| Author | Message | ||
     Buellgirlie |
hello old friends, from a far, far away land called china, where i live in the future (13 hours ahead of milwaukee) - i'm fully aware that the knowledge is probably all here already - and i did take a quick look on old school buell and the KV -- but hope that you all will chime in with your collective expertise here. its a beeeee-yoooooo-tiful bike, with tons of power, but i want to go into this (illegal) bike ownership experience with open eyes, and a good idea of what to expect. remember, i'm coming from a nice, painfree ownership period of 2 XBs, a 2003 XB9R racebike and a 2004 XB9SL streetbike. 1998 S1W White Lighning - white frame, white body, white wheels. things i'm looking for (have not seen the bike, nor do i have many/any details on it) what are the strengths and weaknesses of this bike? where are the "usual suspects" for wear and tear that i should look at more carefully (certain spots that rub, certain welds that crack, certain spots that develop leaks, etc.) what recalls were issued for this year and model, and how can i check to see if they were done visually? (there will be no way to run this VIN, it is a "grey market" bike, which can't be legally plated and probably lost its dealership trail in another country) thx D | ||
| Lake_bueller |
Hey Dora...Good to hear from you  The S1W (especially in all white) might be the coolest Buell ever (IMHO). Things to look for: There aren't too many things that aren't easily fixed if broken. Typical "tuber" problems include rocker box gasket leaks, bad front & rear isolators, running the belt too tight, etc. Strengths: A ton of fun to ride. Great torque. Weaknesses: Not the most comfortable bike ever made. The seat has been termed a torture devise Wear & Tear: I've not heard of any welds cracking or rub spots. The only potential "wear" problem is the front motor mount. I'm not sure there is any way to see if the cylinder head/mount bolts are about to break. I believe it is a VERY small number that have actually broken. Recalls: I'm not sure what recalls were issued for these bikes. Some that I know about include swingarms and rear shocks. Oh yeah...here's a picture of mine   Good luck!!! | ||
| Reepicheep |
You will want to be prepared to replace both rocker box gaskets (time consuming but not that hard) with the new updated metal parts, as well as the metal primary gasket (neither hard nor time consuming). I suspect the front exhaust mount on the S1's would benefit from the same new part as the M2's got... I'll let an S1 expert chime in here. Run the belt on the loose side. Put the bike up on stands, rotate the rear wheel in neutral, and listen for crunchy or scrapey noises coming from behind the belt front sprocket. That's a 5th gear drive assembly problem, which can be fixed but gets involved (as it probably did transmission damage as well, and you have to get somebody to press bearings out). When you get the bike, you probably want to drop the oil pump and inspect the drive gear. If the bike is running and has oil pressure, it did not fail yet. It's an easy repair if you are pulling the rocker boxes anyway. I think there were various problematic / recall shocks that you may have to deal with at some point depending on the bikes history, but there are probably plenty of donor tubers hitting ebay these days that could fix you up with a post recall unit if you end up needing one. It sounds involved, but it's all fairly straightforward work and none of it is "break the bank" expensive. It'll feel a little primitive compared to an XB, but it makes it up in style... and I don't think it would be prudent for a tourist to ride aggressively in China anyway. That'd be a very cool experience to be tooling around the China on an S1! Sounds like the chance of a lifetime... meaning you get the bike and fix what you have to fix. | ||
| Chainsaw |
Hi Dora. Good to see you're alive and kicking! My advice...if the bike is purdy, buy it! | ||
| Chainsaw |
... i want to go into this (illegal) bike ownership experience... I assume the size of the motor is what makes it illegal. What's the limit there, 250cc's? I can make you an official looking sticker for the tank that says just that! | ||
| Mm128 |
If you CANT have it.. and its a GOOD buy... LET ME KNOW.. I WANT IT !!! Matt. | ||
| Road_thing |
Ni hao, Dora! rt | ||
| Ryker77 |
Ohh I miss my all white S1w. Only had it for three days till a silver hair pulled in front of me. The All white S1w is one of the best looking bikes ever. Next up is the grey and orange combo. | ||
| Mikexlr650 |
simply the most beautiful buell ever made! if it's in decent shape how can you say no? riding that bike in china, priceless! enjoy!!! | ||
| Paint_shaker |
Dora, Glad to hear you are doing well! I have an all white 98 S1W and it is one sweet ride!! I get comments on it where ever I go. Only thing I have done that NEEDED do be done was rear isolators (new belt while at it), front isolator (recall, fixed in 2004)and something in the tranny (can't bemeber). After the front isolator was done, all the recall items on my bike were complete. Don't know if the gaskets have ever been replaced, but no leaks! Everything else I have done has been "desired but not really needed" parts. Buy the bike and enjoy it!! Oh yeah 38,000 miles of smiles (it had 9,000 on it when I bought it 3 years ago)!!! | ||
| Stingaroo |
Great to hear from you Dora! I pray things are going well for you!! When my buddy Mike bought is 98 S1 Twin Tail, we had to replace the rear isolators,loosen up the belt ( the previous owner was a very lightweight), everything else seemed to be done. They are beautiful bikes, come join the tuber gang! The road is calling you... PS what is the max CC size of the bikes allowed in China? another PS, got any good pics of the bikes in your area? Brian | ||
| Tripper |
Just BUY IT! I'll be over in October to sort it out and set it up for my, er, your weight. | ||
| Blake |
Nice to see you stop in for a visit Dora. Good luck with your White Lightning! Cool bike! | ||
| Diablobrian |
Hey Dora, glad to hear you're looking at another Buell. I hope all is well with you in the far east, I know I enjoyed my visits over there when I was in the Navy. (87-93) | ||
| Buellgirlie |
ok, so the short list is new metal gaskets for rocker boxes and primary loosen up belt (possibly replace belt) new front and rear isolators (what to visually check for to see if they've been replaced or need to be replaced, brand name, visible part number, texture?) is there a way to visually tell if the shock is an original or a recall? a color, brand name, marking? here are 2 pics from the previous owner. anything stand out as red flags?   | ||
| Buellgirlie |
the bike is illegal for 2 reasons - engine size and origin In Beijing - they are not issuing new license plates for large cc motorcycles and havent been since 1999(?) or so. There is a healthy trading system going on with the old plates. and many many fakes. In most of the rest of China, you just CANNOT ride a large cc motorcycle. they are banned. sidecars get around the ban because they are not "2 wheeled" vehicles. some outlying provinces issue plates, but cities dont recognize them. (kind of like insuring your car at your parents in Ohio while driving it in New York) D | ||
| Littlebuggles |
Good looking bike, appears to have a recall shock (remote reservoir)or early X1 shock mounted backwards - kinda strange. Still has the stock pipe and hugger fender - those aren't seen much, most people don't like the sub fender with the plate mount on it... (I think they look great). Maybe a dumb question, but will this bike put you in jail, just for riding it? Or would you just have to pay "fines" to local policemen when/if pulled over? I don't think I'd want to do jail time in China. Might want to have Al or another sponsor send you a upgraded exhaust hanger if you do buy this bike - for longevity sake, it will keep you from breaking bolts off at the front header. -Mike | ||
| Mm128 |
Front Rotor is different as well. Bike appears to be VERY well taken care of by the picts... The shock is STRANGE..... backwards mounting...??? Good find though. Matt. | ||
| Lake_bueller |
From those couple of pictures, the bike looks very nice. Pro Series aircleaner and wave rotor are great touches. Like the two prior posts, I don't understand the "reversed" shock. It really should have the reservoir in the front. But that's s simple fix. As for inspecting the isolators...the front can be a visual. It's not hard to see a tear. You'll know the rear isolators are shot when you get a "buzzing" vibration. I currently have on that needs to be replaced on the right side of mine. I can notice the vibration in the right foot peg and throttle. I'd say buy it and enjoy it! | ||
| Paint_shaker |
Other than the shock as mentioned, the left turn signal is missing the amber cover. It could be nothing, but it could have fallen over or been laid down. There appear to be scratches on the heat shield and front header pipe. Looks like a paint chip on the fly screen, near the Lightning logo. Other than that, the bike looks to be in good condition! Enjoy!! | ||
| Buellgirlie |
thanks for the eagle eyes - badweb is great what would happen if i were "caught"? anything ranging from a monetary fine to them confiscating the bike. no idea how they decide what the punishment should be. have been told to rattle on in english and be polite and sorry and clueless and mildly indignant. who knows???? D p.s. highly unlikely that i would go to jail, but not impossible either  (Message edited by buellgirlie on July 26, 2007) | ||
| Ezblast |
Declared an engineering work of art by the Louvre. | ||
| Ezblast |
New XB belt fits;0) | ||
| Rex |
jack van voast in northern cal has a great white s1. motor upgrades to 115 rear wheel power. super bike........rex | ||
| Coolice |
D Hi!! That is the bike that hooked me on Buell, I just had to wait ($$$) until the first white XB was available. The rest is history Yes you have the best eyes here on Badweb, they will have ready to ride! (and the comment about speaking in english,...common I know you can talk your way out) | ||
| Ftd |
Hey Dora, Good to see you posting again. I hope everything is going well with you. That looks like a nice bike, have fun terrorizing the locals with it. Frank | ||
| Buellgirlie |
alright. actual pics from the "pirate" who's selling it. tim, my friend here who owned the buell from 2003-2006 forgot to mention he had the headers and exhaust polished - so they look a lot nicer in these pics. so, with the new pics - any other red flags? weird looking things? shock issues? (looks like someone pilfered the nice carbon fiber rear fender, though there are now some nice new blinkers and the flyscreen has been redone with logos gone - hardly a fair trade....) also, anyone know what kind of tire this is? thx!!! D    (Message edited by buellgirlie on July 28, 2007) | ||
| Tripper |
Them are HardlyUsed tires. And the rest of it looks solid. The shock is mounted backwards, so you may need a new bracket that holds the reservoir. Can you get parts? Of course you can, cause they don't filter BadWeb. I'll be coming through Beijing this fall if you need anything. I'll watch this space for alerts. | ||
| Reepicheep |
I'm only used to M2's... is that front frame joint around the steering head "right" for an S1? It looks a lot different from what I remember with my tuber... but that was a black M2 with a black frame, so it wouldn't look anything like that one... | ||
| Paint_shaker |
The rear shock IS mounted correctly in the new pictures. Looks like it is missing the rubber gas vent tube that comes out in front of the gas cap (not a biggie, just a piece of rubber tube to replace). Looks like it has an aluminum oil tank (sweet)! Personally, I trash those front pegs (they probably weigh a ton) and replace them with the rear pegs that are on it. Oh yeah, I would DEFINATELY get a heat shield on the rear header or you will burn your leg! (Message edited by Paint shaker on July 28, 2007) | ||
| Oldog |
Hey Dora! No advice, nice looking scooter, I presume that the prior owner had it licenced some way.. as always best of luck and best wishes! | ||
| Littlebuggles |
I concur with Mr. Paint_shaker on all points there. Frame looks fine. Don't recognize the tread pattern on those tires but they do look pretty fresh as Tripper said. Interesting subfender, they've modified a 99+ fender to fit your new bike, oh well... S1W's are sweet motorcycles! |
