| Author | Message | ||
     Nuke_mm |
First let me give you a little background on me and my riding style. -19 years old, been riding streetbikes since i was 17 -Currently ride a Honda CBR954RR and love it -I guess you could say i ride a bit like a hooligan i.e. i love wheelies, stoppies, riding twisties, and whatnot -hate, hate, hate cruisers (nothing against the riders though) and similarly the "poser" sportbike crowd (most notably the "blinged-out" 'busas and the like) While i love my CBR, i've been getting to thinking that maybe the xb12r would make me a lot happier, my reasoning being: -i'm a sucker for streetfighters. i absolutely love them. -the short wheelbase and torquey motor seem like a good combination for hooliganism -you don't see them everyday, i guess it'd be nice to stand out from the usual crowd of gixxers, cbr's, etc. -top speed really isn't an issue. yeah, 180mph (indicated) runs are great, but how often do i do them and were they really a great idea in the first place? From that last justification, you can probably see that i'll have to sell my cbr to get the buell. My question is for the guys who've had (not just ridden on) a liter class Inline-4 and made the switch. Are you happy you did it? What do you feel is better? What is worse? Do you miss the horsepower of an i-4? How are they for wheelies? FYI i clutch them rather than power them up, and definitely none of that lifting it 6in off the 1-2 shift nonsense  Thanks guys. | ||
| Elff |
I went a little more towards the streetfighter side and got a CityX. I traded in a CBR600RR. That was one of the best decisions I ever made. While the 9 doesnt have the brutal power of the 12, I really think I made the best motorcycle swap ever. Now, whenever I go out, my bike is the center of attention. When we actually hit the streets for riding, no one can loose me, and the bike has great power where you really need it for street riding. I thought the RR was the epitome of a handling bike but my buell is so confidence inspiring and just carves the turns that I ride faster and safer than I ever did on my sportbikes My suggestion is this Go to a Buell dealer and take one out for a test ride and I am going to bet you take the Buell home that day. I think you will love a 12R | ||
| Diablobrian |
I assume you were a nuclear machinist mate from your user ID. I was a Conventional MM for 6 years. we had a few guys come out of your program into my division over the years. (nuclear waste  ) Welcome to the board! Snipes of the world unite! | ||
| Cataract2 |
Well Diablo. He is in Charleston, SC where the Nuke school is for the Navy. It is possible. Anyways, I would say you should go out and test ride one. That would be the easiest way to see if you'll really like it or not. | ||
| Buellistic |
"YES !!!" | ||
| Exitlandrew |
You may feel that its a bit underpowered at first, but that goes away real quick. I have a 12r and I love it. If your into wheelies, and you dont care about top speed, look into changing out your primary gears. If you swap out the engine sprocket in a 12 with one from a 9 you get a little more gear. The best part is you get the tourque multiplication without messing with the speedo. Im planning this mod on mine this coming winter, I cant wait. Oh, I also used to ride a R6, It was a trick bike, I loved it till the motor blew up. Too many burnouts I guess. Then I went the cruiser route, another Yamaha, now I have the Buell and I am never going back to anyhting else. | ||
| Nuke_mm |
correct me if i'm wrong but i thought the buells were belt-driven? do they make different size belts or would you have to convert it to chain-driven? | ||
| Nuke_mm |
yeah, i'm at nuke school right now. and would a harley dealership actually let me test ride one? last i heard they weren't too fond of young folks like myself. | ||
| Jlnance |
would a harley dealership actually let me test ride one? Yes, they should. They may accompany you on the ride though.  You might want to call ahead to let them know you're comming in. Lots Harley sales people know little about Buell, so if they know you're comming and are interested in one, they will hopefully set you up with someone knowlegable. I tried out a friends 9R the other day. It was like dating a stripper. I couldn't believe how well that thing handled the corners. | ||
| Rubberdown |
heheheh.... stripper.....my little stripper....hahahaha... my little corner S L U T. | ||
| Southern Marine |
Young, MILITARY, tell him how interested you are and they should, if not, let me know and we have a dealership here in Jacksonville, they also own the Wilmington store, they'll get you on a bike. | ||
| Xbrad9r |
i went from a CBR 600 F4 to the Firebolt and I am so much happier... for a fun look at the wheelie, stoppie, stunting, etc aspect of these bikes check out www.illconduct.com and look at their video section. and if you do take a test ride...all i have to say is "welcome to the family" and if you haven't sold the current ride by then, call a friend to come pick it up for you while you do the paperwork on the Firebolt. and remember- Black is the fastest! | ||
| Elff |
HAHAHAHAHA a 9R is like dating a stripper My Bike is such a W H O R E HAHAHAHAHAHA | ||
| Starter |
I went from a worked GSX-R750 (not litre bike but damn close) to an XB9R two years ago. Most likely you will notice the bottom end laziness. Feels strange for a while running around at 3000rpm and the engine being close to on-song compared to 7500rpm on the gixxer. In my opinion I had two similar priced options, race kitted XB9 or standard XB12. Ended up on the 9. All out power will be a little different as the Buell don't scream into warp speeds as it closes on the redline and it won't feel half as quick. Overall there is very little difference as my times at the local track only dropped 2 sec on the Buell mostly because of the top speed on the straight away being down 35km/h. Ridding the Buell is way more exciting though as you feel part of the bike and nothing compares to thrashing an air cooled twin round corners. Getting it up is fairly simple but changing through gears is where practise makes perfect as the shift is a little slower than the Jap bikes. This may have changed with the new models - I haven't ridden one to know. | ||
| Gowindward |
"I tried out a friends 9R the other day. It was like dating a stripper. I couldn't believe how well that thing handled the corners." Well, they are a "naked" sport bike. | ||
| Curtyd |
I rode japanese built streetbikes non-stop from 1982 to 1999, had a fix on 2 strokes for awhile, Two or three RD 400's and a RZ 350. Had the inline 4 horsepower leader that some folks still drag race the motor, a Suzuki GS1100E. Two variations of the Kawa ZX7's, 1989 and 1996, and a couple of Honda Goldwings the 1100 and the 1500. The Buell test ride in 1999 is what switched me. HP and torque that I could use around town from 2K to 6K rpms. Yes, I had to get used to shortshifting here, but the motor is where I drive in 99% of the time, 0 to 100mph. Faster speeds need to be be reserved for a track bike, as you will cash your DL in soon enough if you are carrying triple digit speed. Plus I really have liked small dimensioned bikes as my RD/RZ fix has always been on. The XB series really was my cup of tea when I found out all the dimensions were the same as the 250cc GP racing bikes. A street going 250 GP bike has always been my dream, they still carry more speed in the corners than any other platform out there. HP is nice, but not if I have to rev my bike to 10 to 16K rpm to see it. Which is where your 954 is, I liked the 954, I almost bought one myself. But, with the Buell, it really is nice to have a bike where all the motor is good for the streets where I live. Got too old I guess to lose my DL anymore for any length of time, and that's where most of the boy racer bikes all end up sooner or later, unless they move to the track. (Message edited by CurtyD on April 30, 2006) | ||
| Tork |
Nuke_mm, your question, even with the info you provided, is very subjective. You'll get lots of opinions and personal insight here from XB12R owners and others, but you really have to find one to test drive. You'll have a much better sense of whether or not it's for you. A lot of us here will tell you "Hell yeah! Go for it!" but you're the one that's gotta dole out the cash and live with it at least for a while. Ride one. See if it 'speaks' to you. Then come back and tell us what you think. I'd be interested, good or bad. | ||
| Diablobrian |
Tork has it right. Bottom line is what's right for you. | ||
| Truk |
I have a 03 XB9R as well as a 01 R1 now. They are both great bikes. I had a cbr900 before the R1. The XB Buells are a different beast all together from modern inline 4s. It took some time to adjust my riding approach when I rode the Buell. Both the engine as well as the frame dimensions contribute to this observation. The Buell is not lacking for character and soul Interesting enough it made me a better rider on my R1. I love twisties. Not into stunting. This bike rocks in corners, tighter the better. It will take your cornering skills /experience to whole new level. My Buell never ceases to put a huge grin on my face. I test rode XB9R and XB12R at LowCountry Harley there in Charleston, SC | ||
| Easinc |
Make sure you get the sling bag.... | ||
| Jimmy |
I came from a Kawasaki 900 Ninja motor with a Six Speed to my Little red Rocket. I had to learn how to Ride all over again. My Firebolt XB12R is so stupidly fun to ride I could never go back to anything now I am afraid. It feels smaller and lighter than any 600 I have ever been on, handles better, and to short-shift your brains out and it still pulls so stinking hard is just an adrenaline rush. My wife's Lightning XB12Scg is even more fun cause it feels like a lowered Dirt bike on steroids. Both bikes are very very deceptively fast they don't feel/sound (14000 RMP)like they are exploding like the I-4's but take 5 seconds of you life and shift one gear a second, Twist the throttle, and shift again on any bike in the world then look at your speedo. O and then dive that baby down into 45mph curve and throttle on through. Maybe you should leave off the curve idea until your used to how the bike feels but my Buell has never failed to launch me as fast as I wanna be going. Then again I'm not Drag racing, I'm enjoying flicking through some back roads listening to my buddies on those liter bikes scream down the straits to try and keep up just to slam on the brakes again and get left through another curve. I really think one Test ride may not be enough because it is going to feel so different from your bike you may not know how to get it to feel right. If all you get is a short Test ride, Relax as much as possible, short shift the Crap out of it to see just where it wont pull then adjust, and try some super low speed curves just a little on the fast side (40 thru a 25er). I was so lucky, My dealer in Huntsville Alabama "Rocket", had some unbelievable super hard right and left handers that were posted like 20 or something so I got my courage up and ripped through them in second gear and knew right then and there that there would never be any going back. I rode mine off the show room floor 60 miles home at 50 miles an hour (Break in) and was scared to death the would realize their mistake and come after me. That was a year ago and I love them even more today than ever. Talk about some attention getters. My good friend and his $30,000 Custom show winning chopper HATES my "Crotch-Rocket" cause it gets as much attention as his. If you are like me, All I can afford is one bike for me and one for my wife, I would choose Buell. If I COULD afford 2 I would probably go buy a used Ducati just cause I love attention. ALL Bikes are really fun and it really is what makes YOU Happy. Some of my friends gotta have 16 grand screams and lots of billboard space for their expensive paint jobs. Good Luck with your quest. O yea, if you can swing it, try out the Dealers in Stone Mtn Ga. (Atlanta area) they really love Buells.  | ||
| Olinxb12r |
A 12R will feel slower than your 954. It is a completely different bike, and that is really all there is to it. If you are looking for power that is usuable on the street the Buell may be for you. It took me about a season to get used to my 12R after having I4s, but now I won't go back unless it is for a second bike. As for wheelies, stoppies and being a holigan, the Buell will take good care of you. I can ride stand up as high as 3rd gear on my 12R. I believe one of my friends has gotten his 9S up in forth gear, but he had to put both feet on the back pegs to do it. I'm not really comfortable not having my foot on the back brake, so I've never tried it that way. | ||
| Olinxb12r |
BTW, wait till after the 07 lineup comes out in June because there will probably be some updates to the R models this year. The R is the only model that has been unchaged since it came out, so I think it should be next. | ||
| Elff |
I agree with ya on that. I am dying to see what 2007 brings. I love my CityX, but Buell might put me into one of those, I have to upgrade modes. So I am anxiously awaiting then. Hopefully they ditch the Dunlops | ||
| Whodom |
yeah, i'm at nuke school right now. and would a harley dealership actually let me test ride one? last i heard they weren't too fond of young folks like myself. Nuke, I just noticed this thread. Yes, Lowcountry HD/Buell gives Buell test rides provided you meet the usual criteria (valid motorcycle license, helmet, etc.). They aren't real pro-Buell but I've never heard anyone there bash the brand like is reported of some dealerships. As of yesterday, they had two XB12Ss's in stock, one XB9R, and several Blasts. You need to hurry up and buy one so we can add another Bueller in SC. See the thread on our recent meet here: http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/37/130123.html?1146079437 | ||
| Spike |
They are belt driven, and you can't change the final drive ratios with the belt. However, the primary (delivers power from crank to tranny) is chain driven. The XB9s have a shorter primary drive ratio, so by using the XB9 primary setup you can get quicker acceleration without changing the belt setup. | ||
| Exitlandrew |
And they do make chain conversions, I wouldnt recommend it. More maintenance, and a near 900$ price tag. But its out there if you feel you really need more gear than you can get out of the primary. www.AmericanSportBike.com |
