| Author | Message | ||
     Ride365 |
Howdy folks, I've been watching your threads for many many many days now and I just gotta say, YOU GUYS ROCK! I've never seen so much active discussion and well thought out, knowledgable advice in a Forum... So ok enough A** kissin, ha! I'm torn on the whole 'Buell' thing and my future possibilities of getting a bike. Right now and for years I've owned Japanese sportbikes and since I ride year around and don't even so much as own another mode of transportation, I really need something reliable... I love the xb12s, it's a GORGEOUS bike and I really want to convert to one, like now! I've been reading your forums for days and a lot of the answers to problems are encouraging me (that there are answers out there that is), however at the same time I'm a bit discouraged with the number of issues folks seen to have with the bikes... Is there any magical formula as to what mods and tuning methods should be done right off the bat to ensure a more reliable machine? Any preference out there as to whether carbureted or FI is better, or which is simpler to handle the common tuning/running problems of? Or am I wrong in thinking they offer both on the xb12s, I thought that was what I gathered...?? I love the torque and sound of a vtwin bike and Buell has got the design area down very nice! All very nice bikes! I'd like to be able to say I ride an American machine too, but as the stereotypes run, we've not got the hottest track record, not saying Harley or Buell are P.O.S.'s as I'd hope there are many more experienced owners who would argue against that, but certainly someone who is used to a Jap bike would feel the difference... I guess I just need more of a feel from you folks as to how you would feel about putting your faith in one of these machines for a 365 day/year rider who needs to make it to work everyday! Any help and/or motivation would be much appreciated folks! Thanks ahead of time. | ||
| Buell |
Well I just went through that about a year ago. I had ridden Honda CBRs for a while and LOVED those bikes.... until I rode my XBR. It was no going back. If you love the curves this is the bike for you - PLUS the people are great! The Buell rider is a special breed - we tend to really take care of our bikes and are (for the most part) non-judgemental. Believe me, once you get sucked in, there is no going back. You begin losing sleep because you are constantly poring over the forums, browsing ebay (even though you aren't looking to buy anything) Google-ing everything you can on the bike.. it's almost a disease... I could go on and on.. I'm sure you are going to get a TON of replies to your post from people just like me...Good luck! | ||
| Isham |
You're supposed to be impulsive and just buy what you like. Why would you care about opinions? I wanted an XB the moment I saw it and I didnt care what someone put in front of me I didn't want it. If you dont feel that way I would look at other bikes that do. (Message edited by isham on June 29, 2006) | ||
| Ride365 |
Hahaha wow! Man I already feel like a Buell rider in that sense, I've been Googling the heck out of Buell stuff... France seems to have a pretty amazing aftermarket for Buell stuff, has anyone checked out any French pages (FYI- I'm not a Frenchy), they have some very clean looking mods. I feel like I've exhausted the American market pretty well in my research, and the French some a bit more 'Finatical' about the Buell for some reason... I'm darn near sold on the bike, I guess I just need a little more of a sense of security for my everyday reliance upon it... I ride an '03 600rr now, and have never had a problem with it... Thanks for you post! | ||
| Ride365 |
Ya I hear ya! I'm a damn impulsive person, and am fighting that natural urge with all I've got so I don't make an un-informed decision... I don't think it's a matter of 'if' I get the Buell I want, just when! Any news on the '07 xb12s and if any of the common problems found on the previous year models have been worked up? I.E.- Catch can addition, right side air scoop being made standard (?), open air box type of change? Not that I think Buell would just up and go kill their aftermarket partners' business by putting all you'd ever want on a factory bike, but hey, a guy can dream right? | ||
| Pwnzor |
Read this thread for a good *cheap* mod. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/32777/208381.html?1151424472# | ||
| Ride365 |
Yup read that one, I've read pretty much every thread for the past month's postings, like I said, there's a TON of great advice and help on this site... I guess I'm just looking for some more full-time Buell riders' opinions on how they've managed with their machines... | ||
| Molly_hatchet |
i think u will find most riders of the big 4 care more about how others percive their bikes than performance or reliability or having a real bike they really just want whatever won a moto gp or something that looks cool u will find most of the people here either own other kinds of bikes or have ridden other types they choose to ride the buell, not for speed or to have the coolest bike ever to hit a high school parking lot...riding everyday on the streets is a war....i prefer to bring a tank to that war....ive said it before and im gonna keep sayin it....big 4 bikes to me are like part of the landscaping....oooh theres another one....its a lot of fun to pull up anywhere and see people looking around for the big overweight cruiser...u stop anywhere that theres a gearhead weather they ride or not they wanna look at ur bike...its kinda like the difference between owning a tuned honda accord or an SS396 chevelle loud obnoxious horsepower allways wins in my book. and it handles pretty good too....mines got over 3000 on it i ride it everyday ...only problems i had were my own fault.... | ||
| Pwnzor |
well I own an 2004 XB12R, serial number 3. Except for a few minor warranty issues at first, I have depended on this bike as a daily rider now for what will be 3 years in september. Do not expect dealers to take care of you. Buy a service manual and do all the basic to intermediate stuff yourself. If you already wrench on your own bikes then do the hard stuff too. A good way to think of the bike is like any other tool on your work bench. If you buy a wrench, don't expect the salesman to turn it for you. These are very well engineered machines that require a good measure of TLC. Do it yourself and you'll never be disappointed. Consider all this before you test ride one. Because once you grab a handful of that throttle it is over, the decision is no longer yours.  | ||
| Ride365 |
Heheheh awesome, ya I got to test ride the xb12r, they didn't have an xb12s to test, and thats what I want... They are FREAGIN AWESOME MACHINES! I am the most hooked non-buell owner I know (ok so I may be the only one but whatever), I'm at work now and probably could get a slap on the wrist for being on this site at work, but I could care less, it's eating away at me every day that I don't own this most awesome machine! Well, ya I do most all my own work and would be confident with the bike... I guess I'm just trying to talk myself into the financial part right now, and still whether I'll need to keep a secondary mode of trasportation for days when the Buell needs that extra TLC and is lying in pieces in my garage... Thanks folks!  | ||
| Olinxb12r |
04 12R here with about 12,000 miles on it. I bought it at the end of July in 04. I still had my Yamaha at the time, so the Buell only had about 1,500 miles at the beginning of the 05 season. I put about 9,000 miles on the bike last season between living in Chicago and Kansas City. I've broken a belt, burned up a clutch and broke a clutch cable guide clip. The burned clutch was from learning how to do rolling burnouts, the belt from damage during a tire change and the clip was a fluke (happenned at 1,000 miles and not since, lots of wheelies later). If you would truly like to have a reliable bike that is different from anybody elses don't do any engine, exhaust or intake mods at all. Leave it the way Buell made it and you will have a great relationship with your new bike. Of course, that is probably not going to happen, so make sure you cover all your bases when you mod. If you cut off the airbox, get a high flow air filter and pipe you should get a PC III or directlink and sit that thing on the dyno. I personally have ridden for 7,000 miles with that set up without the PC III, directlink or the dyno time, but in your situation it probably isn't worth the risk. I love my Buell and I'm sure you will too. | ||
| Angelwild327 |
Ride, If you are good to your bike it'll be good to you. I've owned two S models so far and they are wonderful bikes. When I was first in the market to buy one, it ate away at me too.. Make sure, whatever you do, make very good friends with a Buell tech, if your dealer doesn't have a great one, go find one... you just want to have someone to go to if anything should become a problem that you can trust. People here are pretty damn enthusiastic and loyal to Buells and VERY helpful to each other..and no matter the troubles, they typically would do the buell experience all over again...they're fun and addictive bikes!!! Good luck!! | ||
| M1combat |
There are only FI XB's. The lightning you may have read about that was carbed was probably custom or an older tube framed Buell (like a Ducati sort of). 2004 XB12R - 24K miles. It's been in the shop for a grand total of about 45 minutes. I dropped it into first twice w/o the clutch on accident. The trans output shaft failed... They fixed it while I waited. | ||
| Chadhargis |
I don't think I've ever owned any brand of bike that didn't have some sort of quirk or issue. I've owned everything from BMWs to a KLR650 and they've all had one problem or another reported on internet forums. My Buell has been great. Granted, I've only got 5000 miles on it, so that's not a real test. When someone can show me a Buell with 100,000 miles on the stock motor that's never been opened up, I'll be impressed. I also heard about quality issues, and was hesitant to buy a Buell, but I'm enjoying the bike so far. I've owned nothing by Japanese and German bikes prior to my Buell. So far, I'm pleased with the bike. | ||
| Metalstorm |
The one & only problem I had with my 05 12Scg was a chaffed wire behind the steering neck. It made my ign fuse blow every other time I hit the start button. It took over a week to find that little wire but only 5 minutes to fix it. It was of course covered by warranty. Since then I have had no problems. No funny noises, just the normal ones. No clunking. No sputtering. No coughing. No wheezing. Just sheer bliss. I've had her for over a year now & the novelty hasn't worn off yet. I don't think it's going to. I get the same giddy feeling now when I ride her as I did when I first got her. Like Angelwild327 says, if you're good to your bike it'll be good to you. | ||
| Dongalonga |
I will give you another piece of information that may increase your desire to own a Buell. I had never even heard of Buell until May of 2003 when my best friend Mark and I were looking into bikes. We shopped the big 4 like every young man does (we were 19) and then Mark's Father learned that Harley was now building a true sportbike aka the Buell XB. He told Mark that he would not allow him to purchase a bike without at least going with him to look at the Buell. I have to say we were both extremely sceptical being that we were going to a Harley dealership to look at purchasing a sportbike. Needless to say as we walked into the showroom what stood before us was pure love at first sight. He saw what was to be his Blue XB9R and right next to it lay my black beauty XB9SL. We both read the brocheurs and looked over the bikes. Myself possesing the mechanical knowledge told Mark these bikes were definately built well judging by the overall fit and finish and component quality. So, we both took a seat and that was it we had to have them. Needless to say we both purchased our first bike together and I still own mine to this day with zero problems to date. Mark sold his before deploying to Iraq, but plans to purchase a new "R" when the next platform is released. I will close with one statemnet. Of all the purchases I have made in my short life this one has given by far the most pride and joy. Good luck with whatever it is you decide and remember always buy what makes you feel right. | ||
| Ride365 |
YOU GUYS FREAGIN RULE! Thanks for the testimonials! I do everything on my bike, including grocery shopping with a full sea bag on my back, I can't stand cars so refuse to own one... My bike is my lifeline, if it don't run, I DON'T! If anything I'll hang on to my Jap bike a while during the 1st year on the Buell... Olinxb12r - Thanks for the recomendations man! I know I'll end up mod'n the bike but will take extra care to cover all the angles... Thanks again to all ya folks, it might seem lame but you guys are makin my day! I'm ttthhhiiissssss close to startin the process of workin up the funds for my new beast! (Message edited by ride365 on June 29, 2006) | ||
| Aldaytona |
The magic formula for reliability is buy the bike and leave it alone. Perform the maintenance by the book and ride. | ||
| Ride365 |
I hear ya Aldaytona! I'd love to be able to do that, but I know I'm going to want to change that exhaust, other than for the awesome torque, why own a vtwin if you cant have the AWESOME SOUND!?!? hahahah, I won't be able to help myself... I'm glad I've been reading all the threads and learning about the problems folks have come accross and some solutions. Anyone have a nice setup with exhaust and airbox with proper tuning that sounds sweet and hasn't given them any issues? I'd love to hear about that... It seems like there are literally no Buell riders in my town, tons and tons of bikes, but I see maybe 1 buell at every huge gathering (500+ bikes), I would love to throw some loud pipes on that sweet a** xb12s I want and role up on a group like that! But I sure don't want to sputter out or blow something up by screwing the bike over not getting the right formula down... The only thing I've been able to hear was on Vance & Hines web site, they have an audio of their exhaust on an SS2R and it sounds AWESOME! I'd love it if I could achieve that sound with the right combination of airbox, exhaust, fuel/air mapping so am just trying to get ideas if anyone has a combo that has worked out well for them and sounds nice! Thanks again folks! | ||
| Ducxl |
Buy a 12r you'll love it.I've two,an X1+12r and both have been trouble free.I also keep a 996 but the Xb12r handles at least as well as the Ducati and without finiky maintainance.Maintainance is where Buells shine too/w a simple aircooled design.Be sure to post pics of your new Buell.I was dismayed when,beginning in '06 Buell outsourced more parts to China from Italy.I'm also Italian so i'm biased that way. | ||
| Ride365 |
The 12r is a sweet lookin bike, but something draws me to the raw style of the 12s, I'm in lllllloooovvvvvveeeeeee! Plus, for years I've commuted around on sport bikes with aggresive riding positions, and even though the 12r isn't near as bad as my 600rr, I still want to go to something completely different and more everyday rideable since I ride so much... Oh ya, and them Duc's are in a class of their own, an over-priced bucket of bolts class that is! Ha! (Message edited by ride365 on June 29, 2006) | ||
| Angelwild327 |
Ride, The S is an EXTREMELY comfortable ride, as is the City Cross..your body will really enjoy the seating position..just tuck in if you wanna go for a fly.. Have you seen all the Buell videos with Erik discussing the tech aspects of the bikes as well as each bike individually? I watched those over and over..and drooled.. then when people would ask, why I was buying a bike they'd never even heard of, I could explain all the really neat technology that went into them and well..you know I'm so excited for you...you are SO gonna love that bike!!! | ||
| Ride365 |
I did happen to get a vcd with a brochure from the local Buell dealer where I test rode the only bike they had for test rides, a 12r, the vcd had some guy in it but it wasn't Erik Buell... I've looked over the Buell site pretty thoroughly, but mostly at work and we can't play videos on these comps, are the videos on that site? Thanks Angel! | ||
| Percyco |
2003 XB9S with the factory race kit, 7100 miles ..........no issues ! | ||
| Paulson |
Ride, I have an '03 XB9SL (all stock). This bike has NEVER let me down. I do only have 10K miles on it though. I am even still on the stock front tire!  | ||
| Tunes |
My addiction started in '99 when I sold my '93 FLSTC and my '69 FLH and bought a new S3. Then later, I took test rides on several XB's and wound up buying an '04 XB12S. My '99 S3 has 20K plus miles... and my XB has 7K miles. Both have factory race kits and other minor mods. Both have had minor probs but my previous Japanese, German & Italian bikes had probs too. My experience has been that HD's and Buell's are just as reliable as all the other brands. I would take either Buell anywhere, at the drop of a hat. I have that much confidence in my Buell's. | ||
| Ride365 |
Tunes - Awesome man! Hey so what is all incorporated with the 'Factory Race kit'? Any exhaust on the bikes? Thanks! | ||
| Diablobrian |
Ride365, First, problems are magnified on the forums because the overwhelming majority do not post "no problems again today" threads. On the good side of that you do see the large number of people that are willing to help out those few that do have trouble, as long as they ask politely for assistance. This board sees huge traffic. Second, you have to ride what moves you. The Buell bikes do have an uncanny ability to induce emotional involvement from the rider. No japanese bike has been close since the old air/oil gsxr's. These bikes ignite a passion for riding. You've been warned. Whether you buy a Buell or not you are welcome in the forum. This is a riders forum. Now go take a test ride, and be assimilated  | ||
| Ride365 |
Hahaha man I tell ya, I'm pretty hooked so far, but that scared me a bit at first cuz when my eyes get big I tend to make rash impulsive decisions, it's taken all the will-power I've got to stick around and read forums, research the internet and not up and buy the xb I want... I was waiting for you to Post actually, Ha! I've seen a ton of your posts as I've read a good portion of the threads from the last month or so, you have very good insight and I appreciate it, as I'm sure many do! That does put things in perspective with regards to Forums magnifying things, ya don't usually see how much someone likes or appreciates something until you ask, so this Thread might be a good one for others contemplating the same thing... Thanks again folks! | ||
| Isham |
Ride I think you have what it takes to be an addict. It's a good thing. I own a 9R and had a chance to demo a 12S and really feel even more deeply in love with my bike. I proud of what I own and you'll never catch me trade my XB in for anything. Even though the new bikes are smoother and just as much fun I would keep the 03 just because the 03 is a real raw gutsy bike. If I had the space and the funds a late model 12s would be the first thing i'd buy. |
