| Author | Message | ||
     Nevar |
Well, I went an did it. Found an 03 XB9S with 6.5K miles. I pick it up tomorrow at noon. What should I be aware of as far as leaks, breakage, etc.? Tim | ||
| Norrisperformance |
That's great: is this your first Buell? | ||
| Rocketsprink |
I believe there was a recall on the bearings? If the seals are black, they're the recalled ones... I think. Also something about the kickstand. | ||
| Rocketsprink |
Also an upgrade to the 2004 belt drive is something people have been doing. | ||
| Court |
Congratulations and welcome! There was never a recall on the bearings. When they were found to be lastly less time than expected Buell upgraded them. All the details are right here. You can easily confirm that your bike has been upgraded by verifying that the wheel bearing seals are orange, not black. Some XB's were subject to a recall on the sidestand. The recalled piece, in the effected population, had an "R" stamped on it. Not a big deal, but something to get done. Any Buell dealer can enter your V.I.N. and confirm these are done. Enjoy the Buell! Court | ||
| Nevar |
Yes this is my first Buell. About two weeks ago I saw an XB9R FireBolt at the parking lot at work and really liked the CLEAN looks. The only thing I'm not looking forward to is dealing with the Tucson HD dealer here. Yech!! Tim | ||
| Metalstorm |
Congrats. I'd invest in the little plastic oil line clamp thingy (sorry I don't know what it's called) that keeps the oil lines from rubbing. They come stock on the 04' & later models & shouldn't cost more than a few bucks. (I'm just speculating the cost). Also check the horn wire. I don't remember if it was the 03' 9S or the 04' 12S but one of them had something wrong with the horn wire. It might be worth a search through the archives. Or maybe someone in the know will chime in. Have fun with the bike. I must admit the S is growing on me. I've been lusting after an R but the more I think about it the more I realize that for a guy who will only own one bike at a time, the S is a bit more versatile. | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
Welcome to the madness. One of the first things that guys who aren't in love with their local dealer do is to contact Dave Stueve, ( Daves on this board) at Appleton HD, one of our sponsors. Very knowledgeable and helpful. I order all my parts from him, and I think the best part to start with is the shop manual and parts book. The Buell is easy to work on , but due to its very original design, some common procedures, like removing the rear wheel in order to change a tire, or changing the oil, or tightening the steering bearings, (just to mention three things I did this afternoon), are a bit different than on other more conventional bikes: that's when the shop manual and parts book, which shows exploded views of all the assemblies, are particularly useful. | ||
| Mellow_yellow |
Congratulations and welcome,Nevar! I also own an '03XB9S,(got it leftover in Nov.'04)I've been busy breaking 'er in,with no problems yet.I did replace the drive belt with the Gates upgrade,just from info I picked up on this site.The bike is still new to me,(I was raised on Japanese machinery)but so far I love this thing!Good luck with yours,and happy motoring!The XB series Buells are the most soulful, in your face motorcycles around.  | ||
| Daves |
Welcome! | ||
| Nevar |
Thanks guys. The belt - was it prone to snapping? Stretching? I'm betting that I'm a lot older than most of you here (55) and I don't ride hard anymore. I mostly bought this XB9S because of the looks and the reviews I read were, for the most part, pretty good. I now have 5 bikes: 04 Ducati ST4S-A, 03 MotoGuzzi LeMans, 03 Buell XB9S, 01 CBR929RR, and a 00 Aprilia Pegaso (my commuter bike). I'll post here tomorrow evening after I take my first good ride. Tim | ||
| Brad_buell |
Welcome! I have an 03 XB9S as well and LOVE it! | ||
| Arkane |
1'st time i cracked the throttle on my xb all i could think of was a 357 with a well stoned trigger she wants to go from the getgo nevar.I reckon you'll have to talk to your xb and see if she'll accept not being ridden hard | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
Tim, Hope you had an enjoyable first ride. Might take a few miles to get used to the unique Buell chassis geometry and the 45º vee-twin - or it might not:-). A couple of things to keep in mind as a new Buell owner: 1. The belt. The problem is breaking, not stretching. As you have 6.5k miles on the unit, there is a chance that you do not have the original belt anymore. The '03 belt is now in it's third version, part number # G0500.02ABR. If you don't have one of these, you might want to fit one the next time you change tires, cost about $155 from Daves. Lots of hard riders, such as Glitch, one of our leaders, has tons of miles on his, no problems. With the latest '03 belt, the conversion to the '04 belt doesn't seem to be as necessary. The conversion requires new sprockets, belt guards, belt, and a few other parts. Daves can give you an estimate of what it would all cost. 2.When you do change tires, take a look at Michelin Pilot Powers, Pirelli Diablo, or Metzler M-1's: many members report better steering and longer life with these than the original equipment Dunlops, although I am sure the tires on your bike have been replaced several times already. I am now replacing my first Michelin Pilot Power rear tire, and I was very happy. I got 4200 miles out of the rear, including one track day, and they still work great, just running out of tread in the middle. 3. Steering bearings: The steering bearings on the Buell tend to require tightening from time to time. The symptom is a clunk when you put on the brakes, that is often mistaken for a problem with the brakes. Takes about ten minutes to adjust as per the shop manual. The top triple tree is a bit delicate on these bikes, and have been broken more than once by over-tightening: the pinch bolt only needs about 18 ft/lb. 4. Wheel bearings: long story short: if the seals are orange, you are good to go, if they are black, they should be replaced - see Court's post above. 5. The lubricants that seem to be preferred by many of the members are : Mobil 1 15w 50 in the motor, Mobil 1 75w90 gear oil in the gear box. These are avail. at Walmart very inexpensively, and the Walmart ST4967 oil filter was exactly the same as the factory part last time I bought some for two bucks apiece. I change every 2500 miles, probably a bit excessive, but it can't hurt, and doesn't take very long to do. 6. Suspension settings. Because of its somewhat radical frame geometry, the suspension settings on a Buell DO count! You can assume that they are not set just right for you, so go to the owners manual, ( shop manual not required for this one:-), and follow the directions. 7. Dipstick. The dipstick is located on the top of the left side of the swing arm: no kidding:-). Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to read. I put some yellow shrink wrap on mine to aid visibility. Using a little wooden coffee stirrer and comparing it to the dipstick markings works well too. That should get you up and running for a while, while you plan how you want to personalize your mount: it is legal to run a bone stock Buell, it's just that no one has ever tried it:-). If you are still running the stock exhaust pipe, the factory race kit, ( louder muffler, race ecm, K+N air filter) will make the bike run a bit faster, and a bit louder, is a real no brainer to fit, although you do need to take it to the dealer to have the throttle position sensor, (TPS) reset on their computer. There are several other aftermarket mufflers to suit different tastes as well. The Knowledge Vault on this site has interesting and useful discussions on just about any imaginable topic. If you run into a major snag, Buell customer service number is : 414-343-4056. Expect the best. (Message edited by gentleman_jon on April 25, 2005) (Message edited by gentleman_jon on April 25, 2005) | ||
| Glitch |
Congrats on the new bike! Now go out and ride! | ||
| Eexb |
Tim, "I'm a lot older than most of you here (55) and I don't ride hard anymore. I mostly bought this XB9S because of the looks Yep, probably some, but not all - I'm 57 and bought an XB for the same reasons as you did. I have an '04 Sportster, an '82 GPZ ELR and have just sold an '85 VF1000R. Bought the Buell because of all the neat hi-tech stuff, and, it's AMERICAN Made !!! It won't "go" like your 929, but it sure is fun. EE | ||
| Kcfirebolt |
Welcome! | ||
| Nevar |
Thanks to all of you for the welcome and the info. It will take me a day or two to digest all the info you guys gave me. Thanks again! Tim | ||
| Nevar |
OK. I went for my first ride, a 20-mile leisurely jaunt. Everything was great EXCEPT during hard (sort of) braking. The front end starts to "chatter" a bit. It feels like it's in the steering head but not sure. It brakes OK except for the "shudder". Very disconcerting. I went back home and adjusted the front and rear shocks (preload, compression, rebound) according to the owners manual. Still got the chatter when braking. The rear brake is very smooth. Is this just a quirky thing with the perimeter brake disk or is this a problem with the steering head bearings? Other things: The motor ran great, good power, and smooth between 3K and 6K. The handling was "weird" at first until I got used to it. It's strange to look out over the front and see nothing at all! Tim BTW, The seals on both wheels are orange and the kick stand has an "R" stamped right on its "foot". I also have the factory service manual. | ||
| Maxime75us |
I bought an XB9s a month ago, it was just awesome, the previous owner made some light but nice cosmetic modifications. Gel seat, frame is polished, turning light , handle bars... Well, I am very happy with it beside the fact that I discovered a bit too late that I am still running the black wheel bearing instead of the orange one of course. i did not check yet the sidestand......  if any of you , can tell me if AMSOIL or MOBIL 1 are ok. I think that AMSOIL is much better but much more expensive ,,,.... right? Steering head does not feel nice on the front brake, I guess according to you , guys , I will have to wortk on it... ANY NEWS ABOUT THE BELT. I am in Houston Texas . Let's Keep it wild best, Max |
