| Author | Message | ||
     Tigerbuell |
My good friend has a BMW R1100 and I let him ride my XB9S today. He went about 2 miles and came back looking like he'd seen a ghost. His response: "That thing is scary unstable" I then rode his bike and I understood his misconception. To me unstable is wandering and oscillation. On the BMW the steering is big time different. I think he is used to more input and slower response and when he did the same on the Buell he was scared by how 'flickable' it is. I am no expert on suspension but I feel very comfortable on the bike but I can see how some people would get a bad impression of these bikes as he did. When I first rode it I kind of had the same impression but now that I am used to it I love it. What do you guys think? | ||
| Macbuell |
Our XB's are very sensitive to suspension set-up. If his weight and riding style is different than yours and the way the suspension is set up it can have a dramatic impact of the handling of the bike. That being said, he probably just wasn't used to how quick the bike steers. Any bike takes a little time to get used for someone who hasn't ridden it before. | ||
| Darkducati |
Hmmm. I decided to buy my XB within the first mile from the dealership. By the end of the 10 mile test ride, I was ready to beg, borrow, steal, and or fight for it. Because, it was the most stable and confidence inspiring bike I had ever ridden, and I have ridden a lot. Just be happy it handles awesome when you ride it! | ||
| Doerman |
I own a R1100S and an XB9R. The difference between the two are striking.The Beemer follows what you intend to do with a slight time lag. The XB does what you want it to do instantly. I think it comes down to wheelbase difference and weight. The Beemer weighs 100 lbs more and 6in longer wheelbase than the XB. At high speeds the Beemer seems more planted (100MPH+). The characteristics of these two bikes are different. Your buddy's perception of an XB being unstable is because it is different. I bet he has little to no experience on sportbikes. Asbjorn | ||
| Court |
I agree with Asbjorn. The BMW will handle more, in part due to the position of the rider, like a Buell RS/RSS-1200. I suspect, not having any info on the set-up that you can interpret "unstable" as "unfamiliar". Court | ||
| Spike |
I can see why he'd perceive an XB9S to be unstable if he's not used to more nimble bikes, but unless something is severely wrong with your bike then it's not actually instability he's feeling. XBs are very stable. I often take my hands off the bars of my XB12R if I'm just coasting or I need to adjust a glove or something and I've never had any stability issues. I'll bet if he put a couple hundred miles on the XB before switching back to his BMW he'd be calling the BMW sluggish and the XB flickable. | ||
| Starbellied_sneetch |
I've owned a few BMWs. The combination of stability and agility is amazing. Most BMWs will tip into a corner with seemingly no effort. With my Buell I feel like I have to apply more body english or force to the bars. The BMW just kind-of leaned in on its own. Still, I like the characteristics of the Buell steering better. I can "feel" it more or something. And it's never felt unstable to me. | ||
| Thelumox |
same as darkducati. within one mile i was ready to write a check. the first time i did a fast left to right i almost launched myself into the ditch! mine is a little scary above 90 or so, like the front end needs about 100lb weight...or a spoiler, yeah, maybe a spoiler. | ||
| Reepicheep |
I noticed that riding a friends VStrom. Very little resistence tilting it into a corner, and it would track there until I pulled something to make it go back. On my XB, I have to push harder to make it lean, and keep pushing to make it keep turning, otherwise it self rights. This is the way I prefer it, but I could adapt to either. Never felt it unstable, but I have felt it automatically self correcting due to wind buffeting along the interstate remarkably quickly. That could feel like instability or even a slow weave if you did not know what it was doing. | ||
| Terribletim |
Hey Spike - I have a '03 XB9r, she's all stock basically, when I let go of the bars at anything over 40, the front end shakes pretty bad, kinda like the shopping cart wheel thing. Under 40 and it's solid as a rock. Should I check anything out or is that normal? Maybe I should just keep my damn hands on the bars on the freeway?!?!?!  It's the only sport bike I've ever owned, so I have no comparison. | ||
| Lost_in_ohio |
I am gonna say that ain't normal. I can take my hands off the handle bars at any reasonable speed an there is no shimmy. I would spend some time and see where it is loose or out of balance. | ||
| Aldaytona |
It's only OK to have your hands off the bars on the BMW, how else are you going to fax, phone, ipod, xm, gps, drink coffee, or track Soviet subs under the Polar ice pack. The only time you should have your hands off the bars on your Buell while you're riding is if you highside. | ||
| Naustin |
Terribletim,  Something is wrong there, big time... | ||
| Spike |
Tim- I would start by checking tire pressures and looking for unusual wear on the front tire. The original Dunlop on my M2 had some cupping near the center of the tire and my M2 would also get a slight wobble in the front end if I took my hands off the bars. When I replaced the front tire the problem went away completely and I never saw it again. If you don't find anything with the tires my next guess would be to check the suspension settings or the steering head bearings. | ||
| Terribletim |
Spike - You probably hit it dead on! I know the front tire needs replaced, it is below the wear indicators. Maybe that is what I'm feeling. If I just rest one hand on the bar, it completely stops the wobble. Thanks for the insight, that gives me a good place to start. | ||
| Sweatmark |
Tiger- My wife would attest to the differences between XB and Beemer R1100. Bought the XB for her (good ergonomic fit) but she hated it... got her an R1100R instead and she was instantly comfortable with bike handling. She's now riding my old R1150R enthusiastically, and won't touch the Buell. OTOH, I love the XB for the handling traits described above! Very twitchy compared to the Beemers (5 oilheads experience), though "responsive" is more apporpriate term. | ||
| Cityxslicker |
My xb is stable through the corners, right up until the friction zone makes the dirt slide out from under the tire. Drifting on dirt is so much fun, I would never attempt it on a BMW with Shaft drive  | ||
| Rubberdown |
Hey City, I do it....  . | ||
| No_rice |
hey sneetch, do you still have the original style dunlops on that thing? if you do that would explain needing to push on the bars fairly hard in corners. | ||
| Drummer |
I don't yet own a Buell but I have/had two Hondas and two Suzuki SV650s. Almost every test I've ever read about either of the XBs says that the bike wants to "stand up" in the corner....especially under trail braking. Can anyone explain that further and when that occurs is that the sensation of having to keep pressure on the bars to get all the way through the corner? Have you experienced it? Does it bother you? Thanks much. | ||
| 4cammer |
Had my 07 XB9R set up for my weight at the HD store before they delivered her, so she should be pretty well dialed in. That being said, the first time I took her out I almost stained my leather lined jeans. Flickable and telepathic chassis are terms that do not come close describing this bike. Wow. And I thought my now sold Ninja 250R was hardwired to my brain. I bought my Buell w/o a test ride by the way- I knew it was the bike for me. | ||
| Dbird29 |
Get the Pirelli Syncs with the rounder profile and the stand up in corners will be gone. Search the KV for the 100 different threads about tires, almost nobody like the Dunlops. | ||
| Stang37 |
At the risk of my marriage I bought my first roadbike, the Buell 07 XB9SX. After only a mile or two I noticed it felt very similar to my MX yz250f. Stable and attuned to input. I am a believer already. | ||
| Ulendo |
rubberdown - you need to apply more throttle on that thing to get it to back in properly  stang37 - if you think it handles like a MX bike, you've gotta come ride with either Cityxslicker or myself | ||
| Tommy_2stroke |
The tendency of the XB to stand up under braking is actually pretty mild. Once you are aware of it you won't feel that it is a problem at all. You can even use it to your advantage. I do most of my braking on the approach to the corner, and just as I ease off the front brake and turn in the bike falls easily into the turn. Then roll the power back on really early. (I know I have two left feet but there's something about the XB that makes me feel like Nicky Hayden). I once had a Ducati Paso that had an EXTREME tendency to stand up under braking... if you so much as touched that lever while leaned over it would stand straight up and salute! Very unnerving for an inexperienced rider, as I was then (and still am, really). By the way, not all Dunlops are bad... the new Qualifiers are first-class sportbike tires and work well on Buells. | ||
| L_je |
To address (or dodge) Drummer's question about the XBs standing up in corners: Leaning my Uly is effortless. Under hard rear braking, my bike will tend to stand up in corners, but only when the braking is hard enough to make you want to stand up, else you may break your contact patch by asking for too much simultaneous cornering/breaking. If you further adjust the suspension, you should be able to eliminate this. ...though it has never bothered me. I rode a Firebolt one day, and found the bike really difficult to lean over. It liked to stay upright, even without braking. I should have brought a screwdriver and wrench with me; lesson learned. Properly adjusted suspension can be key. I just purchased a used Ducati MTS 1000S for my wife. Riding the bike home, I wasn't that impressed. I spent a couple of hours playing with the suspension, and finally got it to where I like it. The good news is that my wife likes the new settings, too. She had asked me not to muck with it, and said the bike was "just fine", but I knew it could be way better. I don't know why, but most 600s don't offer fully adjustable suspension. I really liked the MTS 620, but the lack of fully adjustable suspension made me seek out the 1000 or 1100, not just for the engine size, but more for the suspension flexibility. | ||
| Corporatemonkey |
I am still scared of BMW's  When I was learning to ride (long before I had a moto license) I was turned loose on a fully faired K75. Talk about poor first bike experience. That full fairing made me nervous as hell. The weight didn't help either, nor the fact that the rear brake didn't work. To this day when I see a k75 I sweat a little.  (Message edited by CorporateMonkey on March 24, 2007) | ||
| Mikexlr650 |
with the stock dunlops my bike had a constant wobble if you let go of the bars. mich pilot powers took car of it. get some new tires and spend a few hours running back and forth on the same set of twisties trying different suspension settings (thanks hammer). it will be a different bike. these bikes really respond to a little time spent tunning your "clickers". | ||
| Starbellied_sneetch |
No rice, I do still have the original dunlop on the front, and it needs replaced. | ||
| Liquorbox |
What's a "rear brake"??? | ||
| Debueller |
IMO, a person that mistakes instability for responsiveness is a poor rider. (or inexperenced) | ||
| Nasty73z |
A goof friend of mine who rides a nice '04 R6 rode my XB12s for the first time a few weeks ago. I let him take it out for 30 minutes or so and the first thing he said when he got back was "damn, this thing changes direction scary fast. when I first leaned it over I thought it was going to fall it went so fast." Coming from an R6 rider (which IMO is one of the best handling 600's) I took this as a compliment. I think the fast "fall in" of the XB is further extended by my choice of Pilot Powers, sine their triangular profile will roll onto its edge faster. | ||
| Jlnance |
"That thing is scary unstable" Just because I can get pedantic on occasion ... In engineering circles stable has a fairly precise meaning. If the bars aren't swinging lock to lock the bike is stable. I'll go take my meds now...  | ||
| Stretchman |
"The XB does what you want it to do instantly. I think it comes down to wheelbase difference and weight. The Beemer weighs 100 lbs more and 6in longer wheelbase than the XB." That's it exactly. I have a Harley, and that's what I can't explain to people who ride them. The Buell seems to do exactly what I think it will. It is a much more intuitive ride. Stretch (Message edited by stretchman on March 27, 2007) |
