| Author | Message | ||
     Slaughter |
Back when I worked around and in the industry, it was dominated by 2-smokes. I owned an RD400 that was "Too" hotted-up by the previous owner (hand-ported, big-carbs and higher compression) - and it was unrdeable in town. I loved the XR750 as road-raced and always thought it'd make a HELLUVA cafe racer. Yeah, it was a Harley, but a fast-revving air-cooled 4-stroke had a TON of appeal to me. A couple decades pass and I figure it's time to start looking for the next project and when I first start asking, people kept saying "ever hear of a Buell?" Followed by my blank stare... "a WHAT?" So I starts a-looking. Sure enough, this Buell thing has appeal. (and the XR was impossible anyways - just ask anybody who's kept one lit up and running for a weekend just how well it could work on the street EVEN IF it could be done legally) So I'm calling, talking, asking around and there's just no way around it, I have to go into a Harley dealership... and that had about zero appeal to me. Heck, I worked together with Team Hansen when Kawi USA was TRYING to survive against Yamaha and the killer TZs - when they had this guy named DuHamel racing their H2R and KR250 and KR750 (yes, the Kawi 2-smoke liquid-cooled triple was ALSO called a KR) so being anywhere NEAR a Harley dealer had no appeal... but it was WHERE the Buells were. So I call... talk to Ernie Snair at Glendale and come in and kick the tires on the S3... and decide that will be my bike. Get the orange and black (hey, the colors ARE cool) and ride away. I like it. Yeah, it only has 38K miles and with the racing, it isn't ridden as much as in the beginning but except some teensy things, she's been faithful to me and she'll stay in the garage. Bought an XB a couple years later - did some sportier riding on her until I did my first track days and saw another side of riding that could only be seen on the track and decided that even though I'd be one of the slowest dudes out there, this racing thing was really cool So... after nearly buying a used H1R to start racing in 1976... add a few years and in 2004, I'm in New Racer School on the XB (bone stock). Now there's a rolling chassis XB and a Blast engine gonna become a singles-class racer for next season. There's always something. There's more but I'm taking meds starting now for some fun non-warranty service so gotta go. No editing... this is free association here... | ||
| Rainman |
Chipmunks ate the wiring harness in my Old Wing. I'm not good enough to rewire an Aspencade and the bike wasn't worth $4 g to have it done. So I sold to a friend and took the cash, $2g, and bought a Blast out of the RE program where I teach. All I could afford. Damn it's fun. Learned about mass centralization and how the best training bike ever built will do 80 down the highway all day. Schooled a few Harley/Buell sales folk on what it would do. Looking for a highway cruiser now, to go with the Blast. Thinking maybe an XT or Ss. Gotta wait for kids to get out of college | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
I ran across a Buell while waiting to meet a guy for a meeting at Rocket HD in Huntsville. I couldn't get the look of it out of my head. Bought a Buell a year later. Still can't get the look of them out of my head. | ||
| Eaton_corners |
I test rode a '97 Thunderbolt in 1997. Tried to trade my 1978 XLCR in on a new '98 M2, but no one wanted it. Finally bought a 2003 XB9R in 2002 but wrecked it in 2005. Replaced it with a 1997 M2, which I traded in on my 2008 1125R  . I can't do without, and I can hardly wait for what's next. | ||
| Easy_rider |
Owned an FXRS in the mid-80's and got the Enthusiast mag for free. Saw a single page article about the new Buell (RS1200). Liked the idea and the look. At one point in the mid 90's sent an email asking if a poster existed so I could put it up at work and dream. Got a response that one didn't. A couple days late I got an email from EB stating that "he'd forwarded the email, did they respond?" Even though I didn't the answer I wanted I was impressed. Took a couple test rides through the 90's. Saw what I wanted in the '98 S3 and grabbed it! | ||
| Methed |
I was sold in riding the piss out of the test fleet at Sturgis '04 after seeing the line for the HD demos. After my third ride, I was convinced it was a cool ride, then I hopped on a 9X and about pulled a Lonely Island 'in my pants'. The XB bikes are like riding in your own groove down the highway, and there's never been a bike like it AFAIC. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Got a good tax refund one year...started looking. Grew up on musclecars so I love the thump of a Harley / twin more than the whine of an I4. Never been on a bike before in my life, not even dirt. Just knew I wanted to do it...so I did. Visited the HD store...nothing really caught my eye because "I'm not that old". Saleslady - Norma - took me in back to show me a bike they'd just gotten in. Orange M2. That was it. Got it home, my (now ex) said to me "isn't 1200 a bit much?" Um...nope. Love it! Ended up buying her an S1. Shoulda kept the bike and let her go...unfortunately, they both went. Had to sell the M2 a couple years later to keep the ol' license on life support...got the FLHP, rode it for a while, practiced, got better, grew up a little. Started working at the dealer, the itch got worse. Found my S1W, got back into Buell. Started *really* noticing the shortcomings (mainly lean angle and chassis wag) in the ol' FLH, so started looking for a Buell "bagger". Found the S2. Sold the FLH. Got my Uly. Wife sat on the M2L and was instantly in love - comfortable and confident. Now, 3 tubers and one XB (sounds like a Beastie Boys song...) and we have a pretty happy garage  For now.... It just needs a couple radiators...  | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Glad you like it!  | ||
| Vampress |
I don't have a Buell of my own yet  , but I have been the superfluous person on the back of Lemonchili's for quite a while now. I am waiting for my story to begin...perhaps a shiny grey/orange cyclone I have had my eye on for a while? I can tell you that my reason for getting one could however be this.... Chili has one. He loves it. He raves about it. He tells everyone how awesome they are. He fights to uphold it's honour. He explains to people why and how they are so great. If I had no other reason, that would be enough. I have another reason though...(maybe a few)... I have ridden X. It feels, sounds and looks like nothing else I have ever ridden. or very rarely even see. It turns heads, it growls at people who get too close. It announces your arrival. It has an attitude of its own. It demands respect. I want something that handles well (I'm not the world's most experienced rider), not so I can hang sideways off the seat or take tight corners at top speed, but so I feel safe and in control. I want the power, not to throw me around a racetrack, but to get me out of the way of other drivers quickly if need be. I want the aesthetics, not to turn heads, but for myself. So I have something different, that I am proud to ride my own way. That's why I want a Buell.  | ||
| Metalstorm |
I bought a Buell because I wanted one from the very moment I first saw my first one. It was back in '97 0r '98. I was paving a parking lot for Golden Gate Buell when they were located in San Rafael CA. During lunch I stuck my head in to see the hogs and right in front were four bikes that were very un Harley. They looked like nothing I've ever seen. They were brilliant and I knew one day that I would have one. What I didn't know was that it would take me seven or eight years to create the opportunity to buy one. By then the XBs were on the scene and the lust was no longer controllable and in '05 I brought home my brand spanking new Scg It was so worth the long wait. | ||
| Pkforbes87 |
I wanted something different and other than a 3.5hp b&s powered minibike, I had zero experience on 2 wheels. My options were honda rebel, ninja 250, or a blast. I got a chance to ride the rebel and the ninja and hated both, so opted for the blast without ever riding one. That little bike was great! But it was too little. After 3 months and 3500 miles I sold it to a friend and found myself a 2000 x1. Now 2.5 years and about 25k miles later I've got two x1's and an s3. I've learned that dealers will ruin the buell experience, but self-taught wrenching turns owning a tuber into a "relationship" that is so much more than just basic transportation. | ||
| Mortarmanmike120 |
Divorce. | ||
| Cityxslicker |
Three days of spirited track use at Back to the Track 1 in vegas.... And an authorized trip through the infield on the Uly and I was hooked (if I was tall enough for the 12 it would have been done; but I am short, so the CityX was put to Adventure service) 35k miles later, no regrets.... except I needed a lighter bike for the harrier gnarly stuff. | ||
| Lemonchili_x1 |
"I owned an RD400 that was "Too" hotted-up by the previous owner (hand-ported, big-carbs and higher compression) - and it was unrideable in town. " My first bike was a Yamaha stroker too, an RD250LC, with exactly the same features... Unrideable anywhere below 6000rpm! Same previous owner? I first bought a Buell because... well, the story really starts in 1988: I was 17, just got my licence, riding around on this psychotic, loud RD, and I was lucky enough to work in a Moto-Guzzi shop. It was run by a crazy East German named Andre. I could never decide which was more eccentric, him or these weird Italian pushrod twins. I worked after school and saturdays, and I got to ride heaps of Guzzi's - LeMans', California's, V50's, V65's, Lario's, T3's, T5's. I loved the sound, the "grunt", the shaking at idle, their simplicity, their quirks... I mean "character", and the speed. A LeMans on the cam (above about 4500rpm) is an amazing ride. Around this time or a bit later I saw an article for this new bike company, Buell, and their new RS1200. What did it say on the cover of the magazine? A corner killer that eats Ninjas? The RS looked a bit like a touring bike to me, but the RR1200 looked interesting. Alas, I didn't have the funds for an old Moto Guzzi. After the RD250 there was an FT500 Honda (Ascot) followed by a string of inline 4's, three Kawasaki 650/750's, an XS1100(1.1), a Yam FZ750. None of them stayed standard, most of them got painted black, some got clip-ons or clubman 'bars. I built a KZ750 special for Forgotten-Era racing, hoping a small light 750 could out handle the GSX1100's. It never raced, but it was a fun learning experience. I did 90% of the work on my bikes, and I got sick of having to buy 4 or 8 or 16 of everything, and I still lusted after a twin, and something that really handled and stopped. So I bought a Suzuki GS500.  The little GS was light and flickable, but I quickly realised I'd have to spend a LOT of money to make it really handle and really go. I sold it after about 12 months. I'd owned 11 bikes in 12 years of riding. I put a deposit on a red 1981(?) Moto-Guzzi LeMans III. If I'd bought the LeMans the story would probably be totally different... but I realised the LeMans had no brakes, good 18" tyres were getting hard to get, decent twin shocks were expensive, and I wanted to upgrade things that I didn't have the money to do. I changed my mind, the dealer happily gave me back my deposit in full. Around this time I saw an article on the M2 Cyclone. The review was very positive, the torque graph amazing! They discussed in the article how the M2 was possibly a better street bike than the S1. I loved the naked look of the S1 and the M2, the big round headlight with the little flyscreen, and it had modern suspension, 17" wheels, six-piston brake and a big air-cooled twin. What did I do? I bought a 1989 GSXR750. To be continued... | ||
| Smoke |
started riding a sport 50 in 68, triumph 250, 64 pan, a string of cheap japanese bikes, kept looking for a hot rod harley. saw the Buell progression via ? Cycle World ? with no initial want for the price points of the RR,RS bikes but an appreciation for the designs beneath the body. was working a road job in Tulsa in summmer 98, walked into the Harley shop(route 66 i think) and there it was, out front on display on a pedestal as you walked in the entrance, all black, shiny and minimal. two wheels, motor and that aggressive stance. to me, the S1 is what the badass sportster should have progressed into. i was smitten, found every item possible to study and lo and behold in my enthusiasm and study, a friend who picked up a new 748 told me about a black tricked out 97 S1 that was sitting for sale at the BMW/Ducati shop in the next town over. walked in and saw MY NEW BIKE. she won't ever be leaving!! and the adventure commenced: tim | ||
| Babired |
I first bought a Buell because.... I wanted to be part of the Harley Family and not ride something everyone else was riding. I rode the X1 and M2 in 1998, I was a new MC safety instructor then and I started reading the MC consumer news when Lee Parks was the editor. One year they featured the Lucky Devils and the Millennium was pictured up on the top part and the racing stripe was below it. I remember drooling over that bike. Then I went to the HD dealer in Baltimore and saw the Millennium up on a chromed out ramp with the light shining down on it #289. SOLD! 10 years ago almost 80,000 miles on 4 Buells now | ||
| Lonewolfnavet |
I got into Buells after years of riding Harleys, Triumphs and Hondas. I test rode Buells but never made the commitment until I found myself bored with what I was riding. I tested the CBR (which is a great bike) and also test rode the Hayabusa (which I still crave to this day). I tested the Buell the year before I actually bought it. I went into the dealer and got it in 2007. It was a toss up between the Busa and the XB. I will definitely keep the XB but I still have to get my hands on a Hayabusa... | ||
| Psychobueller |
During the summer of 1994, I took my CX500 on a road trip to New Hampshire to visit my high school buddies. My luggage consisted of two backpacks bungeed to the back of the bike. While in New Hampshire, I dropped by Harley-Davidson/Buell of Manchester to check out their shop. I had only a passing interest in H-D and was very happy to remain an observer to the H-D culture. But what I saw parked outside changed that forever. I knew a little about what a Buell was from reading moto-mags religiously, but I didn't really have an interest. I had a great local Honda shop, and figured any sporting motorcycle I would buy would be from there. The S2 Thunderbolt that I encountered outside H-D/Buell of Manchester would cause me to rethink that notion. I sat on the S2 and was amazed how comfy it was. I was used to sportbikes being torture racks and that fact alone had dissuaded me from considering them as a viable alternative for me. On the Buell, everything just felt right. It really was a striking bike to look at. The bodywork was flowing and the lines of the bike made it look as if it was leaping forward while standing still. When the sales dude asked if I wanted to demo ride it, I nearly passed out! DEMO RIDE???? A BRAND NEW BIKE???? You can't do that, can you? When I came to, he got the bike started up for me. Now, I had thought that my CX500 had a throaty roar, but what came out of that Buell was the most hellacious rumble I had ever heard. Kind of like a Harley, but more tight and tuned. Suddenly, my CX was a pansy ass little bike that had just peed its pants. The vibrations at idle were kind of funny to feel as well as watch, and I thought it made the bike feel alive. He demonstrated to me how the vibes go away under power and how all the H-D spec switchgear worked, and I was off. I still replay that ride in my mind to this day. I had never experienced the T-word like that before: TORQUE!!! I quickly became a believer. The bike smoothed out really well and it was amusing to pull in the clutch and feel the vibes while I was rolling along. The engine sounded like a small-block Chevy with glass packs. And the handling! Let's just say that I still haven't wiped the smile off my face. I returned to the dealer after a thorough flogging and ogled the S2 for a while before leaving. I was 19 after all, and there was no way I could afford a $12,000 bike. But the seeds were planted. I proceeded to demo ride everything I could get my ass on. I have amassed quite a list of about 70 bikes that I have ridden since that summer. I never met a motorcycle I didn't like. But that feeling of torque, that WWWHHHHHAAAAAAA snort when you crank it open from idle and it feels like your arms are getting ripped off your torso, was something I never forgot from my Buell test ride. In the waning winter of March 2001 I stopped by my Buell dealer, H-D/Buell of Edison, NJ. I had been kicking around the idea of getting a more sporting ride. I had watched Buells evolve and wanted to see what they had to offer. I remember sitting on the Cyclone M2 and recalling how it felt like the S2, comfy and sporty at the same time. I was urged to come back for a demo ride with my Dad and we did just that. We went out on a stock M2 and an S3 with the race kit. Within a half-mile of the dealer we both knew that we found what we were looking for. The Buells were simply a hoot to ride. Everything I remembered about the S2 and more! NEVER have I enjoyed a motorcycle more than I do my M2. There are faster bikes and sharper handling bikes, but my M2 is just more plain fun to ride. The rumble from the engine, the handling, the brakes, the vibes even, all combine in an experience that cannot be found anywhere else. That is why I ride. It is fun. It is insanely fun. The Buell is a bike that enhances everything I like about motorcycling. It makes the smile go all the way around my head whenever I open my garage and see my M2 waiting for me. | ||
| Teeps |
it's different... and, for all the reasons listed in any Buell XB sales brochure. | ||
| Patches |
1975: Built from a Basket Case 60 Something 5hp Briggs & Stratton Mini Bike 1978: Built from a Basket Case 1969 BSA Royal S 500cc/650cc Top End, Welded on Hard tail, 18in over Springer Front End and it had a 225/75r 15 inch Parelli Tire on the back. Took me a couple of years to build this one on a Fast Food Restaurant Budget, it ended up being Stolen. Had a "Mechanic Friend" trade it for Drugs. 1955 BSA Pre-Unit Parts Bike, I traded it to a 1953 Morris Minor Coupe (Very Cool) like the movie "The Song Remains the Same". 1971 Triumph Bonneville 650 (10 Feet long would hang off the tail gate in the back of a Pick-up Truck) Stretched Santee Hard tail, 18in over Springer Front End, Drag Pipes, King & Queen Seat and Pull Back Handlebars. I helped a Friend build this bike at about the same time I was building my 69. Ended up trading him a 1967 Cadillac Coupe Deville for it. I had it for about a year or so then traded it 1964 Impala SS to drive back and forth to Electronic School. 1972 Triumph Bonneville 650 Basket Case Sold it for $200.00. 1971 Harley Davidson 350 Sprint Single and a 1973 Harley Davidson 350 Sprint Parts Bike, do not remember what happened to these bikes. 1989: Bought a 1942 Indian Sport Scout with no Title then turned around and sold it for $750.00 to Classic Motorcycle Dealer. It ended up being a Non Military Daytona Speedster Worth Allot of Money. All 1942 to 1945 Indians were built for U.S. Government during WWII except for the Factory Race Bikes. 1957 Harley Davidson 165 Hummer Teleglide I think is what it was called. It was in very Rough Condition, sold it for $50.00. 1995: 1983 Honda VT 500 Ascot run like new but was wrecked it had bin wrapped around Telephone Pole, the frame was bent bad enough the rear tire tracked 6 inches out of line from the front. Used a Butane Torch and Sleg Hammer to straighten it as much as possible. Built it back as a Rat Bike Bobber back before they were cool. Sold it for $200.00. 1998: 1965 BSA 650cc Lighting Chopper Welded on Hard tail, 8in over Springer Front End Sold it for $350.00. 2001: 1975 Harley Davidson FLH 1200 Police Special Just an old Shovelhead in need of Restoration. I still have it. 2003: 2002 Buell P3 Blast 492cc bought it new. It is the easiest to work on, least amount of maintenance Fun to ride bike I have ever owned. It is slightly modified and I would like to do more Modifications to it. I still have it.  2002 Buell M2Low Cyclone 1203cc bought it new. Fastest Bike I believe I have ever owned (Speed Kills, Not that much into it anymore) loved the Power, as it was a Stump Puller on takeoff. In addition, the way it pulled from 80mph to 110mph would slide you back on the seat. The Cyclone was a little to tall and top heavy for me I have a bad back and very bad knees. so after about 2 years I sold it for $4500.00. I really wish I still had it. | ||
| Hootowl |
Saw an ad for the 1996 S1. Red Snap. I drooled over it for months. I wrote a letter to Erik telling him how much I wanted one but couldn't afford it (I was on active duty). He responded personally. I saved some money on a westpac and bought a 99X1 as soon as I got back. I still want a Red Snap 1996 S1. (Message edited by hootowl on July 29, 2009) | ||
| Loki1957 |
Why I love my Buell Blast. Without that bike I would never have learned to ride a motorcycle. First of all I'm just 5 feet tall so basically no bikes fit me. Second of all I'm not your typical rider, 51 and a rather fearful woman. Now I love motorcycling because I was able to learn on a bike I could handle and that handles well. It gave me the confidence to ride that I never would have been able to gain with any other bike. | ||
| Dick8008 |
I wanted a sport bike that was enjoyable at reasonable speeds. I knew that wasn't an inline 4 crotch rocket. I also loved the fact that it is an American company. So I bought a lightning. No regrets EVER! Love the motor and can ride the thing for 8 hrs straight and hop off with no aches! | ||
| Lonewolfnavet |
Patches...great lookin Blast! | ||
| P_squared |
I first bought a Buell because... My wife wouldn't let me buy another bike from Japan and I wasn't interested in the HD's I could afford at the time... A test ride later on an '02 M2L in volcanic ash & molten orange and I was haggling with the salesman on the price. That bike was replaced (burnt to a crisp in an accident) by another '02 M2L, all black with the full race kit & 750 miles on the odometer... My wife saw the 1st XB9SX at the dealer we'd bought both M2L's from. She HAD to have it. She got it. A couple years later, an '02 X1 with 36 miles on the odometer & never titled made it's way into the garage alongside the M2L and XB9SX. Soon as the 1125R came out, I knew I wanted it. Riding it at the Inside Pass event only confirmed it. Wife said I could get it, but ONLY after the X1 & M2L found new homes to help pay for it. It's been a fun ride & I can't wait to see what finds its way into the garage next. | ||
| Stingaroo |
I grew up around old/antique bikes such as Harley , Montesa, Honda, and Suzuki. My Dad works for Harley, and was hooked on the VR1000 back in the day. Around 1999 I was looking at these strange machines, within a week of coming home from basic I bought a Blast, 7,000 miles later, traded it in for a brand new 2001 M-2L. I did not know a single soul who owned one, not until Prior bought one about a year later. He is the one that introduced me to Badweatherbikers where I have made many many more friends with whom I have had some awesome adventures with. I will probably never get rid of the old tuber, though I am leaning towards picking up an 1125CR if my job is still around. | ||
| Deltablue |
I started on Trials bikes, SWM, Beta, Montessa. After I nearly severed the Ulna nerve in my arm I realized life is too short not to do what you want, so I got my license and got an EX500, not exactly in that order. After riding the EX for nearly 10 years I wanted something with a little more in and out of the corners. It so happens that Buell was rolling out a new bike, the Firebolt, it looked like the trickest thing on 2 wheels, so I put my name on the list and got one of the first ones on the lot. Thus a love affair began! I still have the 'bolt but have since been through a XB9s and a blast, both for my better half, and just picked up a Uly. I take the time to ride as many different bikes as I can, but I have yet to find anything that makes me want to trade in my Buell  | ||
| Doerman |
1995. S2. Testride. That's all she wrote. | ||
| Tiltcylinder |
Been riding about forty years... lawnmower engines, 60's minis, motocrossers to dualsports (xt500), the ever increasing 'need for speed' led to rd400's, yamaha triple, kawi 900's and 1000's and then a turbo'd n bored one that almost ended me. Went back nearly 20 years ago and built an ironhead (knowing that Harleys aren't all that fast and the poor handling/brakes would help rein in my inner idiot). A string of sportys up to an '07 883r and some nice Bueller let me demo his 08 XT. Wow was I hooked. Picked my red '09 up at the end of June and put 1800 miles on it in the following five days. Just about doubled that since. Used to beat the heck out of my old bosses S1 and always said that all they needed to do was make one I could actually do 400 miles on in a day... and wake up and do it again. This is by far the best riding bike I've ever owned. Just like myself, I let a friend ride mine for an hour and he traded in his roadglide for an XT the next week... Let people try 'em, they'll buy 'em. (Message edited by tiltcylinder on July 29, 2009) | ||
| Bumble_buell |
For the longest time I was perfectly happy just crusin' and racking up the miles on my Sportster 1200C. Until one day my husband starts looking into sport bikes. He kept telling me how he wanted to improve his riding, that he has gone as far as he can with riding his Fatboy around. Then came mention of Buell... "What the heck is a Buell?" I soon found out when one gorgeous black and amber XB12 shows up at our house. We were hooked from that moment on. Then one day (close to my birthday), my fantastic husband thought we should look for a Buell for me. I was super excited! The first time I rode my XB9SL I was in love! I had a perma-smile the whole time! Now the poor Harleys don't get as much "face time" as they once did.  |
