| Author | Message | ||
     Boatz |
Kevyn, JCP's (now mine) M2L arrived today. Sitting down in the warehouse. You're right, she looks nice. Gotta go get fuel, check oil etc. then hopefully take her home tonight. Boy, am I glad I got the Low model, I can just barely flat-foot at rest aboard her. I'm 5'8. More to follow... Posted on Saturday, May 01, 2004 - 12:00 pm: ----------------------------------- Boatz, JCP's M2 is one rockin' Buell! All the right mods, well maintained and never abused! Before you go out and get happy, DO THE SUSPENSION SETUP! SET THE SAG RIGHT, SET THE FRONT END TO THE STOCK BASELINE AND WORK FROM THERE! Have fun! Let us know how it goes! | ||
| Kevyn |
Hopefully, by now, you've started the bike and went for a short ride! Well? How'd it go? | ||
| Boatz |
Negative, She's still at the office in the warehouse. Busy day... I went down at lunch and pulled the seat to check oil (like a true XL-engine greenhorn with shop manual in hand). Looked in the oil tank and thought JCP must have drained the oil AND the gas tank to ship. I guess the oil drains past the scavenge pump into the sump?! My first thought was boy am I glad I didn't hit the start button. Also, the belt adjuster port side was loose with .050 between head of adjuster and swingarm surface. I'm damned glad I checked before riding off with her. More shocked at the oil than the bolts. So tomorrow plan is adjust/torque belt adjusters/axle, check oil after firing her up with new gas, then ride her home for 100 miles. Then change oil. JCP recommended that too. Will S3T bars fit on her without having to get new brake/throttle/clutch cables? Wow do these bikes generate a lot of attention, half the company was down "what brand is that?", "is that really American", "I thought Harley was the only American bike", "wow is that exhaust pipe gonna be loud", yadayada. There are skulls on the Widman's plate frame and Dynojet decals, and those are the first things to go away when I get her home. Gonna be a big switch from the 99 ZX-11 I just sold...more soon. | ||
| Kevyn |
Boatz, please make sure the Widman's plate frame hangs in a place of honor in your workshop. Ron Widman is a former racer, an avid rider and a really fantastic person. His family has owned and operated a dealership for a few decades. Lots of good folks there. Disclaimer: Read The Manual The idea is to avoid overfilling when cold. I'm not sure what the manual says, but it's common practice to check the oil when the bike is cold and add oil after the bike is warmed up. Mostly you want the oil level to be between the two marks when cold and at or near the top mark when fully warmed. If I remember correctly...the transmission will only need 3/4 quart to be properly filled... S3T bars? Probably a good chance they will fit without changing any cables. Couldn't say for sure. edited by Kevyn on May 07, 2004 | ||
| Mikej |
When you get ready to start the bike do so with the seat off and the oil tank cap off as well. Watch inside the oil tank for oil to circulate if you have any doubt about oil being in the engine. It could have been drained by the seller, or even possibly by the shipper or an inspector along the way. (I know they're not supposed to, but you just never know.) If you see oil begin to circulate just watch it for a minute or so as the bike warms up. If you don't see a sufficient quantity in the first 5 or 10 seconds of running then shut the bike down and pour in half a quart of oil and restart it again with the open oil bottle handy to add more. Others may disagree with this process, but it's what I'd do if I had any doubt. Or you could try to find the secret Spidey-identified crankcase drain hole and open it up first. But probably easier just to look into the oil tank with a flashlight when you first start it up. And don't worry about all the bubbles you'll see in the oil, that's somewhat normal. | ||
| Boatz |
Hi guys, It was a very good day today! First, the Widmans plate frame stays, I thought the little chrome skulls were cast into it but they're actually threaded onto the studs that mount it. I have to leave it on as a testament to whoever he employed that tuned that bike, they did a good job! The guy was a flat track tuner, I'll get his name from John to see if you guys know him. The skull thing just isn't me, so new bolts are coming tomorrow. I put fuel in her, after draining the float bowl which had a stuck float from the old fuel. She fired up immediately, took awhile to get warm and idle nice. (Thanks for the advice on oil, the light went out and the tank started filling immediately with the Mobil 1 in her, just like you said). Rode her around the building a few times to get acquainted. Didn't take long. Then I took her home. I was smiling already. This thing sounds like a big block V8. I felt like a little kid with a big muscle car... Wow. It's a different world from the ZX-11. She's way lighter, steers quicker, the engine sound reminds me of Steve McQueen racecar movies! The brakes are really nice. She makes sense. This bike is Fun to ride. Just listening to her is fun. My ears were ringing after awhile. She sure shakes a lot below 3k, but I'll bet the X1 cams/HSR42/pipe combo would show a climbing torque curve there. Above 3k she's much smoother, and rev's all the way to 7k with authority. (I have never even ridden one before, so I KNOW comparing her to a ZX is nuts but that's what I just had) Shifts much different than the Kaw too. Better than I thought to be honest. And comfortable, I was worried about the 1/2" less foam on the M2L, but rode her 120 miles straight and not a problem. The shock seems to have too much preload and not enuff rebound damping. Clue there is that John weighed 240, I weigh 165, so she's still setup for him. First I'll set the suspension per your recommendations, I'll bet 10 bucks that once setup it's going to ride like a dream. Damn, whoever tuned her did a good job. I was initially looking for a stocker as so many modified bikes suck. She has repeatable idle, carbs nice. Did notice some detonation if I hammered her wide open from down low twice, and I think the front tire got air. I'm still a rookie with her bigtime though. Geez, once I practice with her the 1st/2nd shift with throttle is brutal, she really pulls. A good rider on a curvy road would be tough to catch on one of these. I thought she'd have more power to be honest, but I did find I feel more confident on her after a two hour ride in that where I was taking a corner at 55 on the ZX I was doing an honest 65 on her today. She reminds me of my Ducati. So far, I gotta admit I was smiling a lot aboard her, and she is FUN. Someone (Buell) took the XL engine and made smart improvements, and dropped her into a chassis that makes a lot of sense (M2L). I'm glad I had the ZX ownership experience, and respect her. Put 1 thousand miles on her in a year. But...I can already see that I'm going to drive the •••• out of this Cyclone! This is going to be a fun summer! I'll be an early riser tomorrow... How come everyone doesn't have one?! | ||
| Darthane |
I hope you put more than a thousand on the M2L! These bikes are too much fun for them to sit around unused! | ||
| Kevyn |
Boatz, Enjoy! The M2 is an excellent bike that does many things really well. Glad you like it, that particular bike is a cherry! |
