Mountain - Prairie Colorado | Kansas | Montana | North Dakota | Nebraska | South Dakota | Utah | Wyoming

Dan Bartell Warning

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Apr 21, 2017 | 05:53 AM
  #1  
BluBeaSSt's Avatar
BluBeaSSt
Thread Starter
|
Tourer
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 435
Likes: 6
From: Kansas City
Default Dan Bartell Warning

This dude is selling Ultima stuff, just a warning post!

*Long rant and Warning to others*
about 2 years ago I finally found a FXR(2) to toy with, and get away from Sportsters. The old 80 was really sluggish compared to the built 1200/1250's I had so this winters project I planed on going through the old girl and making it a new bike. I found someone on Craigslist that was selling 4 Ultima motors as BRAND NEW motors.
Dan Batell is the man that sold these engines. He works at Motorhead Machine Shop out of Owensville Mo, he said they used to be contracted through Ultima to do some of their machine services. They buy a motor kit from Ultima, put it together and throw them on CL. He sounds legit on the phone and for 2800 (No Ignition or carb) bucks for a 120 CI motor I thought what the hell. Meet him in Columbia, everything seemed legit.
Fast forward to about a month ago, finally getting around to putting the FXR back together. Going to put the ign on it, and noticed something in the end of the cam where the rotor bolt goes. It's a broken off TAP (Not a bolt a TAP). After about 10 phone calls and a few voice messages he finally text me back. Told me to send him the cam back and he would swap me out a cam, send me the gaskets I need to change it and all. Instead of just taking the pressure off the cam to get it out I yanked the motor BACK out of the bike and yanked the rocker boxes apart to find washers floating around in the top of the rocker boxes. THEN I found another washer hanging out about to roll in on a valve spring on top of the head.
At this moment Dan Bartell wouldn't return my calls about any of this, this made me question everything about this motor, looking inside the oil old behind the cam looked clean and new, a long with the pistons inside the spark plug holes but I questioned the bottom end. I got another cam (From Jireh Cycle NOT Dan) and gave the whole thing to Dave Adam's out in Grain Valley. He went though it, made it all right (Cases/Jugs were rebuilt but everything else is NEW, but it's not a 100% brand new motor like I was told) and now I'm finally going back together again (After wanting this bike done about a month or two ago).
I didn't write all this for sympathy or anything, just to get the word out about this man. Dan Bartell told me he goes to the Twin Swap meet's all the time so be on the look out for this man and he's con-*** ways!
 
Reply
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
inthechateau
Touring Models
34
Mar 12, 2021 12:08 AM
BluBeaSSt
Great Lakes
1
Apr 27, 2017 02:08 AM
tgaetto
EVO
34
Apr 20, 2017 09:08 PM
perpulreaper
EVO
13
Apr 20, 2011 07:42 PM
FXD95
Exhaust System Topics
4
Apr 15, 2010 03:30 PM




All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:49 PM.

story-0
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles

Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-29 16:50:35


VIEW MORE
story-1
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: Not every Harley gets it right, but these are the ones that genuinely earned their reputation.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-15 14:23:21


VIEW MORE
story-2
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-01 20:01:09


VIEW MORE
story-3
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In

Slideshow: Killer Custom's "Jail Breaker" build focuses more on stance and visual aggression than mechanical overhaul.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-18 19:20:32


VIEW MORE
story-4
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?

Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-07 16:15:30


VIEW MORE
story-5
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's new RMCR concept revives the café racer formula with modern hardware-and it may be exactly the reset the company needs.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-04 12:23:37


VIEW MORE
story-6
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II

Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-02-24 18:19:44


VIEW MORE
story-7
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy

Slideshow: There is no shortage of great motorcycles to buy, but we would avoid these ten.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-02-19 14:50:51


VIEW MORE
story-8
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-01-13 18:33:17


VIEW MORE
story-9
Southpaw Super Glide: A Left-Hand-Drive 1979 Harley FXE Built to Fit the Rider

Slideshow: Graeme Billington's left-hand-drive Shovelhead is as much about problem-solving as it is about classic Harley form.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2025-12-30 11:27:08


VIEW MORE