| Author | Message | ||
     Cperc |
Hey guys I need your help deciding if a Buell is the right bike for me. I am looking at either the XB12Ss or the Stt. The other bikes I have looked at are the KTM Superduke, the Kawasaki Z1000, Triumph Speed Triple and the Aprilia Tuono. Compared to these other bikes on paper it looks like the Buell is out of its league but something about it just keeps bringing it back onto my list of considerations. The bike will be for fun not really for long commutes but I would like to be able go on a couple long trips. My brother has a Speed Triple and I love everything about that bike. What do you guys think of the other bikes on my list would you take one of them over the Buell? Here is my run down on the bikes: KTM Superduke: awesome all around bike, great suspension, motor, chassis, what's not to like? besides the price and the fact in a couple years I think it will look dated with the styling they did on it Kawasaki Z1000: inexpensive, good motor and power, Japanese reliabilty, cheap to maintain, bad is it handles bad out of the box and will need new suspension but even with that upgrade is still cheaper than the others Triumph Speed Triple: awesome all around bike, timeless good looks, can't find any faults to it other than my brother already has one and I don't know if I want the same bike he has Aprilia Tuono: good reliable motor, different from everything else, don't really know about the looks....... Bad is poor dealer network and its Italian how hard will parts be to get or $$$ So what do you guys think about the bikes I have listed compared to the Buell? When it is all said and done I want a HOOLIGAN bike! Thanks again guys I know you are probably sick of answering these same questions but I have read so many different forums I don't know what to think anymore, LOL. Chris | ||
| Ustorque |
demo, demo, demo...thats all i can say. the grin on your face will tell all.  | ||
| Br8knnex |
to bad you dont live closer i would have a real "streetfighter" xb12s to sell you. good luck with making a choice.  | ||
| Retrittion |
Remember rule #1 of motorcycles: "It's how it feels when you ride it, not what it looks like it will ride like on paper." I love my 12R, had it for a year, not planning on selling it ever (hey, HD engine -- do you know how many people know their way around this engine, compared to any other in the US...exactly) and I love how it rides. Of the other bikes you mentioned the only other one I would consider is the Speed Triple -- nice ride, love Triumphs, decent support here in the states. KTMs are interesting but I'll stick with Buells thanks (HD engine), Aprila -- umm, just wait a bit and I'm pretty sure a naked 1125 will be showing up. In all seriousness I really do like my Buell, and the people who ride them are a great bunch -- and I enjoy the low squid-to-decent folk ratio (squids don't like a bike that doesn't have a 4 inch thick bling catalog). Get what you enjoy riding, and if you enjoy riding a Buell make sure you post picks of your new ride -- we love pics here! Cheers  (Message edited by retrittion on June 17, 2008) | ||
| Buellinachinashop |
Ride the Ducati Monster. You will love it. | ||
| Sneth |
The KTM is too floaty. Te kawasaki is a jap bike. Average all around, but very stable. I wanted a speed triple badly, then i road one. It's an unruly beast. I think it was built for hooligans....that want to die. THe monster is almost the same as the XB. Less reliable in my readings, and more expensive. Not much negative to say about the Aprila, but then again, I don't see that many. You are dead on, support will be essentially nil. | ||
| Retrittion |
Don't get me wrong -- Aprilia's are nice bikes, just think since you will probably be able to get a naked 1125 powered by the same motor in a few months I would wait and get the best of both worlds. Mehh, I'm not a Monster lover -- give me a 749 and I would be happy (yellow with white stripe please). Kawis are fun and all but then just give me a Ninja. Honestly the only Japanese bike I would go with is the Suzuki SV1000(S) -- very nice rides. I still like having a bike made here -- it's kinda rare these days. | ||
| Lightningstrikes |
^^^What he said. I'd love to have a SV100S but I would never get rid of the Buell. I want both. | ||
| Retrittion |
Lol, my buddy is selling his SV1000S (financial issues, he loves the bike), make an offer! I'd buy it off him if I had the cash but I need to pick up a Blast or SV650 for my fiancee to learn to ride on first. Yeah, I plan on adding to my collection but my 12R will still get the best parking spot in the garage.  | ||
| Nillaice |
Chris, you posted on a buell forum..... it's hard for me not to be bias or one-sided in my opinion......go buell or go home! | ||
| Ebuella_virus |
First of all, kudos to all that have replied so far. None have bashed any of the non-Buell bikes. That says a lot. I own a 12R and love it to death. I will not get rid of it as it is fun, easy to work on, relatively cheap to maintain, and because of all the mods I've done with it to fit my riding style and my comfort desires. It is a glove. As far as the aforementioned bikes, I have only ridden the Tuono. To be specific, the Factory model with the Ohlins suspension. I test rode it through the twisties for 1 hour and tried my hardest to get that thing out of shape. That thing was a dream!!! When I got back to the stealership and asked how much it was, the 18k answer was just too much. I got back on my ride and thought "what a piece!" But then, I don't have 5k worth of suspension on my bike. I have not ridden the standard Tuono. I sat back and took at look at the Tuono though and decided that it was an ugly bike. But then again, I can't see it from the drivers seat. Maintenance is an issue too. $$$ and network. Z1000, I hear too much about the suspension. A buddy had one which I rode, but not hard enough to tell but I like the looks. KTM love the looks, never rode it. I wanna though. Speed triple, love the looks also, never rode one. I'm curious about that one though. Back to the Buell, I love it's uniqueness, looks, sound (aftermarket pipe), ease of maintenance (it's never seen a stealership) and a very rideable/practical bike. I do really well with the suspension and learning how to tweak it where I can really drop a knee and carve the twisties. I do wonder what it would be like if it had the fancy Ohlins stuff on it. Like I said, I'd never sell my Buell, but I would definitely buy a Tuono Factory if I could to be next to it and also a Superduke because I think they look bad! | ||
| Point_doc |
Your list of bikes is nice and is similar to mine when I was looking; I also had the MV Agusta Brutale on the list. I enjoy my Buell and most likely keep it a long time, but I believe my next bike will be a MV Agusta. Either the 150hp Brutale 1078R or the 174hp F4, both these bikes are exceptional!! I wanted to share the MV lineup because you seem to favor the Triumph, but because of your brother may choose another bike. I think the Brutale would be a fit to your list of bikes. Good luck on your search… | ||
| Aj06bolt12r2 |
If I had ever even seen an Aprilia dealership before let alone had one near my house I would have to own a Tuno. I just think it would be a really fun bike to ride every day. Aprilias biggest hypermoto bike is also really sexy and Id have a hard time deciding between the two. But yeah I'd have to say that the Tuno has the buell xbs outclassed pretty easily. But where do you get one worked on? I doubt they are as good on gas as an xb and Im sure they dont sound as good as one with an odie pipe... just my .02 | ||
| Bigredwood |
All Great Bikes. The Aprilia and the 1125R actually share the similiar BRP-Rotax powerplant. You are paying the extra in the shipping of the whole bike versus only the motor. The online comminuties for both are strong but share a common weak thread. The local service . . . usually sucks. Not saying all HD shops or all Aprilia shops suck, but these bikes are unique and need unique mechanics. Being on a Buell forum I will share my positive opinions for a XB Buell. The maintenance . . . can this bike be any easier. I love bikes and love to work on bikes. But upgrading is most fun when you aren't stuck constantly fixing/adjusting/check parts on your bike. After I spent a week finding the perfect suspension setting on my STT, I have nothing else to do between oil changes. No more checking/greasing/adjusting the chain and no more valve checks. I just ride. Among my bikes, I ride my Buell to work . . . enough said. I do like Triumphs . . . drooled over a 675 for about three months till Honda dropped the new CBR600RR. (now i am begging for an RR) But I still love the styling and the three cylinder sound is oddly pleasant. The Lc8 in the KTM is wonderful powerplant. PLus, KTM has the consumer in mind. They make bikes for the market that wants them. They also put more into their aftermarket then any other manufacturer. They offer more bolt on then Jeep has for the damn Rubicon! But if I wanted a tube frame . . . give me Ducati. Classy and the original . . The monster was the first bike marketed directly to the Hooligan market. So in the end . . . buy whatever you will continue to pay on. Nothing worse than a monthly bill for something you settled on. The most intelligent thing I have ever heard about buying a Buell is this . . . "If you want a Buell, You are going to love it. If you want something else, you are going to hate the Buell." | ||
| Retrittion |
I do agree, get a Buell because you want one -- and then prepare for a learning curve if you get an XB since it doesn't work like most other bikes. Seems some people get thrown by the sound too and lug it at 2K RPM rather than where it likes to be 3K-5K. Man I'm a dork -- yeah, I love the belt, never want to have to deal with chains again. And I love my tailgunner -- Odie makes a killer pipe. It's is great seeing people's heads whip around when I start up -- they look very confused since they where sure it was some kind of import metric (in fairness I have debadged my 12R). (Message edited by retrittion on June 18, 2008) | ||
| Slinger |
For me it would be the speed tripple hands down, the ultimate hooligan bike. But if you dont want the same bike as your brother take a look at the MV Brutale. Now that is one cool lookin bike, a little spendy but you will definately stand out in the crowd. Or like was posted above you might wanna wait a while and see what the naked 1125 looks like. We will probably see a newly designed large displacement Monster soon as well. | ||
| Buellinachinashop |
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| Cperc |
Thanks for all the replys so far guys. I absolutly love the Brutale but its a little more $$$ than I want to spend. I do really like the Monsters too, my local dealer has a used S4R with carbon everything, arrow exhaust, chip, you name it it has it with only 3000 miles on it for 10k but the maintenance costs scare me. It seems if a shop hears you have a ducati the price doubles for the work to be done. If that weren't the case I think I would be all over the Monster. I am looking to spend around 11000 so if I went with the KTM or Aprilia I would be buying used compared to the others which I would get new. Any other thoughts on which way I should go? Thanks again guys, Chris | ||
| Jaimec |
Hey, don't forget my favorite streetfighter, the Benelli TnT! Triple, like the Triumph, but with the kind of styling that could only come from Italy! | ||
| Twinv |
I have a friend that owns an MV Agusta Brutale, and he spent on it more than $3500 on repairs. The last one that has him without a bike to this day is a bad ECM ($1500 installed). The bike has been at the nearest dealer which is like an hour away for more than 3 weeks for multiple reasons: The techs don't really know the inside out of that bike due to the low sale volume and the difficulty in getting parts.....but man that bike looks good, but if you ask me it belongs more on a pedestral in your living room than on the road......keep that in mind when you shop for a bike. Long live the Buell and other reliable cheap to maintain street fighters.... | ||
| Gtmg |
The Buells are great bikes. They are ez to maintain and handle extremely well. Just recognize str8 line wise you will get blown away and that below 3000 rpm you are lugging the bike typically. Too many newbies complain about the around town issue because the want to ride at 2000 rpm. With the bikes you mentioned I don't think you could go wrong with any of them. If you want new for your 11k I would be looking at the Kawi and the Buells very strongly. Just something about a new bike..... you know. | ||
| Imonabuss |
I've loved my XB's, and think they really are a quintessetial streetfighter for looks, nimbleness, torque, riding posion, ease of maintenace, etc. Or, if you must have power, you could get an 1125R, pull off the fairing and put on a set of bars and a simple heasdlight, and crush everything out there! I'll bet Al at American Sport Bike would be able to find you parts to do that. | ||
| Oddball |
Br8knnex, how did you do in that show against the other bikes? And is that shot from the tracks below rt32? Looks familiar to me. | ||
| Freezerburn |
Or you could just wait for the naked 1125  | ||
| Chippy |
<<<<<<had a monster first. had to let it go once i rode a buell! although the 09 monsters are looking sharp! i definitely wont be going back... and good luck with those valve adjustments every 6k. | ||
| Echo15 |
I have an 06 Uly, an 03 XB9s, and an 01 Speed Triple & I love them all. You can't go wrong with any of them. Get what moves you. | ||
| Bads1 |
To what I understand from a couple local Ducati owner and one was a mechanic at a dealership. They both told me that its not so bad once you know your way around the bike. Not to different from a Buell and its small problems that we all get to know. The thing about the Ducati's is the price for parts. Down the bike once and need replace something it costs a fortune. Like tank for a S4R IS BIG BUCK'S!!! | ||
| Brumbear |
The kawi 650R is a better streetfighter platform than the z1000 if you ask me but the others just do not add up or add up to to much if you will and when the Rotax goes into the xbs platform Buell will OWN I mean OWN the streetfighter class | ||
| Brumbear |
providing of course MV augusta doesn't make it and the BRUTALE goes south that is the sexiest bike I have seen so far and would be worth the extra coin | ||
| Point_doc |
+1 sexiest bike, Brumbear that is the First word that always come to mind when I see one, from the first time till now; SEX, SEXY, SEXIEST!! |
