| Author | Message | ||
     Bdrag |
Hey all, I have not posted much of late but have been reading. I finally got the Buell out on the road in Colorado last week. I trucked it up from here in the Dallas area to Salida. A friend lives there and I spend a week there every year if I can. I arrived on Saturday afternoon about 4:00pm. I started the bike to unload it and it would barley run. I mean you give it the gas and it would just bog. Sputter. Spit. CRAP! Now I have had the V strom there many a time and its down on power but never did this. I am thinking the worst about now and regretting not bringing the Strom along as a back up. I unload the bike and limped it over to the garage. We left out early morn about 7:00am for a ride and the bike barley made it the 1/4 mile to the highway on his dirt road from his house. Once on 50 I was barley able to get the bike to about 60 mph. I remembered a thread here about running at 3000 rpm for like 10 minutes to program the FI. So We did about 3 miles to a gas station for the mornin fuel up. It was still running like crap! I told Mike if it didn't clear up in 20 miles I was heading back to get his Goldwing. Well sure enough, about 10 more miles down the canyon from Salida headed towards Cotapaxi the motor started to free up and once we were at 60 mph for a few miles the bike came to life. We needed to pass a few slow cars and when Mike hammered his 09 Connie the Buell jumped right in behind. He would pull me but I was there on his ass for most passes with a little pre planning and anticipation of his moves. I used 2nd and 3rd a whole lot this trip. The bike ran flawless after the first hickups went away. The Buell XB12X with its tall shield and bags even musterd a few blasts on long straights of 108 mph on the GPS . Lonnnnggggg sraights! HAhahaaaaaaa. I was hammering up Monarch pass from Gunison doing about 90 through most of the big clean sweepers following Mike on his connie till he twisted a tad more and just left me and my 49 hp going up hill at around 11,000 feet. I was still hammering as hard as the bike would go when a fellow rider who was 75 plus years old wearing a dirt bike helmet on his 2002 VFR 1000 passed me doing every bit of 120 through a big left hand sweeper. I was still doing about 90 in 3rd gear when this happend. He was go in 2 turns. DAMN old man was laid down on the tank and had the dirt bike helmet pressed against the small wind shield! HAhahaaaaaa. DAMN! So I did about 900 miles over 3 days. The bike ran great. Got many thumbs up from other brand riders. We did some riding in the rain near lake city just after the road crews stripped the road. Needless to say the ECO PAINT just ran off the road all over the place. We were riding on yellow and white canvis painting nice tire stripes all over the road. DAMNIT! The bike has not been washed off yet but many specks of yellow and white are presnt even after a littler rubbing with a finger. Oh well. So all in all with just over 10 k on the 09 I am happy. I took many Spares like a spare belt, hose clamps for the pipe and extra screws which none were needed. The one down side was when we parked in his basement garage the Buell outgasses fuel so bad we had to evacuate the house with the windows wide open for a bit and Mike threatened to make the Buell reside out side the rest of the week. Sighhhhhh. AHhhaaaaaaaa.I had fun and the bike so far is a keeper still. BDRAG  (Message edited by bdrag on July 24, 2011) | ||
| Sfarson |
Enjoyed your report! Yes, the western ascent up Monarch Pass is a great one. Was on it yesterday. And I've learned not to fill the tank on my '09 X all the way up to the top! In case faint interest there are onboard vids here of probably everything you rode... http://rmridervideo.com | ||
| Bdrag |
WOW! Nice site. I will keep it in my favorites and try and veiw them all. HAhahaaaa. Oh but to live out there 3 months a year...... BDRAG | ||
| Hooper |
Has anyone met BDRAG in person, and does he laugh as maniacally as he does on this website? HAHahahaaaaaaa!  Great report! I rented a K1200GT in Denver a few years ago and had a ball touring the north half of the state. Sucker started overheating going up to Loveland Pass in heavy traffic. | ||
| Sfarson |
Oh but to live out there 3 months a year...... BDRAG... Hey, riding year round at 8800ft in South Park (Not far from Salida) is something I do annually, but would note those sizzlin heated grips do come in handy! http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/142 838/611325.html | ||
| Bdrag |
Hooper YES I do laugh a lot. I am a fat and happy camper. HAHhahaaaaaa. BDRAG |
