| Author | Message | ||
     Yourfirekiller |
Hey guys I just got my M1 License today; I took a 2 day riding class and that DMV written test and presto! So I want the XB12R. Should I buy some dumpy bike for a while and than go for the buell, or should I buy the buell and take'er easy? | ||
| Diablobrian |
Congratulations! If you get frame pucks, and axle sliders the Buell is about as cheap as any bike out there to repair. Even the racers will tell you that the Buells crash well and will take a beating. If you have the cash to get a little beater it may not be a bad idea anyway though. You could use it to learn how to wheelie, and learn how to control slides. | ||
| Angelwild327 |
YFK - CONGRATULATIONS!!! If you have the money and get all the necessary bike armour as Diablo said, you should be ok with a buell as your first. You might want to check e-bay for a slightly less than new one so you can save a little dough. Definitely go for last year's model at a dealer, save you some money there. My first bike was a brand new buell City Cross, it pained me every time I did something that hurt it, BUT everything was really cheap to replace and nothing horrible happened. DO NOT leave those frame pucks out of the equation, you dent your frame and you will definitely kick yourself for not having them. Good luck and let us know what you get! | ||
| Yourfirekiller |
thanks guys, are the pucks bike specific, or are they pretty generic? they mount on either side of the axles right? | ||
| Dongalonga |
www.Americansportbike.com both the frame pucks and axle sliders are on this site | ||
| Angelwild327 |
http://www.buell.com/en_us/bikes_gear/accessories/Product.asp?Menu_ID=2&ProductL ineID=2&CategoryID=5&ProductID=3136 These are the Buell Frame Pucks, they go on either side of the Fuel tank, in other words, the Frame of the bike...at the two furthest out points of it, near the front sides of the bike..BADDDDDDDD thing to dent! here you will see them cleverly mounted on the Beautiful City Cross...standard feature on a new city cross and Ulysses http://www.buell.com/en_us/bikes_gear/lightning/xb9sx/index.asp | ||
| Sleez |
hey jared, welcome to the forum, i had a great ride from willits down to petaluma, over to bodega bay, and up 1 to fort bragg, then back over 20 to willits, 300 mile loop! i try to do it every so often, when you get something, we can ride. i've been looking for area buellers who actually ride! there are 2 or 3 other buells in town, but they tend to ride with their hd buddies at cruising pace!! frustrating to me. i am picking up a blast for my girlfriend this weekend, then i'll start training her. | ||
| Dlandis03 |
Hey Congrats. I have a really nice XB9R I'll sell ya. its only got 1100 miles. | ||
| Outrider |
Get the Buell, Get the pucks and axle sliders, get yourself a conservative riding mentor and go enjoy yourself. Just take it easy at first and learn all you can about riding, your bike and yourself. Later, you can trade in the conservative mentor for a more aggressive one.  | ||
| Diablobrian |
Oh yeah, don't worry about upgrading the bike after you get the pucks and sliders for at least a year. Spend your money on better gear and maybe a riding school rather than performance parts. You'll get more for your dollar that way. I cannot emphasize good quality riding gear enough. | ||
| Ctyxrnr |
2005 XB9SX my first bike purchased last june. 8500 miles and 11 trouble free months still going strong. just got my endorsement two weeks ago. been riding on a b.s. permit for almost a year. as long as you know how to drive/ride a manual trans vehicle you'll be ok. before i got this bike i had maybe a few hours on a old 600cc import. these bikes are very rider friendly. good luck and hope you find the bike you want. | ||
| Snowhownd |
I'll go against the grain and I will strongly advise a 'dumpy' bike as your first - but call me crazy... I sucked it up and did that and I did drop it twice (one was in the grass in my yard - so no biggie, but one was in a parking lot. In my mind even if you aren't an idiot (gonna wail on a 100hp bike on your second time out), you still don't know how to 'handle' a bike... i.e. controls, etc. are not 'automatic,' until you log some seat-time. It sounds simple, but a split second wrong choice and boom, your $10k bike is on it's side. Example: on one of my first rides I grabbed my front brake while slowly turning into a parking lot - something I now know results in the bike falling over... haha, but until you get used to handling a bike you don't know any better. This, combined with the magnification of errors that a big horsepower bike will give you (in some instances... ie - if you blip the throttle too far on a 500 its not gonna throw you off, but on a 1200 - could get you into trouble). The hardest thing I had to break myself was learning/understanding that you have to use the throttle/brakes/balance to hold the bike up, no muscle - sometimes you can catch it with muscle, but really it is balance and momentum that keeps a bike upright. Maybe I'm just a bit cautious, but my money and my skin/bones/brain are way too precious to me to have gotten on an XB out of the gate. Plus, you'll learn a lot more about how to ride properly without having a lot of power to hide your shortcomings in skill. An inexpensive $1500 - $2000 GS500 Suzuki is a nice looking bike so you don't feel like a dork, very easily resellable for probably exactly what you paid for it, are pretty easy to find, are light and very flickable and fun to ride - that is my suggestion. Good luck and ride safe! | ||
| Paulson |
Way to go on your license!  About which bike to get: Be honest with yourself about your personality. If you have trouble restraining yourself, then get a conservative bike for your first. Upgrade later and pass on the old bike to the next 'beginner'. If you do get the XB12R, the pucks are a must. Keep that tank protected. Happy riding! | ||
| Old_man |
As you are a new rider, I recommend you read the book "Total Control (High Performance Street Riding Techniques)" by Lee Parks. Know about counter-steering. Most fatal motorcycle accidents I've seen were caused by the rider unaware of the effects of counter-steering. No matter what bike you get, old or new, you don't want to hurt yourself. | ||
| Buellgirlie |
congrats! the frame pucks crash well.....trust me  as far as buell vs dumpy bike - really up to you. though the chances of dropping it are high when you are brand new... D | ||
| Subyspecialist |
I'm going to have to go with snowhownd also. I don't know what kind of riding experience you have but I grew up riding dirtbikes, been riding all my life, got my M license when I was 18 and started out on a suzuki sv650s, I recently bought my my 12s. I felt comfortable with the sv because of my previous riding experience. I will tell you right now that the sv could get you in trouble real quick if you were not smart with it and the the buell too. Many people say that "that bike doesn't make enough power" this and that but if your new and don't know about throttle control you don't need to be worrying about a 1200 with 85 lb/ft of torque. I will give you a little story: A good friend of mine who had never rode before got his license and went out and bought a sv650 then told me after the fact. He proceeded to dump the bike a few times in parking lot maneuvers during the first month he owned it. Another time on a ride together, we were leaving a parking lot I was behind him and we were entering a fast flowing four lane road with a median in the middle, he noticed an opening in traffic and was about to go but he paused for a second and then tried to take it, as he entered traffic he had done so too late so he tried to accelerate through the turn but due to his inexperience this caused him to go wide into the second lane of traffic a few feet in front of a fast moving big rig which locked it's tires and then my friend proceeded to run into the median. Luckily he was OK but it's things like these that are more liable to happen to a new rider. Another reason to consider riding something smaller and less powerful for a while is to build up a good record and lower your insurance. Because no questions asked insurance is expensive in california, best I could find was $1080 full coverage and $230 liability from geico and that is with a clean driving record and my previous experience. Whatever your choice good luck to you and keep the rubber down. | ||
| Earwig |
If you are a new rider in my opinion you are insane if you get a XB12 as your first bike With all of the torque they are not forgiving at all and I think would make a horrible choice for a bike to learn on. | ||
| Yourfirekiller |
I'm not buying anything till after I get through Air Force basic training in June/July... I've been poking around Craigs List and I've found some steals on CBRs n'such. I just don't want to buy a watered down bike and catch onto riding qick enough to wish I had more CCs. I aint lying I'm a natural so far  But I agree, an XB12r is a bit over the top for a first bike. Maybe an XB9r? | ||
| Sik_s |
If you want to become a better rider start on a smaller bike first. I sometimes regret my decision not to buy a smaller bike first like a 500. The XB12R is my first bike, but I am a little bit longer in the tooth than you. I've been riding for 8 months, I just completed the MSF ERC this past Friday. I'm still learning how to ride better, it is a never-ending journey. Good luck with whatever you choose. | ||
| Bindy |
Congrats on your license.  All I can advise is to be really honest with yourself about your skills at the moment, and also how you would cope or feel if you dropped your bike. Only you can answer that, whatever your choice remember there is a lot more to riding on the road than turning the throttle and changing gears. Take Care Be Safe and Stay Upright. | ||
| Seanp |
I started on a smaller bike, (a Suzuki GS500F) and never regretted it. I put over 6000 miles on it in 10 months, and I made quite a few mistakes with it that would have been a lot worse if I'd had a lot stronger brakes and/or motor. Get a used 500 or 250, (there are quite a few options out there) for a couple thousand bucks, and ride the snot out of it for a year or so. They're far more forgiving of beginner errors. I'd be willing to bet that there are very few people who regret starting out on a smaller, cheaper beater bike. | ||
| Firebolteric_ma |
an xb9r/s would be an excellent choice to begin on. | ||
| Glitch |
Buy as many motorcycles as you can as often as you can. | ||
| Caffeinedreamz |
Hi YFK! Congrats, I know how good that feels!!! I’m not a seasoned rider by any means… so listen to me @ your own peril! I took the course to, they even found a buell blast for me to take the course when I told the instructor what I was intending to buy for my first bike, an XB9SX… got my license pretty quick, and my XB as quickly. At first it seemed like a lot of bike, but just a couple weeks and it was natural, almost too natural and all the sudden too small for me to! I felt like I could pick that bike up by the frame and side step it over a lane or two if I wanted, totally felt comfy, and a lil cocky to cause those bikes just flat out rock and are sooo easy to handle. However about as soon as I broke the bike in I realized I wanted something bigger, not for torque, but for room, and longer rides (like on expressways)… I traded for another new bike, my Ully. Anyway, I’ve got a few thousand miles under my belt now, all over the beautiful city of Wilmington, on highways, expressways, and now even a lil’ dirt  Other then a few close calls, that would have been more then a close call if it weren’t for the msf course and practicing skills in parking lots… I have had no problems controlling an XB12X, or more importantly, myself on it! I should have bought it first and saved a few bucks! My close calls have been do to people pulling out in front of me, just like the course teaches you will happen just about everyday. Now I just realize the being invisible thing is NO JOKE, no matter what you wear or ride… so I don’t regret lol all my black is faster gear & bike either… I don’t think it makes much a difference. Perhaps it’s just my loud fan saving my ass??? !! All I’m saying is, I think it might be easier to get the bike you want, and cheaper in the long run as well. Just take it slow. Use the neighborhoods and parking lots to get to know your bike. In my very humble opinion, you will be better off learning on the bike you want now, then on some old or small bike that will probably give you toooooo much confidence and handle nothing like the bike you will want sooner then later. You’ll just end up having to retrain your muscles, & mind/reflexes to the bike you want… and I think it would be more dangerous to set off on such a path. As a new rider, I’m happy as hell to be learning on Buells, cause that’s what I want to ride. I’d get the bike you want YFK and just be cautious!!! The course is only a start, everyday you learn something new! So why not learn these things on the bike you’ll be riding? Hiya earwig, heheheh ~ sanity is overrated Be free & safe!!! | ||
| Djkaplan |
I'll never understand how anyone learns to ride on the street. It was the two years I spent riding offroad that prepared me for the streets. This was back when there was no MSF course... of course. | ||
| Yourfirekiller |
Alright; I trust myself enough for a buell; I'm a cautious driver, and cautious drivers make cautious riders. I'll definitely be that guy swerving, turning, and braking in an empty parking lot somewhere Anyways, I'm 5'9" 160lbs is an XB9r gonna run out of juice on me once I'm a proficient rider? | ||
| Old_man |
The XB9 has all the juice you need. | ||
| Brineusaf |
YFK - Don't purchase anything "expensive" until you get your orders after tech school. You might get stationed somewhere (I don't care if they "swear" you a base) where motorcycles are restricted or not allowed at all. Hope you like briefings... man do we have alot of "motorcycle safety briefings". You don't want to drop the money on a new bike just to find out later that your new bike is going to be waiting at home while you go on a 2yr tour somewhere. Whats your AFSC going to be? | ||
| Yourfirekiller |
Alright, another AF guy! My AFSC reads: You will schedule and coordinate vehicle maintenance for the entire motor pool. You will use an integrated computer system to keep track of the maintenance of all the vehicles on base. You will also be responsible for long-range forecast of maintenance needs based on your knowledge of the vehicles and the folks who drive them. The leaders of a Transportation Squadron will rely on you to make sure all of the people on base who need a vehicle have one. Another part of your job is to maintain the historical records of vehicle maintenance. This involves the keeping of both computer and paper files. It will be your job to analyze these records and track any maintenance trends that would affect the mission of the motor pool. You may have to present this information to your leaders, using charts and graphs to show your facts. They will rely on you to give them accurate and specific information about what is happening in the motor pool so they can make important decisions about the base's vehicles. Training: After completion of BMT, approximately 15 weeks at Port Hueneme, CA I hope I get to touch wrenches and not just papers Thanks for the tip Brineusaf. Oh, does the AF make us wear reflective vests when we ride on and off base? I heard that other branches do. (Message edited by yourfirekiller on May 16, 2006) | ||
| Stretchman |
Good luck with BMTS in June/July. You're going to cook. WE had guys falling out all the time from the heat. I used to be a road guard, had the canteen and all. Had to run to cover the intersections. I used to scream like I was taking the hill at Iwo Jima. Lost so much weight they made me a squad leader. But geez, that was, uh, no, 25 years ago? Wow. Aim High! Stretch | ||
| Sik_s |
Wearing a reflective vest is probably a good idea to increase visibility. Here at LRAFB, you are required to wear a reflective belt on/off base and on/off duty. It kinda chaffs the neck, but not much you can do about it. I heard a rumor that the wing commander caught an AF guy off base not wearing a helmet. He just asked the kid "you look like you are in the military, are you?" He said "yes" and next thing you know he is walking for a year and got the nice parting gift of an Article 15. It's not worth it to ride without your gear. | ||
| Eboos |
My M2 was the first bike I've owned, and I got it before I even got my permit. I spent a lot of time in empty parking lots at first, but I also did a lot of reading. Total Control as mentioned earlier, and Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough (this book I learned a lot from). If racing is in your future, pick up A Twist Of The Wrist by Keith Code. About vests, the Marine Corps makes you wear them. Icon makes one that you would actually want to wear (not the cheesy, floppy issued type). If you are going to ride on base, you might as well get one. Regulations tend to change depending on base commanders, if not already covered by a service wide order. As someone else mentioned, upgrade your gear before you worry about upgrading your bike. Your bike may last you a few years, hopefully your body will last longer. | ||
| G4string |
I got my M rating last summer as well. Get the Blast for your first season. You can pick one up here, ebay, cycletrader, or any other place for that matter for about 2K. Learn to ride and maintain your bike with a Blast. If everything goes well the first season, then step up to a XB. I stepped up to a XB9. IMO, the Blast is the way to go for ones first bike. |
