| Author | Message | ||
     Retiredmxer |
Hi, I just found this board via a link from someones page. I'm facing a bit of a problem. I recently purchased a blue XB9R. I was extremely excited to get it. Let me backtrack a sec and say that all of my biking experience has been in 250cc motocross...about 10 years. My knees are killing me, so its time to stop..but not stop riding entirely, thus the firebolt. Now, on to my questions. I have ridden friends R6's and didn't really feel comfortable with the large tank, bike width, ect. The power too was just like a two stroke..difficult to keep on tap. Not something I wanted to deal with on pavement, especially with a bike that I don't feel I can move around on. For these reasons, I was really drawn to the firebolt. Due to some of the differences in design, it felt much more comfortable when sitting on it. I knew it had great handling from all the reviews I've read, but I also saw many complaints as to lack of power. Now having really no pavement experience, I didn't feel power would be an issue for me. I bought the bike and proceeded to start breaking it in. I've now got about 300 miles on it, and just wanted to crack the throttle a couple of times to see what it had on tap. I was pretty dissapointed. I know pure, unusable power is pointless, and the firebolt can hang with most in the corners, but I would really like to get to the next corner quicker. Also...not all roads are primarily twisty. After saying all that..here's my questions. I haven't sold the firebolt yet, but I'm considering it. I don't really want an inline four. I've been looking at Ducati's, and my buell dealer also sells Aprillia's. He's been suggesting the RSV-R Mille. I'm leaning toward the Ducati, specifically a 748. Aside from the obvious discomfort I'll feel on the Ducati due to its riding position, I'm unsure as to what I'll get out of it.... Will it outpower the firebolt straightline? Will it hang with the firebolt in the corners? And lastly, how will the 748 fair against an R6? I do apologize for the rambling, but I hate to get rid of the firebolt and lose money without getting some outside advice. Thanks, Blake M P.S. I noticed someone else is here by the name of Blake. I'm obviously not him, as he seemed a good deal more knowledgeable than myself. And oh yeah..I live in Colorado..if there are anyother firebolt riders in the area, that'd be cool. | ||
| Henrik |
Well; Colorado is a pretty good place to be in search of more Firebolt power these days  I'm sure that http://nallinracing.com would be more than happy to help you out. Out of curiosity - as you felt the lacking power, at what RPM did you get on the throttle, and how high did you let it rev? I ask because you may not have gotten into the power band. Henrik | ||
| Kcbill |
Blake, welcome. By the way the other Blake owns this sight. Yes he is very knowledgeable. Understatement. Your bike is not the fastest thing out there. If that is what you want you want something else. If you really like the bike, put some money in it's motor to make the power you want. You have one of the best handling bikes out there. The duck is going to be more maintenance, but a great bike. The R6 is going to be faster than the duck. The duck will cost more to buy. The R6 can bought at throwaway prices. Another question to ask yourself is how do I want to ride. One of the guys I ride with has an XB9R. He seems to run with everybody up to about 120. Do you care about that? Next question to ask is dealer network. The R6 is good, lots of dealers. The Ducati dealer net is small. The Aprilia is even smaller. Check the nallin racing sight for your motor mods. YOU my friend are fortunate that he is now located in Colorado. They are some of the best people in this Buell hp market. They are not the only. Miles don,t separate me from doing what I want in that arena. So the question is WHAT DO YOU WANT? Happy Buelling and I hope this is helpful. At the top or bottom of theses web pages you will see the advertiser banners appear. Nallin is one of them. Other advertisers carry his parts also. Aaron Wilson, is a partner with Brian Nallin. They just broke the Bonneville salt record just over 202 miles per. You can check it out at the teamelvs.com. Ping me if you like. Click my name and it will give you the info. | ||
| Retiredmxer |
Hey Henrik and Kcbill, Thanks very much for the feedback. I did searches on yahoo for aftermarket parts on the firebolt, and all I could come up with is the "race kit" that buell sells. That Nallin site is pretty exciting, I'm gonna give them a call. And Henrik, I revved up to 6500 before backing off. As it redlines at 7500, I assumed I was close to peak power output at around that level, and I didn't want to harm the motor as its still new. My dealer is gonna let me ride on of their bikes with the race kit installed, and hopefully Nallin can do something also. I would like to ask you both, and anyone else that might read this, how would a big bore bolt on kit affect the longevity of the bike? Also, does anyone you know have one of these kits installed and if so, what do they think? Ahh...and something else just occurred to me. How would altering the motor affect the warranty on the rest of the bike....something for me to ask my dealer I suppose. Thanks again for the input, I'll post once I've gotten some more hp out of the bike Blake M. | ||
| Mbsween |
Aaron, Thanks for the reply,not wanting to sound like an idiot, but what is the DS catalog? Henrik Any chance you're willing to share the research? Maybe Blake can add a "send beer" link  Blake M I road with xb9 and shazaam in Deal's Gap this year. My bike had lots more power, but I didn't stand a chance. I'd put those guys up against bikes with way more power on twisty roads. Shazaam could wheelie the thing anywhere (the kind of wheelie MX guys do). The coolest part was that they'd wait up for me at the next gas station and we'd repeat the process till we ran out of daylight. Buell people are some of the best I've had the privilege to ride with. On the other hand they don't care what you ride. I'd give that bike a little more time, you probably find that you like it more as you ride it more. Matt | ||
| Shazam |
Blake M, break that motor in gently...then ride the living shit out of it. I'm am about to turn 10k miles on mine and I haven't hurt it yet.(if there is anyone out there riding one harder I would like to meet them.....XB9 we've met) I'll say this, on the outings I've made where riding for glory was the objective, the firebolt has yet to let me down. I am certainly giving up horsies to the other bikes I am out with, yet never fail to show. I don't think anyone buys a 'bolt to win stoplight wars... the wheelbase alone does not lend itself well to that kind of activity also if you need to run 160mph you need to spend some more jack or go elsewhere (I'm sure no dealer is selling bolts on top speed capabilities). personally I've grown out of the need to run that fast and find turning at the limits of adhesion to pucker my sphincter a little tighter. I hate to say it but it sounds to me like you are seeking info here that you should have found before your purchase. Don't give up on the "little bike that could" cuz it does! and Matt is right, the people you'll meet in the Buell community are unlike any other, true riders! a real run whatcha brung crowd if I ever met one. Do me a favor, get the 1200 kit from nallin and tell me how you likey. | ||
| Xb9 |
I would imagine the power drops off some at the altitudes in Colorado due to the air density and subsiquent drop in combustion chamber pressure....I remember years ago riding my Norton up to the top of Pikes Peak, I rejetted it halfway up (with the old Amal's that was real easy). Even with it jetted properly the air gets so thin the motor sounded like a vacuum cleaner, and power was WAY down. I ride with several guys on and off in SE Ohio with R1's, and they can't keep up to XB in the twisties, I loose them pretty easily....the XB9's handling is phenomenal. It really boils down to the rider and experience. Remember what Erik Buell produced was the "Best back road twisties street bike made". It's not designed to be a straight line rocket. Personally, it's got plenty of power for my type of riding. I like the Torque coming out of the corners. Track use is a different story... | ||
| Henrik |
Blake M: Yeah, I figured that did get on it pretty good, and at 6500 rpm you're well into the powerband (according to the dyno charts posted). I ride an SV650 on track, and the XB9 has a bit more power (HP) and about 50% more torque. Riding the SV on the street, the SV power is actually ok - not arm stretching, eyeball flattening - but ok. And it makes me practice technique rather than relying on power to make up for my deficiencies. As for big bore; along with some headwork, I'm under the impression, that the 1050 cc kit will get you close to (I really don't know) 100 HP at the rear wheel - I think Wes from Cycle-rama thought there were even more in that motor. Warranty; you can kiss it goodbye. Maybe if you hook up with Justin from High Country HD (look elsewhere on this site for a discussion exactly regarding this kind of upgrade). Since his shop are offering these kits installed, they may be willing to work with you on possible warranty issues, should they arise. Matt: Beer ... you speak my language I'll go home and look for links etc. Nothing revolutionary, since I concentrated on static balancers. Henrik | ||
| Bykergeek |
Thinking about a new color for next spring. How does Corvette Red look ?  | ||
| Bykergeek |
one more time  | ||
| Blake |
Blake M. Your highly welcome visit here now makes three of us last name first Blakes on the site. And get this... I'll soon be residing in Colorado. Would be cool to hang out with another "Blake". You were definitely into the power band, however peak HP is at 7500 RPM. If your XB9R is anything like the two new Cyclones I've had, it will continue to loosen up and gain power through 1,500 miles. Once you get to 500 miles, change the oil and get it to a dyno for a baseline pull to see how it runs. If you really want significant power, you may want to re-evaluate your purchase. If you want big power and a racy bike, maybe an R1, CBR954, or GSX-R1000 would be more suitable for you. Or yeah a Mille-R or Duc 999 even. I prefer twins over IL4's. If you love the Buell and just want a significant boost to its power, then Nallin Racing is a very safe and reliable way to get there. | ||
| Mikep |
Blakes, Posted an aluminum XB muffler on the muffler section, what do you think? mikep | ||
| Elvis |
Bykergeek, That looks sharp! Anyone know if there's anything special we need to know about painting the surlyn(sp?)? | ||
| Kcfirebolt |
Love the idea Bykergeek and the color. Red with White letters would be a great switch. | ||
| Geofg |
Mmmm, yummy red 'bolt. Once again I contemplate how well all that plastic will hold paint. The white raised lettering might be difficult,though. -Geof | ||
| Blasterd |
Geofg, how do you like the Bolt? I am selling or trading my Blast in on one very very soon @ Gville HD & Buell also. I live in Lake City, if you are ever in the area let me know. Ken | ||
| Geofg |
Hey Ken, Do it! I upgraded to the XB9R from a Suzuki GS500 that I'd put 14K miles on in a little over a year. The XB is a sweet ride. I used to always be pushing the GS hard (which it willingly gave, mind you), but the XB'll do anything I ask of it and still have more on tap. It's an excellent bike, and well suited to my riding: I use it as a daily commuter as well as weekend day trips and the occasional jaunt up to NC for all-day mountain rides. The GHD folks are good people, too, and have treated me really well. They've also got a demo 'bolt so you can check it out and put it through it's paces. -Geof | ||
| Blasterd |
Geof, I bought my Blast from there last year (but its a 2002) and knew I would be back in a year or so. The only problem is they don't want to give me much for it. Outside of that, they are a great group of guys. I am going to sell it so if you know anyone that wants it let me know. Almost got the last new M2 left over a while back @ 6999.00 but I decided to wait on a Bolt. I to use mine for daily commuting as well as ocassional weekend rides. Again, the offer stands if you ever want to burn a little pavement sometime and I can't wait to get the Bolt to do the same. Oh yeah, the other day when I was there, somebody parked the demo on the hill & it fell over so I did not get to ride, they said they would have to fix it first. Ken | ||
| Archer |
Hey BYKERGEEK! I just got done painting my bolt! It was super simple. Hit the surface with some 1500 grit paper and clean it off. You have to get a special plastic promoter (I used PPG). It lays on super smooth. I did three coats of 9700 Black and then put two coats of clear. It looks factory. I will be posting lots of pics ad soon as it's on the bike. Going to go back and do some silver racing stripes after I get it back on the bike. It looks sweet! | ||
| Pisspot |
Has anyone read the article in either hot bikes or preformance bikes in refence to a wheelie wire that retards spark in 1st and 2nd gear? | ||
| Spiderman |
WHAT??? Um in all bikes? If not which brands? | ||
| Archer |
\image {New black beauty} | ||
| Archer |
oops lets try this again | ||
| Shazam |
c'mon hurry up! | ||
| Xb9 |
You had it right the first try, but no space before the { | ||
| X1glider |
Ross, you suck! ![:]](http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/clipart/proud.gif) | ||
| Captainplanet |
Sparky, Here is a place to get the mirror extensions for the firebolt. A bit more than I would like to pay, but easier than building them myself. http://www.ironmachine.com/ | ||
| Sparky |
Captainplanet, Thanks. Tat just announced that he has some too. I'll have to look into them. Sparky | ||
| Kcfirebolt |
Where's the BLACKBOLT!? | ||
| Archer |
Sorry I'm at work and don't have any photo stuff to shrink it. It's too big! Anyone want to post this for me. I'll e-mail the pic to you. |
