| Author | Message | ||
     Chainsaw |
Thanks for the heads up Darthane!
No trouble on mine with the belt guard, but I just took off my seat to find it rubbing through the red boot on the positive battery cable. 2600 miles, wasn't showing copper just yet, and now I can fix it before it does. Thanks again!  | ||
| Donald |
Spiderman, Sparky & Bryan Thanks for all your help. With the race kit installed the fan does not come on as much. Thanks again Donald | ||
| Davegess |
Here is an interesting comment from a bud who had a chance to ride a firebolt at blackhawk farms. Blackhawk farms is a nice club roadrace course, kinda bumpy for a race track and pretty twisty with one decent straight. About 2 miles long. He is my age and an excellant rider, used to road race, no championships or anything but a pretty good racer. Definatly out of racing mode these days, hasn't raced in decades. Anyway the guy in front of him is riding an RC51 very very hard so he says "wonder if I can keep up like that Burnsie guy did in the MO story. So he puts his head down and to his amazment starts reeling the guy in! The guy knows he is there and is riding the hottest bike at the track day and is trying yet my buddie kept reeling him in. After several laps his lack of racing time showed and he tired out and wisely backed off. Later in the pits he went to check this guy out and he is a recently retired AMA Pro racer (A guy who has run up front and qon races. Don't want to embarass him by mentinoing his name) trying to keep sharp in case he can get a ride next year. My buddy bought the bike 'cause he is a Buell guy and buys the fine handling argument Buell is selling but after those laps he is simply Ga Ga over the bike. His comment, "I spot the guy 50 hp, 20 years, and a whole world of talent and I still can catch him!! Anyone who thinks this is not the greatest handling road bike ever is nuts." I wish I could have seen it. I also wish the magazine guys would wake up and stop looking for things wrong, yeah it does not work like any other bike in the world. It works better. | ||
| Snowdave |
Just had my first test drive on an XB - wow! I have mixed feelings about the bike, but there is no doubt that it is a wheelie machine - a requirement for any hooligan bike. I actually prefer the shifting on my M2 with the Banke shifter, although I know for a fact that the XB I tested had the snot beat out of it. It was at IL HD/Buell and it was the bike they took to Blackhawk Farms with their BRAG group. It accelerates faster than my M2, but gear selection is critical with the smaller motor. Wrong gear - no acceleration, right gear - huge wheelies. I noticed that the bike gets pretty warm fast. Unlike mine, the heat starts coming up from everywhere, not just the rear header. Also, I can't get used to a bike with a fairing. I have ridden several and it just doesn't feel right. I thought the riding position was comfortable, but I'm weird like that. The only awkward part is how far forward you are positioned on the bike. I felt like I was sitting over the clipons. Anyway, great bike and thanks to Sam & IL HE/Buell for letting me ride it. If I didn't already own a bike, nevermind two, I would seriously consider an XB. Who knows, maybe after a have a year of racing with my M2, I will want to change over the XB like Marty at Sauk Prairie. Although, the race parts need to be more readily available. Also, can the kickstand from the XB be adapted to an M2? I want to add one to my racebike for those times when I want to ride it on the street! | ||
| Java |
Snowdave; I know what you mean about getting used to a frame mounted fairing. But, because you sit so far forward on the 'bolt, and the bike is so small, I don't remember even being able to SEE the fairing on my test ride! I WILL have one, soon as I can get my finances in order. | ||
| Rd350 |
I was wondering if the Firebolt has a lock on it for helmets? Also has anyone tried the custom seat is it better than the stock one? | ||
| Spiderman |
No lock for helmets. As for the seat ????? My buddy is gettin one so he'll be able to tell ya soon. | ||
| Paroyboy |
As for the helmet lock question, has anyone ever seen or tried something called the Helmet Guardian? It mounts under your license plate. Looks interesting. Lowest price I've found is $39.95 \image {Helmet Guardian} | ||
| Paroyboy |
OK, so the image thing didnt work. Here is a link http://www.cyclegadgets.com/Products/Guardian/ | ||
| Chainsaw |
Helmet Lock: I put mine on the right side passenger peg and run a gun lock cable through the visor and around the frame. Got a free gun lock from Walther and Beretta, tough to beat that price... | ||
| Crusty |
I put a Helmet Guardian on my M2. It rattled like a (deleated expletive). I couldn't take the racket, so now it sits in the garage. | ||
| Rd350 |
Well tried to trade the Blast in on a Firebolt today. But the dealer wouldn't take it in on trade. They wouldn't take my S-1 either when I wanted to trade that in. So I will not spend a single penny there anymore. Lost my business. What good is a dealer if they are not willing to keep a repeat customer coming back. Not very smart on their part. And they are a hugh H-D dealer and could take the bike in if they wanted too. So it looks like I have to go somewhere else to spend my money. Does anyone know who I can talk to about a trade in? Somewhere in the Rocky Mountain area? Don't want to truck the Blast to Europe if I don't have too. | ||
| Superbad |
RD ... That sucks! I think that any dealer should take in any brand they sell on trade. I thought about trading in my Ducati 748 once on a R-1... They said NO Ducati's then they offered me about half what it was worth in trade. I hope you find a good shop to deal with, maybe someone here wants your blast. Bobby | ||
| S1_Buell |
I stopped by the Buell plant this week just in time to see Shawn Higbee and another rider trying to break the belts on a couple of XB9R's on the street in front of the plant. Wheelie after wheelie and the belts would not break but they made a real loud clanking noise each time they hit it hard. Is this the idler pulley banging around? Just wondering. | ||
| Blake |
It's a bit late for product verification testing don't you think? | ||
| Court |
>>It's a bit late for product verification testing don't you think? No, early  | ||
| Starr |
RD, regarding the Blast trade-in, call Chick's HD/Buell in Albuquerque, NM. It may be a little far south for you, but they are a great dealer. Talk to "T.J." and mention me (Greg Starr). I put on the "touring" seat last weekend, it is a MAJOR improvement. Much more comfortable for longer rides. Since I frequently remove the seat (for stuffing tank bag strap out of the way) I made a quick-disconnect by putting a bolt in the frame onto which the seat fits, then a clip through the bolt. I can remove/reinstall the seat in just a few seconds. I had already done the same thing on my Aprilia Mille. | ||
| S2no1 |
Me Thinks it was not a 9 they were riding? Arvel | ||
| Two_Buells |
helmet lock. The rear seat on the XB has a good lock and I was thinking of rigging up some kinda cable thing like the X1. as for the seat I bought the custom seat and love it. | ||
| Tripper |
Court sneaks in another one... "early" ???? | ||
| Mikep |
All, What fluid do you use in your XB transmissions? I am looking to change to a full synthetic for the tranny. I already run Mobil 1 15w-50 in the engine. Thanks, mikep | ||
| Mikej |
"Me Thinks it was not a 9 they were riding?" Perhaps a 12 maybe? Eh? "Court sneaks in another one... "early" ???? " Nah, I'm going with Blake's "late" on this one. Should be a real interesting Springtime and at the 100th. Question: how do you make a statement, annoy the annoyers, and still get away with it inside of a bi-polar corporation? Oh, there be ways.  | ||
| Sparky |
Just installed the last of the race kit, the muffler, and test rode the bike around the rock store yesterday. What a difference! Not nice little bike anymore. Sounds bad-a$$, really catches cop's attention now! What's amazing is the engine revs so quick that when snapping the throttle while downshifting thru the gears, it sometimes makes a single pop & it's there, ready for the next gear. Compared to my carb'd bikes that I can hear rev up between gears, this is uncanny. Fun too! Sparky, ready for Bonneville 96S1, 98S3, 03XB | ||
| S1_Buell |
Let me try this again. A question for those who ride Firebolts. Does the idler pulley make a lot of noise when you let the clutch out too fast (pulling wheelies, doing burnouts, etc). | ||
| Buellish1 |
Never heard mine do that. | ||
| Imonabuss |
Nope, no noise at all, and I have hammered mine. | ||
| Xb9 |
I've been using 15W40 Royal purple in both the engine and Primary/trans. - Made a big improvement in gearbox and really quieted the engine noise (valve train). Also gave me an extra 3-5 MPG | ||
| Paroyboy |
As far as the 15W40 Royal Purple goes, at what mileage did you switch over to it? I always heard not to use synthetic until the engine is broke in. My XB now has 1500 miles on it. If this purple stuff really quiets the valve train clatter, I WANT IT! Would it be safe to switch now? Thanks for any info | ||
| Blake |
Engine oil in the tranny? Hmmmm. Not sure that's a good idea. What made you try that XB9? The extra 3-5 mpg is likely from the lower viscosity of the 40W versus the stock/OEM 50W engine oil. | ||
| Xb9 |
Blake, Paroboy, I went on the recomendation of an engineer at Royal Purple. I even questioned the use of the 15W40 in the tranny, he said that is the equivalent to the Sport Trans fluid. Emails on the corrospondance below. Also, I waited till I had 4,800 miles on it, on the advice of my Dealer (Thiel's in Upper Sandusky, Ohio) (I'm at 7K now) emails: Yes, 15w40 will provide more than ample protection. An SAE 15w40 is not as light as it sounds; it is actually almost identical in viscosity at both low and operating temperatures to an SAE 75w90 gear oil. The difference and the reason SAE assigns entirely different viscosity numbers to motor oils and gear oils, though they may be similar in viscosity, is because gear oils are formulated with EP additives which you do not want in an engine. Thanks again, Jared Martin Royal Purple Ltd. -----Original Message----- From: Dave Leppelmeier [mailto:dave@go-comptech.com] Sent: Monday, July 01, 2002 11:20 PM To: jaredm@royalpurple.com Subject: Re: Harley-Davidson Sport Trans equivalent Jared, Just to make sure, your equivalent to Harley-Davidson Sport-Trans Fluid is the 15W40? (HD Sport-trans is the fluid Buell specifies for the primary/clutch/trans). Is your 15W40 safe for the gearbox? I know the HD sport-trans oil is fairly thin (not like a gear oil) but I just need to make absolutely sure for warranty purposes. Thanks, Dave Leppelmeier ----- Original Message ----- From: Jared Martin To: 'Dave Leppelmeier' Sent: Monday, July 01, 2002 5:49 PM Subject: RE: Harley-Davidson Sport Trans equivalent Dave, Sorry about that; SAE 15w40 is recommended in both the engine as well as the primary/ transmission reservoir. Thanks again, Jared Martin Royal Purple Ltd. -----Original Message----- From: Dave Leppelmeier [mailto:dave@go-comptech.com] Sent: Monday, July 01, 2002 4:25 PM To: jaredm@royalpurple.com Subject: Re: Harley-Davidson Sport Trans equivalent Is that for the engine or the primary/transmission? Or Both? Dave Leppelmeier ----- Original Message ----- From: Jared Martin To: 'Dave Leppelmeier' Sent: Monday, July 01, 2002 2:06 PM Subject: RE: Harley-Davidson Sport Trans equivalent Dave, We recommend Royal Purple SAE 15w40 for Buell motorcycles. Thank you, Jared Martin Royal Purple Ltd. -----Original Message----- From: Dave Leppelmeier [mailto:dave@go-comptech.com] Sent: Monday, July 01, 2002 11:48 AM To: jaredm@royalpurple.com Subject: Harley-Davidson Sport Trans equivalent Hello, What is your recommended equivalent oil for use in a Harley-Davidson engine that shares the Primary drive / clutch / transmission? I.E., Equivalent to the HD Sport Trans fluid. This is for an '03 Buell XB9R engine, similar to a Sportster in the shared primary/transmission. Thanks in advance, Dave Leppelmeier |
