| Author | Message | ||
     Saltydog01 |
hey guys been creepin around here for a couple of months mostly on search you guys have a great board here i currently ride cruiser but have been lookin at a second bike for about a year now nothin sexier than a buell i also like the sv650 and dr400 the buell is the only one i have ridden and i loved it hopefully in the near future one will be mine if not i can wait catcha later | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
Welcome aboard. There are some wonderful buys on XB9S, out there, especially the 2003's, which I consider one of the best values in a sport bike out there. One of our sponsors, Daves from Appleton HD sells a lot of used and new old stock Buells at reasonable prices, and has a good stock of spare parts and accessories.I don't think he is too far from you, what with you both being somewhere out there in the mid west  PS. If you do happen to hook up with a 2003 XB9S, remind me to refer you to my notes on the model in the Knowledge vault. Might get you started on the right foot. | ||
| Josh_cox |
Welcome to the site, Saltydog01. You can find plenty of good deals on the used bikes, that is for sure. You may want to do a bit of reading before deciding on which model year though. There were changes year to year with different models. BTW my dad has a friend named Salty Dog who lives where you do now. You aren't the same Salty I know are you (my user name is my real name, dad is Jim)? | ||
| Mesafirebolt |
I dont think you can get a better all around bike, They look great, you can get a SMOKIN deal on the (E-bay and dealers) and from recent experience, the parts are WAY cheap. | ||
| 99buellx1 |
 Welcome | ||
| Phantom5oh |
Welcome aboard. I sold my DR650SE when I bought my XB12Scg. The DR was fun, but I never felt safe riding it on the street. It did everything ok, but nothing well, except for wheelies. When looking at the DR line of Dual Sports the 650 makes a better street bike, while the 400 makes a better dirt bike. | ||
| Saltydog01 |
not the saltydog ya know name is from my other passions (aquariums and my dog)i really like the xb have found them in the 4-6 thousand dollar range but i can buy new for about 8 thou out the door not sure what to do work is gettin ready to pick up for the winter months so i will prolly take my time nice to hear from everyone tho i'll be around | ||
| Bads1 |
Well ya like salt water fish....what kinda dog ?? Pretty good deals to be had on any of the years really shop around. | ||
| Bombero |
I had a '05 DRZ400S, and I sold it for a CityX. I just didn't use it offroad like I thought I would - but it was fun while I had it! Depends on the ridin' you want to do - like mentioned previously, the 400 is more oriented for the dirt, the 650 is more street oriented. Tires change the personality of the bike greatly. If you have any questions on the DRZ400s, let me know. A great resource is www.thumpertalk.com | ||
| Bads1 |
When he says DR I think he means this. Its not really a dirt bike any longer.  | ||
| Slaughter |
Saltydog, Welcome! Any questions, just ask. I'm a privateer racer (with a crippled bank account in the final stages of recovery - long story) I raced BOTH the SV and the XB-9 - same track, same days for most of a year. Still race the XB. The SV is down the road. The SV IS a good bike just in different ways. There are good values to be had in both - BUT there are reasons that I chose to continue on with the Buell - nothing to do with sponsorship since at the time I was paying my own way 100% | ||
| Diablobrian |
Welcome to the board. As I have said before on other threads, riding is one of life's passions. Ride what moves you. If you don't you will regret it later. Cutting corners can be tempting, like buying a less expensive bike that you don't enjoy as much. That is the road to misery. Budget for good quality gear too. If you ride hard you will eventually fall hard. ATGATT All The Gear All The Time. No one plans when they will have an accident. | ||
| Surewin |
Welcome to the board, although I'm pretty new too. Josh mentioned changes from year to year and if I were looking for an xb I would invest in the newest tranny. I think its '05 and newer, but maybe '06. I'm sure someone else knows for sure. Either way, it is way smoother. I'm almost hoping to find a bunch of metal filings in my '04 primary/tranny fluid | ||
| Buellgirlie |
welcome to the madness, D | ||
| Saltydog01 |
hey guys nice to hear back i love all fish and my dogs are a pit and a jack russel would love to hear more about your exp with th sv versus the xb i am not an aggressive rider by any means i like the feel of both bikes and am really lookin for a play bike both bikes are more than i need with the suzuki i have the benefit of a nearby dealer but the buell is like sex on wheels i mean almost everyone with an sv is doin the buell headlights and other mods to make it look like a buell as would i but a real buell has so much more goin for it just biding my time | ||
| Saltydog01 |
yes that is the dr i was talkin about its gettin good reviews but i do occasionally ride to work about 90 miles one way so that may suck | ||
| Phantom5oh |
Yeah, that's the DRZ400SM. M standing for motard. They still sell the DRZ400S, which is the Dual Sport version. They both use the same engine and transmission though. | ||
| Bombero |
My DR was the DRZ400S, not the SM. There are a couple of basic differences, but the big one is that the SM has 17" wheels which allow you to put on the stickiest street tire you can find. Mine came with a dual purpose tire, which handled well on the street. As for your statement: >>i do occasionally ride to work about 90 miles one way so that may suck You're right - 90 miles on the DRZ would suck, on either the "S" or the "SM" in my opinion. My commute is less than 20 miles, but on a parkway and multilane highway. The DRZ does not do well on extended trips at 55+ mph. Some guys will disagree, but now that I have my CityX, I look for excuses to take my bike. You will too. I have a 'Zook dealer not even 3 miles from my house. I bought the DRZ there, and they are pretty good. I never looked closely at the SV's, so I can't help you there. My Buell dealer is 35+ miles away, which stinks, but hopefully I won't need 'em too much. | ||
| Slaughter |
You'd need about $2K into shock and forks to bring the SV suspension up to XB I put a GSXR shock and cartridge emulators in the forks. After a few more months racing, I put a Penske shock and GSXR front end on it. Not quite $2K by the time I got the forks redone. More if you count the first set of suspension mods. The SV isn't a bad machine and there's tons of support out there - but it just didn't interest me in the same way. I can't defend racing the XB on a logical basis but it DOES get more interest. The XB and the SV have very similar power delivery - but you really have to re-do the suspension on the SV or you're going to get frustrated unless you are just riding kind of leisurely, straight-up rides. It just can't be made to handle with the stock suspension. | ||
| Saltydog01 |
thanks for the info bombero and slaughter yeah the dr would be strictly close to home as far as the sv its either that or the buell im only 5'9" 155lbs. and dont ride that hard at all so suspension shouldnt be an issue it comes down to do i want another jap bike or a rollin orgasm prices arent that much different so we will see ill be off of here for about a week or so (overtime)see ya when i get back and thanx guys | ||
| Slaughter |
Salty - Even if not riding really hard, I'd bet you would be pretty frustrated with the stock SV suspension in the first couple months of riding. Even without tons of seat miles of experience, it's going to feel kind of odd when turning or braking/turning. While you're out playing in the twisties, you may not understand exactly why but in the middle of turning in/out/around the "fun" roads, it'll just sort of "feel funny" as the suspension loads up and unloads because of the poor damping and lack of adjustments. For cruising-type rides, it's plenty fine. If you want to adjust preload on the forks, you have to fabricate tubular spacers, open the forks and put them stacked on top of the springs. If you want to change damping, you have to change fork oil. Rear is only adjustable for preload and the damping is really poor. The XB is plenty good with stock suspension properly adjusted (preload, compression and rebound damping) Scope out Craigslist, Cycletrader and the discussion boards. The SV is not a bad bike, just different. (Message edited by slaughter on September 09, 2006) |
