| Author | Message | ||
     Pisymbol |
I'm thinking of upgrading next year and I really love the Buells. Always thought they were really great bikes and true streetfighters. One question though is that a lot of reviews claim the Buell has a weak top end. Is the bike speed limited or somehting? With a 100hp, the bike should reach 120+ speeds right? I mean I realize the Speed Triple and Ducati Monsters have more horses so they are going to be faster. But from a street start, shouldn't the XB12S be alittle faster? (btw, none of this matters much in terms of what I'm going to buy, I'm just curious) | ||
| Hogs |
I think this was talked about before and the out come was around 135 to 139 mph, depending if you were reading your speedo or had one of them GPS units to read from... | ||
| Eexb |
"I mean I realize the Speed Triple and Ducati Monsters have more horses so they are going to be faster" If you compare "apples to apples (vtwins to vtwins), the XB12 makes as much HP and torque as 3/4 of the Monster line-up at about the same bike weight. The speed triple is another story, it's a nice bike but personally I prefer the design, look and features of the XB over the triple. EE | ||
| Sokota |
XB9SX hitting rev limiter [7500 rpm] mathematically 138 mph, coincidently that is what I saw when I heard wwaaaa----wwaaaa------wwaaaa------wwwwaaaaaa ,138 mph. (Message edited by sokota on July 26, 2006) | ||
| Hogs |
What did the Feds clock ya at? | ||
| Bikoman |
I think they are talking about on the track, because when you are tapped at your 138, I would come screaming by you on my GSXR600 like you were standing still on a nice long straight ala Road Atlanta or Road America. Otherwise, for street use my XB9R is a great bike. I do agree you must compare apples to apples, do not waste your time comparing the Buell to a ZX/GS/R/CB anything. John | ||
| Brineusaf |
w/ the race kit I can go an INDICATED 140 even MPH. Edit: by "even" I mean the indicator stops perfectly on 140mph (Message edited by brineusaf on July 26, 2006) | ||
| Cadhopper |
I wonder what the top end of the XB12 would be with a 6 speed tranny. I rode one 03 sportster with a 6 speed but I can't remember who made the internals. | ||
| Pisymbol |
Alright, what about street start? Since the Buell makes more torque at lower RPMs, won't from 0-100 the Buell be faster...just curious... I too love the look and design of the Buells but I was just curiuos about this since I have a hard time finding reviews of a Buell vs. Triple vs. Monster etc. | ||
| Jaimec |
There's a direct head-to-head comparison of the XB12Ss Lightning Long vs. the Triumph Speed Triple at the Motorcycle Consumer News Website. This was discussed extensively here a little over a month ago. | ||
| Phantom5oh |
Because compared to the 160+ MPH most new I4 bikes reach, the Buells don't have much top end. | ||
| Pisymbol |
Wow, they seemed to really like the Speed Triple overall, it also seemed to be a lot faster too from a street start. Interesting. I do like the Triple alot and its on my list. | ||
| Tommy_k |
Also, the lightnings and triples have no real fairing/wind protection to speak of. Anything over 140 and you'll be hanging on for life anyway. If you intend to go faster than that, and go Buell, get the firebolt, gear it up with chain, and go big bore. Otherwise think I4 with fairings! TK | ||
| Pwnzor |
I was looking at the Triple before I bought my XB12R. I was looking at a lot of things. As for speed, my GPS reports that I get 142mph with my factory race kit. I just set it to record everything and read it afterwards so I wouldn't get distracted. With the short wheelbase and no steering damper I can tell you that 142mph is too fast for these bikes. They are just not designed for this speed at all. As for street starting, maybe its just the riders I encounter here in So Cal, but I beat EVERYBODY across the intersection. I don't care what they are riding, I always get the drop. I've found the sweet mix between throttle and clutch, my front wheel never gets more than 4 or 5 inches off the ground, and I always make the other side first. Some bikes pass me "right there" but most pass me around 90-100mph which isn't really much farther down the road. Most people I "race" with tend to QUIT right around 120mph for some reason and thats where I re-pass them, doing 130. I feel 130 is really the limit on these bikes for any measure of stability. The difference between 130 and 140 is night and day in my opinion. There's no reason to go over 100 really. And thats where these bikes rule the world. | ||
| Court |
I suspect I'll be in fine shape for some high speed touring.   | ||
| Brineusaf |
IMO a steering damper isn't needed. If you are intending to ride at the top speed limit of the bike, make sure to practice proper technique... oh and whether pushing the limits or not, always wear all the gear. I can run 140mph effortlessly without any headshake or anything, feels comfortable to me. | ||
| Court |
Sorry....I was on the horn with some friends laughing about the internet......someone said the XB frames were being/gonna be made in the USA and we were giggling about how folks say stuff on the internet and the sheep believe it. Totally bogus. A steering damper does for a motorcycle what a brown paper bag does for an ugly date.....it conceals flaws. | ||
| Pwnzor |
Brineusaf, a lot depends on the integrity of the road's surface. The place I used was selected for the lack of cars, not necessarily for how smooth the road was. It's not that the bike wobbles inherently, it's the centrifugal force spinning the tires out and decreasing the contact patch with the road. One little twitch the wrong way and you're meat. I'd have felt better with a damper in place but I was only going that fast to test the limits of the race kit. I haven't gone that fast again on the XB, nor will I. At least not on a public road as I did. Damper hides the flaws in the road, and the bike. (Message edited by pwnzor on July 26, 2006) | ||
| Pisymbol |
Actually I was really talking about 0-100 maybe 110. I know I'm not one for cruising at 120+ in NJ. I figure with all the low-end grunt of the XB's, they would have teh advantage. | ||
| Brineusaf |
Someone had a link to a video describing how when you go faster the bike gets a "gyroscopic effect" which makes it smoother and more stable. Link anyone? Last time I was at these speeds was with the stock Dunlops and it was on the Autobahn... a few bumps, not to mention wind from trucks; nevertheless the bike was stable. Granted the first time I hit these speeds I had a "death grip" and was contemplating purchasing a damper, but I read a few things here and there, and went back and applied techniques I had read about (like riding with a relaxed grip) and the problem didn't reoccur. I am not saying that you don't know how to ride, nor am I saying that your bike will be stable. I am just saying that my bike is stable under the above conditions. < thats me preventing a possible debate. | ||
| Court |
You have no business going 110 on public roads in New Jersey. I say this based on pre-intro riding of a Honda Blackbird I did...it was enough to scare me. The Buell has two "happy spots", on at 80MPH and one at 115MPH. I'll leave it to farter smokes than me to explain, I'm sure it has something to do with resonance frequencies....I just rid'em and KNOW what a Buell is SUPPOSED to feel like. | ||
| Diablobrian |
But court you have a "hole" at 5750 rpms. That'll make it practically un-rideable!  | ||
| Pisymbol |
Court, what year Blackbird was that out of curiousity? (thought they stopped importing them) Yeah I realize that you don't have any business crusing at 110 on public roads in NJ but the topic at hand was 0-100, not cruising at 100 or even a 140 (get a Busa for that). | ||
| Pwnzor |
I am not saying that you don't know how to ride, nor am I saying that your bike will be stable. I am just saying that my bike is stable under the above conditions. I wouldn't have fought you on that. I am by no means an extreme rider, and TBH I was probably hanging on for dear life which is a mistake at any speed. The road I chose was probably wrong for it as well, but you know what they say about opportunity and inclination. I was conducting a test, with no intention of repeating it. I wanted to be able to say, "my bike goes XXX MPH" and be able to back it up. Now I can, and I survived it, so it's all good in the hood! | ||
| Skyguy |
I have topped out my XB several and held on to it for one minute plus several times. On a smooth road it is wonderful. On a bumpy trashy road it can be a bit hair raising..................... Don't freaking flame me about the speeds either! Several times I have had a CHP passing me on a R-1. Pick your places, don't put anyone else at risk and know that if anything goes wrong you will probally die. | ||
| Sgthigg |
BS! They do have top end. Heck they will pull extremely hard all they way to the limiter. But they are limited by the design of the motor. 2 valvae push rod engines donot rev very high. If the xb motor could rev to 14k and not grenade, it would do it no problem. Court you said "A steering damper does for a motorcycle what a brown paper bag does for an ugly date.....it conceals flaws." I was trying to explain this the other day do some rice riders(jap bikers). I was laughing too when theyre justification was saying "my bike is designed for high speed".. lol (Message edited by sgthigg on July 26, 2006) | ||
| Pisymbol |
Well I don't know about high speed (I mean you could claim the hypertourers are designed for high speed) but the Japanese I4s are certainly designed for high speed cornering. No matter how you look at it a GSXR1k is fast...track or street... | ||
| Brineusaf |
He wasn't saying they weren't fast, or weren't designed to be fast. He was stating that the Ricers think that it's required since their bike is "designed for high speed". I got a chuckle out of it. Almost like me trying to persuade someone to test ride an XB when his buddy said.. if they were solid bikes why don't you see them in professional races... then I introduced the 30,000+ XBRR model into the conversation. He'll probably take an Xb for a test ride now though. Don't freaking flame me about the speeds either! Heck, at least your doing it out of fun/competition... I'm just afraid of getting rear ended on the Autobahn. Figure I have a less chance of that if I'm moving faster than the majority of the traffic. | ||
| Court |
My standard test, when someone tells me that NEED THE SPEED, is to ask the last time they spent more than 30 minutes over 100MPH in the United States. I have twice, but it's quite rare. The Buell is S-2 is spectacularly suited for my style of riding and, well gee...guess who rides my bike. My riding partner is different. It takes 8 bikes to suit him ranging from a DR-Z400 to a Superbusa. | ||
| Cereal |
Is there a reason I should care about top end? Unless you are taking it to the track, why would you need to go 180? Other than stoking your ego of course. Just my opinion. I could be wrong. |
