| Author | Message | ||
     Dynasport |
Well, after wanting a Buell for a couple of years and hanging around here while I saved money to buy one, I went into debt a year ago to buy my 2010 XT when the dealerships were trying to get rid of every Buell they had in a week. In all honesty, I would have rather continued to save my money and pay full price, if that meant Buell was still in business. But that was not to be. After having read many posts here about other people's experiences with their Buell's I thought I would share mine. First, I will say as much as I wanted a Buell, I did have some concerns. I ride in Florida where it is very hot most of the year and having read about the heat these bikes can generate (and having it experienced it a bit on some test rides) I was a worried the heat would be excessive. I was also concerned about reliability, as some people have seemed to have quite a few problems with their bikes. In the end, however, I was willing to take the risk and get the bike. As far as my concerns have gone, well the 2010, even with all the heat management improvements it has, still puts out a bit of heat. I haven't really noticed it through the seat, but I do sometimes notice it on my lower right leg. I generally only notice it around town though and it has not been that bad. Certainly not bad enough to make me wish I had not bought the bike. In fact, I don't really think about it that much. As far as reliability goes, I have only had the bike a year, but I have not had one single problem. Well, actually now that I think about it, my left heated grip does not seem to be putting out near as much heat as the right one. I noticed it in the mountains recently. I will probably take it to the dealer to look at sometime, but I am not in a big hurry. The dealer I have been using is 150 miles away. I have a dealer five miles from my house, but I don't care for them. Anyway, outside a heated grip that doesn't heat as much as the other one, the bike has been totally reliable. Hopefully that reliability will continue. One other concern I had was the stock XT bags, I read about the latches not being very sturdy and many of the bags leaking. I have treated my latches very carefully and have not had any trouble with them. They don't seem very sturdy, though and I would really prefer the Outdoorsman bags. I really wish I could order a set of the Outdoorsman bags and mount them on the Journey racks, but since I can't I am just sticking with the Journeys for now. As far as the leaking goes, I have experienced some leakage. It seems to only be a problem with the bike parked in the rain. I think the water comes in through the latch area, but I am not positive. There are really only two other issues I have had with the bike. First, with the stock screen I got a good bit of turbulence at highway speeds. I installed Palmer brackets with my stock XT screen and that fixed the problem. I have no complaints at all about the air flow on the bike now. The second issue is seat comfort on long days. I am not totally happy with my stock 2010 XT seat. It isn't terrible, but long days on the bike are not as comfortable as my Mustang seat on my FXDX. I have tried a sheepskin and beads, and while they help some, it is still not as comfortable as I would like. I have thought about trying an 06 seat or a custom seat, but right now I am living with the seat. Now for my riding impression. I love riding the bike. I have been very pleased with the handling and power (I wouldn't complain about an 1125 powered Uly though, but since that is not going to happen, I am satisfied with the air cooled motor. I did bounce it off the rev limiter in North Carolina recently, which was a bit of a surprise, but most of the time the power is sufficient. The bike got about 38mpg when it was brand new, but the last few tanks have been in the upper 40s. My overall average gas mileage is about 43. I have been pleased with the OEM Pirelli Angel ST tires. The rear tire is trashed and I have ordered a new set that will go on this Saturday. The fueling is pretty good, but not perfect. Sometimes if I don't let the bike warm up enough it can protest when cold, but most of the time it is good. I had some surging in the first 500 miles or so, but that left long ago. Really, I can't think of any other issues. The bike is great. I am so glad I was able to get one. I can't wait to put some more miles on it. (Message edited by DynaSport on October 12, 2010) | ||
| Froggy |
This is due to the left grip being mounted to the metal bar, while the right one is on a plastic tube. The tube insulates while the left grip will lose heat into the bar. I used a thermometer and recorded something like 10° difference between the two. Thank you for your writeup  | ||
| Eulysses |
Thanks for the report Dyna. Pretty much parallels my 09 Uly experience with a few less miles. Euly | ||
| Foximus |
"The second issue is seat comfort on long days. I am not totally happy with my stock 2010 XT seat." Coming from a s1 lightning... I don't even wanna hear it...  | ||
| Bdrag |
Dynasport Pretty much sums it up. I went with the tall seat right after I put my first 100 miles on the bike. It was in stock in a dealer up north and they transfered it down to my dealer. $110 bucks was well worth a try. Its a GREAT SEAT! Tall as hell but a great fix for that flat back of the thigh spot that kills me after a few miles. Just bounced the limiter once? DANG how do you hold back? HAhahaaaaaaa. BDRAG | ||
| Union_man |
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| Xb771 |
I have a 2010 XT also with only 3200 miles,so far no problems. The only thing I want to do is put some comfy handlebars on mine. I don't want ape hangers,just up 6'' and back 6'' I changed the bars on my Yamaha FZ6 with pullbacks 12'' taller than stock. Both the XT and the FZ6 have the Cee Bailey tall wind screen. | ||
| Motorbike |
Dynasport, you really need to try the 06 tall seat. I love mine. It was worth every penny. The only way I will ever put the stock seat back on is if I wreck my tall seat and cannot buy another one to replace it! | ||
| Dynasport |
So, there is nothing wrong with my left grip, that is fixable anyway, and I need to get an 06 seat. One thing, I think I have heard of two 06 seats. One with seams and one without, or something like that. Is there one I should get and one I should avoid? Are they even still available? If any sponsors see this and have those answers I'm up for trying one. | ||
| Xb771 |
I just got a new tall seat last week its seamless only $111 but I like the stock XT low seat much better . | ||
| Tastroman |
I just turned 6k on my 09XT. Likes Great torque Quiet Handling Upright seating position Tons of room to strap stuff Dislikes Stock tall windscreen stinks- (Fixed w/Palmer brackets) Coughs when cold Both stock side cases leak Stock Pirelli Angel rear lasted only 5k Rusting muffler Problems Cracked ECM- fixed under warranty (Message edited by tastroman on October 12, 2010) | ||
| Kenm123t |
If you want to solve the rusting muffler problem save your waste engine oil. Run the bike and get the header hot paint the oil on the muffler after a few applications you will end up with the patina found on old school wraught iron work. Black smiths used the process on fences etc Used it on my M2 before the race header | ||
| Buellyxt |
Appreciate the writeup. I finally got a Blue '08XT from a guy in York, PA (forgot his handle!) over a month ago. Had been fascinated by Buells and finally got around to finding one for the right price three years after first knowing about the XT. Love the bike. 16k miles. Sounds smooth and fantastic. Lightweight and oh-so nimble. Lots of character. The heat issue was greatly abated by the comfort kit and reflash, though the right side frame is still too hot to touch for long after just a few miles of riding. Got some aluminum hvac tape, see if I can get it to stick on the inside next to the rear cylinder for some reflection. But somehow I need to clean it enough to stick. Could be a bonehead idea, though. Other than that, the left front signal nearly fell off after vibrating loose, and I finally figured out what was a short in the signal wire for the exhaust actuator. It was moving intermittently, even with the bike off, giving me CELs every five minutes. Turns out it was rubbing against a piece of the battery tray. Seat is a pretty good fit for me. Made the headlight mod for double on. Bike doesn't need much else. Probably going to switch out the rear for a Michelin Pilot Road 2 in the coming months. Cheers. | ||
| Buewulf |
paint the oil on the muffler That is interesting. I've seen iron smiths burn linseed oil and beeswax into wrought iron furniture to create a blueish-black patina, so this would probably work. How long after did your bike stink of burning oil? | ||
| Zac4mac |
Oil sounds neat. I just keep a can of black 1900 *F BBQ paint handy. Zack | ||
| Pkforbes87 |
Nice report, basically the same as my impressions of the 09 XT I bought a year ago. Two days from now will be our one year anniversary together As some have mentioned, the heat may vary between grips because of the way they're mounted, but I also notice that I don't hold onto the left grip as tightly as I do on the throttle side. Those grips get HOT too! I don't have gloves thick enough to use them on high, I blistered my hands the first and only time I tried. Even the low setting gets uncomfortably warm for me unless temps are below freezing. If you're not happy with your comfort, give the 06 seat a shot. It's taller, but at 5'8" I can still manage to stretch and get both toes on the ground at a stop. My favorite part of the seat is more space between my buns and the rear head. This seat doesn't get nearly as hot as the 09 seat. I guess I could just install the comfort kit fan shroud piece under the seat, but I like the idea of having heat down there during my winter riding. As for rust on the muffler, every time I change the oil I rub the old stuff all over the muffler. Maybe the aforementioned method of "painting" the oil on after the muffler is already hot would be more effective? | ||
| Flwindsurf |
Ditto for me. Had my 09 Uly delivered last November. I'll blast through 13K by 10 a.m. today. Heat isn't an issue unless you're wearing your maroon double knits from the seventies. Had a cracked ECM - fixed under warranty and like me, it hates the cold. | ||
| Tachout |
Dynasport you can put the outdoorsman bags on the stock uly brackets. you will have to buy the turn signal bracket that comes on the police model. the bracket is only about 25.00. i use both bags on the same brackets. i also have a buddy with a police model and he can also swap bags. | ||
| Dynasport |
Thanks for the info Tachout. I was under the impression that you also could not use the passenger pegs with the outdoorsman and had to turn them around opposite of the Journey bags. One question, what makes you decide which set of bags to use? | ||
| Whisperstealth |
Thanks for the report! Good to hear the bike has done you well. Next week, it'll be one year, and about 18,500 miles. I'll have to due a write up like yours | ||
| Barkbuster |
Bought my bike a year ago too! Mines an 08xt and it had 3000 miles on it when i got it. It was a rental for 2 seasons @ Hals Harley so it was broke in when i took it home. The front brake was already warped but I rode till summer with the pulsing, and was going to go to homecoming weekend but the rear wheel bearings failed that week.The bike would have been down for 6-1/2 weeks but i bought a used wheel on ebay while I waited for the 2010 upgrade. Hal`s took care of the front brake issue,new rotor and pads.Rear strada was gone when the bearings failed replaced with an Angel.That was toast 5000 miles l8r. Added farkles along the way  il temp dipstick, Rox Risers, Madstad windshield,Stebal horn,Balwin saddle,Barkbuster VPS Handgaurds,Reflashed stock ecm ,then an Erik Buell Racing race ecm Signal Dynamics led voltage monitor,Wally world driving lights. currently running Michelin pr2`s front and rear.The bike has 14000 mile now and has been trouble free since the brake and wheel were replaced. This bike is so much fun its cut into my dirt bike riding time.I haven`t done a 10000 mile season since I was a youngster. Other farkels I`ve added to support the riding experience Alpinstars waterproof boots,Teiz motorsports Lombard riding suit,Warm & Safe heated jacket. I`m not done riding it this year yet and hope to get to the Southeast and use up the sides of my pr2`s before xmas I`m keeping this bike till Erik makes another one, which may be awhile! | ||
| Barkbuster |
Oh I forgot to add a couple farkels I got for the wife. Comfort-max sheepskin gel pad and custom rear footpeg relocators to move her feet forward and down.I got the footpeg thingys from a fellow from this forum I can`t recall his name.Half the miles i did this year included my wife. The Uly is a fine 2-up sport tourer but it seems to be tough on back tires. Rwven was the fellow badwebber That made the peg relocators (Message edited by Barkbuster on October 17, 2010) | ||
| Smac |
Dynasport, I recently added the 06 tall seat to to my 08XT...night and day comfort improvement if you can handle the extra height. But, it does hinder your ability to hang off the seat in the twisties. So, I switch my seat depending on the route...easy change. I believe if you order the 06 seat new, the seamless supersedes the original. I bought mine from Chicago HD (unfortunately not a sponsor) for $99.55 shipped & it did not have the seams. Part number is N0025.1AKFYW. | ||
| Closetbueller |
We knew that the XT was the bike we needed to get and one year ago made the decision that is was now or never. Went for a ride to the dealer to see if they still had the blue XT that we drooled over for so long. It was our lucky day, as it was still there and they didn't come up too much from the really low offer we made. Other than regular maintenance and tires, it has provided us with 15000+ miles of riding pleasure in the past year and continues to please us more with every ride. These were made to be ridden and this is what we do. | ||
| Blasterd |
3 more days until I picked mine up last year. I'll chime in then..... | ||
| Barkbuster |
Nuts I forgot about the Vibranator handlebar inserts I installed last month. Out of sight out of mind,one of my best farkels too! | ||
| Tankhead |
What size Vibranators? I don't want the bar end type just the insert kind.... tanks | ||
| Barkbuster |
the large ones! |
