| Author | Message | ||
     Jettdawg |
Anyone here who has ridden both? Is there a noticeable difference in the handling? I've taken an XB12S for a nice long demo ride and really like the sharp handling, but would like the extra fuel capacity and roomier seat of the SS. I know the SS is only 2" longer and is still shorter than just about every other streetbike out there, but haven't had the opportunity to ride one (doesn't seem to be any dealers within a reasonable distance that have an SS available for demo rides). Just don't want to drop 10 large on a new bike and wish I had bought the other  | ||
| Badlionsfan |
I haven't, but many here have. do a search and you should find some comparisons. | ||
| Lost_in_ohio |
I have ridden both and to be real frank on the demo ride it was impossible to tell the difference. The demo rides are extremely tame so take it as you will, I imagine on an aggressive ride you could probably tell. The nice thing about the SS you can convert it to a XT, TT or X easily, I almost forgot steve's ulybolt. It uses the longer frame, also giving you a larger fuel tank. Just something to think about. | ||
| Teddagreek |
I like the SS better.. I have a S and have Demo'd the SS 4 times and love it. Is it a subtle difference yes, for a taller guy I like it better.. To bad they don't firebolt long.. | ||
| Froggy |
I own an SS, and have ridden several S. Honestly i couln't tell the difference between handling and performance. To be honest, I never put enough miles on a S to give a credible opinion on it. | ||
| Mesozoic |
Good reviews specific to the XB12Ss: http://www.bikepoint.com.au/portal/alias__Bikepoin tau/tabID__5760/ArticleID__120102/DesktopDefault.a spx http://motorcycletestdrive.com/buell.html | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
The word "Long" to describe the XB12Ss is actually a bit of a misnomer. The Long, with its 54 inch wheelbase, and 23.5º rake, is actually shorter and steeper than a Ducati 1098 or GSXR 600, just to name two bikes that have been very successful on the race track. I believe that the XB12Ss should be considered the "Standard" Buell, and the 52" models were, frankly speaking, perhaps a bit of a mistake, or at the least, a highly specialized model The rationale for the 52 inch wheelbase was that the bike mimicked the dimensions of a 250 GP bike. That sounds great at first blush, but are the dimensions of racing bike that weighs about 300 pounds with a 100 pound professional rider likely to be correct for a 450 lb bike with riders in the 200 pound range? I think not. I found the 52" models a bit unstable. In any event, hoping to avoid any kind of flame war, as always, I would point out to those who might disagree, that the Buell company seems to agree with me in this matter, although they never have, and never will, say so publicly. The reason I say that, is every model introduced since the first four, have had the longer wheelbase, and several have had a more relaxed steering rake. In addition, many guys who race, have adopted the Hals swing arm which in addition to providing a chain conversion, adds two to three inches of wheelbase, primarily for high speed stability. Or so I was told by Tripp Nobles who knows a thing or two about racing Buells. I have one of those longer swing arms on my street bike, and I think it improved the handling of the bike, especially as I weigh 240# in my gear. Just my .02¢ Bottom Line: Go for the Long. | ||
| Jaimec |
And for reference, despite it being called the "long" model, it is still one or two inches SHORTER than the old tube framed models, if I recall correctly... | ||
| Mesozoic |
Yup, I went for the long. They recently introduced the cg models however and those bikes are certainly not longer than the standard S. |
