| Author | Message | ||
     Davegess |
I have people at the airport letting me know when you arrive. Appropiate measures will be taken.  This bike is just awesome. From what I have been hearing the positve US reviews (which are pretty good although not outright raves) are going to look positivly lukewarm compared to the Euro mags. The euro press seems to "get it" big time. Dave | ||
| Two_Buells |
Dave, what was the wet weight? | ||
| Davegess |
I have not had a chance to weigh it. The manual says 445 pounds seemingly including everything but gas. Have we seen a magazine test weight yet? I don't recall. Dave | ||
| Peyote |
After finishing the final paperwork, I finally got my blue firebolt on the road. My mechanic was very nice to make sure I knew about everything on my firebolt. Didn't need it, but it was nice that he wanted to make sure my transition was smooth. I think everyone else that wrote their experiences about this bike have said more then I could, but I mostly agree with them. I think I love this bike! I've never ridden a buell before this one. I always looked at them curiously, but they never caught me like this firebolt. I'm breaking mine in slightly different. So, this should be interesting here in 3k, 5k, or 10k miles down the road. I rode the first 50 miles under 3k and I'm running it now up to 5500. I think I'll run the rest after 100 or so. I'm only doing this as it is conservative in interpretation of what was recommeded of my mechanic. Everyone was right about it kickin' in at 4k. Not to say it's slow before that. I don't have a whole lot to say but I got close to 65 miles on a sloppy day. There was no way anyone could keep me off it no matter how bad the weather was. The weather was pretty good on my last half of riding. And everything cleans up good. I never knew that the left light is the high-beam and the right is the low. When in low, just the right light is on and both on in high. This explains why it sometimes looked like a bulb was out in some pics. I called about this when I got home and he explained. I thought I knew everything about this bike. Feel like a dork after that. Front brake locked up on me a little when someone stopped quick (construction on road) and I got squeeze-happy. I didn't use my rear brake at all. The cool thing is the bike handled itself pretty nice. Perfect balance on that front tire skid. It only happened for a milisecond. I just wanted to give a first day footnote. I probably won't add to it until maybe 1000 + miles. Oh yea, this blue firebolt is #1267 (non-cali) | ||
| S2no1 |
Dave, Peyote, Congratulations. Watch out for Court, he may actually change his mind and want one of these. Course he'll probably need a short (by his standards) test ride to confirm his desires. Nothing major I'm sure, just about 2000 miles or so. Arvel | ||
| Court |
>>>just about 2000 miles or so. That dear friend, is a "jaunt" a "lunch ride". As Erik said, standing outside Gary Valine's lair shaking his head at Fran Crane and I ....."either one of these two ask you to ride to lunch...ASK WHERE?" This was right after Frannie's "San Jose to Louisiana" jaunt for a crayfish lunch. My favorite "gun runs" are the "get on a naked Buell and run it a thousand miles with nothing but 5 minute fuel stops" style ride and yes, I'd love to do it on an XB9R. When Buell introduced the BLAST, I prodded to take one, non-stop, from NYC to LA just to prove it's meddle. I'd love to deliver one, from NYC, to Southern CA if anyone is interested. And you're right....several bikes currently are piquing interest and the XB is among them. Court | ||
| Cro13 |
Hey, Buell must have introduced a new/old model marketed only through Ebay. 2002 FB9R Only $7100 no reserve http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/ebayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1832647492&r=0&t=0 As far as my XB riding is going, Last Friday I saw a doctor about a certain procedure, that makes straddling my bike a quite painful experience. The up side is there won't be any "Oups it's a boy!" severial years down the line. | ||
| Sarodude |
Somebody Slay the $&#**^% Dragon already! Got off the phone with Buell CS. A winner is picked. The winner will be notified within two weeks. Once the winner is notified, the info will be posted on the web site. Based on José's info, I guess people in and around DC better keep up with their voice mails. -Saro | ||
| Anonymous |
I went to the Buell website to see who won that darn bike..... Wednesday, May 08, 2002 HARLEY-DAVIDSON 100TH ANNIVERSARY OPEN ROAD TOUR IS A TREAT FOR EVERY SENSE: SIGHT, SOUND AND THE SENSE-SATIONAL One Hundred Years of Fun and Excitement Roars Across the Country Saturday, May 04, 2002 HARLEY-DAVIDSON, INC. ANNOUNCES RESULTS OF ANNUAL SHAREHOLDER MEETING AND INCREASES DIVIDEND FOR 9TH STRAIGHT YEAR Tuesday, April 16, 2002 HARLEY-DAVIDSON REPORTS RECORD FIRST QUARTER | ||
| Msetta |
Chainsaw, what are you trading up from? Just curious to know. The Setta | ||
| Mikej |
From his profile link: "Bike Model: Sportster / XBR9 (in July)" | ||
| Superbad |
Well I have returned from 4 days of riding in the NC mountains, including a visit to Deal's Gap. First of all "I LOVE THIS BIKE" The Firebolt was alot of fun. I had about 125 miles when I started my trip. To me the bike was broken in. I had babied it for the first 50, turned up the pace for the next 50, and done some heat cycling with increasing cylinder pressures to seat the rings @ 100 miles. The roads we used we a mixture of tight twisties along with some high speed winding highways. Max speed I saw was 125 MPH with a little more available but I ran out of room to "safely" continue. The bike sips gas! At one point I topped off the gas tank with 52 miles since the last fill up and took 0.7 gallons! In general I got better than 50 MPG no matter how hard I ran the bike. As for the Ergos: The first 2 200+ mile days were kind of hard on my knees. I am 5'9.5" And have about a 30" inseam. I had never noticed the severe bend my legs made when riding around town, but after sitting for 60 mins+ at a time my knees ached when I finally stretched my legs out. This went away on the 3rd day. I guess my legs needed to get used to the position. My arms did not get tired and I liked the seating position. The seat is a little too grippy. I had a hard time sliding around on it unless I put "armor-all" on it. The Motor pulls quite strongly from down low and I usually just rolled the throttle on and off and tried to hold a fast pace without having to jam the brakes on hard. I did notice some standing up when the brakes had to be trailed into a corner, but all bike do that. I would like a little more initial bite but hopefully someone will be making pads soon. The bike handles flawlessly. I really enjoyed riding the bike in the corners it really is a wonderful machine. I swapped with my buddy and rode his Foggy Replica Monster S4. After 20 miles of agony I switched back. I don't know what it was but his bike was very uncomfortable to me. The chassis/Handling was a little vague compared to the Firebolt. Now the motor is where the S4 has an advantage over the Firebolt in terms of peak HP and Torque. Although the S4 sure seemed to rev very slowly compared to the Firebolt and took forever to get going compared to my 748/853. My buddy was impressed with the Firebolt. He couldn't believe how quick it was for a "Pseudo-Harley". I switched back when we hit highway 28, I didn't want to miss some tight twisties while suffering wrist/rear pain on the S4. Boy it felt good sliding back onto the Firebolt's seat, down right plush! The finish on the bike seems to scratch easily, it gets the fine little scratches like swirl marks on a cars finish. I haven't figured out a good way to polish the plastic yet. I did buy some plexus to try after I get the bike serviced. I pulled into the parking lot of the crossroads of time GAs station @ Deal's Gap. About 1 minute later a guy on a MV Augusta F4 pulled in behind me. Guess who's bike got all the attention... THE BLUE BUELL  This guys F4 was leaking oil too. I went to find him after I noticed it but he left before I found him. The Firebolt got lots of interest and several people had remarked they were seriously thinking about buying one. My only piece of advice against buying one was don't do it if you have real long legs. Otherwise DO IT!! You will be happy, unless you are expecting GSXR1000 type top speed. If you want a fantastic bike that is lots of fun and not quite so "cookie-cutter" the try the Firebolt. Now I have to do something about the very quiet stock exhaust.... It did sound very good when wound up inside tunnels on the Blue ridge parkway. Bobby | ||
| Shot_Gun |
I think I'll get the windex and clean the screen now.  Whew, did I mention I'm jelous. SG | ||
| Blake |
Superbad, I like your comment on the rearset ergonomics. I bought my current '97 M2 used with a set of rearsets already mounted. I was sure I would be swapping the rearsets for stock position pegs. Surprisingly I had the same experience as you. After a few days, I didn't want to trade the rearsets for anything. Rearsets take a bunch of weight off of your butt. I think even the semi-long-legged (I'm 6'-3" with a 36" inseam) will acclimate just fine to the XB9R's rearset style pegs. The rearsets on my M2 are quite a bit more agressive than the stock Firebolt pegs. But I still ruined a set of boots Monday at the local track  . A bike that leans needs pegs up high. I'm thinking hard about changing to a GP shift pattern (1-up 4-down) to save the toes on my next pair of boots. Yeah yeah, I know, get some tow sliders... | ||
| Dust_Storm |
Blake - Move to GP, it'll save your toes a LITTLE bit more, but you'll still drag depending on how the bank is. JB Weld is(are?) my boot's best friend... [Ds] - Wants a Firebolt in the WORST way... | ||
| Spike |
Not sure if anyone else had read this yet, figured I'd post a sample. This is cut 'n pasted from Motorcycle Online: "This time, we set out upon the Firebolt and the lovely new Ducati Supersport, with an `02 Yamaha R1 as chase vehicle because it was there. Lo and behold, upon reaching our favorite set of curves once again (which we all know by now like the dorsal surfaces of our own John Thomases), not only did the little Buell draw away from the Ducati, it actually gapped the Yamaha as well--a 139-horsepower chariot of the gods that weighs not much more! What the?! We swapped bikes several times, field-sobriety-tested each other repeatedly, and the same scenario kept repeating itself while Mini kept up a steady rant about the Buell STILL being an ill-handling piglet, and how could this be?" MO is becoming well worth the $12 subscription price.  Mike L. '99 Cyclone | ||
| Spike |
Oops, almost forgot. They said it weighed 425lbs (193kg) with a full tank of fuel. They also managed the quarter mile in 11.86@114.93mph Mike L. '99 Cyclone | ||
| Mark_In_Ireland |
'it actually gapped the Yamaha as well--a 139-horsepower chariot of the gods that weighs not much more'......out comes the rose tinted glasses again!!!!!  | ||
| Aaron |
Excerpt from an e-mail I received awhile back, from a guy doing a track day with a Firebolt: "if not for that long straightaway, I would've kicked that RC51's ass!" I didn't think too much of it at the time, y'know, different rider skills and all. Now we hear a similar story from MO wrt a Duck and an R1. Except they even swapped riders. Hmm. Could it be that the little bike is THAT much better in the twisties than these other bikes? Pretty impressive if true, and it's beginning to sound true. This thing must set a whole new standard for handling. Now make a version with some power, please ... yeah, I know, I know, but the fact is, us 'mericans like power. | ||
| Superbad |
I left out a little info. We also got rained on! We all know that v-twins rule in the wet. I was guiding one of my friends 17-year old son on his new GSXR600 up a twisty road in the rain. This was his first time in the rain on a brand new bike(2 days old). He had just traded up from his Seca II while we were in NC. Well I am an ok rain rider, and I was holding a steady pace to lead the kid. Boy I felt like I was standing still, and this bike wanted to FLY!! I thought I could go another 15 MPH faster and still hold a constant pace. I would have ended up killing the kid though. I did uncover a problem with the bike in the wet. The brake light housing has a small piece of clear plastic that inserts to make the License plate light. This spot gets BLASTED with water and lets water into the light fixture. I blew out the bulb, it had ruptured due to the rapid cooling from the water. There was alot of water in the lens and on the reflector. I am going to put some silicone in to seal the gaps. I do have to say that the design of the tail bodywork kept the water and dirt out of the tailsection. It was very easy to clean up. I really like the tires that come with the firebolt. I wonder what it will cost to get the same tires from the dealer, as they are a different compound from normal D207's. I compared them to the tires that came on the new GSXR and they were softer than the Suzukis. They are also supposed to weigh less. Bobby | ||
| Sarodude |
Now make a version with some power, please ... yeah, I know, I know, but the fact is, us 'mericans like power. Aaron- I think José and Neil just passed out. I thought you didn't like the XB's style. Did I misunderstand, or would you forgive the styling of the thing was more of a rocket? Man - all that while some whiney dude is squealing about the allegedly crappy handling - all while pulling away from some fanfreakintastic bikes! ("yeah, but it still sucks..." I've got to hand it to MO. They wrote some flattering stuff about a bike they don't want to like. -Saro | ||
| Davegess |
superbad, I have heard several things about the tires and wheels on the bolt. All from dead reliable sources. One, they are a very special 207, stickier and lighter than those you could buy elsewhere. these are only availble at the Buell dealer. Dunlop worked closely with Buell (Buell and Dunlop have had a very close relationship since the days Erik was racing, before he started building bikes) to develop a tire that complimented the firebolt perfectly. Two the wheel tire combo requires a special balancing procedure, If you mailorder a a set of Metzlers and have your local motocross shop mount them up for you you WILL have a balance problem unless the guy is really observant. So when I wear mine out I am going to PAY the extra bucks and get the tires from my Buell dealer and let his tech mount them. No sense in dropping 11000 bucks and than try to save 100 on the wrong tires. BTW wonder what that Firebolt on ebay will go for? Demand is good for these but not crazy. I am pretty sure you could get one around here with only a little wait. | ||
| Davegess |
Aaron, I don't ride well enough to tell you how well the 'Bolt handles BUT the best riders I know, a couple of them hold or have held AMA National Expert road race licenses tell me that NOTHING ELSE EVEN COMES CLOSE. I don't want to mention any names and I haven't really shouted this out before, I wanted the magazines guys to start talking first so that it would not sound like Buell propaganda, BUT THIS THING CHANGES THE RULES. The guys I am talking about are of course all connected with Buell but they are talking to me as a pal and telling me the straight poop. No BS. No marketing talk. I actually avoid asking some of these folks qustions 'cause I don't want to know something that maybe I shouldn't. they are all careful about what they say not wanting to reveal confidental info etc. etc etc. In other words these are folks who are in the know, have ridden a lot of miles on the 'Bolt and can really ride. Guys who can slide either end of a bike at will. Guys who will smoke all but the fastest Pro road racers. Guys who can and do ride and own all sorts of sport style bikes. EVERYONE OF THEM TELLS ME (AND SO FAR I CAN SEE WHY) THAT THE 'BOLT IS, AS MY GRANDMA USED TO SAY BEYOND THE BEYOND. If you like a bike that handles and you like twisties GO BUY ONE NOW. If you like long interstate rides don't. This thing is gonna be a hit. I expect the European riders are gonna want everyone Buell can build. Dave (who heading out for an hour on the nearest twisities) | ||
| Superbad |
Dave, On the subject of tires, I don't mind paying extra for the right ones. I have never been a fan of Dunlop, but will replace the tires with the OEM ones when these wear out. I just was concerned with availability/cost because they are a special tire. I read in Superbike magazine(UK) there might be a XB9R series coming next year. It was only a brief mention but I think that would be interesting to participate in or watch. Bobby | ||
| Spike |
(snip) I really like the tires that come with the firebolt. I wonder what it will cost to get the same tires from the dealer, as they are a different compound from normal D207's. I compared them to the tires that came on the new GSXR and they were softer than the Suzukis. They are also supposed to weigh less. (snip) I was wondering about those tires too. I haven't been too impressed with D207s on other bikes, but on the Firebolt they felt really stable and didn't squirm much even with very little warm-up time. At first I thought the bike was just that good (don't get me wrong- it is), but now that I've ridden in more than once I thought I would have to eat my previous words about not liking D207s. Now that I know the Firebolt has "special" tires I can go back to being anal about tires and not liking D207s. I'd still like to see how the bike handles with a set of Metzeler Sportec M-1's. They did wonders for my M2. Mike L. '99 Cyclone | ||
| Aaron |
More excerpts from the MO article: "In theory, we've always known that a short wheelbase is a good thing. In practice, the Buell's stubbiness makes clear why that's so: It finishes a given corner while the other bikes are still turning, and by the time the R1 is pointed in the right direction and its pilot feels safe enough to whack open the throttle, the Buell has already scooted halfway down the straight. The Yamaha, of course, closes the gap a bit, but here comes the next corner, the Buell flicks into it quicker--and if there are more corners than straights, you should be getting the picture by now. The Buell's extremely short wheelbase (aided by its superior "mass centralization" ) means it gets to full lean almost instantly and needs to spend less time there." "Nothing I can recall riding can carve such tight arcs, and that's what allows the Buell to scamper away from more powerful bikes." "The old SS is still an enjoyable old bomb and stays pretty much on the pace too, but jumping off the Firebolt and onto it is somewhat like hopping onto a vintage bike." "Even with the nice Ohlins shock working, without linkage, its new, 40-percent stiffer swingarm, the Ducati doesn't have the Buell's nice snubbed-down wheel control." "The SS engine is revvier than the Buell's, with a better (six-speed) gearbox--but its chassis is archaic next to the Buell's. It feels long and rubbery ridden alongside the Buell, but in fairness, so does the R1 to a lesser extent." "the Firebolt is the best new toy I've gotten in a long time. Say, do we pick a Motorcycle of the Year at MO?" From the guy who bitches about it: "the more I ride the XB9R, the more it confuses me. It's the fastest slow bike I've ever ridden. It's the best-handling, ill-handling bike I've ever ridden. It's uncomfortable yet I ride it nearly every day. It seems that I ride the Ducati only to prove to myself that I don't really like the Buell. And it seems I keep failing." | ||
| Superbad |
I think the guy @ MO is too used to "More HP=Better bike". He seems to be having a hard time accepting that a bike doesn't have to have 150 HP to be fast in the corners/on a racetrack. Wasn't it Dick Mann who said" Its better to ride a slow bike fast than ride a fast bike slow!" I agree with that statement. On this trip to the mountains I chose not to go nuts and just have a great time at a safe pace. If I really wanted to I could have wrung the bikes neck between corners instead of maintaining a fast, but comfortable pace. Bobby | ||
| Peter |
I expect the European riders are gonna want everyone Buell can build. I just got in from the local Harley/Buell shop in Amsterdam. They haven't had any new Buells in there for a few months, but today had a white Firebolt with trade plates on the floor. I had been told that all dealers would get one as a demo, with the rest following a few weeks later. Said to sales bloke, "Is that a demo?" "Yep." "Can I ride it?" "You can have a ride when you buy one." Kheh? Test ride, like, buy. Not buy, then test ride..... something funny about this. Must be the language problem. "What do you mean?" I ask. "Harley will only send us Firebolts and V-Rods when we fax them a copy of a contract with a customer. We already have three people wanting to buy the demo, so we are not letting people ride it unless they are already buying one. All the ones we ordered are sold." I think they are going to sell OK here..... PPiA | ||
| X1glider |
What's so special about the way they are balanced? I can't imagine that the tires are so different they must have special balancing techniques applied. You're making it sound as if what I've been doing for a few years will no longer work. I actually use our pump balancing machines at work to get within 1/8 oz/inch. (I do a little grinding on the rubber too in inconspicuous areas. Yes, I know, don't do that!) But, if this is true, I wonder how this will affect those who want real race tires for the track. | ||
| Davegess |
I don't really understand it but I think it is called out in the service manual. The usual thing with a wheel is that the haeaviest part is the valve stem. with these wheels that is not true but the heaviest part is marked inside the wheel? I quess you usually place the heavy dot on the tire oppisite the valve stem but on these wheels you have to locate the heavy mark on the wheel. Also it is important to put the balnce weight under the rotor not on the other side of the rim. Nothing fancy but if you did the usual thing you would have trouble blancing the tire with out adding a lot of weight which will effect the feel of the bike. Shoould be no problem using race rubber dave |
