECALL ITEM. THE REPLACEMENT PART FAILED IMMEDIATLY. THE DEALER WAS NOT GIVEN ATHORIZATION TO DO THIS RECALL. THEY WOULD NOT RELEASE MY VEHICLE WITHOUT IT BEING DONE. THIS WAS '!@#$%. THEN THE RECALLED PART FAILED IMMEDIATELY. I WANT TO BE CONTACTED. NO SAFETY DEFECT MENTIONED. *AK | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
Darker cells indicate a larger share of submitted complaints. Components overlap. This measures complaint composition, not failure probability.
Failure mileage by component
Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.
| Component | Mileage range (25th–75th percentile) | Median | Usable records | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No usable records for this analysis. | ||||
Complaint and recall timeline
Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.
Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.
Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples
| Month | Complaints | Campaigns announced | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2024-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-10 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-10 (partial) | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
Emerging complaint spikes
Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.
This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.
No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.
Equal-age model-year comparison
Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.
1999: 0 complaints · 2002: 0 complaints
| Model year | Through age 0 | Through age 1 | Through age 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Date coverage across each selected cohort
| Year | Incident dates used | Filing date fallbacks | Excluded dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.
Components reported together
Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.
| Component | Service Brakes, Hydraulic |
|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | — |
Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.
Recurring narrative patterns
Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.
0 patterns with matching reports.
No narratives match the published patterns.