| Author | Message | ||
     Darthane |
Rick, LOL...they don't. There's not much difference in a normal riding position wind-wise between my Blast and my Firebolt, but if I want I can lay on the tank of the 'bolt and get my body completely out of the airstream. It's actually pretty comfortable, too. I can rest my elbows on my knees. LOL I just really like the way the fairing looks in profile, like the Firebolt is some predator chasing its prey, and I like the XB9S extremely minimalistic tail section. It just looks sweet. So after the race kit, the tail section will probably be my next modification. | ||
| Anonymous |
If only the factory would mix the raw power of an X1 with the chassis of an XB9R . There would be one in My Garage right now. | ||
| Blake |
 Thanks Anony for posting the race kit info! From a purely "race" perspective the kit delivers. On a track, shifting between the torque and HP peaks, the kit gives a bigger relative performance boost than any previous factory race kit. I am dissappointed that the rev limit was not bumped up to 8000 rpm. That would seemingly net 90 RWHP. For the outlaws (that'd be me) running such a kit on the street, the dip in the midrange REALLY sucks. Cool muffler with dual tailpipes. Great price for whole system. Solve the midrange dip and Buell will have a near perfect race kit that would fly out of the dealerships as fast as they can build them. Conclusion... fix the dip.  | ||
| Harleybritt |
boy its ugly!!!!!im not spending 350 bucks on that crap.i.ll wait till force vance and hines or two brothers come out with one.i think the'll get a better curve too.can't believe buell would come out with that vintage looking thing after makeing such a nice looking bike,guess there hopeing all the impatient people will buy one.not me i'm waiting did that crap with harley for years.oh and now you can buy chrome heel gaurds too!!arn't they cute!!!dont have anything else on the whole bloody bike chrome!!!buell harley davidson or harley davidson buell,mmmmmmmmmmmm.just my opinion as i do own one,not like some people on here doging the firebolt when they dont even own one. | ||
| Anonymous |
Hey guys, this is the stage one kit, with just a muffler, air filter, and ECU. It's not the last word. The current kit provides about an 8 percent improvement through the entire upper range you'd use while attacking a twisty backroad or the track -- the improvement should put the quarter-mile time down about a quarter-second to 11.5 seconds at 119 mph or so. Note also the big fill-in in the torque curve at 3000 rpm -- that gain will be more noticable on the street than the loss at 4500. Essentially, the kitted bike has a two stage power-band: a smooth 50+ foot-pounds from 2000 until 4500, and a sudden jump to 63-65 foot-pounds from 5000 rpm until 7250. It's going to feel a lot faster than a stocker with that jump. | ||
| Tricklidz |
Yeah, what Anon above said... And it sounds like he's got some inside info...wink, wink, nudge, nudge... | ||
| José_Quiñones |
Yeah, what anony said, I think the race kit will feel better than the stock bike, due to getting rid of that DIP at 3000 rpm in the stock powerband. Going through the jump will be like flipping a switch, like the stock X1/S3 powerband at 5000 rpm. I wonder why the muffler is gray and not black? or is that the b&w copy? What would larger diameter headers do for this engine? hmmmmmm | ||
| José_Quiñones |
And another question Will the race ecm be programable by the customer like the race bikes? Or is this one more in a long series of UNOBTANIUM parts?  | ||
| José_Quiñones |
How about those cool hockey pucks, I mean, frame sliders the CMG guys are using? Who sells those? | ||
| José_Quiñones |
 New for 2003 Buell Stuff | ||
| José_Quiñones |
One more...  | ||
| Rick_A |
So is there a stage 2 kit in the works, then??
Hey now, everyone has a right to their opinion. Would one have to own everything they question or dislike before they can formulate an acceptable opinion? Owning one, IMO, doesn't make your opinion any more relevant. Otherwise...I'd havta own a majority the world. José...The CMG guys have been pretty innovative when it comes to solutions with their Firebolt. My guess is they made the thing...like most everything else. I think it's funny how they didn't even use that programmable Buell ECM. Of course racers are gonna get perks the rest of us will likely never see. I'd sure like a Duga belly pan myself... | ||
| Spiderman |
Jose~ my guess is they painted it grey like that to match the frame. Thats the only logical reason i could think of. | ||
| Davet |
From that dyno chart, am I the only one that sees the stock Firebolt putting out about 10 more hp than what has been seen so far? You'd be lucky to see 90 RWHP out of the old motor with a race kit. | ||
| Blake |
The old motors were already tuned for peak HP. The race kits for the old motors boosted midrange by like 8 to 10 RWHP. Hmmm, never saw any "Stage Two" kits for the prior Buells. Can we expect a bump in the rev limit for the stage two XB race goodies? C'mon Anony! You are killing us here! | ||
| Al_Lighton |
Yuk. Whoever is designing the graphics for their new instrument pods needs to be replaced. Jeez, it's an instrument, not an art gallery. Plain ole Arial type text would suffice just fine. Could they make the speedo numbers any tinier? Al | ||
| Noface |
Hey Ya'll, I found the primary chain was loose this morning, and i don't have the XB9R manual yet. Can someone give me a rundown on how to take up the slack in the chain? I set it up like my EVO Sportster, but it kinda whirrrs when you fire up the bike. I know that's not a good thing, at least in the Sportster world, so I loosened it up some. Less whirrr, but it's still there although faint. I can't remember if it was there before or not. Kinda peev's me off in that the 1k service was just done two weeks ago. I wonder if they missed that? It was really loose. Shifting was real jerky, and the bike would kinda oscillate going down the road. Thanks for any info! Noface aka Jody S. | ||
| Mikej |
"...and a sudden jump ..." In the two-stroke world that's called getting on the pipe. Smoother is better for me anyway. MikeJ (If the 9S was 55" wheelbase I'd be in trouble.) | ||
| Court |
Jody: Word is that the XB9R service manual is finally out. I ordered the Parts Manual, Owners Manual and Service Manual the day the bike was introduced and have been counting days until each of the 3 manuals is recieved. To date, only the service manual is yet to be received. There are, however, unconfirmed reports of them being out....hopefully the first ones went to dealers. Court | ||
| Darthane |
The Service Manual is indeed out, I got mine a couple days ago. $56 bucks. Man. Thick book, though, with complete electrical schematics (makes me happy, electronics is my world) in the back. When I get home I'll see what I can dig up about the primary for you, Noface, if someone else doesn't beat me to the punch. Bryan | ||
| Darthane |
Gah I want my race kit. Looks like it will pull a lot harder earlier. Should help my dismal gate times at the strip. LOL...unfortunately the best dealer around here is telling me late August. Screw Harley. "Look, we have the most anticipated addition since we announced our new bikes...too bad you can't have one for another month and a half! ::evil cackle::" Bryan | ||
| Rd350 |
Need some help. I am ready to buy a firebolt. But I have some real concerns about how they are holding up. I have a blast now and they said with the new design (PVC vent) it would not spit oil out of the airbox. Well at high RPM is still acts like the older Buells. I have to clean oil off the bike everytime. Also the front motor mount broke at 3,000 miles. So with my second Buell having problems I am not to sure about Buells new new bike. So...I would like to know what kind of problems you guys are having with them. Even if it is little. I know that the front brake makes a clicking sound. And the lower fairing likes to melt. And the head lights also melt the fairing. Does the bike leak any oil? Just want to make sure I am not buying a lemon like the old S-1 I had.. | ||
| Darthane |
Noface, OK, Cold vertical free play in the primary chain should be 3/8"-1/2" (9.5mm-12.7mm) Hot vertical free play should be 1/4"-3/8" (6.4mm-9.5mm) This is checked by removing the inpection plate cover directly above the shifter mechanism, but it sounds like you've done that already. Measurements should be taken at several engine positions with sprockets rotated to tightest chain position. The torque spec for the inspection plate cover is 40-60 in-lbs. To adjust the chain tension, loosen the locknut located under the shifter mechanism next to the side stand pivot (man I wish I had a scanner). Turn the fastener clockwise to reduce free play in the chain. Turn the fastener counterclockwise to increase free play. Tighten the locknut when done to 20-25 ft-lbs (27-34 Nm). Hope this helps. Let us know how it turns out! Bryan - creeping up on the 2500 maintenance and doing this himself. | ||
| Darthane |
::seating position diagram:: What the...are they using a 90lbs woman to test their seating positions now? I'm not a big guy, but I take up a helluva lot more room on the bike that the kid test dummy in that picture! Bryan | ||
| Darthane |
Rd350, I'm at about 2,000 miles on my Firebolt now, with no major problems, or really anything more than minor annoyances. My fuel pump was a tad loud, I thought, but it has eased off once I got about 600 miles on the bike. Haven't heard anything unusual from it since. I've not found a single drop of oil on my bike, even after a dozen trips down the drag strip. Nor has my chin fairing or front fairing melted, as some people have reported. Yes, I'm in Michigan, but trust me, it gets hot here, too. I've been caught out in 100 degree weather on blacktop in a traffic jams with no problems other than the little blender under the seat going non-stop. I have noticed the belt rubbing a bit against the guard, and I refuse to leave the bike running without me sitting on it, since several people have had theirs tip and I've noticed it doesn't seem very stable while idling on the side stand. Like I said, minor things. I'm pretty close to performing the 2500 maintenance, so I may find a couple things during that that escape casual inspection. Overall, I love this bike. The fit and finish on it are far beyond what the tube-framers showed, and the attention to details that were overlooked or ignored on previous bikes have been for the most part remedied. Oh, yeah, and I still have my Blast sitting in the garage, itching to be heavily modified. Bryan | ||
| Two_Buells |
3200 miles, no oil anywhere.(other than where is belongs) brake clicking goes away in a few hundred miles. bike is really fast above 6,000 rpm's fuel pump loud when low on fuel. | ||
| Bykergeek |
My Firebolt has been Rock Solid. 2 months, 1300 miles I performed my own 1K mile service in about 30 minutes -no leaks -the brake clicks went away after about 100 miles -The Custom seat made the ergos plenty comfy | ||
| Blake |
 Here we go again... "I know that the front brake makes a clicking sound. And the lower fairing likes to melt. And the head lights also melt the fairing." RD, You are rumor mongering again. | ||
| Noface |
Thanks Bryan for the info on adjusting the primary chain. It's the same procedure as for the tube frame Buells and EVO Sportsters. What I don't get, and maybe you all can help me with, is the reference to the verticl free play. Hot it says should be 1/4" to 3/8". By looking in the Sportster manual, it suggests this measurement is taken from the bottom of the chain to the top of the chain. Hell, the chain itself is 1/4" thick, which doesn't leave much for any travel, and to me, seems too tight. What's ya'll take on this? As far as reliability of the XB9R, I bought mine mid June. I've got 2800 miles on it now with nary a problem. No oil in the airbox or outside the cases. No problems with melting fairings, or anything else. The front brake did the "click" thing the first few hundred miles, but now it's nice and smooth. And it works REALLY good! The only thing I've noticed is the primary chain being a little loose. Could this be attributed to wheelies and an occaisional power shift from first to second with the wheel in the air? I did a reasonably long trip to Lexington last weekend from Nashville (about 280 miles one way)to go to the dirt track races. Run 70-80mph consistently, and the engine just keeps on humming. I'm a happy (Buell) camper! Jody | ||
| Harleybritt |
zero tollerance?i called buell and asked about the air filter on the firebolt.they tell me it's zero tollerance,and you don't need to change it,so why the $60 race one? someone explain zero toll for me please.also had mine for 2000 miles no problem,just a bit bad at starting in the heat backfires a little ,took it to buell they said nothing wrong,ive been rideing 30yrs i think i know when theres a problem.ill take it to another dealer.i love the bike,im going to wait for force to come out with a race kit and im going to put the nalin big bore kit on!!!bet those tube buells wont catch me then.heheoh does the custom seat sit higher? ive got short legs and am just comfortable now can't go any higher. |
