| Author | Message | ||
     Legobuff |
Hello, first post to the board. be gentle! I've been admiring the XB12Ss for awhile now and when the 09's were unleashed I couldn't wait to try one out. I stopped by the local dealer to give it a look. Long story short, I fell in love with the bike. So I scheduled a test ride, and did that today. When I got to the dealer they did not have an 09 Ss to ride, but an 07 Scg. I figured I'd still give it a go. I was really liking the bike until the fan kicked in. I was riding stop and go commuter traffic. Neighborhoods. The fan was so loud that it would drown out the engine. The experience really soured me to the bike. Is this typical? Is it "fixed" with the 09's? Are there "fixes"? Thoughts and comments will be appreciated! Thank you, -Jamie | ||
| Froggy |
Right from Buell.com
The fan is a good thing. For people like you, there is an option. Some people get whats called the Right Side Scoop. I am not going to go into details because it has been discussed to death here. Basically it is a scoop that directs more air onto the rear cylinder and usually cools it. Fan tends to run less. | ||
| Socalbuell |
the fan is the best part of the bike. I think you need to go back and watch some Jetsons cartoons and you will realize that the more buzzing, zooming and wirling a thing does the more advanced it is. We may not have flying cars but the xbs sure are advanced | ||
| Legobuff |
Froggy, thanks for the quick reply. I fully understand having the fan working, especially with it being an air cooled engine. I was just caught off guard with how LOUD the fan was. After I got the bike back to the shop another person took the bike for a spin. When he was coming back to the shop (out of sight) I heard the LOUD high pitched whine of the fan before i heard the engine and before I could see him. It just didn't seem right. Is this something that all of you current buell owners live with? I don't think I can. I am a little upset really. I really wanted to like this bike. granted, it wasn't the bike i really want so i can only hope the 09's are not that LOUD. | ||
| Legobuff |
I guess i should also mention that the fan wasn't just running while the bike was stopped, it was running while i was driving. | ||
| Rotzaruck |
Lego I've been riding an XB since December,with a stock exhaust(I would never hear a fan on my M2 if it had one), and had been wistfully listening to it for months before that. Initially the fan was loud. It hasn't gotten any quieter. I don't hear it anymore. If you hadn't brought it up, I probably would have forgotten it all together. If you've ever visited someone who lives right beside the train track, oddly, when the train sounds like it's coming through the living room they don't even look up. You're worrying too much. Pick one out and ride it. Rotzaruck! | ||
| Jeffroj |
There is going to be no difference between the fan on the bike you rode and the fan on the 09. Does it really bother you that much? Just get a louder exhaust. The only problem I have with it is when I am stuck in traffic on a 90+ day and the fan is blowing all that nice hot air right at my thighs, I just remind myself that I'm not wuss and suck it up. | ||
| Legobuff |
Maybe it's the demo bike, but yes it did bother me that much. when riding down the road, i expect to hear the motorcycle, and exhaust, not a loud whining fan. like i said earlier, the fan was louder the bike when driving. my plan was to use this bike as a daily commuter. if the fan is supposed to be that obnoxious, then i guess it is not the bike for me. bummer. i'll give have to see if i can find another buell owner near me and compare fan noise. anyone near papillion, ne? | ||
| Simmadown |
Problem: Loud Fan Solution: Louder Exhaust. C'mon you are going to do it anyways | ||
| Froggy |
Actually he rode an 07. For 2008 they switched to a different oiling system and among the changes is settings for the fan. It runs significantly less while riding, but seems to run longer on low speed when turned off. | ||
| Legobuff |
Froggy, thank you for that info... it is very promising to me. I don't care if the fan runs when i turn the bike off. i'll call tomorrow to see if the dealer has an 08 to try. or if there is someone near me with one  | ||
| Jeffroj |
Sometimes I hum in tune with my fan and I swear I can feel a power increase! | ||
| Froggy |
Another thing to note, once a bike has been broken in, it vibrates less, runs smoother, and the fan comes on less. Not significantly less, but i noticed it running less as i put on a few miles. Again if it really bothers you that much, there is the right side scoop. But i am one of the people that enjoy the fan. It is what makes a Buell a Buell. | ||
| Point_doc |
Lego, the fan sounds better when there is more then one running side by side!!  If you get the chance to ride with other Buellers, you will smile at the harmonious music they make when you pull in for gas, eats, etc! | ||
| Cable |
I live in Orlando and there's plenty of traffic down here and hot as hell. I've had my XB for about 4 months and I don't even notice it when I'm riding in traffic, but like was mentioned before it is a blessing. A friend of my had to have his motor on Road King rebuilt cause it seized up from the heat. I think there was more to it than just that, but the fan helps out a lot | ||
| Redbuelljunkie |
I stopped hearing the fan after installing the Special OPS exhaust. I only hear the fan if the engine is not running. Trust us... you won't want to keep the stock muffler on- regardless of the fan being loud. This engine sounds too damn good to be muffled by the factory can. Get it, change it, love it! | ||
| Gschuette |
I feel your pain man. Badweb fan hater #1. XBs are mechanically noisy and I'm fine with that. I just tell my self that the racket coming from the engine is performance related. I can't think of a good excuse for why the fan needs to be so damn loud. I hate it. I can still hear it over my new Drummer SS. That being said the fan can't bring the bike down. Take it down a twisty road and you will forget the annoying Buell nuances. What a fun bike! Get one! | ||
| Moclov |
too bad you cant get an exhaust for an 09. i have the 09 xb12ss and that fan is LOUD. its kind of embarrasing sitting in traffic and instead of potato potato its buzzzzzzzzzzzz.... | ||
| Darthane |
If you're that concerned with it, buy something else. ...embarrassed? Why would you care what someone else thinks about the noise the bike makes? It's there for a reason. If they're interested enough or smart enough, they'll figure the reason out and be impressed that it's there in the first place. I've never, in over 6 years of owning XBs, had someone make a derogatory comment about the fan. Most people just want to know what it is, and when it's explained to them, they're impressed that that kind of thought went into it. Aside from the pleasure of educating someone, though, I could really care less. There are a lot more people in the world that don't like Buells than those that do, for whatever reasons. If we cared what those people thought more than we cared about doing what we like, we wouldn't be riding them. | ||
| Ftd |
Legobuff , Like Cable I live in Orlando (hot). '06 ULY with DL tune from American Sport Bike, right side scoop, Aluminum foil tape under seat and an aluminum tape covered cardboard piece to keep heat from underseat area. Fan rarely runs (only when bike shut off) and heat affecting rider drastically diminished. I am like you and am not enthralled with hearing constant fan noise while riding. Frank | ||
| Hr_puffinstuff |
i have to ride my 08 Ss pretty hard to get the fan to come on while i'm riding. the "not-even-close-to-legal" kind of hard. of course, i'd rather get kicked in the bag than ride in stop and go traffic, so i can't speak to that the fan sounds loud because you're not used to hearing it. once you realize what it is there for, the sound is actually kind of reassuring at 5,000 miles, i switched from SYN3 to Mobil1 V-Twin 20/50, and the bike runs cooler, reducing the amount of time the fan is on don't let the fan stop you, the fun vs. fan factor is VERY high | ||
| Froggy |
Who told you that lie? | ||
| Bueller_bjorn |
You won't even notice the fan after awhile plus once i put the pro series pipe on my xb12r didnt hear it till i stopped. a funny thing i remember at the HHR meet last year when we all stopped at the last check point and there were like 30 of these fans blaring at once when we all parked it sounded ridiculous. | ||
| Badlionsfan |
You weren't going fast enough. The fan won't run if the engine is getting good air flow. | ||
| Buellinachinashop |
The Fan is my ring tone. | ||
| Iamarchangel |
I'm agreeing with Badlionsfan. I don't hear the fan until I turn the engine off. I think I've only heard it once in traffic. I can hear the fuel pump at idle so I'm not deaf. Something else is up. | ||
| Moosestang |
I think there is a problem with the demo bike. My fan isn't that loud and annoying even with the bike shut off. The way you describe it, it sounds like a little kid throwing a temper tantrum in the grocery store! I have a 05 xb9sx with a drummer exhaust. Maybe the 12 runs hotter, so the fan runs more often, but i've never heard my fan running until I shut the bike off. Even before I shut it off, at idle, I don't hear it. | ||
| Etennuly |
Do you wear a full face helmet? That cuts a lot of noise and it is the better way to go. Get out there and honk on that thing. If you are looking into riding slower and more reserved get the Blast it doesn't have a fan and the cylinder is too far away from the rider to transfer heat, and it is still a fun bike. | ||
| Srwitt |
I have an 08 12R, and the fan rarely comes on in traffic, only if I'm riding stop and go and keep the rpms up around 4k (pretty much never get out of first gear in traffic), it'll get hot and come on, but it is not a constant thing. The first time it came on while riding I noticed it, now I rarely ever notice it coming on when it does with the bike running. | ||
| Retrittion |
Two things: One, most people new to riding Buells ride them at a lower than optimum RPM (2-3K) instead of the range the bikes like (3-5K), as they tend to shy from the noise and the torque of these bikes let them lug the engine and not stall out as you would with a metric/import bike. This low RPM tends to make Buells run hot, especially at the back header and make the fan a constant companion. Since I learned how my 12R likes to be treated I almost never get burned leg syndrome, the fan normally only comes on when I park, and I am suffering constant permagrin -- Oh, and nobody hears the fan before the engine when I come down the road with my SpecialO.P.S. -- Thanks Odie!!! Oh, and two -- get a better exhaust. If you can hear your fan you don't have a SpecialO.P.S. or a Drummer and your bike is not happy. Really, and I say this respectfully, if a fan is your "deal-breaker" then I don't think a Buell is right for you -- these are burley, gnarley, beastly, snarley, black sheep of the family bikes -- if that isn't your cup of tea may I suggest a Triumph Speed Tripple or Suzuki SV1000S. Those might be what you're looking for. My .02 |
