| Author | Message | ||
     Thad |
I am looking at an XB9S as my first bike. I have ridden dirt bikes when I was a kid and have recently taken a basic riding course and received my motorcycle endorsement. I used a Blast in the class. The bike owners I have been talking to lead me to believe the Blast is not a good bike for me as it is small and I will tire of it quickly. I looked at some others including a SV650 but I am drawn to the Buells. So for XB9S owners do you believe the Lightning would be a good first bike? comments? | ||
| Reepicheep |
I have a couple friends with SV's... they are fantastic bikes... cheap, reliable, dependable, flexibile, great riding. That being said, they both talk about how great the bike is, but at the same time keep talking about what their "next bike" will be. It is not so much the capabilities of the SV, it is a far better bike then almost every rider, but there seems to be some sort of lack of emotional connection with the bike over time. So in that regard, the XB9S would be a good choice. It is a more expensive bike, but probably an ultimately more satisfying motorcycle. The people that own them seem much more emotionally connected with them then the SV owners do (in my humble experience with my very limited sample size). The XB is a lot more bike though (only a little more peak power, but much better suspension, brakes, handling, and low end grunt). The SV is already at the top end of what I think a new rider should get, the XB is a little above that. Also, I don't know that I would want either of those bikes as my first bike after the MSF. The first couple years of riding are when you are most likely to drop the bike, pull some boneheaded maintenance stunt, add some ill-considered accessory, or something else that would be really depressing on a "new" bike. And for whatever reasons, a lot of people come into the sport and are back out in a year or two. New bikes depreciate a lot, old bikes don't, so buying a new bike to get in could cost you $3000 to $6000 just to decide you don't actually ride. So I would look to a used bike, something in the $1800 to $3000 range, and something that you *know* you will sell in a couple years and that will hold its resale reasonably well. There are lots of very nice bikes in that range... You can make mistakes with these bikes without emotional scars, and get enough experience on the street to really know what bike you want. That being said, the XB9S is the bike I would own tomorrow if I had the $$, and as sport bikes go it is better for a new rider then most, so you could do worse, especially if you are not going to be freaked out if you decide to sell the bike in a couple years to some cheapskate like me and realize you lost $5k (worst case scenario) in the deal  | ||
| Captainplanet |
I think the XB may be a little more bike than you need for a first bike. Unless you are a really conservative person, you will need to be really careful on the bike. Don't believe all the hype about not enough power. It has more than enough power to get you in serious trouble. If you really want a Buell, go with a blast. You can get great deals on used ones. Otherwise check out the EX250 and EX500 Kawasakis. | ||
| Kcfirebolt |
From the for what it is worth department . . . the XB9R was my first bike. I am in my 30's and had ridden other people bikes on a couple of occasions, so I knew how it was supposed to go (have since realized that "supposed to" doesn't always equal "will be" . I was also very cautious for the first 1000 miles, riding by myself and getting the hang of everything. That said, it has been a year now and I have grown into the bike nicely and I am riding better and faster than I ever thought I could. I think that if you have any doubt that motorcycling is not for you, go as cheap as you can and test the waters (and your skill) for awhile. If this is something you have been waiting your whole life for, no sense dipping a toe in the water. Just jump on in. THe water's fine. | ||
| Blake |
Josh, Have you seen prices of used XB9's sold on ebay? Most are going for more than $7K and now with the factory incentive, the new ones are selling for between $8K and $9K. Five large less would put the price at only $4K to $5K. If you see a good one selling for that price, you'll likely be bidding against me. ![:]](http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/clipart/proud.gif) Thad, If you are comfortable thrashing around on a good sized dirt bike and have taken the safety course, you should be able to handle the XB9R or XB9S fine. If you have the cash to burn and enjoy tinkering with your bike, I'd say go for it. Otherwise a used Blast or a used SV650 might be the ticket. | ||
| Daves |
Thad, I think you should call me and get one right now!  Ride to the edge! Dave HD/Buell Cycle Center Waterloo Ia 1-800-342-7539 ext 211 | ||
| Americanrice |
My Firebolt is my first STREET bike. You just have to be very careful on it. If you drop it, it is a $8-$10,000 mistake. This is my second summer on mine and no problems so far. You'll be fine as long as you respect the bike (it's power and capabilities). Good luck! | ||
| Thad |
Thanks for all your inputs. It was delivered to my door step this morning. After a trip to the Insurance agent(in my truck), I was parking in the motorcycle area at work (right up front near the door). Rode home for lunch and back to work. Went out for a little ride after dinner. Only 41 miles so far. 500 won't be to long (I hope). Sucks when cars pull away from you at the light. Don't get me wrong, I am not looking to race anything but staying under 2500 rpm is counter intuitive on this bike. 9 more miles and it's 3500 rpm I think. Will have to check that to be sure. It it morning yet? I'm ready to ride to work. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Awsome Thad... fantastic bike! Congratulations. | ||
| Thad |
Less than 100 miles to go for break in. I don't plan to red line any time soon but it will be nice to ride above 3K rpm. I looked at my rear preload yesterday evening. If the owners manual is correct on suspension set up I don't know what the deal was thinking. Rear was set for a weight/load of around 130 lbs and the front was set for around 250 lbs. I changed the rear to the setting for my weight 190-210 I think it is. I plan to change the rest this weekend. Any inputs as to how the suspension should be set that differ from what is in the owners manual?  | ||
| Two_buells |
Thad, Somewhere on this board I posted Suspension setting for the XB's. Maybe Blake can post a link??????? |
