You can always check the "Storm Fronts" section on this site to see what Buell rides are coming up around the nation. Somewhat locally we have two rides a year in Suches, GA (some of the best twisties around with the least traffic). Buelltoberfest in the Fall and March Badness/April Buells Day in the Spring. Occasionally there are some in-state rides thrown together and this page is the best place to find them.
for the xb's, i think the drummer is the only way to go. i put many of miles on my 03 xb9r with a drummer. heard a few other mufflers on the xb and didn't like any of the others. would love to try out one on my loki but a grand is a bit steep for me since i have been out since mid dec for back surgery.
do some research and listening to kada-design mufflers. talked to dean and got some good inside info(which he will tell if you ask him) about how to build the mt-1 muffler for the 1125. with his insight, i did the magic to my muffler and i am very pleased with the sound.
as for kevin, he is a great guy and makes some nice products. had a chance to meet him in person and get a tour of his shop and how he was building the drummer for the xb's.
the difference between the two guys is dean makes his mufflers as more of a piad hobby instead a source of serious income. neither is right or wrong, just a different approach to how they veiw their buisness
Looks like I will be purchasing an 08 xb12r this week from a really cool guy Joe(cheers!) in myrtle beach. Great bike. It has a few minor flaws, but is mechanically perfect! O, and only 7k miles too!
But I could use a bit of help on two points:
First, is there anyone local to my in Columbia, ie within a few hrs, who is talented with tuning these bikes? No mods at this time, but looking to go with the ebr ddfi3 programmable ecu, intake mods/filter, Micron exhaust, and possibly dual o2 sensors. Could use some help with the tuning, and a dyno for wot.
Second, I do not have a truck to tow it back to Columbia in. I am checking with all the guys at work, but thought I would ask those that love these bikes as much as I do if anyone would be interested in helping a guy out, and hanging out with some great people too! Just a thought.
Theres a few in columbia, good luck finding a micron, they have been out of business for a little while although ive heard that is a really good system.
All, got the buell home yesterday and spent a solid hour on the midlands tech MSF course learning the handling while breaking in the new rear tire. Wow, what fun!
I do have a bit of concern on the handling though when in a turn. According to the chart in the owners manual it is set correctly, but when in a turn and you hit a small seam or crack in the asphalt, it wants to fall out of the turn and not hold its line. Is this normal? Is there anywhere/anyone local that knows these suspensions that can help? do I just need to practice more learn to real with it?
Finally, who is good with tuning and has a dyno in the greater Columbia area? I just purchased a used Micron system and need some help with the ebr ddfi3 racing tuner ill be getting at the end of the month.
Ryan- Congrats on getting the bike home. I guess the first things to do would be check tire pressures and reset the suspension from scratch. What kind of tires does it have on it? Some tire profiles have more of a tendency to do that, especially on XBs. My guess is you're just not acclimated to the bike yet. Get some miles under your belt and see if you still think the handling is unusual.
I hope the rest of you are having a better Buell weekend than I've been having. My Uly developed a knock/clatter in the engine while I was out riding Saturday morning. At first I thought it was just my imagination but it got worse as I rode further. The only "easy" thing I could think of it might be was a loose primary sprocket nut so I went in and checked that yesterday, but no such luck. At this point it seems like odds are it's something much more serious. Check my thread in the "Big, Bad, & Dirty" forum if you're interested; I posted a video so you can hear what it sounds like.
Hugh, so sorry to hear that.I would have thought the primary chain. Can you tell if it's in the bottom or does it sound like one side of the motor? I know your sick, I'll keep my fingers crossed for ya.
Charlie- it's damn hard to tell. When I was on the bike, it sounded like valve train noise. When I parked it, it sounded like it was coming from the crankcase. When I listened to the recording I made, it seems to be louder on the primary side than on the valve train side, but that wasn't apparent when I was actually listening to it. There is no apparent increase in vibration.
The only non-catastrophic suggestion that's been offered so far is maybe the magnets came loose on the back side of the engine primary sprocket/rotor.
Listen for yourself:
I'm gonna wait a few days, then (1) check the compression on both cylinders (2) drain the oil and cut apart the filter and look for shrapnel and (3) pull the primary cover back off, remove the chain and sprockets and see if the rotor magnets are in place.
Sorry Hugh, sounds expensive, I had an XR-750 that sounded something like that when I was in Sturgis. It had broken the end off one of the cams. But these bikes are built a lot better now so I don't think the problem is there. Compression and the magnet on the drain plug should give you a clue. Has anybody been into the motor since it was new?
Nope- The only thing that's been done was the rear rocker gasket was replaced at Lowcountry under warranty. Otherwise it's a "virgin" and is bone-stock.
Tootal suggested it might be a bad roller lifter; the needle bearings in the rollers have been known to disintegrate on HD engines, but I haven't heard of that on Sportsters or Buells.
Sorry Hugh, after you do a couple of checks, compression,check oil for contamination. You might as well just sit the motor on the floor.Check your rockers for excessive clearance(if they do) pop the cam cover.If not, you'll have to tear it on down. After you find and fix,It's going to take some serious flushing and don't neglect the oil pump for damage. So sorry,sounds like the Ascot is going to be on the road for awhile.
when was the last time you changed your oil? its hard to hear on the video but it does sound like excessive valve train noise, other than that does your bike run good? I would change the oil, I change mine every 3000 miles, I run lots of fast short trips so I need it, mine sounded like that for a little bit after 3000 miles on some partial blended synthetic castrol oil and all I did was replace the oil with some Synthetic high temp truck engine oil and the valve train noise went quiet
Other than that I would check the Primary & oil drain plugs for any debris, that would be a good indication of some major problem, if you don't see anything just try replacing the oil.
Also is anyone heading to the IMS show in greenville, I'm going saturday morning.
Nick- It's probably got 2500-3000 miles on the last oil change (Mobil-1 V-twin 20W-50 synthetic). I'm gonna check the compression, then drain the oil through a piece of cheesecloth and cut the filter open and check that. If I don't find any debris, I might try and oil change without disassembling the engine. Like a lot of other Badwebbers, I plan on using Amsoil this time since they've signed on as a full sponsor for Erik Buell Racing.
I've already drained the primary, taken the cover off, and checked the crankshaft nut (it's tight) so I'm fairly certain it's nothing in the primary side.
So the front tire pressure was only 20psi...makes since to the problem. Just never thought to check it over.
The Micron system came in today. needs some cleaning up, but it will be nice. No dents or scratches.
Still need to figure out the tuning situation. I think i can get it close, but wot is going to be the biggest issue. Anyone have a few thoughts or recommendations? Thunder Tower recommended i get hold of Tilley H-B/Buell in NC.
Also, still looking for a recommendation to use the ebr racing programmable unit or ecuspy. Thoughts there?
Glad you got the handling situation figured out. Yea, ALWAYS check the simple stuff first and make a habit of checking tire pressures regularly.
That's awesome that you found a Micron system.
Tilley used to be a great Buell dealer and raced them as well.
I'd recommend you e-mail Erik Buell Racing and let them know what you've got on your bike and see what they say. If one of their standard race ECM's won't work they may be able to tweak one for you. Everybody says they're very helpful and will respond to e-mails within a day or two.
At one time, ECMspy wouldn't work with 08-up ECMs at all, and I believe it still has limited capabilities compared to what it can do with the pre-08 ECMs. If you want to go that way, try posting on the XB board here; somebody's probably been there and done that.
Well, I delved a little further into my Uly's innards yesterday, and the findings were not good.
The first test was hopeful- I checked the compression in both cylinders and it was good at 150 PSI. Then I drained the oil and found a little more than the usual amount of iron/steel filings on the drain plug magnet. Based on that I decided to cut the oil filter apart, and found LOTS of filings in it. You can see all the carnage in my post here:
The filings are all magnetic and very fine. I have some small hope it could be a lifter roller but I suspect my crankpin/bearings are toast. I'm tentatively planning to strip it down as I have time. If it turns out the problem is in the crankcase, I'll turn it over to a shop to do that work.
I was reading threads on the XB board about upgrading to an 08 crank, with its bigger main pin and bearing. Depending on how bad the damage is, that might be worth doing while I'm in there.
Dang Hugh. I am sorry to hear that. If you need a hand with anything give me a shout. I would be glad to help in any way possible. I am sure Matt would be too.
Thanks for the offers of help guys. The real bitch is that this didn't happen back in November or December, so I could have been working on it during all that frigid weather we had. Now it's beautiful outside and the Uly is down for the count.
OTOH, the Ascot is acting like it's glad to be out of the stable and riding it still beats driving a cage.
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