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Boltrider
| | Posted on Saturday, April 30, 2011 - 02:44 am: | 
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Back in 2008, I had never considered getting a motorcycle because there was nothing out there I liked, or so I thought. Then I stumbled across Buell's webpage and saw the Firebolt.
With my eye on that bike, I signed up for the MSF class and completed it over a weekend. The following weekend, I went to a Harley dealer to see the Firebolt firsthand and fell in absolute lust with it. They even had it in my color - so that was it, I had to have it.
I bought it on that day, a week after passing the MSF course. I had to take it home in my truck because I didn't have my license yet. The bike sat in my garage all weekend and just kind of stared at me. I bought it on a Saturday and got my license the following Monday. I've never so eagerly awaited a Monday and the DMV being open.
The plan was to buy that bike, but not on THAT day. It was too early, it was the most spontaneous thing I've done, and my only regret is that it took me so long. |
Whisperstealth
| | Posted on Saturday, April 30, 2011 - 03:31 am: |
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>>>Saw an writeup in Playboy back when the XB came out. Then saw another one in Maxim a couple years later. Had to have one.
Pu$$%y and motorcycles...
Anyway,
I had first seen/heard about Buell in 2008 at a non HD dealer that had a couple used one's and thought, hey that's cool; an American made V-twin sport bike for those that didn't want a Harley. The next year I was prospecting for an MC on a KLR650. In a club full of Harley's only. Kinda stood out. I had already been looking at other bikes, because the KLR just could not keep up when loaded down, and the pack wanted to really hammer down. Due to finance's I could not afford a Harley and had been looking at Jap bikes, even though I really did not want one. That's when a shop owner I meet through prospecting got in a 2001 X1 he needed to sell for a friend. I Was kinda scared by the torque the first mile, by the second I was liking it, by the third, knew I had to have it. When I got back from the test ride, my chapter president started to ask how I liked it, then said, "Nevermind he loves it, look at the look on his face!". It was for sale for $2,600 and had around 14K on the clock. This was June of 2009. I went to the bank the next day and got a loan!
The Sad part is I only had her for two months. A car decided it needed the center turn lane more than I did. After a month in the hospital I got out and came close to getting a ST3 from a fellow BWB, but found an 09XT for too good a deal to pass up. The firesale got me my Uly, but the hook had already been set! |
Cowboy
| | Posted on Saturday, April 30, 2011 - 03:48 am: |
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It was 2001 I had the hots for a Honda R C 51. I went to honda dealer to buy the salesman was siting at his desl eating from a bucket of KFC. He told me what I needed was a cuiser. Hell I had one of those. I just turned and walked a way drove to next town and found a white and nuke blue lighting and it has been love from then on. |
Smoke
| | Posted on Saturday, April 30, 2011 - 05:58 am: |
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followed the early Buells in the magazines but was smitten at first sight with the S1!! found a used one with some cf bits at a local BMW shop and made a deal. bought a few more since then! ride on!
tim |
Weaponxbs
| | Posted on Saturday, April 30, 2011 - 09:58 am: |
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I started riding at about 11 years old in 1975 (WOW that was a long time ago. OUCH!)
Quit riding when my 1st boy was born in'99 so my 1987 Yamaha Maxim X (XJ700X) sat till '04. Broke her back out in the spring of that year but the joy of riding was no longer there.
Wifey started to show an interest in riding so I told her I'd sell it and we'd get her something to start out on. Her only stipulation was we needed something large enough for me to ride. . . .Enter the 2003 Blast in the spring of '04. (Yamaha got sold a few weeks later.) I/we rode that thru the '05 season.
I never planned on riding a big "V" (really never liked the MoCo's rep or style of bike) but decided after the Blast to give an XB a chance. And the "S" is sweet looking and does not look like anything else out there. BIG + there.
Went to the local Buell dealership and had the choice of a 2004 XB12 Firebolt or Lightning to ride and took out the Lightning.
HOLY CRAP ! !! This this is a KICK. . . . and the torque ! ! ! Problem at that time was no $$$ honey.
Feb. of '06 my uncle passed away and left me a decent inheritance. NOT the way I really wanted to be able to buy one. So I told the wife that I was going to buy myself something in remembrance of him. And the rest of the $$$ is for the family.
Called Kutter's HD/Buell in Monroe, Wi. and found a "manufacturers demo" 2004 XB12s. Told them to put a hold on it. IT'S MINE.
Picked it up 1 week before my B-Day in April 2006 and have NEVER regretted it.
All because of that 1st test drive, E.B and the elves vision and work. They have made riding F U N again. I can never say thanks to all of you enough.
Nothing but LOVE from this point forward.
FAN FOR LIFE ! ! ! ! |
Captcaz
| | Posted on Saturday, April 30, 2011 - 10:53 am: |
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I had ridden I-4's for a while, and was between bikes. Read about the torque, did the research about the handling, and saw a lonely XB9S at a dealer that needed adoption. Liked the looks, loved the power and handling, and got the bug. Can't go back now ... |
Ltbuell
| | Posted on Saturday, April 30, 2011 - 01:40 pm: |
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Back in '05, was living at Lake Tahoe and had some money wanting to go toward a bike.Saw a "for sale"ad on a bulletin board(for sale,for rent type kiosk next to the town post office) '00 X-1 Lightning and took the ad down and called up later on that day and made arrangements to look at it.Went over the next weekend and test rode it and here i've been. |
Barker
| | Posted on Saturday, April 30, 2011 - 04:56 pm: |
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As a kid, I saw a Black S1 get kicked out of a drag strip for wheelies and burnouts in the pits. I have always want one since. |
Twobuells
| | Posted on Saturday, April 30, 2011 - 09:05 pm: |
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I had my first Dirt bike in 1973. Raced Motocross till 1985.
Started working at HD York in 1989. Saw my first Buell in person 1991 Westwind, White’s HD had it on display at York’s Open House. (I bought my last new Buell from White’s HD/B)
I was at the Baltimore MC show and saw an S1 Lightning for the first time. April 1996 I bought my first one.
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Nillaice
| | Posted on Saturday, April 30, 2011 - 11:25 pm: |
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i started out on a honda shadow 750 deluxe (read; heavy friggin' bike) seconds after waving at a pretty girl i'd later get to marry;
i parked it under a pick up truck
a few months later i rode my roomate's suzuki marauder to the store and back on a whim, and had to have one of my very own. but in blue
i rode that thing almost every day until this jerk i happened to work with intentionally caused a traffic jam, which resulted in me replacing a chevy tail light,
and experincing my first tank slapper.
at that time, my wife and i were expecting, so it seemed fitting to sell the bike.
fast froward 3 years, and a deployment. i'm back in the market for a bike with a fist full of $
with no specific model or brand in mind, i come across a 1 by 1 inch ad for an 03 XB9S/R. it looks totally different than any other bike in the paper.
i google buell, learn what it is, and apply for a loan. but by the time i go to call them, the bike has just been traded-in.
i go to the used car lot, and haggle with the buisnessman and his heavy accent.
then; off to the HD dealership for a new battery. the parts guy tells me of badweb and and i eventually buy an 1125 tru him, one fateful october. |
Britchri10
| | Posted on Sunday, May 01, 2011 - 07:31 am: |
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I rode bikes in the UK. Sold them all when I emigrated here. 20 years later I decided I wanted a bike again. I was shopping for a bike that would be easy to re-learn on. Found a Blast and have since purchased an X1. The Blast reminded me of the old Brit' bikes I had owned. The X1 is a little reminiscent of some BSA's & Triumphs, light, fast, good torque & easy to work on.
Chris C |
Cpeg
| | Posted on Sunday, May 01, 2011 - 11:28 pm: |
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This is the reason.
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Tiltcylinder
| | Posted on Monday, May 02, 2011 - 10:24 am: |
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My old boss had a lovely S1, the chrome PM wheels and triple disc conversion. His prior bike was a Kawi 750 LTD. I knew the riding position was too much for him and did a bar and peg swap to ease his aches. I rode the crap out of it whenever I wanted, impressed with the power and brakes. They were always a little to expensive (read new) as I was building ironhead sportsters from scraps. I also thought they were a bit too hooligan/rice rocket for me. I now prefer to ride without my knees and hands on the same plane. Been there, done that and got the merit badge. A decade later the X came out and I wanted one bad. Just thought it was a bit too tall. Two years later some 'horrible' Buell owner let me ride his brand new XT and I had to have one. Traded in my '07 883R for one a few months later. I had been assimilated. |
Babired
| | Posted on Monday, May 02, 2011 - 11:48 am: |
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Back in 1997 or 98 I went to the HD dealer in Baltimore because I really didn't like the Harleys but wanted something I could do more on. I didn't want a rice burner, had 2 metric cruisers and a open standard bike. I wanted to be different than the rest. That's what brought me to the Buells. I loved the Thunderbolt, but it was too tall for me back then, rode the cyclone, and the X1 was just right. I liked the fact that once you got into the Harley family they took care of you and BRAG was there for the Buell rider. Its been good ever since until HD closed it down. wounds are mending thanks to Rider's Edge but I always wonder what my future ride will be........after I run the ULY into the ground! X1's forever! |
Fordrox
| | Posted on Monday, May 02, 2011 - 11:55 am: |
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I spotted an orange '06 Uly in the parking lot at work, I went in for a closer look and had to have one, I tracked down the owner at work, asked him many questions about it. Then spent the next 2 years trying to convince the boss I should have one. I was winning the fight, it looked like she was going to give in in the spring of '10 and I would have one; however HD's decision to close Buell in Oct '09 put me in an accelerated pace to get the bosses permission. Without even discussing it with her I contacted several dealers to see where I could get one. I called my bank to get pre-approval for financing. I took a that Friday off work and went to a dealer to look and get pricing. By noon on Friday I had approval from my bank, now to convince the boss. I was like a kid at Christmas, I impatiently waited for the boss to get home from work, and pounced, works flowed from my mouth so fast i could barely understand them. Wohoo she agreed.... I immediately called the dealer to hold the bike. I was at the dealer an hours drive at opening to sign the paperwork. Later that day she was delivered to my home. The weight was lifted... now to wait for the weeks worth of rain to quit so I could ride a Buell for the first time. Ahh the memories  |
Fast1075
| | Posted on Monday, May 02, 2011 - 12:14 pm: |
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A few years ago when the fuel prices spiked, I was driving a heavily modded Jeep...the Jeep got 11 mpg...At that point, I went looking for my first street bike in over 17 years...I wanted a single or a small twin...Didn't want a cruiser or a Motard...I wanted a "standard"...one day I stopped by the local Harley shop...they had a black '06 Blast! for sale for cheap....I did a little research and found it got great fuel economy and was very low maintenance...picked it up the next week.
Fast forward...I reached the point where I had to move up...traded in the Blast! for an XB12s... |
Billyboy
| | Posted on Monday, May 02, 2011 - 01:55 pm: |
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One night in Boston's Fanueil Hall, I saw a 96 S1 parked outside the Black Rose. I had never shown even a passing interest in bikes, but the pure muscle and engineering on display stuck with me. In 2000, I saw an ad for Buell and that you could be riding a Blast for $89 a month. I remembered that S1 from years prior, and signed up for the MSF course out at Hanscom Air Force Base. I passed the test, took the bus to Boston Harley and rode my new Buell home to Cambridge. I rode that thing to work every day on the highway. I always felt confident that I could keep up with traffic, but I felt a little more power might help me out of a tricky situation sometime. Two months later, while back at the dealership for something, there it sat, a black '96 S1 for sale. I asked for a test ride, came back with a huge grin on my face and traded in the Blast. The sales guy told me I'd get killed on the trade in price, but I didn't care. Knock wood, I hope to have it 'till I'm ready to pass it on to one of the kids... |
86129squids
| | Posted on Monday, May 02, 2011 - 03:17 pm: |
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Great thread!
Still got daylight, will post later...
Gotta go ride my CityX. Gave up on the yardwork after the mower literally couldn't cut it.
 |
Billp
| | Posted on Monday, May 02, 2011 - 04:31 pm: |
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Mostly by accident. I didn't like the crotch rockets or bikes with a lot of chrome and was too chicken to buy a big bike when I was a noobie so I found myself on a blast.
When the xbs came out I just had to have one so that's how I got my 03 xb9s. I would have been happy with just that but when Buell got shut down I picked up an 1125r.
I still hate the idea of cleaning all the chrome on a cruiser and am not fond of sport bikes but for some reason my Buells are just right. |
Shellyo
| | Posted on Monday, May 02, 2011 - 08:40 pm: |
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2 Buells, 2 Stories...
First Buell
Linda, my first wife, had been diagnosed with MS a number of years previous and was by now (1998) pretty much incapacitated by the disease but I was still able to care for her at home. I was working full time as well as acting as full time caregiver (with lots of help!)
I was in for my yearly physical and my Doctor (who is also a good friend) said I was showing signs of stress and had better start doing something about it. He asked if there was anything I could think of that would act as a Stress Reducer... I mentioned this orange and blue motorcycle I had just seen on the floor of the local Harley dealer.
He smiled and told me that sounded like good therapy and that I should get it.
I said "Easy for you to say, but we can't really afford it. Maybe next year."
He said "Hang on" and left the room coming back in a moment later writing on a prescription pad. He tore off a page and handed it to me. It said "Prescribed for Shelly Osten, 1 new motorcycle. Take regularly and call me in the morning!"
I laughed and brought it home to show Linda thinking she could use a laugh as well. To my surprise she said it was a good idea and that I should get the bike!!!
I started to say "But we can't afford it, etc." when I realized I had just been handed a Free Pass.
The next morning found me at the dealer signing papers on a brand new 1998 S1W White Lightning.
Best drug I've found... cures most any problem.
Second Buell
Linda passed about 6 years ago and I'm lucky enough to have found Joan. We were married about 18 months ago after a pretty short courtship. We had the ceremony in Arizona at a friends suggestion and fell in love with the area so we decided to buy a second home in Scottsdale.
Joan asked what features I would find appealing in a new home and I said "A garage with a motorcycle in it.".
We now have a lovely little condo with a 2009 XB12XT waiting in the garage.
As an additional note, my Doctor took up the sport of motorcycling shortly after writing my prescription. I'm glad he follows his own good advice. |
Tbolt_pilot
| | Posted on Monday, May 02, 2011 - 09:13 pm: |
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1997-ish... One day at the shop working on the race car I heard a 'Harley' coming up the street. I looked up to see it and...what was THAT?! Figured out later it was a Buell.
Fast forward a year or two. A coworker rode a beautiful black '98 Thunderbolt and I had to walk by it everyday. Each day I found a new detail that made it even cooler than before. And it sounded like our IMCA Modified dirt car!
2002... The coworker and I are both stationed in DC within a few weeks. I had been considering a commuter bike but knew I would kill myself on a crotch rocket. The Buell test ride truck came to town and I was looking at the Blast as my first bike for the street and with two wheels instead of three(Honda 250X ATV). The coworker shows up and he was thinking about selling his S3 and told me not to waste my time with the Blast, I'd only want something bigger in a month.
Long story less boring... a month later I was the owner of a gorgeous, black, thumping, shining, crotch rocket grounding, '98 Thunderbolt.
After 5 years I sold it due to house problems but got back on a black '03 Lightning about a year ago. I had test ridden the XB's when they came out and knew I would have one of them too. Still love every Buell and always will. No other bike has even come close. |
Svh
| | Posted on Monday, May 02, 2011 - 09:27 pm: |
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In early 2008 wife and I decide to get a motorcycle because I always love riding but never had done it much on the street. We wanted a touring bike that was sporty and made a list. Honda VFR800(still kinda want one), Kawasaki Concours and the Triumph ST. Found the VFR in the gorgeous 25th paint scheme but the dealer wouldn't let me test ride it or the used one the had. Put a sour taste in my mouth because at the time they were the Triumph dealer as well so I never did try to ride the Kawi.
3 months later on a fishing trip to Canada I pick up a RIDER magazine for the drive. Got to the ride review on the brand new XB12XT and it hit me instantly that this was THE bike for me. Bike was on the cover as well and I just passed it over. Still have that magazine. Brought it with me everywhere so I could keep reading up on it. Found this board via Google and started educating myself and asking all sorts of questions. Eternally thankful to those that helped me and entertained my noobie questions.
August of 08 I did my Riders Edge class and the next week bought my XT. First bike I had ever rode on the street for more than a block and it was a hour drive back home. It has been a love affair ever since for both my wife and I. We go touring with a group that is 8 Goldwings, a couple HD baggers and us and they always ask how we can be comfortable on "that little thing". We are the ones having fun. I will never sell this bike as it is just too perfect for me but I hope to add a 1125CR sometime in the future and maybe a Blast as well. |
Mike13
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 03, 2011 - 01:38 am: |
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One morning around the spring of ’96 I was at Sheppard AFB marching to class when I spotted something in a parking lot that I was having a hard time wrapping my head around. There sat this gnarley lookin sport bike with what looked like to me a Harley motor in it. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it and noticed the Buell script on the tank. That first time seein a Buell was forever etched in mind.
Fast forward to summer of ’03 and my girlfriend at the time decides she wants a bike. She ended up getting one of the new Honda 600rr’s and she lets me ride it whenever I want. This is the first street bike I have ever rode and I’m hooked. I’ve always loved harley’s and all motorcycles in general but never could afford them as I was too young or too poor. I had been wanting to build a chopper or bobber but did not have the tools or resources at the time and Harley’s were way outa my budget and they really didn’t have anything that appealed to me at the time. So now I’m in the market for something and I remember that bad ass Buell I saw years earlier. I fell in love with the sound of sport twins ever since I heard my first Ducati monster with after market pipes at my barracks years before, so I knew a twin is what I wanted. The xb12’s are just announced and I can’t believe how mean the black and amber firebolts look. Got pre approved for a loan and went and picked one up in October. I think I rode everyday for about a year and a half straight. I regret trading it in on my CR but the CR is such an awesome bike. Picked up a fire sale R as well. Wish I could afford an 1190 but hopefully we will have something more affordable in the near future. |
Wolfridgerider
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 03, 2011 - 08:54 am: |
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1 test ride is all it took... it was June 20th in 2006... a Tuesday... by Thursday the 22Nd, I had traded my Road King for it. |
S21125r
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 03, 2011 - 05:28 pm: |
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Early 90's saw an article in one of the rags with Erik and one of his bikes - thought way cool. Fast forward to spring of 1996 - With my first job and money in my pocket I'm scanning the Cycle Trader and find a dealership 100 miles away making deals on 95 S2 T-Bolts. Bought one sight unseen. Gave up the old T-Bolt just last year to a good friend/home so that I could make room for the 25R. |
Big_red_79
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 03, 2011 - 08:06 pm: |
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Knew a tech that talked up the tubers while i was in high school, talked with my Aunt and Uncle that taught Riders Edge at Ukes's and they said they used the blasts and they loved them, did some looking around online and read up on bikes, and decided that a Buell was it, took the chance and haven't been disappointed yet!
Bought my first one, a Black and Amber 03 12R sight unseen from C&S Harley in Nashville, and had the trucking company i was wrenching for at the time come through and load it onto the back of a truck and haul it back up to Wisconsin for me.
Rode the 03 for a couple of years, and about a week or so after i got the race pipe (one of the last ones made) the race ECM and filter put on, i killed a deer with it and the insurance company totaled out my bike, paid off the loan and paid me for my PPE,
After about a month of not being able to ride i went over to Appleton HD and walked in talked to Dave and got hooked up with my Black and Amber 06 12R, with i am still riding today, so far its been ridden in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Hawaii and currently Georgia! |
86129squids
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 04, 2011 - 12:44 am: |
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I had accepted a sales position at a soon-to-be-opened new dealership here in town, Smoky Mountain HD/BUELL- at the time I was riding my old BMW R65 and a first year PC800, so I was definitely the oddball of the sales team... everyone else was pretty familiar with the dozens of different HD's over the years, I was only familiar with metric bikes going back into the 70's.
I was immediately impressed with the technology of the Buell line, and that said tech was wrapped around a hotted Evo motor- at the time the newest model was the CityX, so sexy with the see-thru blue bodywork- I decided to take the plunge, bought the first Buell sold at Smoky Mountain and in no time ended up being the "Buell Guy", most all the other sales peeps would send anyone interested in the Buells to me.
Still love my XBSX, but I must admit that the year after I bought the CityX I was kicking myself for not being able to jump on the new Ulysses! Someday... |
Noone1569
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 04, 2011 - 04:51 pm: |
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I grew up riding dirtbikes from the age of 4 (JR50 with training wheels). I always bled blue (yamaha guy) when I raced. First streetbike was a 94/95 Katana 600 that my buddy put into the back of a parked car and totaled. That led me to pick up the first of two R6s. Once I had a jap rice rocket, I realized that they only provide excitement at extra-legal speeds and everyone and their broseph has one. After being forced to sell my last R6 due to financial issues and divorce, I decided I needed a new bike.
I don't recall when I first saw a Buell, but I remember looking at a 2009 White and Blue XB12R and drooling. It looked like nothing else out there. I had to have one. I started talking to local dealerships and got quotes, when Indiana Buell in Bloomington, IN told me they had a dealer demo 05 with 433 miles on it. I agreed to come look at it and bought (at a damn steal) it the same day, rode home and never looked back. I'll have another Buell or dozen, for sure. |
Dwardo
| | Posted on Thursday, May 05, 2011 - 11:12 am: |
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In 2006 I started thinking of buying a more modern bike to augment the Norton. I admit I was getting tired of kicking it after 30+ years. I was kind of aware of Buells but didn't really know anything about them. I knew I didn't want anything Jap and the only bike I had seen that didn't make me want to vomit was a new Moto Guzzi and I didn't want to spend the money. I started thinking about a used rubber-mount Sportster. By chance, I happened on some online back issues of a British magazine (can't remember the name) where they did some road tests of tube frame Buells vs. Sportsters. There was no comparison and I started to think that I could get used to the unconventional appearance. Started looking and was lucky to find my fairly unmolested M2 at a local BMW dealership. I probably paid a little too much when all was said and done but the bike has been excellent and I have no regrets. |
Dwardo
| | Posted on Thursday, May 05, 2011 - 11:19 am: |
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In 2006 I started thinking of buying a more modern bike to augment the Norton. I admit I was getting tired of kicking it after 30+ years. I was kind of aware of Buells but didn't really know anything about them. I knew I didn't want anything Jap and the only bike I had seen that didn't make me want to vomit was a new Moto Guzzi and I didn't want to spend the money. I started thinking about a used rubber-mount Sportster. By chance, I happened on some online back issues of a British magazine (can't remember the name) where they did some road tests of tube frame Buells vs. Sportsters. There was no comparison and I started to think that I could get used to the unconventional appearance. Started looking and was lucky to find my fairly unmolested M2 at a local BMW dealership. I probably paid a little too much when all was said and done but the bike has been excellent and I have no regrets. |
Rick_a
| | Posted on Monday, May 09, 2011 - 02:05 pm: |
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I spent most of my young life reading about bikes and learning what I could. My brother had a few Yamaha RZ350's that I was really into. They were light, simple, and were a solid platform to improve upon. My intent was purchasing his cleanest example, but after giving him 2x what he had purchased it for, decided to keep it. He blew it up not long after.
By this time Ducati had the Monster and I had been eyeing Buell since I saw an RSS1200 in an Easyrider magazine. I was also a big fan of the AMA 883 TwinSports racing series going on. The H-D lump looked like an engine that lended itself readily to hot rodding, and I admired the old-school simplicity.
It wasn't until 1995 while in boot camp that my mother sent me a Cycle World featuring a pre-production Buell S1 Lighting. I was immediately stricken, especially after seeing a few in person not long after. Perching myself atop one in a dealership really solidified my resolve. It fit me like nothing else. Finally in 2001 I found a clean, low mile 1996 S1 and have had it since.
I've ridden the best from Ducati, Triumph, Aprilia, Honda and Suzuki and this old Buell still does it for me. In this day and age of highly refined, highly capable motorcycles it is a rough and raw experience with a soul like nothing else. |
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