| Author | Message | ||
     Blake |
Ride them both, then decide. Call around for the best price, then see if your preferred dealer will match it. I like the M2. First mods would be the carb jetting, intake/air-filter and exhaust. See the appropriate sections in the Knowledge Vault. I like the Cyclone.  Blake | ||
| Reepicheep |
I commute close to 100 miles a day on my Cyclone, and its comfortable as can be. I have never been on the S3T, so I cant compare, but I can say the cyclone is great for both superslab or twisty. The S3 obviously has more room for luggage, and a slightly better seating position, but I think it tends to be more expensive. For the price difference, you could pick up some awfull nice detachable luggage for the cyclone. Replacing the airbox with a forcewinder and rejetting the carb is definately job one. Job two is to upgrade the front muffler mount to the revised part (if this has not been done). Job three is to replace the primary chain tensioner with the updated part (if that has not been done). Jobs four and five will likely be rocker box gasket replacements (if that has not been done)... have the james steel gaskets waiting in the garage (either sponser to the left on the screen should have them). There were a couple of shock recalls also, make sure you have all of that done... Also make sure your belt is not too tight, and bar end mirrors look very nice and work well. Depending on the age of the bike, there may be an updated shifter that has a better feel as well. That sounds like quite a list, but none of the jobs are hard. None of the jobs should take more then an evening unless you are taking your time, and I enjoyed all of them. If you do these you avoid some very UN-enjoyable jobs (like a busted exhaust header stud). Its more fun then watching TV anyway. Bill (who thinks Blake has GREAT taste in bikes ) | ||
| Eeeeek |
Which bike you want is up to you. They fill different roles, so try them both on for size and figure it out (i.e. test rides). BUY THE EXTENDED WARRANTEE. And yes, the prices are negotiable. Vik | ||
| Reepicheep |
I agree with Eeeeek... IF you have a decent local dealer. In my case, my original local dealer (Eastgate in Cincy) was incapable of following through on even the simplest of requests (the work they did was OK, it was everything else about the dealership that was totally screwed up). I walked out vowing never to darken their doorstep again. In my case, the extended warranty would have been wasted so far (7000 miles on the bike) as none of the jobs (and there have been many) were big enough to warrent the hassle of dealing with this particular dealer... I would have been waiting a month+ for the appointment, trucking it over to them and letting them hold the bike hostage for a week or two, and calling them daily to try and explain to them what they should be doing and how to get Buell to reimburse them, etc etc etc. Just about every problem I fixed so far was less then $100 in parts, and about an evenings work. I was generally back up the next day. So anyway, take into account if you will be able to stand to use the warrenty before dropping toooo much cash on it. If you are in Modesto or Dallas... you are golden. If you are on the east side of Cincinnati, you might want to save your cash to give it to someone who cares. Bill | ||
| Johne |
Johns: You'll need to ride them and make your decision. I have an M2 and find that on the highway it gives very little protection -- it's not much different from a Sportster in that way. You might find the S3 gives you a little more protection because it has the sport-touring type fairing. I prefer the look of the M2 to the S3. One reason you need to ride is to decide which bike's power you like better. The M2 has a cam which is more like the stock Sportster, while the S3 has a cam which is more like the bolt-in Screaming Eagle. This means that at least theoretically, the M2 should have more grunt down low. Personally, I went with a bigger cam in my M2 and didn't miss anything down low. Price is a factor. Last I checked, the S3 was way more than the M2, and I'm not sure that you get much more for the money, beyond the fairing (which you may or may not want) and the upside-down front end. As far as modifications, you need to trash the muffler, which means you'll want to put a kit into your carburator (basically, just a different neddle with some shimming, and some re-jetting). Lots of people get rid of the bread box too. The Sportmax 205 tires on the M2 aren't the greatest (they'll squirm on you) but I wouldn't replace them until they were worn out. I don't know what tires you get on an S3. | ||
| 911buell |
My beautiful wife surprised me with a gift... a black 2001 X1 with PM rims... love it. Prior to the X1, I rode a V-Max with Nitrous, and would only look for straight roads. Now, if the road has a bend/twist in it... I end up turning around and running it twice just because I CAN (without dropping the bike).... LOL!!! Just my 2 cents!!! | ||
| Tripper |
she got a sister? | ||
| Newfie_Buell |
And I thought my wife was great when she told me to get the 98 Lightning!! Isn't it great to have understanding wives that appreciate our weakness for these machines. | ||
| 911buell |
Tripper she has (2) sisters..... um hum!!! And to my good friend from the East Coast.... I am sure she is just as great as "Screech" (I hope I have that right)!!! Ride safe my boyz... Steve | ||
| Newfie_Buell |
Ah a nice drink of Screech, If anyone is ever on "The Rock" (Newfoundland) be sure to look me up, everyone must experience that elixer before leaving the island. Days are getting short here now and the temperature is dropping soon time to get her garaged for the winter. I know the wife is understanding but she will not let me keep it in the rec room for the winter. Until then keep on riding Bill | ||
| Javarilla |
Hey - anyone here weigh in around 275lbs? If so, what are you riding, and what have you done to it? Why do I ask? I'm one of those way-broad fellows that doesn't look like I weigh more than next guy, until I sit on the Ducati 900 and the sales guy watches the suspension sink, and sink, and he politely suggests I consider a custom suspension... Because I hear of occasional problems with the buell rear suspension, and because most of y'all pictures make y'all look like super models - I figure I better ask. Cheers. (I've place a copy under Erg's and Suspension). | ||
| Pangalactic |
I'm 325, on a 98 S3, and it seems like my suspension was designed with me in mind. | ||
| Javarilla |
Excellent! Good to hear! I'm struck by the X1's, though. I can research the diff from here! Cheers, and thanks. | ||
| Ralph |
I'm 250 and don't have any problems with either my S1 or S3. Both have 1 kilo springs in the front end and the rear spring is fully preloaded but that sets it up perfect for me. bighairyralph | ||
| Bigslug |
I weigh in at 275, and have the same set up as Ralph does. 1 kilo Race Tech springs up front and the preload set to spec out back. Which does not leave much thread showing on the shock body! Bike is a 00' M2. Mike | ||
| Javarilla |
Looks like there are fewer supermodels than I thought! Thanks, all! Out of curiousity - which seats are you all mounted on? Stock? | ||
| Ralph |
On my S3 I've got the stock '99 seat. The S1 has the White Lightning seat, just a sliver wider than the original sliver. Actually, when Andy helped me set up the suspension I weighed 310, so I could probably soften it up a touch. bighairyralph | ||
| Slackerbuell |
Howdy, I own a Blast and am looking into trading it in. I would love to hear people's opinions on the X1 or the M2. I am leaning towards an X1 as I really like fuel injection but have read bad things about Buell's FI, which has me scared to get the X1. The X1 seems to fit me a bit better than the M2. I have not tried an M2L yet. I'm not planning any mod's to the bike. As for what i want the bike for. Some commuting, but mostly weekend fun rides. Any thoughts please. Thank you | ||
| Blake |
Slakcer: Take a test ride on each and decide for yourself. Personally, I prefer a carburator over DDFI. The DDFI does seem to be well sorted now though, just plan on popping for a race ECM if you want optimum performance, especially with free flowing intake/exhaust. Why I like carburators over DDFI? Simply compare their failure rates. Carb failures are virtually nonexistent; DDFI failures/problems are not negligible. | ||
| Pilk |
Slacker, I prefer the FI. No tuning,rejetting ect.ect. Ive had my X-1 for almost 2 years, only problem with fuel was a bad O2 sensor. Like Blake said RIDE THEM BOTH let your heart/butt decide. pilk | ||
| Blake |
Hmmm, bad O2 sensor, hmmmm... M2's no have O2 sensor...  | ||
| Aaron |
I'm with Blake (damn I hate that  ) When used to eliminate carb synching on multi's, FI makes sense. But I don't see what this FI brings to the party on a Buell, except complexity. Doesn't bring power, that's for sure. In fact, it seems like the carb'ed 101hp S1's and S3's do a little better on the dyno. The CV is a fine carburetor, easy to tune and works good. The Mikuni is even better. I'd buy an M2 over an X1 even if they were priced the same. Why add complexity to a bike without getting something back for it? And why cover the motor? You want 101hp? Swap the cams, it's cheap and trivial. | ||
| Burnout |
2001 m2 the way to go, the bike just went down to $7400 put $1500 in to it you have one nasty bike | ||
| Schemky |
Slackerbuell Each has its merits, I picked the M2 BECAUSE it had a carburetor. FI is a wonderful thing, but carbs don't "quit", are easy to tailor to your application (trust me, you WILL modify an M2 if you get one), and reduce complexity, a Buell hallmark. Take the plunge. . .get both!! | ||
| Bjack |
I have the chance to buy a 2000 M2 with 1600 miles on it for $5,700. The bike is clean with no damage. Is this a fair price? | ||
| Ralph |
Buy Blakes for $700 less. bighairyralph | ||
| Blake |
Thanks for the sales push BHR. To be honest though, with only 1,600 miles, that's a darn good price. Mine needs a new rear tire and a speedo sensor and has close to 15K miles. Of course it also has a sweet Bartels CF air filter cover and the Ventura rack system with grab bar, and it's been dyno tuned, hell yeah! Buy mine! | ||
| Milehi |
Lurker needs some questions answered... Sept. of '00 I unretired from biking... My Final two choices were the Suzuki Bandt 1200 and a new '97 S3. I got the Bandit... Bt I still enjoyed the Buell. My Bandit is evolving into a long legged Sports-Tourer and if I continue in this direction, it will become less enjoyable on some of my favorite Colorado twisties... "So what" you say... Well I have the opportunity to buy a '97 S1 (with a salvage title) Real cheap. The frame and forks are straight and the bike does ride well. So for $3900 I think I'll take the plunge and add another toy to my (growing) stable of bikes. Are there any gotchas I should be looking out for??? Any/all suggestions/comments would be appreciated. TIA | ||
| Bullitt |
It's been said here a few times that those S1's will become / are collector's items. The styling on them is all business. I'm trying to scrape up the cash to buy one myself. The main gotcha? The Buell will make the Bandit feel like a soulless appliance and cause you to sell it! | ||
| Jasonl |
Go for the Buell. The motor alone is worth 4k to a sportster guy, from what I've seen. If the S1 does it for ya, and you've got the money...I say go for it. |
