| Author | Message | ||
     Court |
Mike: If you need an M-2 demo ride and have any difficulties, drop me a note and I'll come give you one if I have to. By the way....where the heck are you? You can get extra points if you say "across from the Ocean Club in the Bahamas". Court | ||
| Bluzm2 |
Mike, I have to disagree with Colin. Most of my riding is done in the speed range you are talking about. It is much easier to ride an M2 slow than a Sporty fast.  The M2 pulls harder down low than the X1, you are right about the top end though. The 1999 X1's had a few issues with the then new fuel injection. If it hasn't been sorted out, you may not like it at all. Do what ever you can to wrangle a test ride on an M2. Shoot if you were around here, I'd let you ride mine. A new 2002 M2 has everything all sorted out. Just gas it and go then spend time trying to explain the silly grin on your face! Brad | ||
| Jprovo |
Tooslow (Mike) “It’s more fun to ride a slow bike fast than to ride a fast bike slow”. (My choice for the ultimate Japanese sportbike is the 250 Ninja. Why? You can flog its heart out all day without death or loss of license) If that's the way you really feel, get a Blast! The riding that you do is well suited to a Blast, and you can pick up a used one for $2500 (or a new one for less than MSRP). The Blast may be down on power, but it will out-handle a Sportster. James | ||
| Reepicheep |
Just post your location Mike... somebody will likely pipe up and let you have a ride, no problem. Plenty of M2's to go around. Bill (Cincinnati) | ||
| Djkaplan |
Tooslow, you sound like exactly the type of rider the M2 was designed for. You must have a bullseye on your forehead; the demographics Buell was aiming at point squarely at you. | ||
| Dueller |
Time to weigh in on the debate. As the owner of a 98 S1W and a 97 M2 I am faced with the constant dilemma....which one to ride today? Additionally my brother had a 883 we converted to a repli-flat tracker for the street and an older softail. I loved the sporty and it was fun to toss around....but it just didn't do it for me after buying my two Buells within a six week period. Plus after my brother rode mine he sold the sporty and picked up a nice used 99 M2 for under $5k. soooo...back to the original dilemma....for sheer shits and giggles at speeds that are against the law the S1W does it for me so long as the ride is under a 100 miles....after that distance the butt floss seat just wears me arse out. And I find myself gravitating towards the my old M2 beater for a more relaxed pace. Its versatility is amazing as Blake and others have attested to....sporty yet able to tour fairly comfortably even with two up. And yes its fun to ride at a more moderate pace. And with the more comfy seat of the later M2s even more so. As far as the new XB9....a truly wonderful, beautiful, innovative bike but the shorter wheelbase and more agressive riding position is not for me...still love those tubers. Buy the em2....you won't regret it. | ||
| Blake |
Vik, You think $8K "out the door" is not a fair deal on a new 2002 Cyclone? I don't know what the taxes title and license fees are where Tooslow is, but I assume that maybe you didn't catch the "out the door" part? | ||
| Prof_Stack |
Tooslow - when I read your first post, before reading the many responses, I immediately thought of the Blast as the bike for you. Like the Bullet, it is a thumper, but has 50% more power, and is a HECK of a lot of fun. For your roads, it might be the best bang for the buck and the most enjoyable. (I would still have my '00 Blast except that I was smitten with the XB9S and succumbed to a trade-in last December.) | ||
| Hans |
Tooslow, Colin scored a point but Djakaplan hit the nail on its head. I also considered an less powerful engine, for reasons Colin mentioned. In fact: I ride deadly slow and I like it really but it is not the full truth. You can have those days when more is not enough. I forgot for a moment those occasions when my 60 HP Laverda felt like a tired donkey and when I promised myself that my next bike should have at least 70 HP. I forgot those occasions when I detested that the available speed was mainly dependent on the wind direction. Forgot the sudden wishes to keep up with the fast left lane traffic. Forgot the rubber feeling of the rear where tires made their imprints in the road in the riding direction. Forgot those moments that just plain high speed was aimed for. I can`t stop praising my M2 how it supports the mood of the moment: Only a few, fat, louder combustions per minute more and it plays the black beast, trying to pull your arms out off its sockets. Never a wild beast with mean tricks: It keeps you on track and in the saddle, even on moments when you thought that it could not be done. Djkaplan said it all, as short as possible. Hans. | ||
| Johnc |
Too Slow, I have also owned plenty of bikes over the years including British and Japanese models. I have ridden both the 883 and 1200 Sportsters also and found the handling to be "truckish". They also vibrate like paint shakers. I've been very happy with my 2000 M2 and have had no real problems, at least none that caused the bike to be at the dealer for more than 1 day. I can't say the same about my last 2 Japanese bikes. I don't ride fast either but when the urge does strike my M2 will stay with my buddies Bandit 1200 and Triumph RS 955 up to about 120 mph. You can also putt around on the M2 at slow speeds and the handling is very numble, unlike a Sportster. To me there is no contest, the blast is really too slow and the Sportster is far from sporty, more like agricultural. Go for the M2!!! Just my 2 cents worth. John | ||
| Aesquire |
Too Slow, I understand the 250 ninja bit. I had a '72 Suzuki Gt380, power of a 250, mass of a 500, and learned to ride to the edge of the bikes ability. Cutting through the 'hood downhill of / coming home, it was peg scrapes here, muffler there, all at a fixed 30 mph. The sight of the Sheriff's car spinning through 3 lawns behind me one night (not chasing, just "suspicious" and following me) trying to keep up was precious. Moving up to a 750, then an 1100, taught me I wasn't as slick as I thought I was. I NEVER ran the GS1100E to it's full potential. The GT380 scared the daylight outa me on the QEW, VW's were passing me & I was laying on the tank with feet on the turn signals. needless to say, the M2 won't have that problem. you also won't see yourself coming down the road all the time. If you check the Sportster guys, they all say "A Buell? Those are fast, aren't they?" At Bikernet they say "a Buell will pull wheelies all day long, but they top out a 110 mph." (Don't tell the Team Elf guys that though, might hurt their sides laughing.} | ||
| Tooslow |
Thanks again for all of the advice. It speaks well of you guys that you’d go to so much trouble for some unknown guy out lurking the web Answering a couple of questions: I’m in Lexington, Ky. So I am close enough to at least one of you (Bill with the cute kid and the unfamiliar last name) to bum a test ride. Thanks so much for that offer, but I just can’t do it. I’m afraid to ride other folks bikes. Bad things do happen, even when riding sanely, and I’d hate to scuff someone’s favorite scoot. I have thought a lot about the Blast. In fact, Prof’s website has been on my “favorites” list for at least a year, and I’ve lurked a lot in the P3 portion of this sight. (lots of “blasting on the dark side” over there). Historically, I’ve also always loved singles. So why not a Blast? Well, I’d like to think of myself as above aesthetic concerns, but I just haven’t come to terms with the looks of the bike. Shallow, I know…… If only that bike looked more like a 1980 SR500 (perhaps the greatest Japanese bike in history. Yes, I know that I may be the only person in the world to think so.) One last question on the M2 and I’ll leave you guys alone. What’s the min speed, in top gear, that the M2 can loaf along, without being abusive, i.e. lugging the engine or overworking the isolators? I am assuming US gearing, of coarse. If the answer is somewhere around 40 to 45 MPH, I’m 90% sold on the M2. Thanks in advance, again. Regardless of response, I may still ‘stew’ on this for a few weeks before writing a check. The weather is still nasty, and I doubt that my dealer will sell out of M2s in the next few weeks. I have to fly to China for two weeks next month. MC shopping would be a great thing to do while recovering from jetlag, in the days following my return. Thanks Mike | ||
| M2cyclone00 |
40 to 45mph would be too slow in top gear for an M2. 50 is even a bit slow. 55 is ok. It is pulling 2500rpm at 50mph. That is about minimum & probably a bit too low of an rpm actually. The engine does run better at closer to 3 grand and above unlike the way the Sportster is tuned to where it will run much better at 2500. See the article about brundling on Axtell's website. Dave | ||
| Hans |
" If the answer is somewhere around 40 to 45 MPH, I’m 90% sold on the M2. " Mmmmmm, I think you will come about halfway then: 50 % sold on the M2. You do`nt need all those gearings: With the first three and the throttle not more than 1/4 you have all there is in a Sportster. You can keep it in 3 for all what you, most of the time, want. However, thanks: You gave us a great opportunity to express our appreciation for our Cyclones. Hans | ||
| Bads1 |
Hey Tooslow you say you wish it was a 1980 SR500 hey, well your wish is my command,one of our fellow HOOLIGANS has one for sale in our classified section that would be Bomber he also has a couple photos of it there to with some detail,check it out. | ||
| Aesquire |
more like 2000 rpm @ 50mph. 2500 @ 55 mph (book break in figures) I'm waiting to putt around the rest of break in so I can rev it. (I deny catagoricaly any rumor that 3500 rpm is about 75 mph and smooth as silk  on my bike. I would have no Idea. I'm a good boy. Really ) Seriously, 3rd or 4th gear is all you'll run in town. | ||
| Tripp |
what a coinkidink, i have a cyclone and my wife has a ninja 250, i have ridden them both and they are wayyyyy different obviously, anyway i think the real kicker(besides cash) is how tall your inseam is-why: because if the blast has better highway pick-up(than the ninja) and your inseam is less than 32 the blast is the way to go for shear stand on the ground cruising comfort(i like to ride fast so the m2L being an inch or 2 too high for my 29 " inseam is nooo problem), my only complaint with my wife Tonya's bike is the get on the highway non-acceleration. you should definitley test ride both, i bet if your inseam is 32 or less(being a "tooslow" rider) you'll love the blast. and iv'e never ridden one but that's what i'd do(bein a red blooded american like yourself)!! | ||
| Mikej |
"If only that bike looked more like a 1980 SR500 " Tooslow, find Bomber. Bomber, be found, I think we have a match. As far as 45mph, 3rd or maybe 4th gear, not 5th. M2's are unhappy if kept under 3,000rpm for long stretches. | ||
| Bomber |
Tooslow check out the bikes for sale on this board . . . . . there's an 80 SR500 Cafe Job built and lovingly maintained by a goof we know (search on, you guessed it, bomber) although, I gotta say, the Ma Duece is ACES! | ||
| Djkaplan |
I've always thought the M2 felt like the world's biggest single at slow speeds, especially if you've uncorked the exhaust. I remember lusting after the old SR500 back in high school. Seemed like the perfect bike for a 16 year old, I just couldn't convince my father. Hell, I'm still waiting for part 2 of Gordon Jennings Cycle Magazine article on "How to Hotrod the SR500". I guess I'll never get to see it now. | ||
| Bomber |
ya don't need to see it, bro . . .you could ride it (just come to chicago) | ||
| Tooslow |
Sounds like you guys have spent too many years reading too many magazines, as have I. My wife thinks that, someday, she'll talk me into throwing some of them away. NEVER ! Bombers' SR is very nice. I said, though, that it was the ultimate Jap motorcycle, not that I was looking for one. (though, if it were low mileage, stock, bright red, and cheap, I might be swayed) Going through the classified section, and looking at all those Buell picts, sure has increased my Buell lust, however. Teetering at a speed between 4th and 5th all day sounds a little bothersome, though. So, you guys are saying that, if I'm riding the backroads at an indicated 60 to 65 MPH, in 5th gear, and I slow to 45 or 50 for a curve, that I'll need to downshift to keep from being abusive? I'm not looking for the ultimate power dive out of the curve, I just want to be nice to the bike. Inseam? My Levis have a 36'' leg length. I'm 6'2'' and 220lB. The M2 is the most comfortable bike that I have ever sat on. It, and my old BMW airhead, are the only two bikes I've seen with decent leg room. The sportster, if fact, is quite cramped..... And in dire need of rearsets and a drag bar. Yes, I'm slow, but the "aggressive standard" riding position is king! Thanks Again. | ||
| Bomber |
Too . . . .you won't HAVE to downshift under those conditions . . . . but I think that the Ma Duece will, over time, have a tendancy to, ehem, affect your riding style and speed . . . . . .no more than you wish it to, of course (smile) you and I are of similar weight and height, and I agree totally . . . .. the Duece is very comfortable . . . . . I keep thinkin it's the Triumph Bonnie of this era | ||
| Djkaplan |
I always thought of the M2 as the modern incarnation of the XLCR. Most of the Bonnies I remember (from the 70's at least) were choppers. I missed my first chance at the big, booming Cafe Racer, I wasn't going to let the Cyclone get away. | ||
| Tooslow |
O.K. I found, and spoke to a guy about, an '02 Sportster, that he won in a contest. It has 4 miles on the clock and he wants $6200. The '02s also lack the 100th annversary tank graphics, which I dislike. The bike may sell quick. It may be time to accelerate my decision. Time to go sit on the M2 again. (The guys in that dealership completely ignore me, at this point) | ||
| Newfie_Buell |
I almost bought a Sportster, until I rode it. I then bought the S1, DO NOT LOOK AT ANYTHING ELSE - GET THE M2 Your second choice would be a S1 | ||
| Bluzm2 |
Too, Don't sit, RIDE THE BUGGER!!!! If you opt for the Sportster NEVER accept an offer to ride an M2. You will be mad for making the wrong decision. Take up Bill on his offer. You won't crash. Just take it for a spin for a few miles. You're decision will be made. COME TO THE DARK SIDE errr, umm BUELL SIDE.... Brad | ||
| Court |
>>>>Don't sit, RIDE THE BUGGER!!!! I've gotta tell ya...that statment is gospel. I owned 6 Sportsters ('87-1/2 883 Hugger - 1977 XLCR - 1983 XR-1000 - 1990 XL1200(street) - 1990 XL1200(dirt track) - 1990 XL1200(roadracer)) and have ridden many more. Given the description of your age, riding style and personal demeanor, I'd suggest you write no checks until you've had a proper test ride on all bikes under consideration. At the risk of being flamed by the Sportster folks, for the attributes you've described, the M-2 would be a "kid glove" fit. Let me know if you need to know more or need Buell literature for the year under consideration. You can e-mail me an address and phone number and I'll be happy to help get you info and a demo ride. Not that I have ever influenced anyone else to choose a Buell Court | ||
| Psychobueller |
Time to weigh in on this. If you don't buy the M2 I guarantee you will regret it. It seems to be the perfect bike for you given what you have told us. My dad and I have a pair of 2000s and they are hands down the most kick-ass bikes we've ever ridden. Simply a total hoot to ride and does everything well. Ride it, buy it, try NOT to love it. | ||
| Pilot |
"Not that I have ever influenced anyone else to choose a Buell " That is an inaccurate statement. I am living proof. |
