| Author | Message | ||
     Mhlunsford |
i am looking at a 2005 city x. mileage 20K, price $3500. I assume this will handle the twisties well. How do these handle on the freeway ? What kind of rpm at 80 mph ? Any other real concerns ? | ||
| Reepicheep |
I had one. Best bike Buell ever made. I put 30k miles on it with barely a hiccup (replaced oil pump gear, which you should do). I sold it for a Uly so I had more room (I'm 6'2" and a fatty), but the 9sx was a better bike in every regard but comfort. After about 300 miles, my behind was pretty done. But no problem on the highway, and with the nice big high bars it could split a dime on the twisties. So much fun. While it lacks the low RPM grunt of a 12, the howl of that motor at 7200 RPM redline through a cut open airbox (do that too) was magic. I think the 9 motor is the magic size for reliability for the XB platform, and suspect that it was supposed to be an XB9 and a turbo XB9, not an XB9 and an XB12. I think the 9 is the magic size for this motor, and it lasts forever. When my Uly motor dies (and it might be doing so now) I will be sorely tempted to get a 9 motor to put back in it, and give up a little extra power to have the more durable motor. | ||
| Figorvonbuellingham |
Hmmm I've only had 12's. What makes the 9 More durable? I would think that higher rpms would equal more wear. | ||
| Phelan |
My 71,000 miles Uly would challenge your durability comment  . | ||
| Reepicheep |
It's a shorter stroke motor. Makes for a little worse fuel economy, but I think it stresses everything else out less. The net horsepower is 10% less also, which no doubt helps. And I think a high rev HP is easier on the crank than a low rev HP (less torque for a given rotation). There are some durable 12's, but the 9's just seem to be like little energizer bunnies. The motors just don't break. | ||
| Froggy |
I've yet to see any actual statistics to show either motor to be more reliable than the other. Yea you are more likely to hear more about a 12 failure, due to there being more 12s built. Also there was a bad batch of XB12 cranks on the 2007s, but it is not like the 9s are perfect either. I know just as many 50k+ mile 12s as I do 9s, actually I probably know more 12s due to there being more built. (Message edited by Froggy on May 30, 2015) | ||
| Froggy |
Indeed they do, the Lightnings are among the best handling motorcycles you can buy.
I would say they are fine, I wouldn't say they are as great as something built for higher speeds like an 1125R. The CityX has an aggressive rake and trail, making it feel "twitchy and unstable" compared to many other bikes, but once you get the hang of it and tweak the suspension, it makes everything else feel like a school bus.
4446RPM at 80MPH in 5th gear, actual RPM at 80MPH will vary a little depending on your tires.
Not really, it made it to 20k so if there where any issues with the bike it likely had them fixed years ago. I'd expect only normal wear parts from this point forward. If you did get it, one thing worth looking at is called the "77" connector under the front pulley guard, it is prone to melting, eventually breaking contact causing your bike to no longer keep the battery charged. Easy to fix though. | ||
| Elff |
The only think I would caution is the pre 2006 model year. I had a 2003 XB9SX and now have a 2006 XB12RS. The 2006+ XBs are just so much smoother from a shifting and clutch point of view. The Pre-2006 models shift like a HD sportster which IMHO kind of sucks | ||
| Nik |
I just rolled over 70k on mine; there's still nothing else on the market that makes me want to replace it. As froggy mentioned be aware of the '77' connector. The arcing that occurred in mine meant the battery wasn't charging for some period. Bike still got me home to my driveway where solder and heatshrink fixed it easily. I've since installed a voltmeter in the dash (aka fatty mod.) Other issues I've had along the way were the pre-07 hardened steel oil pump drive gear teeth wearing down (easy enough to inspect, and replace when necessary to the upgraded brass gear) around 45k, and the the flywheel becoming loose at around 55k, which easily fixed as there's a TSB to follow. At 67k the output shaft bearing on the transmission went, but I was still able to limp to work. The engine was still running strong but at that point you have to split the cases. I opted to swap in an 07 engine for the oil gear and transmission improvements. Other than that everything was basic maintenance stuff. Oil changes, fork seals, wheel bearings, new belt every 25k, etc. At 20k it has plenty of life left. | ||
| Elff |
If you do buy this, i highly recommend installing a Muller Power Clutch. American Sportbike sells them. Super easy to install and will reduce the lever pull by a huge amount. |
