| Author | Message | ||
     Brandonsbuell |
Hey guys, thanks for being here, the information I've found is great. But there are some small things I cannot get ahold of. I'm about to buy a Buell 9sx or 12s soon, and I've got some questions. At 80mph, how comfortable is the lighting 12s or the 9 cityx on the freeway, as far as the wind, the RPMs, that type of thing? Good for a 150 mile cruise for instance? What is the easiest way to tell a 12 from a 9 on the street if I happen to see one at a glance? What does the 9 and the 12 top out at? MPH wise? Curiousity more than anything, I'll never reach that speed on the roads. Comming from a 450R dirt bike, and a kawi 500 street bike, do you think I'd be likely to get bored of the 9sx? I've got more questions that I can't think of at the moment, but this is a good start. Thanks again! | ||
| Badlionsfan |
the way to tell them apart is the frame color. 9 is silver, 12 is graphite. | ||
| Garyz28 |
Well I can't answer all your questions but I can answer a couple. My XB12X will cruise effortlessly at 85-90. In fact it feels smother at 85 than it does at 65. My son has an XB9R and although it's geared a little lower it does just as well. The quickest way to tell at a glance is XB12's have the frame painted gray and XB9's are painted silver. | ||
| Jos51700 |
XB9 was everything I wanted my Ninja 500 to be. XB12 was everything and more. | ||
| Glitch |
Comming from a 450R dirt bike, and a kawi 500 street bike, do you think I'd be likely to get bored of the 9sx? Why? Are you bored with them? | ||
| Ferrisbuellersdayoff |
I have a 9R and personally at 80mph I think it's using up most of the RPMs. I'm looking into putting a 12 primary set in there, supposedly it will drop my RPMs a good bit. But I do alot of highway riding. I'm not complaining at anyrate, my 9R was the best buy-in I could find and I've been wanting a Buell for a good 5 years or so. I plan on getting a 12 within the next few years, hell I'd rock a Blast if I could get my hands on one for cheap enough. | ||
| Luxor |
+1 I have an 03 9s and an 04 12s. The 9 is better in town, smoother, just more fun. While the 12 is much better on the highway. I had to make a quick jaunt down I-5 the other day so I took the 12, found myself in triple digits very comfortably, didn't mean to, the 9 would have been sweating a little, but again, the 12 has no problem. | ||
| Brandonsbuell |
I'm not bored of my dirt bike by any means, can't get much more power out there than what it's already got. The Kawi 500 I had was a good bike, quick, comfortable, but not overly fast. I started getting bored of it quickly after 1000 miles on it. Thanks for the answers, they are helpful. I will not be doing a whole lot of highway miles, but I will be taking it on trips between 100-200 miles at times. That's why I'm considering the 12s. But I think I'll be better off on a 9 because I've heard they are more fun at speeds under 60, which is mostly where my riding will be. What I don't want to do, is buy the 9, and then be wishing I got the 12s after 1000 miles of riding... it's so hard to decide! | ||
| Brandonsbuell |
Oh and I forgot to ask, where's the best place to find out all the major changes between the years? I'm looking at used and brand new bikes, and I'd like to know what has changed. Thanks! | ||
| Nik |
Your best bet is to go to a test ride one of each and decide for yourself. There's Buell demo days and many dealers have their own demo fleets. The big changes as I remember from when I was looking: 04 switched from gates belt to goodyear belt system (pullies are different!) 04 or 05 got bigger forks. 06 switched to kevlar belt with no scheduled replacement (just the belt, not the whole system) 07 got a better airbox that breaths near the filler cap instead of the LH scoop and has slightly slightly more fuel capacity as a result. 08 a bunch of FI changes and a revlimit raise for the 12. | ||
| Mr2shim |
04+ also got longer mirrors. Done away with those crap 03 mirrors. From what I've come to understand XB9's frame & swingarm are silver. primary & cam covers are black. XB12's frame & swingarm are black. primary & cam covers are tanish color. (Message edited by mr2shim on April 06, 2008) (Message edited by mr2shim on April 06, 2008) | ||
| Towjam |
08 a bunch of FI changes and a revlimit raise for the 12. Actually, a little more than just FI changes. Check out http://www.buell.com/en_us/news_events/newsdetail. asp?news_id=1236 for a complete list. | ||
| Not_purple_s2 |
As far as cruising comfort goes; I did 800+ miles (round trip) on my 03 XB9S for March Badness. My only complaint was the seat. I think the CityX seat would be more comfortable. The fuel light on the XB9 comes on around 130miles, which is the perfect interval to stop and stretch your legs, use the bathroom, get a drink, ect. The wind doesn't bother me since I got proper fitting gear. | ||
| Vwflat4driver |
the 9 does fine as far as power is concerned. i have an 08 city x. expect bout 43 mpg at 80 and plenty of wind blast in standard riding position top speed ive found on my 9 is gear limited to 122 ish but very light on the front end. i 150 pounds 6ft tall. off the top of my head your pulling bout 4k rpm at 80 and 9 has plenty of pull till bout 7k holding according to manuel.ive gotten as high as 54 mpg on the 9 but very light throttle shifting at or under 2500 rpm and not exceeding 50mph. easy to do on a brisk ride round lake berryessa california i'm contemplating using the 12 primary gear set after power mods to gain the some 3-400 rpm less on the freeway as it seems that i ride there the most but i am worried about the stumbles i have off the line in 1st gear. i would think the 12 primary would amplify that a tad more...cant wait till the aftermarket computer mods become available for the 08's...my 2cents | ||
| Brandonsbuell |
So it looks like the 9 city x is a great bike around town, and even as it is hard to believe, more fun than the 12s as long as your in town? That's good news. I'm leaning towards the 9 now, because it seems it will fit my needs better. Price is of course a factor also. It seems that either 06 or 08 are the best models to get, with 07 not making much of a difference. That's good news too, because there is a dealer near me with a 9 city x in blue with only 4,000miles on the bike! We'll see what happens in the near future, thanks for the information guys! Any other comments are more than welcome! | ||
| Bad_karma |
Brandon Another thing to keep in mind is that it is easy to get more power out of these motors. Joe | ||
| Swordsman |
"07 got a better airbox that breaths near the filler cap instead of the LH scoop and has slightly slightly more fuel capacity as a result. " That was also '06, at least for the Ss. My left side intake came welded shut. I don't have any experience with the 9's, but as far as the 12's are concerned, they'll step into the triple digits. I have noticed, though, that beyond 90mph, you can definitely tell it's beginning to work for it. Right up to 90, it's a rocket, which is why I don't get the need for crazy-fast import bikes (unless you're on a track). Could just be my lack of tuning though... maybe others are having better power. In my experience (which isn't much), the gear you're wearing has a lot to do with how bad the wind buffeting is. With my warm-weather mesh gear, the ride is smooth as silk and (relatively) quiet. In my solid textile/leather gear, I feel like I'm a punching bag at high speed. I tried adding a windshield to my Ss, but it actually made the front end unstable. ~SM | ||
| Sslowmo |
Just get the 12. you will be happy. at 80mph rpm's are at 4,000. bike red lines at 6800 or there abouts. take some sportbike, track day schools and get to riding corners the way the bikes where made for. | ||
| Sslowmo |
oh ya, I did a 525 miles in a day. the only thing that hurt was my wrist.I own the 'custom' seat from buell. for the price is good. | ||
| Brandonsbuell |
Yes, I'll be sure to get good riding gear. Probably along the lines of a Shoei helmet and a breathable padded jacket. Sslowmo: You're killing me with saying "just get the 12." LOL dang.... I guess it comes down to where I can find the right deal. No matter what I do get, I will surely be modifying it! | ||
| Djkaplan |
Riding a 9 is a hoot. Riding a 12 is a HOOT. | ||
| Ferrisbuellersdayoff |
I think the 9 was easier to insure as well. | ||
| Swordsman |
Ouch. No doubt... the 12 is freakin' expensive to insure, and I'm 31 with a clean record! ~SM | ||
| Ravensmith22 |
On my '04 9R I usually get 50-60 mpg. I have the race kit installed and a cut down inner airbox. The best I've done is 74.5 a couple times to and from Homecoming last year (25-50 mph along back roads and such). I love my 9R, it's got plenty of get-up-and go. Insurance for a 12 would add a little over a grand to my policy. Ouch! Congratulations on choosing the best motorcycle brand in the world, and the best community/family, too. | ||
| Azxb9r |
The 9 has no problem going 80 mph, but how comfortable you will be at that speed has a lot to do with the wind and road surface. I have noticed that when I am in an area that is sheltered from the wind, 75-85 mph is quite comfortable. In the more open areas, getting blasted with gusting, crossing headwinds, it isn't much fun. 75 mph is around 4000rpm on the 9.There is a bit of vibration from the engine at 3500 rpm that smooths out around 3700, so cruising at 4000 rpm is smooth. During one leg of a ride I did with my wife last weekend, I used 1.7 gallons of gas to go 128 miles. This was on mostly rolling terrain on secondary highways, and about 20 miles on I-19. Speed varied from 65-85 mph. | ||
| Redbuell1203 |
+1 on starting you new addiction  ,but take a test drive and get the one you feel comfortable one. | ||
| Brandonsbuell |
I just went to a dealer today that had about 8 new lightnings (not including the 3-4 1125's and all the other models) which was great because I was able to sit on all the different types! I need to go back there with an M1 license and test ride them... One thing that may keep me planted on a 9 is that meer fact of insuring myself, which I know will be expensive regardless of the model. Thanks again for all the info and opinions guys! | ||
| Brandonsbuell |
Hey what's the difference between the SB9SX and the newer XB9SX? I'm looking at an 05' SB9SX right now that looks nice. | ||
| Swordsman |
SB...? Sounds like a typo to me. ~SM | ||
| Reepicheep |
In 05, there was the XB9S, and the XB9SX. The 05 XB9SX is a great bike (I have one), the 06's got a nice set of engine reliability improvements (oil pump drive gear and cam bearings) and the 08's got yet another nice set of engine reliability improvements (reworked oil pump). Don't let that scare you off that 05... its still a super reliable bike. But there are tangible improvements in 06 and again in 08, so shop by price accordingly. |
