| Author | Message | ||
     Newbuellertoo |
First let me say I love my S3T and Buells in general. I did not do a lot of research when I bought my first bike after 20 years , I just saw this S3 and had to have it. Through Badweb I have since learned a ton about Buells in particular and bikes in general that I missed out on during my time away from biking. Maybe I'm missing something, but it does seem to me that the S3 is somewhat neglected, looked down on, or maybe just not considered too exciting compared to other Tubers. Can someone please fill me in on why this is? Where I live , Buells in general and S3's in particular seem to be as rare as Hens teeth which is one of the reasons I like it so much. I only had it for about 10 weeks before we got snowed in, but I rode in 30 degree weather,90 degree weather, rain, pea soup fog,wind, dark, whatever, because I just couldn't get enough. Am I missing something or are there just not that many S3'3 out there? I don't want to piss anybody off being a newbie here and all, but where's the love for this great bike? | ||
| F_skinner |
Gary, first of all your bike looks great. When you said S3 = P.O.S. I thought you might of had some mechanical problems with it but it sounds like that is not the case. Is it running fine? I have always like the black S3s. If you don't mind a little tuff love; if you are more concerned with what other people think of your ride then a Buell might not be for you. There are plenty of Big Twin Harleys out there for that purpose. You can ride that S3 all day and still take the corners like no ones business. Actually the very thing you do not like about your Buell is what I love about mine. I dont mind not getting any bar room respect. When the rubber meets the road is all that matters. Sounds like you have the potential to be a Buell fanatic. If you fell in love with the S3 when you first saw it you are well on your way.... Have fun!!! Ride that S3 and remember that enthusiasm is contagious... Frank | ||
| Dentfixer |
I have on 06 XB12Scg and I am jealous of your 2000 S3T!!! You got a keeper there for sure brother. | ||
| Mark61 |
S3's are under represented everywhere! Love my '99 S3! mark61 | ||
| Newbuellertoo |
Thanks Frank/ Ron, I'm really not concerned about what others riders think,I know, even if others don't, what a great bike the Buell is. I was actually refering to the Buell community on this outstanding website. I guess it is just me, but I don't sense the enthusiasm and respect for the S3's that is shown for the other tubers. I mean the S1 / X1 Lightnings, and S2 are beautiful bikes. If I had the money I would buy an X1 in a heartbeat as my second Buell. Maybe someday, but for my style of riding the S3T is unbeatable. I can throw a rainsuit,a sweater, and my lunchbag in the saddle bags and take the longest, twistiest way I can find back and forth to work,and on the weekends drop the bags and try to scrape my knees.I think maybe I just answered my own question. It's just such a great all around bike that maybe it doesn't create a lot of excitement.  | ||
| Newbuellertoo |
Mark, I think you said better than I did with all of my ranting. The S3's are under represented ! | ||
| F_skinner |
Gary, you got it man. I was looking for a S3T locally about a year ago and I missed them both by hours. I see what you mean now... From what I understand the S2 thread died out a while ago and some S2 owners got it going again.... I think it goes and comes but the BadWeb is the place for sure. If it was not for the BadWeb I would not have a S2 or be able to replace isolators or the list goes on. Believe me, I would have a S3 in a heartbeat. I have always felt the M2 was a very under-rated bike as well as the new TT but I never thought about the S3. I looked for one high and low for six months. Seemed like to me that no one wanted to get rid of them. Frank (Message edited by f_skinner on February 06, 2008) | ||
| Crusty |
The S3-T is the most beautiful motorcycle ever made. Period. I had a '98 Thunderbolt, and even though my Uly is superior in almost every other aspect, it's still nowhere near as gorgeous. | ||
| Naustin |
Nice looking S3! There are fewer S3's around, but I don't think they are under-represented. From 97-02 there were only 3,100 or so S3s made, so there just aren't that many out there. PS) Check out my profile for a recent pic. (Message edited by naustin on February 06, 2008) | ||
| Jos51700 |
The S3T was not well accepted while it was still being manufactured. Literally, the day after they announced no more S3T's, we had three people on the showroom floor, cash in hand wanting one. I remember the last one we sold was to a fellow named Mike (Last name remembered, but withheld) and we had to get it trucked in from a dealer far far away. It was blue. His wife was deathly sick, and his S3T gave him sanity. Up until the Uly came out, the S3T was THE MOST requested model by customers. "When is Buell going to make another Sport-tour?" was a daily question. I'm curious to see how the XB12XT stacks up. | ||
| Court |
I had a 1998 factory bike with the www.buell.com bags on it that I romped all over the country on Buell business with and it was a dandy! I learned . . . that the WWW.BUELL.COM on the bags wasn't such a good idea after some guy got on CompuServe one night and outted me . . . he reported being passed by a Buell "a light speed" on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. . . . I told Erik . . "couldn't have been me" and the dweeb posts . . "it had a manufacturers plate and www.buell.com on the sides". In my defense I was in the "suit drying mode" after spending the prior 2 hours in a down pour on the way to a The Art of the Motorcycle meeting. BUSTED. Great bike! | ||
| Slaughter |
S3 will likely always be with me. I have 4 other bikes in the garage but I ride the snot out of the S3! Pic from my first-ever track day about 5 years ago (before I bought the XB):  | ||
| Bartimus |
If you guys want an S3T so bad, give me a call. I've got a '99 S3T I'll let go. While I agree that the S3 is a fine looking motorcycle, I feel it just doesn't match the S2 in beauty, and the S1 in raw appeal. The fit and finish of my S2 with it's fiberglass bodywork, is beautiful, no gorgeous, when compared to the plastics on the S3. With 3 S2's, and an '05 XB9sx, I'm willing to thin my herd so one of you guys can enjoy the beauty of an S3T. (then I can run out and buy me an XB12XT!) | ||
| F_skinner |
Hey Bart, I did think about buying your S3 at one time. I found a couple of S3s (no S3Ts) locally about the time I found the S2 so naturally I went with the S2.... I agree that the S2 is unmatched in looks and class but when I started looking for another tube frame to replace the FLH I was initially looking for a S3T because I thought I would never find a S2T, I was wrong. I was at the local HD/Buell place yesterday and for the first time I looked at a Uly with a critical eye trying to imagine the XB12XT. I gotta tell you it has me thinking. Those bags look like they can carry about 4 cases of beer! | ||
| Newbuellertoo |
Thanks for all the feedback guys. Naustin, I had no idea that there were so few made. I wonder if Court or anybody knows how many were actually sold new in Canada? Now if I could just afford to buy some P.M. wheels I'd be a happy man. (And maybe a new seat,and an intake,and maybe a few shiny bits......) | ||
| Slaughter |
OH - one negative comment on the S3 SQUARE HEADLIGHT! YUCK! | ||
| Newbuellertoo |
Slaughter, I agree. Not the best looking and also not very strong. I put a brighter bulb in last fall and it helped a little. I 'll mess around with the aim again in the spring to see if I can get it any better. | ||
| Slaughter |
I am sorely tempted to build a more "classic" half-fairing with a round headlight. (I'm lazier than I am tempted so don't hold your breath waiting for the first picture - I've been "tempted" to start on it for a few years now) | ||
| Cyclonedon |
I liked the look of the S3T's but ended-up purchasing a 98 Cyclone until the 2006 XB12X Ulysses came out, then I just had to have that motorcycle because of the ride and comfort it had. Now this last weekend I went to the Chicago IMS and saw the new XB12XT, sit on it and all I can say is "WOW" !!! What a great bike. I think everyone is going to like this new Buell once they actually see and get a chance to test ride it! I think Buell has another winner with this new bike. | ||
| Newbuellertoo |
Slaughter "I'm lazier than I am tempted" Too funny. I think I may adopt that as my personal life philosophy. Maybe explains why I don't fool around on my wife.  | ||
| Naustin |
The square headlight doesn't bother me asthetically as much as it bugs me just on principle. It doesn't look "bad," its just not "right" because everyone knows motorcycles are supposed to have round headlights. That said, I don't think a round one would look "good" on an S3 fairing either. Do they make high intesity LED replacement bulbs for this kind of think yet? | ||
| Newbuellertoo |
Naustin, One of my kids installed H.I.D.'s in his Neon. He seems to think it would be no big deal to put them on the bike. I haven't really looked into it, but I would assume that they are usually sold in pairs. Huge difference in the quality of the light though. Very white and bright. | ||
| Naustin |
Yeah, I found a motorcycle specific kit - the only real difference is that the cable from the bulb to the transformer was 6ft instead of 15inches so that you could mount the transformer anywhere on the bike. It wasn't cheap. I'm thinking I might just replace the bulb with the one Al sells - that's supposed to be a big improvment. | ||
| Mark61 |
Regarding the head light. I did NOT like the weak yellow light so I changed the housing to a glass unit off a Kawa 4x4. Made adapter from 1"x1" angle iron. That made it better! Going to rewire for hi power bulb with a relay instead of going thru the switch 1 of these days..... mark61 | ||
| Newbuellertoo |
Mark, I thought I read somewhere on the forum that the S3 headlamp housing was okay for using a higher power bulb because it was not as prone to melting as some other housings. I work shift work so I am always riding at least one way, to or from, work in the dark. I usually need to keep the high beam on at all times regardless of speed. If I aim it any higher I just lose definition of the beam on the road. There are too many Deer, Racoons, Possums, and Skunks out and about in the early mornings to take a chance. | ||
| Mark61 |
My problem was the "yellowness" of the light. I and others felt it was due to plastic aging. I had seen another S3 using the same aftermarket bulb with a brighter looking light. The new lamp housing is glass. I too work night shift. Know what you mean about criters appearing in your light zone! mark61 | ||
| Dave_02_1200 |
I like the S3 headlight. I think it is appropriate for the fairing and it sets the bike apart from the others. My S3T is a great bike and hope to keep it as long as I can still ride, just like my 1970 Triumph that I bought new and still have in the garage. I wouldn't buy a bike unless I really liked it - and then after a few years of riding a relationship is formed and I can't bring myself to sell it. The Buells are like that for me. Enjoy your S3. | ||
| Skntpig |
Who cares what others think. I bought my 97 S1 in 96 because I was tired of having what everyone else had. I like Hondas, but so does everyone else. I love to get the snoby looks from the "real" sportbike riders until we do a few corners and then see their reaction at the next light. I used to get that from "real" harley riders too. A little tug in second while walking away changes their attitude too. Ride it because You want to, and enjoy. I will never sell mine. | ||
| Skntpig |
Duh, I just read the part about unrepresented vs. others think. | ||
| Newbuellertoo |
No problem Skntpig. I think a lot of people misunderstood what I was trying to say. Because Buell riders I.M.O., seem to be immune to public opinion, indifference,and general disdain about their bike of choice, I thought it strange that the S3(T)suffered from a lack of "Ink" on these pages since we are all in the same boat. Since I am new to this community, I didn't want to ruffle any feathers, I just wanted to understand why that was. I bought my bike with no knowledge of Buell history or the bikes that had gone before the S3. Thanks to the Badweb, I have now been converted, indocrinated, Brain washed , or whatever, but I also have become a defender of all things Buell. Anyone who cannot understand the appeal of a Buell has probably never ridden one, felt the torque when you roll on the throttle, or even heard the great sound they make. I would never slag anybody's choice of a bike to ride, but then again, everyone already knows that Tube Frame Buells , and the S3 in particular, are the best looking bikes ever made.  |
