| Author | Message | ||
     Dr_greg |
Seems like a few folks have received theirs, but I haven't seen any comments on how the thing works? I know, break-in period, but c'mon...let's hear some riding impressions! | ||
| Dre99gsx |
Used to own an XB12. Sold it. So my impressions are somewhat in comparison to the previous bike. Drove the 1125r to work yesterday (and back), 1 hour each way, mixed highway and rural. Cruised a tad up to 80mph, lots of gear changing and on/off acceleration. Thus far, I noticed the bike lugs quite a bit under 12mph. If you are behind traffic, with my XB, I could get it rolling at 5mph or so and it would easily idle/cruise while inching behind traffic. With the 1125r, I'm constantly on/off the clutch keeping it moving. Otherwise, it lugs pretty badly. I have a hard time finding neutral. After it heats up, Neutral gets easier, but its difficult to engage once stopped. If your rolling to a red light, getting into neutral is easier. If you inch your body as far forward as possible, the riding position is not that bad. I can comfortably keep my weight off the bars using my abs/legs. Much better than the F4i/Ninjas I used to ride. I had to ride with some thick gear due to 30deg weather, but it was manageable. My pinkies got cold, but legs were warm. Also, once your at 70, you can slide back a bit, tuck your head slightly, and you feel no wind. Pretty neat. It handles extremely well in the city. I can toss it like the XB and point to where I need to go with ease. Its a bit hard to see behind me with these mirrors. Somehow, the XB was easy. Just tilt your head a bit to the side and you can see behind you. Not so with these mirrors. I have heated handgrips to install, gotta find some good directions. Whatelse... ah, go over some potholes or puddles and you'll find the bottom half gets extremely messy. Becaause of the exhaust and bath-tub like design, lots of crap sits over the exhaust and cakes on it. After an hour ride, I do get some tingling on the back of my neck. So, the seat position isn't 100% imho. I had looked into adapting XB9/12s bars onto this bike. Might ask Al to see if they can create an upper tripple with drilled/taped/doweled sections to accept regular bars or something. Waiting for the snow to clear before I get more miles on it. The 6krpm till 400mile breakin isn't too bad. You can reach 80mph, but find yourself lugging a bit more if your used to the XB bikes. Just takes some getting used to. Also, I get a nasty fuel smell from the bike. But, not going to bother about it yet. Ah, one more. The ambient temperature is extremely false. It was 33degF out, read 40deg. AS the day went on, began to read 75degF. | ||
| Dre99gsx |
Everyone's 1125 must be a garage queen. No other impressions? | ||
| Darkice19 |
Rode mine for a few hours yesterday. No problems and it shifts smooth compared to my xb9. Didn't notice the hot foot because it was 35 degrees here in nebraska. Only thing i dont like is how the exhaust blows straight onto the rear brake disk. Wish it would have curved out a tiny bit. It has some serious balls for a buell. I can feel my fingers slipping off the hand grips if i get on the throttle. So if you punch it hang on for dear life. To be more comfortable i slide forward on the seat a bit and it makes a huge difference. And i still dont feel much wind. Its a great design. Ill have way more info once all this snow melts | ||
| Wahoo |
I posted a reply to someone asking for my thoughts about it, It has only 180 miles on it... I will be able to ride for a cpl hours after lunch and report after that. Here is the link to what I wrote last night http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/290 431/323556.html?1197603766 | ||
| Bueller_bjorn |
Well I only rode it 24 miles so far but my first impressions over my xb12r are -Wind protection is EXCELLENT I was riding in 35 degree weather and if I was on the XB I would have been a ice brick but this bike the wind goes right around you and the quiet zone works very well when tucked -I drove half those miles in the dark and the lights are far superior to the XB, it really lights up the road much better. -Well keeping it under 6k rpm I haven’t been able to test the pure power yet but I can feel it has more power then the XB - Compared to the XB you do have to rev it more to get it rolling from a stop, the XB you can just about let it out at idle and it moves, the 1125r you got to rev to at least 3k rpm - since the ive been ridding it in freezing weather I think id like to get a hot foot at this point so I can’t really test that till spring - Forgot to add the shifting is so much nicer then my clunky XB shifting but i think you will be shifting a little more to stay in the power on this bike compared to the XB (Message edited by bueller_bjorn on December 14, 2007) | ||
| Dr_greg |
Glad to hear a few tidbits... I'm actually a bit more interested in comparing the 1125R to other sportbikes, rather than the XB (yes, I know, the XB is a sportbike). But I came up via the Ducati and Aprilia route, and those are the bikes I'm comparing the 1125R with... Naturally most of the guys here are Buell diehards (I ride a Uly now, BTW), but does anyone have a feel for how the 1125R stacks up on the road compared to the "other" sportbike twins? Surely some folks in the warmer climes have gotten past break-in? You don't have jobs, do you? | ||
| Darkice19 |
I'm actually a bit more interested in comparing the 1125R to other sportbikes A friend of mine has a 2006 yamamamahaha or something like that. Its an R1 and its pretty quick. I smoked him with my 1125r. And he isn't a noob he knows how to race. I want to race a duc 1098 really bad. It will most likely pull away from me but i dont think by much. A couple lug nuts to the back of his helmet with my slingshot will slow him down enough to where i could pass. | ||
| Bueller_bjorn |
yea i wish i could give you a comparison to a ducati but I've never ridden one, only other sports bikes ive ridden besides the XBs was a 07 CBR 600 and a GXSR750 and i would say the 1125 is way better IMO (Message edited by bueller_bjorn on December 14, 2007) | ||
| Svo1023 |
Dr Greg, I have a xb12r and an aprilia rsv...so i guess i can give you somewhat of an idea..i work at Seminole buell...and have put a few miles on the 1125...my rsv is a bit older so it's not a totally fair comparison..but nevertheless....the 1125 handling feels similar to the xb....but much improved...just my opinion both buells are easier to ride faster and very forgiving....the aprilia handles very good the turn-in on the rsv is very quick....freaked me out the first time. ....power #1 1125 #2 rsv the aprilia does have a very smooth power delivery though.... brakes-- i prefer the feel of the brembos over the ztl2 overall i say the buell is the winner...but for what i paid for the rsv..far less than half the cost of a new buell...i'll keep what i have... just my 02 | ||
| Dr_greg |
Svo, Perfect; that's what I'm looking for. I (also) have an '00 RSV; no it's not worth much anymore but I love that engine. I always said the Rotax engine in the XB chassis would be a great street bike. Now Erik's done it---just trying to get some riding impressions of the thing. Thanks again! | ||
| Svo1023 |
+1 | ||
| Buellnewbie |
Not downing the 1125r, but there is no way an 1125r "smoked" a 2005 R1, unless you're speaking about cornering, in which case the rider has more to do with who "wins". Straight line race an 1125r would have no chance against an '05 R1 unless the R1 was only running on 3 cylinders. | ||
| Anonymous |
Buellnewbie, Don't speak so quickly before you ride one or see the real comparisons. The 1125 is lighter and has more torque and is close on HP. It's a lot faster than some people think. If you think a 2005 R1 needs to be on three cylinders, you are badly mistaken. | ||
| Reepicheep |
An 1125R is lighter then an R1? Really? Holy Smokes! | ||
| Anonymous |
Lighter than a 2005 R1, and lighter than a 2008 GSXR-1000. Heavier than an '06 GSXR, but they added weight this year. Haven't weighed an '08 R1. The 1125 is 420 lbs fully wet except for fuel, and that's good for bikes this size. Of course, each year the bikes make more power, and an '08 R1 makes more power for sure than an '05, but actually the 1125 makes more RWHP on our dyno than did our older R1. Some journalists are deceived because the power is so linear the bike feels mellow, but that's just because there is no power "hit". All the racers who ride one initially think their lap times are a number of seconds slower than they are. When they actually see the lap times, they are stunned. It's certainly not the fastest bike in the world, but it is very fast, and there are not many faster. And there are none funner!  | ||
| Davegess |
I can't wait for a magazine side by side, will be fun to read! | ||
| Coal400 |
Ok... I'm sold. Where do I get one?  | ||
| Jedipunk |
It's fast, sneaky fast. I looked down at the speedo and I was in triple digits without realizing it. It handles like my xb12r, which is great. I'm still getting used to the throttle response because the power is there for the asking. I don't need the front end coming up until I'm more comfortable on this bike. | ||
| Darkice19 |
Its a 2006 r1 and its stock. I ride it all the time and its got balls. After racing around on the buell all day i called him up and we went out riding for about an hour. We stayed neck and neck most of the time and he was pushing his to the max rpms to keep up. Then we hit a straight stretch of highway with only a few cars and just kept speeding up. Then i passed him and he panicked and downshifted for more power and it wasn't there. And i just pulled away. Was the greatest time of my life. Passing a ricer on a buell. Never though i would see the day. | ||
| Molly_hatchet |
interesting...im gonna have to go find me one of these friggin things and ride it....id like to hear more impressions of the buell eatin up a liter sized jap bike... | ||
| Bdeschner |
How will the 1125R do on long trips? Anyone? | ||
| Al_lighton |
I'll know in a couple days. Assuming the predictions for rain back off a bit, I'll be at the Laguna Seca Inside pass day in Monterey on Tuesday. But in order to have my 1125R broken in reasonably well between now and then, I'm driving it from San Diego to Paso Robles on Sunday, about 300 miles. It won't be a rear assessment of it's ability to chew up a bunch of highway miles at a time, because I have to stop a bunch of times along the way and let it cool down to break it in properly. I'm a bit worried, actually. There is a reason I don't own a Firebolt. My old back isn't particularly robust these days. That many miles laid over on a semi crotch rocket is gonna hurt. It ain't no Uly, that's for sure. Al | ||
| Smoke |
picking mine up next fri in atlanta, heat cycling, break in fri, service sat, ride home to louisiana sat/sun. i'll let you know. the 1125R is my new sport tour. i plan on riding to the races at Barber, homecoming and the races at Indy on it next year. tim | ||
| Blake |
Hang tough Al. The sacrifices and pain you endure for all of us are much appreciated. But for some reason, I don't feel all too much sympathy for you in this case. ![: ]](http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/clipart/proud.gif) | ||
| Bob_thompson |
Al and Blake, I do have a particularly good back from structural ironworking in the early days and have had a broken tailbone BUT, I find it easier on my back and seat with a little lean forward position getting the weight off my backside and the vertebra. One thing that really hurts, on a long ride, is the laid back ride of a HD cruiser, even with a cushy seat. Sitting on an 1125 recently I think it will be very good on a nice 200 miler which we do almost every weekend in the summer. But I'm 5'6" also, makes some difference. Bob | ||
| Blake |
Bob, My own ergonomic experiences and preferences match yours. (Message edited by blake on December 16, 2007) | ||
| Ratbuell |
Al, I suspect you're going to be more comfortable on the bike than you think. During class we were on them all day off and on. I'm 6'4" and we were pushing them hard around Pocono East (taped speedos, but estimating by gearing probably 130+ on the back straight), and I never felt fatigued. I'm good for about 2 hours on a 'bolt, but this thing felt great even at the end of the day. Then on the ride home...my poor S2 felt like a dump truck by comparison, LOL. | ||
| Sparky |
Here's what a magazine said in '88 about the RR1000 as compared to (Ninjas):
Erik was laying down the foundation for this superbike 19 years ago!  | ||
| Buellborn |
Then how did the aerodynamic thinking from 19 years ago get lost? The XR1000 was a one piece design like a Hayabusa or a ZX14. The Buell is not naked so why not finish the design for efficiency speed and looks as the XR1000 did in its day. And I dont think I would brag to hard about the roots going back 19 years when you talking about a technology Item. Thats a long time. Lets look back at 1988 Major Events of 1988 Soviets pull out of Afghanastan Ten day seige of Golden Temple Longest undersea tunnel opens Iranian passenger jet shot down by the US Gorbachev announces unilateral troop cuts Sports NBA: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Detroit Pistons Series: 4-3 NCAA Football: Notre Dame Record: 12-0-0 Heisman Trophy: Barry Sanders, oklahoma state, RB points: 1,878 Stanley Cup: Edmunton Oilers vs. Boston Bruins Series: 4-0 Super Bowl XXII: Washington Red Skins vs. Denver Broncos Score: 42-10 US Open Golf: Curtis Strange Score: 278* Course: The Country Club Location: Brookline, MA (*Playoff with Nick Faldo) World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Oakland A's Series: 4-1 Popular Music 1."So Emotional" ... Whitney Houston 2."Got My Mind Set on You" ... George Harrison 3."The Way You Make Me Feel" ... Michael Jackson 4."Need You Tonight" ... INXS 5."Could've Been" ... Tiffany 6."Season Change" ... Expose 7."Father Figure" ... George Michael 8."Never Gonna Give You Up" ... Rick Astley 9."Man In the Mirror" ... Michael Jackson 10."Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car" ... Billy Ocean Popular Movies 1. Beetlejuice 2. Big 3. Bull Durham 4. Cocktail 5. Colors 6. Coming to America 7. Crocodile Dundee II 8. Die Hard 9. A Fish Called Wanda 10. Good Morning, Vietnam Most Popular Books Fiction 1. "The Tommyknockers" by Stephen King 2. "Patriot Games" by Tom Clancy 3. "Kaleidoscope" by Danielle Steele 4. "Misery" by Stephen King 5. "Leaving Home" by Garrison Keillor Nonfiction 1. "Time Flies" by Bill Cosby 2. "Spy Catcher" by Peter Wright 3. "Family: The Ties That Bind" and "Gag" by Erma Bombeck 4. "Veil: Secret Wars of the CIA " by Bob Woodward 5. "A Day in the Life of America" by Rick Smolan Most Popular Television Shows 1. The Cosby Show (NBC) 2. A Different World (NBC) 3. Cheers (NBC) 4. The Golden Girls (NBC) 5. Growing Pains (ABC) 6. Who's the Boss? (ABC) 7. Night Court (NBC) 8. 60 Minutes (CBS) 9. Murder, She Wrote (CBS) 10. Alf (NBC) |
