| Author |
Message |
    
Kalali
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 04, 2014 - 03:29 pm: | 
|
Very nice looking bike as it sits but I agree, a matching color front fender will complete the look. It would also be a shame to cover those headers.... |
Coxster
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 04, 2014 - 05:50 pm: |
|
Beautiful! My photo screensaver just got an upgrade  |
Lakes
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 05, 2014 - 02:32 pm: |
|
Great Read!
please, please, don't remove that air cleaner & put that ugly force winder on it ) probably loose HP )
if you can feel the seat your not riding hard enough or far enough, or weather cold, wait till it's hot then see what the pipe on your leg feels like.
i love the S1's from the time i first road one in 1997. |
Airbozo
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 05, 2014 - 03:47 pm: |
|
"please, please, don't remove that air cleaner & put that ugly force winder on it ) probably loose HP ) "
Agreed (about the ugly forcewinder not HP loss)
I purchased my S3T with the forcewinder on it already and after doing the XB rocker Box mod, it stands out even more (I thought the cleaned up look would be better but it is worse).
I like the looks of the forcewinder on my Sportster (which did improve the HP and torque), but it looks out of place on the Buell. |
Firemanjim
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 05, 2014 - 08:13 pm: |
|
Yes, Buell race aircleaner-- nice! And get a front fender! |
Kalali
| | Posted on Thursday, February 06, 2014 - 07:57 am: |
|
What model air cleaners give good knee clearance and don't compromise performance? By the way, I like my FW but am open to suggestions. |
S1owner
| | Posted on Thursday, February 06, 2014 - 08:09 am: |
|
I run an open hyper charger with a k&n flter works great for me
 |
Hootowl
| | Posted on Thursday, February 06, 2014 - 09:24 am: |
|
So...maybe folks missed it, or maybe I'm talking out of my ass, but has anyone tried rotating the ham can type filter for knee clearance like the factory did on the S2? |
Twintalon
| | Posted on Thursday, February 06, 2014 - 02:50 pm: |
|
The bike came with an unpainted front fender, so I've got that, I just have to drill the mounting holes and get it painted. Honestly, as much as red is my LEAST favorite color, this shade of red really is a gorgeous color. That said, there's some bubbling in the paint on top of the gas tank, so it's gonna Have to be repainted at some point, probably when I'm done with school (going back to school to get certified to work on airplanes).
Orange is my favorite color, and I've always wanted a bike with a deep, rich, metallic orange, so that's probly how it's going to go. Almost all my bikes for the last 7 years have been black, with the Yellow 9R being the exception. Don't laugh, but I think I'm gonna go with a "General Lee" theme. A deep, rich metallic Orange with an "01" on the side and "General Lee" along the top of the tank on either side. Not sure if I wanna put the rebel flag on, only for fear of some ignorant moron kicking the bike over out of spite. But which color to paint it is up in the air right now. The major priority is getting the bike to where I can Ride it comfortably and confidently, which Cannot be done with the stock seat and the ham can. As soon as the XB9SX is paid for and sitting in my garage, I'm going on the hunt for a solo tail/Corbin for the S1. As she sits now, I'm shifting around in the seat after 20-30 mins, and a day in the Mtns is almost out of the question.
The ham can is gorgeous, and I'd Really like to keep it, but even with my 29-inch inseam, my right knee comes to rest on the Outside of the aircleaner, which basically destroys my ability to mesh with the machine and ride it competently. This stock seat ends up with your butt in ONE place, there's no way to move around fore/aft, and it ends up with my knee Over the ham can, which just doesn't work. I don't Want to put a FW on it, but until I can get the solo tail with a Corbin, and/or move the pegs back and Way up, I just can't Connect with the bike well enough to ride it as proficiently as I'm able, so Something has to be done. I think clip-on-style bars (probably Crossroads) and rearset pegs will put the riding position where I want it And allow me to keep that beautiful ham can, so those mods are high on the list. Changing the peg setup will probably mean losing the Banke shifter, but if that's what it takes to get the bike setup how I want it...
S1owner: what rear pulley is that? I'm a huge fan. Also, what rear brake lever is that? I had the stock one off the other night, and the thing is probably a full 1.5 lbs all by itself.
I've been going over the bike, cleaning stuff up, and holy sweet little baby Jesus, I don't think the brakes had been bled in a decade. I'm not sure the rear had Ever been bled. The stuff that came out of both brake lines was.... Depressing. The old girl deserves better. So she's got fresh fluid in both systems, and I'll be riding her tomorrow to see how the brakes feel. I'm hoping I don't have to rebuild the rear MC, but I won't be surprised if I do. $16 on American Sport Bike and a few hours of my time is a small price to pay to have a rear brake that works properly, because I Use it.
What kind of tank range are ya'll seeing, and which tank do you have? I like Both tanks, so I'm fine with the smaller stock tank I have, but if the Manta will let me go another 50-70 miles between fill-ups, I may have to find one before she gets repainted and go with a Manta instead. |
Twintalon
| | Posted on Thursday, February 06, 2014 - 02:56 pm: |
|
Oh, and yes, I think the headers Are ceramic-coated. I was told it's got the Race headers, but the collector measures at 2" OD, so I don't think these are the race headers. The ceramic coating has a small chip/peel forming on the leading surface of the front header, so I'm worried that may degrade over time. Any thoughts on how/if it can be saved from getting worse?
And personally, I wouldn't wrap the headers. I've heard too many stories of headers getting pitted and screwy after being wrapped. Maybe the ceramic would prevent that, but I'm not willing to take the chance, and I'm such a perfectionist, I'd probably end up re-wrapping it every time it started to look frayed. I'm not worried about exhaust heat, especially with the rear header cover, so I don't see ever wrapping the headers. |
Twintalon
| | Posted on Friday, February 07, 2014 - 06:00 pm: |
|
And the crowd goes silent......
Is the General Lee theme *that* distasteful? |
Swamp2
| | Posted on Friday, February 07, 2014 - 09:35 pm: |
|
Um... yes. It's not necessary for a Buell which is sufficiently unique and cool without any attempts to tart it up.
It's your bike, do what makes you happy - but I think it's lame. Since you asked... |
Al_lighton
| | Posted on Friday, February 07, 2014 - 11:10 pm: |
|
Matt,
Nice bike. You took those pictures with your phone? Damn, mine never look that good when I use my phone.
A few things:
1) Air cleaner..pivoting it won't help. You'd have to pivot it around the center of the intake obviously, and the back is radiused around the intake, so that won't buy clearance with an offset hamcan like the race AC. More clearance would be good, but you can't get a lot with the intake center where it is relative to the seat. In that respect, the forcewinder is probably the best option. But I'd stick with CF oval myself.
2) If the rear MC isn't leaking, elevate the rear caliper and bleed it (block the pads) with it being the highest thing in the system, then re-mount it. If that doesn't work, then rebuild it. But always bleed it uphill, it works much better.
3) Don't do anything with the exhaust until you upgrade the front hanger. The old L-hanger on your bike kills exhaust systems, especially when the rubber donut is gone (no replacements are available). Upgrade to the inverted Y hanger (#17036 on our site).
4) We have the tail light bracket and CF solo tail sections, and we can get the fiberglass solo tail section from Airtech just up the road. So converting to a single tail is easy, except the seat. We don't sell them any more, but IMHO, a Corbin S1 seat is the way to go if you can afford one and have the patience to deal with Corbin.
Al |
Al_lighton
| | Posted on Friday, February 07, 2014 - 11:21 pm: |
|
Matt,
You said NRHS 1250 kit... are the heads worked to match? If yes, that header has to go...regardless of whether you can find a race header (good luck with that, they're pretty rare these days), you should at least get the 2.5" S1w/S3 header. Those are still readily available.
Al |
The4ork
| | Posted on Friday, February 14, 2014 - 04:32 am: |
|
how can you be buell obsessed before owning a tuber  |
The4ork
| | Posted on Friday, February 14, 2014 - 04:41 am: |
|
Oh and welcome to the real buell finally. I may be a little biased, but Ive owned a few buells.
nothing compares to the S-1. Mines a 96 with some obvious mods... xb wheels, forks, handle bars... its also got stg3 nrhs ported xb heads, and a 1250 kit. still on the stock carb and cams but those are next.
I can tell you, nothing gives you a rush like riding my s-1. I cant wait to open it up with the cams and carbs, but for now... there are faster bikes out there ive ridden, but their just not the same, i dunno what it is about it, but i feel a raw connection with the bike. Makes other bikes seem boring, smoothe (in a bad way), and just disconnected.
here is mine
 |
Twintalon
| | Posted on Monday, February 17, 2014 - 08:21 pm: |
|
I like it! What does it take to get an XB front end on an S1, and how's the stability at speed? And what about the rear wheel? I'm not sure I wanna swap that stuff around, but I'm curious how difficult it is. I put a GSXR750 front end on my 2G SV650, and it was fantastic. Easy swap too. |
S1owner
| | Posted on Monday, February 17, 2014 - 08:38 pm: |
|
The front end you can use the stock triples and certain year xb forks slide right in. Or you can press the S1 stem into the XB triple or you can modify the xb stem to fit not hard which ever way you go. To put the rear on its some spacers that are available on ebay and some fine tuning. |
The4ork
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 18, 2014 - 03:39 am: |
|
the front is easy... i dont know all there is to know about xb's but i do know the 03 front end basically swaps right over...
the rear is the tricky part, and as it turns out i never installed the inner bearing spacer inside the wheel hub, so i have been having problems with my rear wheel... to my own fault.
the rear you need some spacers that are found on ebay, but i still had to size and machine down my caliper bracket, which is about the only complicated part of using all the xb stuff... |
The4ork
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 18, 2014 - 03:43 am: |
|
oh and for stability... feels solid all the way to top speed at the rev limiter, and its easy to no-hand.
the only downside is it limits the left/right steering more than stock, so its harder to turn the bike around in tight parking spots, have to an extra point turn or 2 sometimes compared to the old setup but worth it |
Twintalon
| | Posted on Thursday, February 27, 2014 - 02:09 am: |
|
I appreciate everyone's help, support, and suggestions. Every mile spent on this bike makes me Love it more and more.
I think the stock seat has almost succeeded in killing all the nerves in my ass, so the bike has become Much more tolerable after a few hundred miles.
I've been thinking about this, and I have to say something. I may be shooting myself in the foot, but this needs to be said:
I'm a little disappointed in the Tuber community. This thread went almost Completely dead because I mentioned that I'm considering a paint scheme that some don't like...
So it's not enough that I'm obviously a little Buell-crazy, that meeting Erik was one of the most exciting moments of my life, that I've owned Several Buells, that my friends have been looking at me like I'm crazy for owning an "antiquated paint-shaker", and most importantly:
It doesn't matter that I JUMPED at the chance to own this S1, a bike that the VAST majority of motorcyclists wouldn't even look at *Once* (forget a Second glance), even though it's put buying the XB9SX in jeopardy? It doesn't matter that I've committed to owning a bike that is going to get harder and harder to keep on the road? A bike that's going to need more attention than pretty much anything else you could choose? A bike that will almost Certainly need Major work At Least once while it lives in my garage? A bike that makes you REMOVE THE MUFFLER to change BASIC fluids?
But that's not enough? I'm not in-the-club enough yet?
I coulda got a Duc 1000SS. I coulda got a Speed Triple. I coulda got another XB instead of a Tuber. But I chose a 16-year-old tube-framed Buell over ALL of the other excellent motorcycles out there. That's not enough for you guys though, it's gotta be a normal, everyday Color too.
The ••••••• paint scheme? REALLY guys? It's not enough that I own the damn bike, it's gotta be a stock color or else I'm excommunicated? I don't own Buell's in order to be part of a family or subculture or whatever, I own them because I think they're the BEST that there IS in a motorcycle. I own them because there is literally *Nothing Else* I'd rather have. So, I'm not here Just to be part of a club, but I'm expecting to need the help, knowledge, and support of the Tuber community to keep this bike well-taken-care-of and tearing up the roads for the foreseeable future, and it's tremendously disappointing when 95% percent of the group basically says "Oh, you're one of THOSE people. We don't like your kind around here."
If someone had said "Ya know, I don't think something as rare and special as a Tuber *needs* any crazy paint or anything.", and the conversation resumed, I wouldn't have a problem with that.
What pisses me off about the crickets chirping in here is that we Buell owners are a rightfully proud, frightfully small subculture-within-a-subculture. And owning a Tuber puts you into a subculture(Tubers)-within-a-subculture(Buells)-wit hin-a-subculture(Motorcycles). For the room to go silent and everyone to withdraw support based entirely on a damn paint scheme is f'n ridiculous. If I was asking where I can buy a chrome 18-inch-extended swingarm cuz it'll look better with my neons and candy-frost-nonsense paint, I can understand, because I'd go silent too.
If I wanted to be judged and shunned, I woulda bought a BMW. I would have thought the Buell community, most especially the Tuber community, would be more open-minded and supportive. One of the things I enjoy most about the Culture of Buell Motorcycles is that YOU do whatever YOU wanna do, and F@ck everybody else. When a previously-boisterous thread goes silent at the mention of something the group-at-large finds distasteful, it begins to feel like a forum full of R1150's and K1200's, and that's not how *I* see the Buell community. Maybe I'm wrong...
I'm not trying to be an ass, I'm just disappointed. Everyone was Great when the thread was about how much I adore my new Tuber, but how shallow and silly does it look when the room goes silent over a 'potential' paint scheme?
After all, I actually Paid Money for, and was EXCITED to get, a Tube-Framed-Buell. I can't be a COMPLETE idiot.
hopefully..... |
Essmjay
| | Posted on Thursday, February 27, 2014 - 03:00 am: |
|
????? I have an S2, an S3, and 2 R1150RT in the garage. There are lots of threads I read and don't comment on. Don't take it personal. A minority of threads perpetuate, most peter out. |
Fasted
| | Posted on Thursday, February 27, 2014 - 06:09 am: |
|
if you bought the bike to be part of a club, it was a bad idea.
lack of validation that you seek here changes nothing. if someone pats you on the back, that is great. if they don't, it is nothing personal.
this site will help you keep the bike running and having fun.
let that be enough as you enjoy your buell |
Jolly
| | Posted on Thursday, February 27, 2014 - 07:53 am: |
|
I've noticed that most threads have a life span of about a max age of 65..... Some longer.... Some less.... Some much less....
I've got a thread going on my s2 project that very few people are commenting on these days but I know people are reading. I keep inputting so that it remains a source of information for the next person that needs to take on a project of this magnitude,.... How do I know they are reading?? When I hit a brick wall, someone helps.... If they don't, I open a topic specific thread... And the help is there.
I validate my own existence .... I ride a Buell.... Therefore I am... !!!!
And I help others as much as I can...
And I groan silently every time a tube frame Buell is butchered... |
Phelan
| | Posted on Thursday, February 27, 2014 - 02:43 pm: |
|
Grats on the bike, and great choice picking an S1. I'd love to have one at some point but the S2 is my first love.
As far as the thread, as others have said, don't take it personal. Not many Buells were made, and even fewer post on the forums anyway. BadWeb is THE largest Buell community forum, but can still be dead at times, especially since most of the people on here often are talking politics in the off-topic section instead. The people you want to talk to are too busy out there riding  . |
Phelan
| | Posted on Thursday, February 27, 2014 - 02:51 pm: |
|
Btw, carbon solo tail from Al and a Corbin or better yet a Baldwin Motorbike Saddle would be my choice. You might even watch ebay for a Corbin if you're not color or material picky. I want a BMS, but I settled for now on a Corbin in good shape that I won on eBay for $130.
Here's my last S2 btw. I should be picking up my new S2 soon so Ican post pics and build progress on it as well.
 |
S1owner
| | Posted on Thursday, February 27, 2014 - 03:09 pm: |
|
Twintalon be careful what you wish for on forums!
Ultimatly its your bike make it yours make it fit you and your personality!
Thats what I do. |
Swamp2
| | Posted on Thursday, February 27, 2014 - 04:46 pm: |
|
I honestly don't think anybody here would alienate a fellow Buell enthusiast based on their preferred paint schemes. I did put forth a personal opinion that was maybe a bit harsh (I apologize - I'd had a few drinks) - but hey, you did ask... And i did say it's your bike, by all means do what makes you happy. Nobody will begrudge you for that.
But as has been noted, threads rarely need to live forever, they come and go. Overall I think there's a ton of information and helpful folks here on this forum. It just doesn't need to all be stuck on one thread. |
The4ork
| | Posted on Thursday, February 27, 2014 - 05:29 pm: |
|
hey the general lee scheme isnt my thing, and i dont think it will look all that good, particularly because im not into general lee..
but at least its an american theme and you arent painting jap flags all over it or something.
none the less... i hope you have fun with the bike, mine is clearly not classic or stock as well but i dont really care what the community thinks about it as long as i think its cool.
its how fun it is to ride more than anything else. the community around here is a little stale, and like most forums, are either fad oriented, or sticklers for keeping things original. just ignore those people. |
Prototech
| | Posted on Thursday, March 06, 2014 - 08:54 pm: |
|
The Airtech air cleaner ( http://www.airtech-streamlining.com/buell/S11996-98.htm#price ) gives me a comfortable stance. I'm 6'2" and 340  the PO had a homemade double thickness "Race" HamCan on it. The damn thing would throw out my hip every time I rode for more than an hour. After 10,000 miles that way I broke down and got the Airtech The Airtech housing only slightly hits my knee now (normal stance), and is extremely comfortable.
The design looks at home on the S1 (IMO) it flows nice with the lines of the bike.
I am considering laying up matching cover for the left side, it will serve as a scoop to direct more air to the rear cylinder.
As far as how you want to paint it, paint it so EVERTIME you walk into the garage it puts a smile on your face. That is all that's important at the end of the week. These (Buell's) are one of the few things in life that you get to do whatever YOU want with, only to make YOU happy.
In my book, if it has 2 wheels it's cool, even if i don't "get" it and props to the owner for doing their own thing. I regularly ride with a friend that rides a 110cc Pocket Rocket, damn thing hauls ass, spanks my brothers Blast till 30mph and tops out around 70..
You will always be a Bueller and the community will always be there for help, even if they wouldn't do theirs that way. Many, myself included, would prefer if an original bike is kept that way, once modded, going back is never the same.
This is my S1, was stripped and reworked by the PO at 135 miles! The powdercoat on the frame was not UV stabilized so now has turned a nice shade of pink! The color is synergy green from the Camero's, I have since repainted with a custom mix green, now all that remains is to sort out the frame color. lol, It has been green and red so long it has grown on me, but I'm thinking grey or silver for the frame.
Keep the shiny side up!
Proto |
Phelan
| | Posted on Thursday, March 06, 2014 - 09:44 pm: |
|
Watermelon! I love it! |
S1owner
| | Posted on Thursday, March 06, 2014 - 09:50 pm: |
|
I like it also reminds me of the 80s |
The4ork
| | Posted on Saturday, March 15, 2014 - 12:29 am: |
|
Haha I thought xmas but I like watermelon better lol |
General_ulysses
| | Posted on Saturday, March 15, 2014 - 10:20 am: |
|
Here I fixed it... 
|
|
