| Author | Message | ||
     Akgirl |
I have been a member for years, and I am currently the secretary. We have brought safety courses in to Valdez, which is 300 miles from the nearest city. We have also supported several other training courses that people in Valdez would not have been able to attend otherwise. I'm not aware of the situation in the states, but I can tell you that our chapter does not advocate NOT using a helmet. Almost ALL of our members wear helmets (myself included) and those who choose not to are making a personal decision, not a club decision. | ||
| Joey |
AKGirl--they don't understand that Alaskans are a different people.  | ||
| Blake |
 Please don't turn this page into a helmet law debate. We already have that covered on the quick board.  Blake (whewthatwasclose!)  | ||
| Mapes |
AKgirl, Now I understand why it is still in the 20's where you are. What part of Alaska do you live in? I had the pleasure of visiting Anchorage and the surrounding area a few years ago and loved it. I bet there are lots of great places to ride. I just bought a yellow Blast myself. I am new to riding, but enjoying it so far. | ||
| Prof_Stack |
ABATE - "all bikers against totalitarian excesses" or something like that. Here in WA they are seen as somewhat hardcore. AKGirl - I'm glad you're tough enough to put up with the "teasing" the club members throw at you. A stock Blast will cruise with the big hogs up to about 80 mph, which in Alaska might be more than enough speed. It is pretty stable at that speed but keep an eye on having correct tire pressure anyway. Got up to 58 here in Seattle today. | ||
| Blake |
I'd bet AKGirl already knows enough to maintain correct tire pressure and is familiar with her bike's performance. Kinda chauvinistic ain't ya there professor?  AKGirl has also been to the school of hard scrapes already and has plenty of miles under her belt. So give her her props. | ||
| Mikej |
AKgirl, Last I heard was you were planning a lower-48 vacation last summer and were considering stopping in at the Homecoming here in WIsconsin. How was your vacation? If you and yours make it down for the 100th anniversary next year (there has to be a huge group riding down from Alaska) we'll have to get our local BRAG group to throw a bar-b-que for the out-of-towners. Bring some smoked salmon, or better yet just bring some fresh salmon and we'll plank it on a bonfire.  Show these locals what salmon is supposed to taste like. MikeJ (I'll probably still be in WIsc next year, but one never knows sometimes, might be back in the Seattle area.) | ||
| Prof_Stack |
Blake: me chauvinistic? Hardly. Since many folk buying Blasts are new to the game, it never hurts to mention the obvious, and tire pressure is one area that many bikers (and auto drivers) ignore. That was my intent, anyway.  | ||
| Blake |
Please shoot me, I've become a feminist!  | ||
| Mikej |
Blake, Just get in another track day and all should be well. | ||
| Buellmeister |
My '02 Blast is now 4 months old (plus the sitting time at the dealer) with 250 miles registered. Should I still wait for the 1000 mile oil change or have it changed immediately? Any suggestions?.....besides riding it | ||
| Mavinwy |
Modern oils don't really break down as fast as the older ones. So you would probably be OK waiting 'til the 1000 mile mark if you get out and ride  If timing for that does not work, an oil change never hurts. Especially when it is 2 quarts and as simple as these are to change. | ||
| Mapes |
Has anyone ever switched the decals on the tank? I love my new bike, but I liked the 2001 decal much better than the 2002. I think the solid silver BUELL looks better than the open block BUELL and I could do without the purple "BLAST" part. What are my options here? Any ideas? I know the FX decals are available, but none of them excited me too much either. Also, if you can change the decals, is there anyway to preserve the originals in case you wanted to sell it "as original"? | ||
| Buelliedan |
Mapes, It is quite popular to go buy a set of the raised letter Buell stickers that used to come on the 99-01 Buell Twins and put them on your Blast. they come in a multitude of colors including a really nice Chrome. Just ask your dealer to look up decals for a 99X1. As for the original Blast decals I wouldn't worry about saving them too much. You could always just go buy new ones if you ever want to take it back to original but lets be honest here, a Blast is by no means a "collectible"  | ||
| Ezblast |
yea - thats why their sales keep going up - keep Blasting! | ||
| Prudemonkey |
Hey Mapes - I just removed the old stickers and replaced them with M2 stickers (white raised letters) Looks great (IMO)! Much better than those cheesy blast stickers. Oh well, I will post a picture as soon as I can get them scanned in. Chris | ||
| Mapes |
Chris, How tough was it to swap them out? I'm anxious to see the pictures. Thanks for the info. Cindy | ||
| Blastin |
Mapes, To remove the decals, take a hair dryer and warm the area. You should be able to start a corner with your finger nail and the rest should come up from there. (You would have to be a magician to be able to save the decals after removal. It probably could be done, but it probably isn't worth it.) Wash the area down with a weak dishsoap solution, rinse with water, dry, and your ready for whatever decals or badging you want. Jerry Proud Blastard with "The Extremely Quick and Nimble Sunfire Yellow Blast with Flames" | ||
| Buellmeister |
How much are the M2 stickers and where did u get em? | ||
| Jeffw |
Mapes, I have the raised chrome lettering on my black Blast, and you can see it in the "Cool Buell Pics" section. The photos don't really show it well, but it may help. I just slowly pulled the old decals off (as soon as I got the bike home). photos of my P3 (link added courtesy of your handy BBS admin ). I don't post much, but I really love the bike. Good luck, JeffW | ||
| Prudemonkey |
The old Blast stickers (with much advice from this board!) peeled right off with a hair dryer, just warmed them up, peeled a corner and all of the stickers (including the yellow fuel tank one) peeled off in one piece. The new M2 stickers were expensive $25.00 a piece at the dealership - look around if you can. Good luck!! | ||
| Xgecko |
sorry wrong place see ergonomics | ||
| Missy |
Ad deleted by admin. What's up Missy? You even own/ride a motorcycle? | ||
| Dansherman |
mmmm... vance and hines pipe... high seat... I love my blast so much more now and it's 50!! THIS RULES!!! | ||
| Mapes |
I just received my packet for my BRAG membership today. Does anybody know why they stipulate that you must be a current BRAG member on the date that your MSF course began before you can get a reimbursement for the class? I took the class 1 week before I bought the bike!! This is different than some of the other manufacturers. I'd really like to get credit for my class, but I also would like to understand why they do it this way. I would think it would be normal to take the class BEFORE buying a bike. What do they do with the Rider's Edge people? | ||
| Joey |
During my membership, I got the BRAG package, one magazine, and a renewal request. Because of poor planning, and a hectic lifestyle, I never managed to make it to the course until after my membership expired. That's the way the cookie bounces... | ||
| Seanreid |
Hello, Since this is my first post to the list, I thought I should introduce myself. My name is Sean Reid and I run a motorcycle touring company based in Vermont as well as teaching riding privately. My girlfriend/partner Melissa is going to start riding this year and it seems like the Buell Blast will be the best choice for her. Here's the criteria we're working with: 1. Standard riding position (I find that cruiser riding positions don't put enough weight on the front wheel in corners. People's tastes and priorities vary but Melissa wants to learn to corner since we're living in twisty paradise here in southern Vermont). 2. Maximum seat height of 26" (this is a big limiting factor) 3. Sufficient power for highway riding 4. Strong brakes 5. Excellent handling 6. Reliability (Melissa is not mechanically skilled and I'll be out on tour most of the time from June - October. I can take care of maintenance when I'm home briefly between tours but mechanical surprises would be a problem. She plans to commute on the bike all summer). As you can imagine, given this criteria, the Buell Blast isn't only the best choice, it may be the only choice we have (unless I overlooked another option somehow). I test rode a Blast last fall and other than having heavy vibration at idle, I found it to be a very impressive bike. In fact, on a tight road, it did beautifully. I've owned an SR500 in the past and still own an F650 and it handles as well as either of them. So here are my questions: 1. We have all kinds of bikes on tour and Melissa and I can appreciate a wide range of bikes. She'll ride a Buell, Triumph, Honda, BMW, or whatever as long as it does the job. The whole brand snobbishness thing is BS in my mind. So, given the criteria list above, is there a bike new or used which I should be comparing to the Blast? I ride a lot of bikes but unfortunately they're almost all over 750cc and I'm out of touch with the smaller displacement market. My F650 can't be lowered enough to fit her. 2. It's clear from this list that reliability experiences with the bike have been varied. If we can help it, I don't want Melissa ending up with a shower of hot oil from a rocker box cover leak. Does anyone know if Buell made the change to metallic gaskets from a certain serial number forward? I'd much rather have those in the bike from the start. 3. I understand from some postings that the stock specs for the primary chain leave it too tight. Has the spec been revised or is the problem not wide spread? 4. Understanding that most of you love your bikes, are there any other general reliability issues to be aware of with the Blast? Any changes I can/should make to the bike right after we buy it (if we do) in the interests of reliability? I thank you in advance for any advice. If I can return the favor I will. Melissa will probably join the list soon if we get the Blast. Ride safely and have fun, Sean Sean Reid Owner Northeastern Motorcycle Tours New England, Adirondacks and Canadian Maritimes http://www.motorcycletours.com 802-463-9853 | ||
| Mikej |
Sean, For comparisons look at the Suzuki Savage 650cc single, the Honda Rebel 250cc and 450cc twins (or whatever their current model name is) and the Yamaha Virago (or their current equivalents). There is also on the internet someplace a web site dedicated to and focused on the needs of shorter riders. I think it's a woman's motorcycle site, but they let men post there too.  Anyway, the person who started the site happened to enjoy motorcycles, happened to be relatively short, and wanted to put a site together to help other riders with shorter inseams to identify various bikes and to detail the pro's and con's of the various models. I haven't looked at that site in over a year, but a dogpile search should find it. On the rocker box issue, I believe the new gaskets are being put onto current production, but I don't know the changeover date. A decent dealership should be able to confirm if a particular Blast has the updated gasket installed. That's about all the input I have. Bye. | ||
| Seanreid |
Mike, Thanks for the reply. The Savage and Rebels all have feet-forward riding positions which is what we're avoiding, although I appreciate the suggestion. I did run across the short biker site and it is a great suggestion. We're looking at 2001 - 2002 Blasts and it will be great if can find out what serial # the change started with. Perhaps a dealer will have accurate information on that (and perhaps not). We'll have to see. Thanks, Sean | ||
| X1glider |
The Texas Motorcycle Safely Foundation uses Honda Nighthawk 250 bikes. I had to ride one when I took a class for defensive driving purposes. The insurance discount was an added benefit too! Seems to be a good little bike. The 750 version might be a little taller. But a 250 is definitely roadworthy. |
