| Author | Message | ||
     Electraglider_1997 |
Does the muffler valve or does it work as intended? How much maintenance is involved? Does it tend to bind or stick open or shut? Isn't it supposed to smooth out the torque curve? Is it something that you folks wish wasn't there or do you love it? (Message edited by electraglider_1997 on November 13, 2005) | ||
| Brad1445 |
Works without fail. I switched out for a racekit on a Firebolt, Valve does add low end IMO. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
That's one for. Any against??? | ||
| Rubberdown |
I believe that valve works very well. 04' XB12S. | ||
| Lowflyer |
The valve works fine on my Uly. | ||
| Dave |
Electro- My Ulysses (~3600 mi) runs like a top. I adjusted the cable per the maintenance manual at my initial 500 service. It took all of 5 minutes or less. I can't really compare a non-valve XB12 to a valved XB12. With that said, I am tempted to check out a Special Ops or Drummer but I don't want to hurt bottom/mid range or fuel mileage at all. Buell did good with the setup and I believe in the engineering behind it. DAve (Message edited by dave on November 14, 2005) | ||
| Thunderbox |
No need to worry about mid or low end torque with the Drummer. There was some dyno charts posted on here last week and they show beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Drummer is best at low and mid range. Guess whos getting one for hisself? | ||
| Wolffone2000 |
The valve has failed, or the servo for it has, and is producing a 'check engine' light that the dealer is replacing under warranty. | ||
| Stevem123 |
I can say without resolve that this bike is rock solid and the engineering group did their job designing and testing the bike. I have one of the first ones that hit the west coast. Took delivery Aug 7th. I now have almost 4K miles and I'm totally satisfied. Maybe you are worried about your decision to purchace one or maybe you're just bored. My advice is just go buy one and quit worrying yourself to death over it. If there were any major problems with it, you'd be hearing about it already since there are several on the roads now. BC Steve | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
I'm a retired mechanical engineer and as such, I like to delve into the nuts and bolts of machinery more than your normal person. The more you know about things the better I say. | ||
| Stevem123 |
Sorry. This is my second new Buell. My first is the 2001 S3T. Tubers as they are called now, were relentlessly bashed in other forums and the Buell company suffered greatly in sales because the sportbike crowd wasn't satisfied unless the bike had 160 RWHP and could do almost 200 MPH. They ragged the bikes out trying and then blamed the company when they broke. All this has made my original purchase almost worthless for resale so I'm keeping it and hoping it gains popularity with age. It has never let me down and performs good enough to spank sportbikes in the twisties. I didn't mean to go off on you but I really get sensitive to people trying to pick apart the new Buell. The company has worked hard to address all the consumer needs and past complaints. Their engineers are also riders so you can bet money they did the best they could do on the design. It IS the best bike they have built thus far in my opinion. The valved muffler has been in production since the first XB models came out in 2003. I haven't heard of any problems with the design or the valve. The muffler is of stainless steel construction and works well as designed. BC Steve  | ||
| Lovehamr |
The only "problem" that I've had with the valved muffler on my Uly is that it was TO quiet! So I put a pro-series muffler on it and am quite happy with that decision. Though the quiet factor may be a plus for some, I can tell you from experience that you don't lose much bottom end with out the valve and you do gain noticeable power in the mid to upper levels. That being said it seems to be largely a matter of personal preference rather than a reliability or performance issue that makes one owner go the stock route while another goes the modified route. | ||
| Royintulsa |
quoting Electroglider: "The more you know about things the better I say." Believe me, you do not want to know what is in bologna, hotlinks or hotdogs. | ||
| Jim_sb |
Stevie! You go get 'em big dog! Woof!  I spent 4+ years with a fabulous Buell S2. I never understood all the bashing. That bike made me a better rider and gave me the confidence to try things I would not have attempted before. And when I got in over my head? The S2 would bail me out and make me look good in the process. And the Ulysses? All I can say is it's a whole lotta fun. Jim in Santa Barbara | ||
| Frankf |
The instructions from Kevin about the Drummer is to open the valve by pulling the cable at the air cleaner housing, leave the elect connected, and tie the valve open by taping the cable in place. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Royintulsa, Why throw away a perfectly tasty spincter. | ||
| Royintulsa |
See! See! You made my point, my daddy told me I did not want to know what was in that! Why did you have to tell me? When I see the word spincter I would rather have it associated with a motorcycles, high rates of speed and a tightening sensation also known as "pucker" rather than in terms of culinary delights. Please don't tell me what they use to make Jello! | ||
| Mikej |
Roy in Tulsa, Don't click this link: http://www.snopes.com/food/ingredient/jello.htm | ||
| Dave |
The valve came out on XB12s when introduced for the '04 model year. DAve (Message edited by dave on November 16, 2005) | ||
| Chadhargis |
I'm assuming the valve is there for a good reason. Seems like extra complexety for the sake of "gee whiz" factor is against Buell's design philosophy. He seems to be a keep it simple sort of guy. If he could have produced the bike without the valve and it been nearly as potent as with it, then I think he would have done so. Even the "cutting edge" Jap repli racers are using active exhausts such as Yamaha EXUP system. |
