| Author | Message | ||
     Steveford |
Found myself spending a lot of time riding an S1 as my Useless is letting me know it's out of warranty. Butterfly shaft in the throttle body broke earlier this Summer, wheel bearings get replaced this week. Those old tube frame bikes come in kind of handy - old reliable. | ||
| Ratbuell |
I've been experiencing the opposite. My UlyX is running like a CHAMP but my S2 has started fighting back some. Cam cover is leaking some oil, and the breather setup is pushing enough oil / vapor into the intake that the bike is blowing smoke at idle. I'm guessing bad umbrella valves on that one, but might switch to an XB rockerbox setup or at the very least, an external breather filter. | ||
| Kalali |
Steve, a bit off topic but was wondering why the butterfly shaft broke on your bike. Mine also broke ('00 X1) a couple of weeks ago and I attributed the failure to backfire through the intake during start up. It only backfired less than a handful of times but since the butterfly is almost fully closed during start up, the build up of pressure behind the plate could be significant enough to "push" the assembly to failure. Just trying to make sure it does not happen again. Thanks. | ||
| Steveford |
One of the two screws on the butterfly shaft worked loose on the Uly and then the screw sheared and the shaft broke in two. Got lucky, nothing was ingested. I used Green Loctite on my X1's shaft screws right off the bat but didn't think I had to with the XB. WRONG! Uly has green loctite now as well. In all fairness to the XB platform, this one has 27,000 miles on it, the S1 only has 12,000 at the moment. | ||
| Phelan |
At least wheel bearings are an easy fix too if you have a lift. I changed the bearing in my front XB wheel (put tuber bearings in it for my conversion), and it took me all of 5 minutes with the wheels already off. On a side note, I used Koyo bearings from the local Texas Bearing Company instead of NSK. And they were $5.50/ea instead of $20/pair. | ||
| Kalali |
I checked the screws in the new TB for tightness but did not take them off and put them back in with Loctite. I suppose I should do it just for the peace of mind... | ||
| Dave_02_1200 |
I don't know much about XBs but my S3t and my M2 are reliable as can be. Maybe I'm just lucky or maybe regular maintenance and concern are the reason but my classic Buells run great. | ||
| Buellish |
94,000 miles and counting.Yes I love my S2T. It's funny,I can be parked at TWO on any given Sunday and the highest milage bike in the parking lot is one of those undependable Buells. (Message edited by buellish on September 14, 2009) | ||
| Reducati |
my s1 has no check engine light, ecm, ect...i bought it last december with 6k on the clock im now at 10.5 k, and all ive had to do was change fluids! | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
My XB12X has broken down a few times too but nothing near as many times as my X1 did in the first year! I don't think that the company actually earned a net profit from my X1! The old X1 is still kickin' though after all of those rough edges were smoothed out. | ||
| Preybird1 |
My X1 has broken down like 8 times this year alone! And it (was) not reliable. Once you get the crap parts out of it, It is one fine machine! At the same time i still would not sell it and it is to much fun to get rid of! If i sold it i would lose my A$$ for what i have invested into it 13k. I replaced all the Hd parts as they broke with high quality aftermarket parts only! Unless I could get no other parts anywhere else.I just got the tranny and clutch, shift drum, Shifter forks fixed! All i need to do now is rebuild front and rear caliper and put new rotors and pads. My Brother got a 2006 xb12s that had been dropped low speed. For 5k It had full carbon fire every where and the race ECM already on it. It has been very reliable and low maintenance and one fast bike! He is getting some issues now but minor things easily remedied. One thing i don't like about the xb is the fact that there is no trap door tranny, No 6 speed for it!! Also intake seals are a P.I.T.A and take some one who knows what they are doing...2 hrs to do. Where it takes me 40 minutes to do intake seals on the X1. So Here is what i think TUBERS-Easy to work on. Most work can easily be performed by an amateur mechanic or home garage mechanic. Reliability (can) be an issue! Xb-Very reliable from what i have seen. More compact harder to work on! Low maintenance. Some drawbacks to the tranny no trap door, No 6 speed for you! There are some more quirks the xb has but i can't think of them right now. They are both FANTASTIC BIKES! I would love to get an XB. | ||
| Rightpecial |
My old M2 would start up everytime and run fine even if I let it set for months. The only problem I had with it was the stock shock which I should have recognized before I bought it. Couldn't find a replacement for less than $550 so I sold it to my everlasting regret. The Uly hasn't broken down yet and although I know that I'll have to replace faulty bearings eventually and perhaps a nick-nack here and there, the tubers are older and require more care...still love em though. | ||
| Kalali |
This may be a bit off topic as I can't speak of the reliability of the "newer" bikes. But I did take an 1125CR out for an extended ride (upon much persistence from the salesman at the dealership) and to my surprise I did not like it. In comparison, the X1 has such an "organic" feel and the CR almost reminded me of my friend's Prius; very "electric" with little emotion and little romance, did everything right and perfectly. Needless to say my wife was very happy with my reaction. | ||
| Firstbuell |
heaven - an M2 with a 2008-or-later FI big-bore XB9 | ||
| Phelan |
A perfect world: 90" S2T with Feuling 4 Valve heads and DELPHI EFI, 10 spoke Marchesini wheels, single sided swingarm, dual ZTL front brakes, carbon fiber bodywork  . As far as reliability, only problems I had in 10,000 miles on my S2 that weren't owner-induced were a cracked oil tank and a voltage regulator. | ||
| Guell |
my m2 has left me on the side of the road before, and im tired of dumping money into it. Im thinking this winter its time to switch up to a xb | ||
| Blackandchrome |
My roommate got a 2003 XB9 with low miles for $4000 at the beginning of last summer. I bought a 2002 X1 at the end of last summer for $3500. I probably put around $2000 into my bike this year for maintenance issues. All he's had to do it change the fluids. He gets to spend his $ on cool upgrades. He can get on the bike and go without worrying about anything. It only takes a minute, but I have to check for loose bolts (especially the header studs - don't want that problem again) I get smoked by my other roommates cbr600rr (and any other sport bike). He can at least keep up for the most part. (I have intake, race ecm and force exhaust. He has the race header, race ecm and drummer exhaust) Unfortunately, I ride mostly straight roads here on Long Island. I had an absolute blast taking it up to Vermont the other weekend, but thats only 1 or 2 times a year. Hopefully I'll go to a newer model or a Harley this year. | ||
| F_skinner |
Anyone can ride a XB, it takes determination and dedication to ride a tuber. My XB is down, good thing I had my S2T to go to work this week. | ||
| Guell |
Course, everytime i ride her, i dont want to sell  | ||
| Steveford |
It's become pretty clear that you can jinx a bike by talking (or typing) about how wonderful it is compared to something else. Friend's new Guzzi is in the shop for a new clutch at under 3000 miles, brag up the Useless, it decides to spend most of the past three months laid up. Best to say it's a real pile and be able to ride it! | ||
| Billetmetallic |
reducati, your s1 does have a check engine light, its the red one  -g | ||
| Mobile |
I bought an 02 X1 last year with 4,500 miles on it. It has 8,000 now, and all I've done is rocker cover gaskets and fluids. Starts and runs great every time! | ||
| Guell |
I suppose i shouldnt really complain about mine, it broke down on in the middle of nowhere, but it started working again haha. Honestly, it starts everytime and hasnt had any real issues, just general wear items Tubers Rule |
