| Author | Message | ||
     Wsplrll |
I just picked up the March 06 issue of Bike magazine. I usually like their approach - decidedly leaning to sportbikes - no pun intended. In this issue they do a compare of "supermotos" The KTM 950 , the XB9SX and a Yamaha XT660x single that I beleive is not available in the states - not that this is a comparable trio - or even relevant comparison. But... They ultimately give the Buell 2 stars and a rather disparaging review. The engine is an "athsmatic lump" they have issue with the handling - it "needs power steering" ""has to be coaxed into a corner" and "leaves you wrists aching after 5 laps". The seating position is compared to sitting on the toilet - I assume that is not a compliment. Anyway - I am just surprised at the things that they came up with in this article and don't agree even though I don't pretend to be an expert and don't do any track time. Doesn't line up with any of the other articles I read before I purchased my City Cross. I know there are sportbike snobs out there that hate everything Buell even though many of them have never even ridden one. I went out for a spin to make sure I wasn't crazy....I love this bike. I guess that is what is important. Maybe they are pissed at Americans for other stuff? Just a rant. | ||
| Alexfiggy |
love my city cross  | ||
| M1combat |
Needs power steering? Wow. I suppose though, compared to a super-moto it might... It's NOT a super-moto by any stretch. Asthmatic lump... I don't really see that either. It may not have the power of an comparably displaced IL4 but it has boatloads of torque for sure. "Leaves your wrists aching after 5 laps..." Yep... That's the bread and butter statement right there. I think they had too little tire pressure in the front, the suspension wasn't adjusted correctly, and they were supporting their weight with their arms... All decent technique on a super-moto... I'd just chalk that one up as a journo that put the wrong bike in the wrong comparison... | ||
| Hippo888 |
I've been contemplating another XB9 (I had an '03 XB9S). Is the steering still really, really heavy? I've heard the bike is better with different tires, but I never got used to the steering feel. Bar effort at 40mph on my XB9S was similar to the bar effort at 120mph on my ZX-6R -- you really had to use some muscle to keep the bike on your chosen line. Are the long wheelbase bikes better? I'd really like a Buell again, but absolutely HATED the steering. I can't believe that it's just a tire issue (I've never had a tire make that much difference). | ||
| Kdan |
I'm thinking it's a meat issue. I have some meat on my bones and can fling my XB9S through anything easy as you please and have no problems adjusting mid corner if I'm in too loose or too tight. But it's not a Supermoto by any stretch of the imagination. Back end sticks too good to slide. But I'm biased, I think Bike magazine sucks. Their reviewers are all tiny little feminine european guys. | ||
| Bartimus |
I only have 200lbs of meat on my bones and it's no problem getting my city-x to fling itself into the corners. Like M1 said, your suspension setup, and tire pressures have ALOT to do with how your bike handles. If you have the wrong setup or pressures, your bike will handle like crap. | ||
| Dmextreme |
my cityx handles better than those lumpy RC51. Friend of mine has one of those and a F4 and he agrees that the handling of my bike is way better than the 2 of those combined. the RC51 is lumpy and oblong.. doesn't corner as good as the cityx. I love my bike.. like my profile says... Rock on.. screw what the magazines say.. the owners can tell a different story, you can bet bottom dollar. my .02  | ||
| Kowpow225 |
It seems like every motorcycling mag on earth has ribbed them about the high amount of 'steering effort'. Total crap. I think it just doesn't behave identical to most of the other bikes in this category so it freaks them out a little. It's different...that's part of the magic, baby!  | ||
| Hippo888 |
I should clarify my concerns. My XB had acceptable turn-in manners and heavy, but acceptable steering. What drove me nuts was the unlike every other bike I've ridden on the street, once you get the bike leaned over to your desired lean angle, the bike pushes back! You have to keep pushing the bars to hold the bike down on your chosen line or it swings wide (I don't even want to talk about what happens if you try to trail the front brake). I've had to fight bikes to hold a line -- but it's almost always been at the track and at elevated speeds you can't reach on the street. I always associate that pushing back feeling with the need to start getting serious about front end traction (ie. it's the bike's way of telling me that it's now time to pay some very serious attention to what's going on up front). The Japanese and Ducati supersports are completely neutral until you get some serious lean/speed into them. My XB reached this same level of feedback just riding around town. Why should the XB, with such aggressive suspension and geometry specs, handle so poorly? I find that a lot of the enthusiast press has pointed this problem out. I'm also a decent rider with quite a bit of experience in riding bikes quickly. I just want to know what people who have noticed this trait with the XB's have done to rectify it. | ||
| Shea |
In one article I read, the writer had lots of complaints about the Buell XB12s. He felt he was always in the red line, going into the turns the bike over steered (something like that), blah blah blah. By the end of the article, he was loving the bike. Basicly, by the end, he admitted he was trying to ride it like a super bike and was failing miserably. When he finally learned how to ride the bike like it was meant, he had a blast on it and rated it quite high for its' purpose, general, every day riding and funability in the twisties. He realized that you don't need to constantly shift these, turning was much simpler than he was making it etc. Some people just go into it with the wrong attitute and way of thinking. Like said above, he compared it with the wrong group of bikes, which is telling me he had no idea what the bike was for. It's not an all out race bike. | ||
| Bayview |
Last year, Bike Magazine did a list of the TOP 50 CORNERING BIKES OF ALL TIME. The Buell Firebolt was NUMBER 1. It beat every other bike that ever existed including the likes of Ducatis, Hondas and such. So I'd say that mag is schizophrenic at best. Don't question your purchase. Like all Buells, the CityX is a great f-ing bike in the twisties. | ||
| Madsx |
Hippo, From what i've heard the Pirelli tires on '05 and up City's are a much better tire than the Dunlops that may have been on your '03. I think it has something to do with the profile of the Dunlop. I havent ridden an XB with the Dunlops but I havent had any issues fighting my City in a turn. | ||
| Ratyson |
I have never experienced any turning in problems with my cityX. It is always nice and smooth, and flicks where I put it. very responsive if you ask me. And what in the hell were they doing lumping a cityX in with a motard?? They require 2 completely different riding styles. | ||
| Cmm213 |
I have stock tires still on my 9s and It feels great in corners, I cant wait till I get some new tires on it. I think these are very sensitive machines to setup- tire pressure and suspension make a big difference to me. | ||
| Anonymous |
Pirellis, guys, Pirellis. All concerns will be answered. | ||
| Bikertrash05 |
Last year, Bike Magazine did a list of the TOP 50 CORNERING BIKES OF ALL TIME. The Buell Firebolt was NUMBER 1. It beat every other bike that ever existed including the likes of Ducatis, Hondas and such. So I'd say that mag is schizophrenic at best. I was thinking the same thing... | ||
| Metalstorm |
I don't have a 9SX but I have a 12S which is the same thing minus the engine. Having given her a nice set of Pirelli Scorpions and some minor tweaking of the suspension settings I find my bike requires no effort at all. Of course I had been riding a Sportster for the last 6 years & before that a Kawa Zephyr & before that a Kawa EX500 so I have no idea how much effort it takes to turn in a modern 600 or 1000 inline four. But the way I have mine setup, it's predictable & turns in at the speed of thought with no effort on my part as far as I can tell. My wrists love it, my back loves it & my bad hip absolutely loves it. | ||
| Wsplrll |
"Don't question your purchase. Like all Buells, the CityX is a great f-ing bike in the twisties." I don't question the purchase at all. I just was venting. And I agree with "So I'd say that mag is schizophrenic at best. " Thought it was good for debate. I have a Blast also and I have a great time everytime I ride it also. Even though many call it a lawnmower. I just don't expect to do track days with it. }} | ||
| Shea |
^^^Well, I refer back to a sig line someone had on another forum...it's more fun to go fast on a slow bike than it is to go slow on a fast bike.  | ||
| Ginzero |
I didn't know the CityX was a supermoto?? I'm thinking it's in a class of its own  | ||
| Ejiii |
Look at my profile. The picture there is of a VERY trick KTM Duke Supermoto I owned before my XB9SX. I'm no expert but I could ride it hard enough to drag the footpegs riding the Angeles Crest Hwy here in So. Cal. The KTM ripped. The Buell is better! I ride with a lot of good riders that own all kinds of bikes Jap, Italian, German. I will put the Buell up against any one of them any day. The Buell rocks! | ||
| 12r |
Bike is a UK magazine and their comments should be taken within that context. If you rode a CityX in the UK pitched against the KTM and the Yamaha I'm sure it would change your opinions - our riding conditions are sooooo different  | ||
| Wsplrll |
our riding conditions are sooooo different How so? The US is a vast country. I think more varied than most countries, plains, deserts, tropics, mountains, canyons, urban, rural, rainy, arid, humid......we have it all my friend. | ||
| 12r |
Only someone who has never ridden in the UK would think a CityX would be even remotely suitable. Over here they are about as desirable as bird flu. The mirrors and hand guards are too wide, the motor is lifeless down below and the ergonomics are too sensitive to the hazards that the metropolis throws up. All fixable I know but it's a common myth that V-twins in general and supermotards/big trailies in particular are user-friendly. The most suited ergonomy and weight distribution for the road is one which places most weight over the front wheel viz a normal racer-rep and to this extent the Firebolt is much better around town than a CityX and will murder one on the open road. The CityX needs to look towards the Speed Triple/S2R for Euro-inspiration and even to the MV Brutale, Benelli TNT, Z1 and Aprilia Tuono. These are all major players over here and with this kind of competition the CityX loses big-time. | ||
| Volkswagenfreaky |
Only someone who has never ridden in the UK would think a CityX would be even remotely suitable. Over here they are about as desirable as bird flu. B.S ,Who are you to speak for the whole country. | ||
| Swampdog225 |
The CityX needs to look towards the Speed Triple/S2R for Euro-inspiration and even to the MV Brutale, Benelli TNT, Z1 and Aprilia Tuono. These are all major players over here and with this kind of competition the CityX loses big-time. With this in mind you should consider the huge gap in cost between the CityX and the bikes that you mentioned. The only one of those bikes that even comes in the neighborhood as far as cost goes, is the Speed Triple. The CityX is not a bike for all people. If you are looking for most fastest urban streetfighter, then this is not the bike for you. But if you are looking at the price/performance ratio between this and the others that you mentioned, and you want to have a unique bike this is the one for you. In hindsight, the only regret that I have about the XB9SX is that they didn't make a XB12SX. That lack of power is the only bad thing I have to say about the bike. It handles exceptionally in traffic and around town. With the higher revs and bigger bore, the XB12SX would be almost perfect for the price. I'm looking to add a Revolution Performance Big Bore kit and a Micron Serpent Exhaust to mine to get a XB12SX.} | ||
| Light_keeper |
Oh right. I don't know, I think that it might be great fun to have a City X in the UK. But what do I know I have only spent time driving back and forth from Devon to Manchester and out to Anglesey with side trips to London. Exmoor might be quite fun lots of twisties. The motorways, other than being on the other side of the road, were not much different than here. Off the major Motorways with lots of round abouts could be very fun. But then..... oh well nevermind.  | ||
| New12r |
Journalist are full of crap! They all have different opinions just like everyone else only everyone else gets to here it. | ||
| 1313 |
 1313 | ||
| Ted |
Asthmatic lump... lol, I read that couple times before I bought my 9s. It may be that because it has 2x the hp of my previous bike I still found it a gas! I knew I didnt need the hp a I4 1000 would make. | ||
| Buelluk |
12R You go on about different riding conditions in the UK, please enlighten me , I have ridden and ride regularly in both the UK and the US and all the roads have tarmac , cops, cages and other idiots and believe it or not we have a hell of a lot of twisty roads here too. I haven't ridden a CityX but I did have an XB9S until I traded it for my Ulysses. Every time I am in the UK , without fail I wish I had my Buell with me, as the roads always seem to be begging for one. Just one simple question have you ever ridden in the US, or like a lot of people from the UK are you basing your US experience on Disneyland. | ||
| Buellshyter |
I had not ridden in years and took a demo ride on an XB early last summer and I couldn't get that thing to turn for nothing. I tried leaning and pushing with my arms but it was way heavy. I came away thinking it was just me from not being familiar with a sport bike. However, when I bought my XB, it showed none of those negative characteristics. The only time the steering gets a little slow is when the tire pressure falls. Based on my experience, there was something definitely wrong with the demo bike I rode but not something that is common to all the XB's | ||
| Shea |
^^^So many things can be altered to mess up steering. Perhaps tire pressure was off and most of all, the suspension could have been adjusted way off from factory. I must say though, for people who simply kick a knee out and lean a sport bike, they cannot just jump on any bike and turn well. Knowing how to counter steer well along with knowing how to roll the body will enable a rider to be able to turn the most difficult bikes. Not saying you were not counter steering or do not know how to, just a general statement. (Message edited by shea on March 10, 2006) | ||
| Hippo888 |
Shea, I have to disagree with you. I have a decent amount of track experience and road experience. I've ridden everything from cruisers to touring bikes to supermotos to sportbikes. I've never had a bike "push back" (or fight countersteering) on the bars with such vehemence at such low speeds as my '03 XB9S. It handled unlike anything I've ever ridden. Suspension was setup per the factory manual (and a lot of other settings) and I played with tire pressures a lot. I never got it to behave in a "neutral" manner.  (here's me holding up traffic). (Message edited by hippo888 on March 10, 2006) (Message edited by hippo888 on March 10, 2006) | ||
| Old_man |
Hippo, It's the stock Dunlops, they truely suck. I replaced those tires immediately on my XB9S, The Metzler Sportecs made it a completely different handling motorcycle. It's now as it should have been from the factory. (shame on them) | ||
| Creepingmee |
I have owned an '03 9r since new... It has 22k miles and I always replaced the tires with the stock dunlops. Finally, I tried the pirelli scorpion syncs. It was a different motorcycle alltogether I never knew how heavy the bike used to handle untill I changed the tires. Now it's light and neutral. I love my 9r, always have but with the stock dunlops it was always a bit heavy. | ||
| Old_man |
I replaced my dunlops after about 500 miles, I knew the bike should handle much better than it did, it had to be those tires. It was. | ||
| Wazza |
I agree with the tyre comments - I find the Metzeler M1's well suited to my bike but I cant say I ever found my XB9S hard to turn in/hold a line even on Dunlops - in fact what sold me on the bike was the ultra fast turn in and rock solid mid corner feel. I traded in a Speed Triple on my XB, I liked that bike alot but the XB is razor sharp and so nimble in comparison - I do miss the Triumphs engine at times, but I dont miss all those extra kilos sitting high up slowing change of direction and the lazy corner entry. |
