| Author | Message | ||
     Owen |
Hey all, new to the forum here, thought id say gday here from Australia. I will be getting my first big bike soon and am hoping to make it a buell. Have done a fair bit of research, but still see alot of people (non buell owners) bagging the hell outta buells, saying they always leak oil, continually need maintaining and that they are a fun bike to have, but cannot be your only bike becuase they are too unreliable. Im looking at an xb9, many people here had reliability issues, and have a buell as their only form or transport>? Cheers, Owen | ||
| Court |
Owen: We have a number of participants from Australia and there is a very active Buell presence Down Under. One of the greatest Buell events ever was the 1998 intro of the S1WL White Lightning in Australia. I loved the "Take one for a test prowl" poster! Recently the Australian Outback Adventure, where a gaggle of Buell Ulysses traversed the Outback was a huge hit. Those stories are just now hitting the newsstands. I spoke to Buell's marketing rep in Australia yesterday (actually my yesterday was his today) and there are some fascinating things taking place. I'd ask some folks who actually OWN AND RIDE Buells about those issues. Anyone who tells you something "always" leaks is suspect information. The Buells are arguably the most maintenance free of the bikes you'll be considering. Ask, take one for demo ride, and get all the information you can. I'm pretty sure you'll like what you see. Court | ||
| Jaimec |
If I still had my Cyclone, I'd be arguing. But since owning my XB12Ss, I have to agree with Court. I have over a half a million miles under me (300,000+ on BMWs alone) and the XB12Ss has been the least expensive bike to own in recent memory. Only two spark plugs, no valve adjustments, maintenance-free life-time drive belt, no radiator, etc. There is no such thing as a maintenance free motorcycle, but the Buell is close. It's rapidly approaching time for its 15,000 mile service and the engine is completely free of oil stains, and it hasn't been necessary to top up the oil since my last track session a month and a half ago. The bike has been remarkably stingy with oil EXCEPT when you run it wide open on the track. Then it pays to keep an eye on your oil level between track sessions. On the street, the level never seems to change. Now, if only Buell used stainless steel when making their mufflers, they'd be close to perfection! | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Owen, Welcome to BadWeb. You'll find some of the best and most knowledgeable people anywhere on earth here. I had the exact same concerns that you have. I was (and am still not) a big fan of HD motorcycles. I was concerned about how large the puddle was going to be, how big of a tool kit I was going to have to lug around, how many miles I would get on the motor before it grenaded, etc., etc., etc. I did all the research I could as well. I was looking for every single sordid detail on how bad they were, how unhappy I was going to be, yadda, yadda, yadda. I decided to take the plunge. I can honestly say that my Buell purchases has been on of the best things I could have done. I had a first year model of the Uly. I believe that most first year models have slight niggles that can only be worked out in "real world" testing (by owners). All of these issues have been dealt with quickly and under warranty. I lost two Bank Angle Sensors (recall issued) I had the sidestand replaced (recall issued) I lost a fan (under warranty) Other than that, I have replaced the oil, had the TPS Reset and Idle set, have adjusted the primary chain as needed. The construction is top notch. I'm sure that someone will post up the link to the 30,000 mile test run that Motorrad ran. They could not believe how well the Buell did and how well it worked mechanically. There are no valves to adjust, no chain to lube. I could not be happier. 12,000 miles and one year later, I still can't wait to get back on it. I rode in a complete downpour yesterday and thought to myself, "you know, this isn't ideal, but there really is no such thing as "bad" riding." I'm still not a big fan of HD's, but it's mostly due to me not being much of a cruiser fan. Read on here. PM folks. Do as much research as you need. You'll find ANY here more than willing to give you great advice and spend time answering your questions. Cheers. (Message edited by ft_bstrd on June 25, 2007) | ||
| Owen |
Thanks for the welcomes guys. I will def. be asking a lot more questions. Have many others here ridden jap bikes? I keep getting told to get an sv1000, even by my current mechanic, but i think they look and seem boring. The buell just seems to speak to me, i test rode an xb12r and couldnt stop smiling for hours. | ||
| Damnut |
04XB12R 17000+ trouble free miles. And I DO NOT baby my bikes. I bought my Buell cause I have always liked them and wanted one for years. I heard the same old story that they were unreliable. Well 3 years later and a lot of hard miles on my bike, I am yet to see a problem. | ||
| Court |
Owen: Many of us have owned and ridden Japanese motorcycles. Up until a year ago, I had a Yamaha and Kawasaki in my basement with the Buells. I'm down to one spare BMW at the moment. My riding partner, a huge fan of foreign bikes has a SuperBusa, 2-DR-Z400, 3 Hondas, 2 KLR's and a heavily hot-rodded Bandit 1200. If you are looking for someone to convince you that Japanese bikes are "bad". . . you're on a fools quest. . . they aren't. There are TONS of great bikes in the world. I get to ride a lot of them. Buells "speak" to me too. . . have for about 20 years and I have no regrets. I've circled the United States, ridden in 44 states and have yet to stop smiling. Court | ||
| Jaimec |
I've ridden the SV1000 and I have to admit, I wanted to like that bike... but I was disappointed. I liked the SV650 a LOT more. For one thing, the SV1000 (at least the one I rode) had an AWFUL lot of driveline lash. I've gotten spoiled; the last several motorcycles I've owned (two BMWs and two Buells) had almost no drive lash at all. And after several hundred thousand miles with shaft drive (and now belt drive) there's no way in hell you'd convince me to go back to a chain drive either. Too much hassle, too damned messy. Some people like to tinker with stuff. Not me; I want to turn the key, push the button and GO. The XB12Ss hasn't disappointed me at all in that regard. | ||
| Etennuly |
So you test rode the Buell and couldn't stop smiling? We call that Permagrin. It doesn't come off. My first Buell was an early '05 City-X. 13,000 Permagrin miles in just over a year and a half. On to the '06 Uly, 16,000 Permagrin miles in just over another year. I just came across a new to me and a friend, "twisty smooth sumbich" road that was really tight and fun. Six miles in we had to stop, I was smiling and laughing so hard I couldn't continue for the moment.  Ulysses Rocks! | ||
| Pso |
Just go and test ride one. The bike will sell itself if it is the bike for you. Work on it is simple compared to my Goldwing, or Fiance's BMW. My finace' had a BMW GS which I did not like to work on so when we were in a Hardley dealership I had her test ride a xb9. She was impressed with the power so the next time we went to a hardley dealership I had her test a xb12Scg. She bought it on the spot. Thought that it was designed for her. Now I have two bikes that require hardley any maintence work whatsover (and now I have justification to purchase the cable for the TPS reset). If it is a bike for you you will know it. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Mechanically, it's as easy to work on as my old 75 VW Beetle. With refinement comes complication. Complication requires maintenance, moving parts, and an exponential increase in potential mechanical failure. What I love most about Buells is the stone axe simplicity while being a precision scalpel at exactly what I want it to do. It ain't the most refined, smoothest bike out there, but there are also fewer bikes that seem as aggressive and as much like a wild beast as a Buell. It just makes me laugh inside my helmet. | ||
| Lazyj |
get on, ride, get off....Purchase...nothing will convince you better...all bikes have issues....ours are just different issues. | ||
| Xbullet |
permagrin. i hadn't had that since college....... then i rode a buell. that was 1998. i owned other bikes in the interim, but when i got back into sportbiking (is that a word?!??), i didn't even test ride the buell i bought. it's been right under a year, and even with busy schedules and a few months downtime from parts that i've broken (oops...) i've put on 10K miles. i got up at 5 oclock this morning so i could ride 100 miles to work. and i'm still grinning right now as i type.  | ||
| Humboldtblast |
ahhh yes the permagrin...there is no cure except more riding ...feed your inner beast with a buell you wont forget it... by the way..big welcome | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
I have actually found myself yelling barbaric "yawps" inside my helmet after nailing a turn! Somehow I don't have the same reaction in my wife's kid hauler.  Every bike has mechanical problems/issues/design faults. The question isn't whether Buells have them. It's can you live with the ones they have? FJRs had valve issues and cooked your nuts to golden brown. GS's have final drive failures and carboning problems. Ducati's suffer from expensive parts and short major service intervals. Even the big four sport bikes have issues. For me the biggest issue is the lack of rough edge character. When you grab a hand full of Buell throttle, it growls, screams, howls, rumbles, and generally scares the crap out of you. And that's just first gear.  | ||
| Js_buell |
"Thanks for the welcomes guys. I will def. be asking a lot more questions. Have many others here ridden jap bikes? I keep getting told to get an sv1000, even by my current mechanic, but i think they look and seem boring. The buell just seems to speak to me, i test rode an xb12r and couldnt stop smiling for hours." Well I have tried a sv1000 last summer and I too wanted to love it since I was going to buy it but after an hour ride on it I didn't like it enough to buy it. It's a nice bike but I still haven't found a bike that give me the low torque of a Buell especially the xb12. I use to have Jap sport bikes and my last one was a 97 gsxr750 and thats when I tried my first Buell a 2000 X1 and felt in love right away and wanted to trade my bike as soon as I got to the dealer but for some financial reason it didn't work (X1 at the time were 16k here in Canada)since then I have tried many other Buells, all the s and r model 9 and 12 and to this day I still don't own a Buell but it's going to be my next one for sure. The only reason I don't have one yet is mostly because I got bitten by the supermoto bug couple years ago and before that I was tired of the street and went to the motocross for 4 years. So believe me I tried many different bikes and the one that sticks out is the Buell}} | ||
| Owen |
"When you grab a hand full of Buell throttle, it growls, screams, howls, rumbles, and generally scares the crap out of you." lol GOLD! Thanks for the replies people, its funny just reading the way people write about different bikes in all the different forums. Most talk about performance and 'upgrades', buell owners seem to always talk about grinning and 'character building' - awesome. Appreciate the honesty people. (Message edited by owen on June 25, 2007) | ||
| 12r |
Most talk about performance and 'upgrades', buell owners seem to always talk about grinning and 'character building' Amen - Buells have something very special that goes beyond the spec sheet  | ||
| Swordsman |
Lol! Ft_b, I swear, if I ever meet you, I'm gonna' buy you a beer. Your posts ALWAYS make me laugh!  (and you're always right!)  ~SM | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Mmmmmmmmmm! Beer! Come up for Buelltoberfest the first weekend in October! I'd love to meet you! | ||
| Djkaplan |
Australia's a pretty big place with wide open roads between populated areas. If you do a lot of sustained cruising at speeds substantially above 80mph, you might find Buells to be a bit shortwinded on top. | ||
| Court |
Owen: For a pretty good flavor on a couple of the Buells in your neighborhood got to your local news dealer and pick up the current issue of KIWI RIDER. You;ll find about a dozen pages of interesting Buell reading. . all penned in the engaging and entertaining style of our most dangerous member! If you need help getting info, just drop me a note and I'll put you in touch with the local Buell staff in Oz. Oz is a hotbed of Buellthusiasm. . . .has been sine we prowled Eastern Creek under JJ's direction. Court   | ||
| Owen |
Im not sure what button im meant to press to do a PM on this forum? Course, i have NEVER seen an issue of kiwi rider ever. Are you from NZ? Also, any buell contacts or info you can offer me would be appreciated. Cheers | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Look for Danger_Dave. He's the author of the STT article. PM him: http://www.badweatherbikers.com/cgibin/discus/boar d-profile.cgi?action=view_profile&profile=danger_d ave-users | ||
| Court |
>>>Are you from NZ? No. . . I am from OZ (as in Wizard of . . . like Topeka, KS) and live in New York City. I have a fairly good network of Buell contacts in 14 countries. Drop Dave (whi lives in NZ) a note at the PM address above. Then send me your name, address and phone number at THIS e-mail address and I'll get you the contact info for the nearest Buell merchant. Buell has a dangerously effective world wide network. . . . like no others. Court P.S. - what the heck are you doing up this time a day? I call Australia 3 or 4 times a week and generally don't start until 5PM NYC time. I made one exception a couple weeks ago just to be a pain in the butt and then, wouldn't you know it, my phone rings in the middle of the night and the Ozians are in the VIP Suite at the Gun's n Roses concert and call me in the wee hours so I can "listen to the music". If you visit with Dangerous Dave, tell him to tell his Mum, when he calls her in Oz, that the weather is good in NYC . . you'll save me one call. Yeah. . . it's a pretty good network from East Troy to about anywhere in the world. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Court, Didn't know you were a flat lander. I was born in the city the earth threw up, Topeka. | ||
| Court |
I was in Topeka for 44 years. . . wondered where the smell came from. I thought it was the Hill's dog food plant. Owen . . don't miss taking a look at this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4ws1QxW0v4&mode=re lated&search= | ||
| Socalbueller |
Well I tried making my Buell my primary transportation and it didn't work out so well. I live in Los Angeles where riding a motorcycle is a huge advantage. Parking is less of an issue, year round riding season, lane splitting has saved me days of sitting in traffic, and the canyons are a tons o fun on the weekends. Yes the Buell is a blast to ride and there is not much maintenance to do but mine has yet to go 7000 miles without leaving me on the side of the road. The third time it happened I went out and bought a Honda Hawk as a second bike. I have had some issues but its 19 years old and has not left me on the side of the road in the 5000 miles I have gone on it so far. I still have the Buell because I have not found a bike I would rather have. So far the pluses out way the minuses. The charging system, which has been the cause of all the strandings, is a very big minus. I think that is the only one worth bitching about. FYI, mine started leaking oil after 6 months of ownership. Not enough to drip but still makes a little mess I have to clean up. | ||
| Swordsman |
"Yes the Buell is a blast to ride and there is not much maintenance to do but mine has yet to go 7000 miles without leaving me on the side of the road. The third time it happened I went out and bought a Honda Hawk as a second bike. I have had some issues but its 19 years old and has not left me on the side of the road in the 5000 miles I have gone on it so far. " I guess you'll have to give the Honda 2000 more miles to be certain! ~SM | ||
| Pikey |
Owen, You have asked all of us on ABR and BDU and now the guys here (haven't seen a post on sport twin yet ) and it seems they are all giving you the same answers. Looks like it is time to get yourself a Buell. | ||
| Owen |
Owen, You have asked all of us on ABR and BDU and now the guys here (haven't seen a post on sport twin yet ) and it seems they are all giving you the same answers. Looks like it is time to get yourself a Buell. You stalking me?! Heh yeah i think you may be right Pikey. I had to make sure the rest of the world liked em too, wasnt sure if the Aussies could deal with all the buell problems because we're just so damn tough! But it seems they are just genuinely nice bikes. | ||
| Owen |
How do i see if i have any private messages? | ||
| Etennuly |
PM's will come to your personal E-Mail account you listed when you signed on. To send a PM click on the persons name on the left column and it will show you their profile. At the bottom left click on send message button. | ||
| Ironken |
Owen, I have owned 4 Buells. I won't lie... My first Buell was an S-1 and had more than a couple recalls. Still an awesome scooter and I rue the day that I got rid of it! #2 was an X-1W and had 1 issue... speedo failed. 1 trip to the friendly dealer and presto....fixed! I regret getting rid of it as well! That was Buells fault that it had to go. They introduced the XB series and I desperately needed one. I now own an XB12S and the wife owns a Blast. No problems and instant grins for both of us. I like to be different and Buell has always delivered. I personally do not like the, "rice rockets," and veered away from that desire soon after puberty (no stab at those who likes them). Buells run good and make the funnest power out there. It's always on tap. Give one a try.... you'll be hooked too. BTW if you get one, you may want to do some research on the Drummer exhaust. I have one and love it. | ||
| Owen |
Can you even get drummer exhausts in Australia? I think they would be illegal...147db arent they? | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Illegal is a matter of getting caught! | ||
| Luxor |
Well, lets see here. I have owned many, many bikes in the last 25 years. Primarily Honda street bikes, CBRs, VFRs, VFs, CBs, ABC, and XYZ varients. Some stock, some full race mod. That being said, I saw an XB in 2003, sold everything I owned with two wheels and took the plunge on an XB9S. Didn't test ride it, didn't have to. A quick look at the way the Buell was built told me that this was not just another sport bike, this was something very special. Tell you what, the ride home was justification for the purchase. This has got to be the funnest bike I've ever ridden, hands down. So fun in fact that I now have an 04 12S as a stablemate to my beloved 9. Oh, forgot, 10k on the 9 with ZERO problems. The 12 has just 600mi on the ticker. I must be crazy, but I find the power of the 9 a little more fun in traffic. Anyway, I have never had buyers remorse over my Buells, just the opposite in fact. I fall in love harder every day. | ||
| Tintin74 |
I just posted the same kind of comments answering the same kind of situation on the french Buell Forum. You already did the demo. Next step would be to go to the Buell website and watch the videos where Erik explains what he had in mind when he designed the XBs. Many Buell owners actually disagree with him on a couple of points and they just change their bikes accordingly. I've seen XBs with chains instead of the belt, with side exhausts ala Monster 695, with power mods to make it higher revving and so on. So first step is to see what you agree upon. Second thing is which Buell to choose from. I would say as a beginner, make sure you get a Lightning first. Surprisingly, motorcycles fall down when they reach a speed of 0. The lower your speed, the most critical your balance is and the Firebolt and Ulysses are both more difficult to handle at lower speeds. Then there's the choice of engine. Most people coming from a 4 in-line cylinders will pick the 9 because it revs higher than the 12. I've seen people get into dangerous situations as they hit the rev limiter on a Uly while passing a car. It wasn't THAT dangerous but they kept talking about after their demo ride. As a newcomer you might not have gotten any habits so the 12 might suit you just fine. The torque is higher though and the rear tire is of the same size so potentially it could skid more easily and certainly a 12 does eat up the tires faster. The torque curve is mostly flat across the revs. Meaning you can't just turn the throttle less to get less torque. Most of the torque difference goes to the clutch which has stiffer springs on the 12. This could be a drawback if you ride in the city or in traffic jams. The good part is that whenever you decide to accelerate, the bikes will push strongly till they reach the limiter. The 12 will push stronger for a more limited time but still makes more power than the 9. The gas mileage might be better on the 9 because of that so getting a Lightning long might not increase your range over a City X. | ||
| Owen |
Thanks for the Post Tintin. To clear some stuff up im not TOTALLY new to bikes, been riding for 2 years now, its just that ive only just got off restrictions which mean i can go to a higher powered bike. I think i would prefer the 9 to begin with and i did have my heart set on the firebolt as i think it looks MEAN. Plus i think i would like to try a more sporty sitting position as both my learner bikes are naked and upright - a little bit of fairing might be nice for a change  |
