| Author | Message | ||
     Newfie_buell  |
After riding Mike's S3 this past summer half way across this island I absolutely loved it. It gave me the attitude of the S1 but had the better ergos for longer distances. Trade of Sell my Billett Metallic S1 - NEVER but I would certainly consider picking up an older S2 or S3. I can see and understand the philosophy behind dropping the S3 or a Sport Touring model, maybe when the line is really flying one will be brought back. Right now though I would settle on a Buell Retailer for this island!!!!! | ||
| Buells Rule! (Dyna in disguise)  |
Standard ergos? I dont know about anybody else, but I think both the Lightning & the Firebolt are very close to having sport touring type ergos. They definitely arent setup like a 999 Duc or an SV1000. | ||
| Gomo  |
"I have been waiting for HD to utilize the Revo engine in something more sporting. So far its just in 1 bike with different paint schemes." I always thought if HD made a sportbike (like the one they made to develop the Revo engine in its racing) it would definitely sell - even at the $$$$ amount HD would ask for it. Imagine a sportbike with the Revo motor, Buell handling & performance, and Harleys backing (quality,warranty,name,etc). I'd want one - that's for sure! | ||
| Tripp  |
i've never ridden an xb lightning or firebolt but i can't image it's as comfy as my m2! | ||
| Buells Rule! (Dyna in disguise) |
Tripp, I have ridden both & I guarantee that Coolices XB9R was definitely a lot more comfy than my X1 ever was. Im pretty sure the X1 & the M2 were real close with the exception of the X1's peg location being just a tad more rearset & up. Im 6'3" & right now about 230lbs & the people who claim they dont fit on the XB's are nutz. Granted its not a big spacious bike like a Goldwing but its not supposed to be. | ||
| Unibear12r |
I'm a bit surprised that Harley hasn't pushed harder into the Buell aftermarket too but I bet they don't feel its big enough to tool up a lot for yet. Another couple of years and we'll likely see some big changes. Dyna, it hurts trying to get back into my chair after shakers like that. Try to be a bit gentler next time OK?  | ||
| Unibear12r |
I'm waaay too slow pecking at the keyboard. Gota agree the XB's ergos are better than most other sportbikes. Esp. the Ducks with their long engines. | ||
| Tripp |
was coolices stock, i sat on an x1 when i bought my m2 and the comfiness was definitely a factor for going with the cyclone (there were two x1s and the cyclone at multibrand used bike dealer priced similarly). oddly it was'nt the foot peg position ergos that were a concern. i have at times considered rear sets for my m2. it was the seat and reach i guess-more upright sitting position(i owned an '81' kzltd750 for 10 yrs and had 2 zrx1100s for a year before i bought the buell). dyna the xb may not have been spacious like a goldwing for you but did you feel like a giant on it? | ||
| Gomo |
"Im 6'3" & right now about 230lbs & the people who claim they dont fit on the XB's are nutz." My height is 2" less and perhaps 20lbs less (I'll have to recheck that after the holiday weekend though), but I did ride a Firebolt with the footpegs from an XB Lightning and found it comfortable (and was also informed about a set of helibars to be put on to set back & up the handlebars). Still not sure if I would do a multi-day run with it. I guess I could always sell my Sporty and go for an XB12 in the garage. Never know.... (Message edited by gomo on November 27, 2004) | ||
| Steve_mackay  |
Dyna, You? Another Buell? NO WAY!  Get rid of the other garbage in the shed, and you can indeed fit 5 bikes in there And I will agree, the XB is *NOT* an uncomfy bike. For me, though, I can't ride it for long periods because of carpal tunnel. I eve had to switch the standard S3 bars that came with my S3T to the tall bars. | ||
| Tripp |
i have also considered putting taller bars on my bike, it may yet happen. my bikes main use is for commuting, every damb day if i can help it! however i like to go riding every weekend sometimes for long enough to where i wish i had thunderbolt bars. | ||
| Josh_  |
The S3T had waaay better ergonomics than the FJR does, the S3 also had a lot more accessories from the factory. I don't see how Yamaha can be making a profit on the FJR when dealers can sell them new for $10k (D&H in Alabama and a couple others). Would sure loved to have seen a trunk on the S3T. Last word is Yamaha should sell about 4500 FJRs worldwide this year. | ||
| Steve_mackay |
Would sure loved to have seen a trunk on the S3T. You might some day, not from Buell however. } | ||
| Unibear12r |
6ft,1in & 240lbs Over 40 with a bad back & leg. I've done 500 mile days on the XB12 & it's comfy as sportbikes go but Dyna's right you sacrifice some comfort towards a greater focus on performance. My S3 is more comfy on longer rides, has a longer range, more room for gear but less performance than the XB. Gota love both bikes for what they are and not knock them for what they were not intended to be. I traded my Sporty for the S3T which is what I think it should have evolved into anyway, not a starter bike for the big twins. Shame that. (Message edited by unibear12r on November 27, 2004) | ||
| Gomo |
"Gota love both bikes for what they are and not knock them for what they were not intended to be." I have to agree at this point | ||
| Buells Rule! (Dyna in disguise) |
Tripp, of course I felt like a giant on it, but thats the trend of more sport oriented bikes now days. Smaller is better I guess? My R1 feels tiny as hell too, I get folks looking at my track day pics & saying I should tuck more. Im 42, had a broken neck years ago that still gives me back pain & im over 6'...no way am I tucking that much on a tiny bike. Get on my Dyna & it feels like a semi truck in comparison. Oh yea, his bike was stock except for a different seat. | ||
| Buells Rule! (Dyna in disguise) |
You? Another Buell? NO WAY! Thinking about it, nice carbureted S1 would do the trick. And I never said I wouldnt own another own or hated them....just cant stand a certain X1. | ||
| Peter  |
Dyna, I just lost my coffee..... Back to the XB series though, you and I bear a very similar build by the sound of it  . Maybe I'm coming in a few pounds lighter, but not a hell of a lot.... I rode an XB/S for about 100km and couldn't wait to get off it. It was so short to the bars that I had pain in my neck and back. Swapped for an XB/R and it was huge improvement. The ergos on that felt way better. Perfect would be the 'R' with higher bars, but still mounted forward where they are. You serious about an S1? | ||
| Buells Rule! (Dyna in disguise) |
You serious about an S1? Yep, just waiting for my X1 fiasco to finish..& waiting..& waiting. I have always liked to have at least 3 bikes & I enjoyed my Buell...when it ran...so i figure get one that isnt saddled with all the crap like an X1 has & it should be good to go. Plus plenty of go fast parts are available. | ||
| Wyckedflesh  |
I mentioned on another board that I thought a redesign of the tailsection and swingarm could possibly be all that might be needed for a Touring model of the XB line. Making a longer spar section, with a shorter cheesegrater section could make it possible to add some hardbags behind the passenger pegs. I think a 6" extension of the seat is plenty. Extending the overall length of the swingarm 3" could make the bike more stable with 2-up and hardbags. By tying the rearspars into the stock shock mount at the frame, and adding a new shock mount between the spars would allow for the stock shock length with new valving and stiffer springs for the 2-up equation. Yes I have thought about it alot. Thought about it enough to even start working on making my own pieces for it. Now I just need to get enough cash together for the machine work | ||
| Firebolt020283  |
i know im probly an exeption to the younger crowd and all but i have liked buells since the first time i seen a pic of the rr1000 when i was like 5. i always swore my first street bike would be a buell, my dad had one of the first 50 s1s that came out in 95 (might be rong on the year) and i was in love with buell from the day he brought that bike home. I was also depressed when he sold it (only cuz his sporster was faster and had more money in to it and he had tomany bikes at the time). But i was planning on getting a buell any way but when the xbs came out i fell even deeper in love and as soon as i was able to afford one i got one and got a good deal on it. Then as some of you may remeber i got offered a thousand bucks more than what i payed for it from one of my dads freinds so i took it. I am still in love with the bike which is why im am now very determined to buy my 05 bike when i get back. Im not big on the whole sport touring kick (id rather through a back pack on and call it a day) but i do see how it could be useful to have one. so saying that why not just make some hard bags for the xb line for they die hard sport touing guys. | ||
| Tripp |
i suppose if you like a bike enough, you can screw with the ergos-seat, bars, pegs enough to feel good on a long ride. not to mention some of the luggage concoctions i've seen some of these badwebbers pulling off.  that's alot of stuff! | ||
| Crusty |
I've heard the argument that sport tourers don't sell before , and that may be true for a lot of companies, but what about BMW? Everything they make has provisions for attaching hard bags. Hell, with the exception of the K1200 Lusitania, everything they make could be considered a Sport- tourer. When I got my S3-T, I met a few long distance riders who now ride BMWs. One, (Don Cichocki) fabricated an altered mounting system to keep the bags from cracking. There are a lot of riders out there who would love to ride an American Sport Tourer. How many bikes did BMW sell in the US alone last year? Maybe the S3 didn't sell well for a variety of reasons. The teething problems put a lot of people off and gave them a reputation for unreliability. The last S3's were reliable, but by then, the damage had been done. I think I'm pretty loyal to Buell, and I almost gave up on them due to all the annoying problems I had. With the outstanding reliability of the XB series, I think that Buell could make a significant dent in the Sport touring market (AKA BMW turf) once the reliability proves itself. Next year, my daughter will turn 16. She's going to inherit my wife's Blast. My wife is in love with my Cyclone, so she'll get that. I'll find an S3-T in reasonable shape and make sure all the updates get installed (if they haven't been done yet), and we'll all have enjoyable motorcycles. But Buell will lose a new bike sale. | ||
| Court |
Crusty: You are on to something... My ride to work this winter will be a BMW F650. Say what you will about a teensy motor, it's reliable as heck, has luggage that is sturdy and would support a 30 day road trip and has the heated grips (they work famously) and the outlet right there for my Aerostich electrics. The S3T, particularly if you can lay your hands on a 2002, is a KILLER sport touring platform. I'm thinking we'll not find anybody, including the folks at Buell, agin Buell doing another. It's a matter of building enough momentum to get sales to the point where development and testing can be reasonably amortized. I, for one, will be eagerly waiting to zip the next Buell tourer on a coast to coast test! Court | ||
| Jerry_haughton  |
I, for one, will be eagerly waiting to zip the next Buell tourer on a coast to coast test! make that a double, please. | ||
| Mr_grumpy  |
The reason M2s don't get sold on so often & are generally owned by older riders is simple, ease of repair & maintenance, If I get a fuel problem I can fix it myself, I don't need to take it to a dealer & pay through the nose to have it plugged in to a laptop. it's easy , tank, carb, engine. "If I fix it, it will run" someone nearly as handsome as Kevin Costner in "Thrash it til it screams"  | ||
| Newfie_buell |
Ferris, Seeing that we both are on the ends of the continent Buell should send each of us the next Sport Tourer and we meet in the middle for a big party. Of course picking up Badwebbers and other Buell Riders on the way. Wouldn't that be a the way to pull into Buell's Homcoming for 2005. We could have video camera's mounted fore and aft to record every bit of the trip!!!!! Anonymous ARE YOU LISTENING???? Oh well we can always dream!!!!! | ||
| Crusty |
Allright, now. I started this thread. I put a s**tload of miles on an S3-T in a short period of time,(thought not as many as Mr. Canfield did on an S2) and I've been the one crying loudest for a successor to the Thunderbolt. I think that the factory should give me one to shake out the bugs. If they do, I promise to put over 25,000 miles on in less than a year. | ||
| Bigdaddy  |
I second Crusty's recommendation!!! He deserves it. M2 owners don't sell for a number of reasons, but primary because the bike is solid. It's comfortable, reliable, great road tripper, great twisty eater, 45 MPG, you can load it up till it pukes, and it just keeps on keeping on. I've been blessed with the opportunity to have a bunch of American made motorcycles and the M2 is the one that serves every purpose and always makes me grin. The VROD doesn't do it, the Fatboy was lacking, the Sporty ( I love Sporty's and if I had one like Timbo built I'd never let it go!) didn't do it. I can't explain it -- clueless. I tried to explain it about a year ago comparing the M2 to my Fluke, BSD laptop, Leatherman, etc. It just works. Working on my new sport tourer now -- FLHT w/some upgrades :-) Greg | ||
| Gomo |
Well I would be happy with an XB built with a bit more stretch and perhaps some comfy ergo's (although, like I said before the Firebolt with lightning footpegs was a good start). With Buells becoming more into the mainstream light and their reliability getting better each time, perhaps the aftermarket would pick up where we would need it (Givi, Corbin, Helibars, etc). Once Buell releases a bike that We (as in the ones always asking for a ST replacement) can feel comfortable to ride, then the travel add-ons would be an easy fix. Even without Buell or specific aftermarket support(though I imagine both would have answers for our needs), a set of softbags, bungee cords could be all we need. I am looking forward to what Buell has in store, but as long as I can get parts for my '99S3T - I see no reason to let it go. Its a great bike for the way I ride (and I still feel that way even after all the glitches it had, that needed attention). Do you think once the masses get the idea of what owning a Buell is all about, the seasoned veteran owners will raise up to guru status? |
