| Author | Message | ||
     Buellinachinashop |
I was at the Harley Product Development Center today for lunch, they had their annual employee car show. And I saw a XB9R sitting in the employee lot in front. Looks like an 03-04 swing arm so I so I assumed that's what it was, but wasn't 100% positive because it was white, so I checked the neck...It said "May 02" for its b-day. Harley's production years begin in July, so it is a 2002. Anybody know how many 02's were made and what colors were available? I just always assumed when my Harley buddies said that the XB line began in 02, that they meant 02 for 03. | ||
| Mm128 |
My understanding is that XB9R's... did NOT start till 03 That is strange... Matt. | ||
| Glitch |
Manufacture date | ||
| Mr2shim |
its just a build date. not the date is was out for sale. manufactures tend to build cars, bikes whatever ahead of time. I had a toyota mr2 that was built in jan of 1990 but it was sold and titled as a 91. | ||
| Buellinachinashop |
That makes sense because Harley was building V Rods in Kansas City before it was intro'd at the Dealer's Meeting, but they were all 2002's. | ||
| Xbniner |
Yeah mine was a november of 02 build date. | ||
| Buellinachinashop |
"Yeah mine was a november of 02 build date." Yours is after July, that's Harley's new production year. The bike I looked at was May of 02. I got messed up with the build date vs the sales year date. | ||
| Bads1 |
John the XB9R was released as a early release bike. I still recall the dealer putting names on the list for interest when it came out. | ||
| Buellinachinashop |
So even though it could be a May 02 build date and sold before July, its sold as an 03? | ||
| Indy_bueller |
So even though it could be a May 02 build date and sold before July, its sold as an 03? Yep. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Ford was selling 2005 models in late 2003. I suspect it was meant as a sales booster. The manufacturer can say they are whatever year model they like, within reason. My 2003 XB9R has a build date in 2002 as well. | ||
| Beachbuell |
XB 9's were not officially released until the 2003 model year. The models arrive at dealerships in July/August (2002 in this case). So the bike may have been produced in 2002, but for the 2003 model year. Hope this helps clear it up. | ||
| Froggy |
Indy, what model was that? I know when GM came out with the new Tahoe/Yukon, they had to wait to January 1st 2006 for them to go on sale as 2007 MY. | ||
| Xb9ser |
if I rember right 02 brosure listed a fire bolt Ive got one somewhere if I can find it | ||
| Bikertrash05 |
I just want to know how you found out about the PDC car show? I didn't know, and I work for HD. BTW, there was a orange XR1200 in the parking lot today. | ||
| Buellinachinashop |
"I just want to know how you found out about the PDC car show? I didn't know, and I work for HD. BTW, there was a orange XR1200 in the parking lot today." There's at least two running around. A HD employee from the Germantown area has one this week. I see it zipping up the off ramp by the Gander Mtn I work at. A few of of my best friends work at the PDC. If you work at the Motor Plant, I can't see how you'd miss it. They have a roped off area to the west and south of the PDC entrance. There was probably 20 cars, a few bikes (including a race 1125r) and a fricken farm tractor. | ||
| Darthane |
So even though it could be a May 02 build date and sold before July, its sold as an 03? I don't recall the build date on mine (Probably April/May), but it was bought and titled (as an '03) in June of 2002. I got screwed because of it being an '03 as opposed to an '02, but the upshot of that deal was keeping my Blast, so there was a silver lining. | ||
| Buellinachinashop |
I'll bite, how'd you get screwed? | ||
| Beachbuell |
Firebolts were not released until the 2004 model year! | ||
| Froggy |
Beach i think you mean the XB12, there was a 03 9R | ||
| Bikertrash05 |
I work at the Pilgrim Rd plant. Not much goes on there, and the XR1200 stuck out in the sea of baggers. I'll bet Darthane bought his Blast in '01 with the "100% trade in value on a twin within a year" deal. | ||
| Darthane |
Bikertrash wins a cookie.  ...turns out the fine print read '...on any 2002 Harley or Buell v-twin...' and they wouldn't let me apply it to the '2003' XB9R. Since it was lust at first sight for the Firebolt, I couldn't force myself to settle for an X1 and just sucked it up and bought the XB9R without any trade-in. I still love the Blast and pull it out occasionally (either to ride myself or teach yet another person the joys of motorcycling - 5 and counting on the little thumper), though now with two big brothers it sees even less saddle time than before. | ||
| Indy_bueller |
Indy, what model was that? If I remember right, it was the Focus and the Freestar. Maybe others also, but I don't remember. | ||
| Spiderman |
That's not rare, finding one with an 01 build date s rare. the XB9R was slated to be released an 2002 M.Y. motorcycle. Everything was on track and ready to go except the shipment of frames that sat on a boat in Italy. They were delayed due to 9/11. Due to the terroist attacks on the WTC and Pentagon all cargo and shipments coming into the US were under the strict and watchful eye of the govt, causing a huge delay in poduction causing the launch date to be pushed back a few months and calling the release a 2003... Or at least that is how I heard it  | ||
| Mr2shim |
The bottom line... Buells first year for the XB was 2003. They could have began to build them in 01 or 02, but the fact is they are all 03's... No such thing as a tagged and titled 2002 Buell Firebolt or lightning. XB12R or S, The first year for those was 2004. The end. | ||
| Beachbuell |
correct! | ||
| Dmp0001 |
NADA lists 2002 as the first year for the bolt, and you can order parts from buell for an '02. the Fuel magazine lists its first year as 2001. | ||
| Mr2shim |
NADA is a crock of shit. Stop arguing this subject. It lists a bunch of things wrong. As for the Fuell mag. Did you fail to notice the other 10 thousand errors? Like 05 being the first year for the new swingarm? It was 06. | ||
| Chainsaw |
Anybody know how many 02's were made and what colors were available...Harley's production years begin in July, so it is a 2002. Not sure the legal titling particulars, but I ordered my 2003 XB9R on May 15, 2002 and got it on June 27, 2002. IIRC there were 3 color options available: Battle Blue with Orange Logos, Arctic White with Blue logos, and Arctic White with Orange logos. I 'think' there were around 2000-3000 XB's sold that year. HD is a publicly traded company, so I'm sure the exact number is available out there on the web somewhere. | ||
| Glitch |
Damn they only go back to 2004 when they delivered 9,857 XBs. But I remember this same subject coming up and it was close to 5000 in 2003. | ||
| Jos51700 |
The ONLY thing that matters is the tenth VIN digit. You can make bikes YEARS ahead of schedule, but it will only count as the year indicated by VIN digit #10 (which is also the only model year you can sell it as such). It doesn't surprise me to see one with a build date that early. You've gotta remember, they have to have bikes in stock to release (typically) at least one per dealer when the new model releases, and that's several hundred bikes, plus the off chance of revising the assembly line or something. '03 was the first model year for the XB. There are no '02 parts or service books for XB's. Even though '02 was the last year for tubie's, and there are sales books with both tubies and XB's, they did not share a model year. |
