| Author | Message | ||
     Monorad |
I hesitate to start this thread after last week's drama, but ... I have a citycross. Bought the race kit and hated the way it ran, so switched back to the stock setup until I figured out which aftermarket pipe to get. I was going to wait until Blake did the "ultimate unbiased pipe shootout" and see which is best. Alas, after a really (really) stupid offroading incident, I completely destroyed my stock muffler. I mean GONE. My race pipe was 300 miles away in my friends garage. I was without a pipe and hence bikeless. I've been following the "who's pipe is best" drama for a while, and to be frank, my initial amusement turned to annoyance after a while. Alas, I needed to get back on the road quick. So I gave Kevin Drum a call, told him my story and asked if I could pay extra to get one of his pipes without sending mine in (nothing much left to send) and also if he could ship it overnight. He worked all night Tuesday night finishing up an extra pipe he had, and mailed it overnight express. As of yesterday afternoon, it was in my hands, and shortly thereafter on my bike. My impressions: everything positive you've ever heard about this pipe are true. It pulls hard, smooth and evenly from a dead stop to redline. It sounds deep and mean, without being too obnoxious. I lifted the front wheel easily shifting first to second at relatively low RPMs. Bottom line is it feels like a brand new bike, with the smoothness of the stock can, but the grunt and power of the race can (which performs well only at 4200 and up). I did not test top speed (got the needle over 130 with the race pipe), so I don't know if it suffers there at all, but I got up to 100mph very very very quickly and it felt butter smooth and predictable. I hated the way the race can lurched between being "in the zone" and out of it - way too unpredictable when accelerating out of a turn. Its funny because just last weekend I was really getting pissed off about all the sniping going on about this pipe (the norris post and follow up drama), and even thought about not getting one because of that. None of that matters. Kevin is the coolest motorcycle part seller I've EVER dealt with when it comes to getting things done and seeing it through. He even called me this morning to make sure I was happy with it. He's a great guy, with a remarkable product who makes a living by trying to make Buells run the best that they can. What more could you ask for. - Very Happy Camper | ||
| Reepicheep |
Great firsthand experience with the pipe, thanks for taking the trouble to post it! | ||
| Kds1 |
Thank you very much there happy camper....Glad you're having fun!!!! Thanks for your support of the Drummer..... Kevin www.kdfab.com | ||
| Eor |
Interesting to read your impressions of the race kit on the CityX. I had an identical experience and had the dealer return it to stock also. Glad you are happy with the Drummer. | ||
| Madsx |
I second ya there Mono (love the BBQ styling CityX by the way) Kevin is an all around class act. He makes a great product and wants to make sure everyone who gets one is happy. AS I AM! Thanks Kevin You do a GREAT job!  | ||
| Ratyson |
Man, I want a Drummer so bad I can't stand it. However, the only way I was able to get the CityX was to promise the wife not to dump money into mods (long story about buying a WRX and dumping money into that). Maybe my pipe could mysteriously get damaged... hmmm. | ||
| Metalstorm |
"Maybe my pipe could mysteriously get damaged... hmmm." Mufflers get banged up on large speed bumps every day  | ||
| Djkaplan |
"So I gave Kevin Drum a call..." I always wondered why it was called the "Drummer". Good think his last name isn't Bone. | ||
| Jeremyh |
RATYSON IT'S BETTER TO ASK FOR FORGIVENESS...... | ||
| Cruisin |
THAN TO ASK FOR PERMISSION...... | ||
| Eurotwins |
Ratyson,I made that same deal with my wife on the last 7 bikes. Fortunately those verbal agreements always come with a 3 day expiration....John | ||
| Edmsportster |
I am buying a brand new 2004 XB12S this weekend (congrats to me & my first Buell!!!) The dealer is throwing in a race kit...should I be concerned about this lack of performance at low RPMs on the race kitted 12 as well? I ride 80% urban traffic so off the line is kinda important... | ||
| Madsx |
If its not going to cost you much I'd try the race kit for a while. If you dont like it try a different can and sell the Race on ebay. Is the dealer doing it for free? As incentive to buy? | ||
| Blake |
Stephen (Monorad), In another new topic related to the possible off-roading performance of the new Ulysses, would you please post details and pics if available of your CityX offroading muffler incident? Great report on Kevin. | ||
| Monorad |
I think the 12 is different, but i'm not sure. I can tell you that my 9 with race kit was truly disappointing and really frustrating in urban riding conditions. It pulled off the line better with the stock set-up, and now its amazing with the race ecm and drummer. | ||
| Monorad |
Blake, its embarrassing. Alright, alright. So here's what happened. I got all excited after seeing those great Uly pics online, and was bragging about what a great new bike Buell had designed (I was at a BBQ in upstate NY, near the Mass border). Unfortunately, I got so worked-up that I decided to prove how tough Buells are. As luck would have it there were some powerlines just across the street, going up into some foothills. After 2 or 3, um, lemonades, and some goading from my "friends", I hopped on my city-x and went tearing up the powerline access road. I used to ride a lot of motocross, and was actually surprised that the bike felt great on the relatively smooth loose stuff. The rear kept breaking loose predictably, and I was standing on the pegs hollering like a madman, really getting into it ... the dirt road slowly turned into a trail, and all rationality was thrown out the window as I tried to bump-jump a little rock drop-off. Landed HARD on a sharp rock, snapped the front muffler bracket, ripped a hole halfway down the muffler, the bike bucked up hard, I lost it sideways and came to a crunching stop on top of another pretty good size rock. Miraculously, the header and oil lines are fine. That stock muffler took a ton of abuse, but everything else is fine. Alas, the muffler was kindof dangling there, and the bike wouldn't really idle/run too good. Sounded awesome though! So I pushed/dragged/pulled the bike about a mile back to the main road and got a friend to trailer my bike back to my shop in Brooklyn. I'll post some pics over the weekend. Lessons learned: (a) the city-x does handle dirt roads surprisingly well, but ... (b) the city-x is NOT a motocross bike. (don't let those bars fool you!). There is no ground clearance when you land off a 2 foot drop-off. (c) my friends are idiots, and so am I for listening to them. (d) "lemonade" impairs judgement (assumes you have any to begin with, which in my case, is questionable). I can't believe I'm actually posting this ... | ||
| Dana P. |
Either can I.You sure the alcohol didn't play more of a roll then your friends.Do me a favor from a guy that sells intoxicants to people.PLEASE!!! DON'T RIDE AND DRINK. I don't like reading on this board of people getting hurt or even worse death.Take care Dana | ||
| Monorad |
Dana, I hear ya. Hence (d) in my section on lessons learned. Motorcycles, in general, are dangerous to the point of being illogical (perhaps that's why they are so fun to ride). Not a good idea to throw Lemonade or other variables into the equation. Regardless, the point of the post is that the bike really held its own in the offroad dept. Those Scorpion Sync tires are surprisingly predictable on loose stuff. But the city-x is definitely not meant for anything but the mildest forms of off-road riding. [though I'd love to see a pic of someone catching air on one ... uh oh, never mind, here I go again ...] | ||
| Jerseyguy |
That's my hillbilly buddy. Nicest guy you will ever meet. He called me after dinner that night and said he & his lady were going back to work until Steve's Drummer was done. She works for the post office so they were able to get it shipped really fast. | ||
| Pa_xb9sx |
I have to chime in here as well. Kevin is a great guy to deal with. I received my Drummer today. It is pretty sweet. The fatlet looks great. Unfortunately, the XB9SX is currently inoperable. Engine just stopped. That's another story. I can't wait to install it with the race ECM. Great write-up, Monorad. And I must agree, that BBQ paint is fantastic. Not to be a copy-cat, but I have been looking for some plastics so that I can do that as well. | ||
| Edmsportster |
Yes the dealer is throwing it in. I am hoping to still score the stock setup so I have a can to send in to Drummer sometime this winter... | ||
| Frausty12r |
hehe about the off roading incident, I too can attest to the predictability of the XB12R when faced with a not-so-stable road surface.. i.e. DIRT... in the MIDDLE of the NIGHT... which materialized from asphalt! Some friends and I were riding on a road I used to deliver pizza's on... oh about 7 yrs ago, and after many years of drinks and some other impairing substances I forgot "exactly" where to "turn" to get on this "road". To set it up, here we were about 5 of us.. three Zuki GSX-R's and another firebolt (9) cruising about 45 mph, not being crazy or anything just about 10mph over the posted limit.. when all of the sudden **Poof** away went the asphalt and along came the dirt. Immediately my years of dirtbike riding experience came to me.. "downshift downshift downshift, let the engine slow you down" which is exactly what you should do in this instance, and what I tried to do, and would have done had I not, THAT DAY reversed the shift sequence on the bike to GP style (1up 4down). In hindsight I probably should have waited until the next day to do this, as "instinct" took over and as I was stomping on the shifter, I was infact... not slowing down. When I realized it.. I locked up the rear and was able to drift/slide to a stop after travelling about 45 ft down a pretty nasty road. the other guys all went by me, one about off into the woods. I then got the bike in first and proceeded to cut a doughnut, and a little wheel spin take off. It handled just like you thought it would.. never once did it try to end around or anything. Superb. The other guys all had a rough time keeping theirs from spinning up and wanting to walk around on them. Perhaps it's torque that helped me? Perhaps the dirtbike experience? perhaps bacause these were their first bikes *grin* Dunno. but no bad accident just a tight pucker when the road suddenly disappeared. Words of advice, dont ride unfamiliar roads... at night... after just changing the mechanics of your bike.. *grin* (Message edited by frausty12r on August 12, 2005) | ||
| Wambo |
OK Pa_xbsx, what happened? I hope it's nothing that I need to worry about on my City Cross  ! | ||
| Pa_xb9sx |
Wambo - Check out this post. It documents my issues. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/32777/131531.html?1123518160 After 1 week, the dealer still has not looked at it, so I do not know what is wrong with it. I was very annoyed that they still have not even looked at it, so they are making it right today. They are giving me a V Rod loaner. I'd still rather have my Buell. | ||
| Wambo |
Pa_xb9sx, Hummm.... I do remember reading the post-Sorry I forgot about the details. I would be most interested in knowing what the outcome is. I saw the post regarding primary chain, which describes a different sound than you mentioned (pinging and knocking). I'm not even close to being a mechanic but it almost sounds like the timing is being effected mechanically or electronically  ? Again, please let us know the outcome. On my City Cross I notice on a longer ride it gets about as hot as a XB12 (enough to notice the frame being very warm to the touch) and running rougher with a little less power. My last fill-up was only 40mpg, so I'm wondering what may be the culprit. This is even with the right-sided scoop added. I hope you have good news soon and get your ride back! (Message edited by wambo on August 13, 2005) | ||
| Eor |
On my City Cross I notice on a longer ride it gets about as hot as a XB12 (enough to notice the frame being very warm to the touch) and running rougher with a little less power. My last fill-up was only 40mpg, so I'm wondering what may be the culprit. This is even with the right-sided scoop added. I experienced the same thing on my CityX but never pay much attention to fuel consumption. After riding an hour or so, the engine would start running rough and the vibrations through the bars increased significantly. The fan was running allot, even last winter in 50-60 degree ambient air temps. I did some research here and guessed it had something to do with the temperature sensor. The dealer diagnosed a faulty temp sensor, replaced it, and it seemed to cure the rough running issue. The fan stays on allot, but it has been very hot this summer. What does the temp sensor have to do with the engine running rough when getting hot? My theory is that the ECM richens the mix a bit when it thinks the engine is running hot...but not hot enough to go into skip spark mode. If that is the case, that might explain the increased fuel consumption you have noted. That's just my theory...don't know if that is the case or not, but the issue was resolved with the replacement of the temp sensor. | ||
| Wambo |
Eor, Thanks!  I'll have that checked! | ||
| Joele |
Just a bit of a tangent - how does BBQ paint hold up to fuel spillage? | ||
| Pa_xb9sx |
Joele - Couldn't you just light the gas on fire? It is BBQ paint after all. Just kidding. |
