| Author | Message | ||
     Cletusberontwood |
Just been a bit curious, still while studying and searching for the right bike for me, and wanted to hear your opinions. As far as the riding experience of these two bikes, how does it differ? Is the 9 more nimble than the 12? What other nuances do you find that adds/subtracts from the experience of the bike? How well do the two comparitively take to highway cruising / weekend trips? Has one proven to be more reliable or better constructed? Which one was more widely produced? Just basically looking for some first hand experience here. Thanks! | ||
| Retrittion |
The 9 and the 12 use the same engine (the internals of the 12 are modified to have a larger CC, the gearing and RPM range are slightly different) and pretty much everything else -- it is sort of like comparing a four cylinder Honda Accord to a V6 Honda Accord -- is mostly the same thing with a few differences. Some people seem to prefer the 9 and some the 12 but I think everyone agrees that they are very similar. Well, except for the people who ride the CityX -- those guys think they are some kind of super heroes or something...  Seriously, I have a XB12R -- had it for about a year -- and I love it. I think the only other bikes I would want in my garage would be another Buell (an Scg would be great), a Triumph, and maybe a KTM or Ducati to round out the bunch. As a road bike I love my R -- the high torques and ease it goes in and out of corners makes riding a joy to ride. I also like riding an American made exotic -- I don't have to buy a bunch of aftermarket stuff to make it stand out, like the guys with GSXRs or R6s. Getting the nod from a lot of the older riders on cruisers is cool -- personally I would rather talk to the old guys about engines and rides and such than squids about that time they rode a wheelie though downtown and scared some small children...  I would say take some bikes out for a ride and see which one you enjoy riding -- take a riders safety course if you haven't yet -- and then get the bike you enjoy, as opposed to the one hyped by a mag or with the coolest paint job. Otherwise you will just end up selling it. I highly recommend the Triumph Speed Triple and KTMs in addition to Buells. My .02 (Message edited by retrittion on June 09, 2008) | ||
| Glitch |
More like comparing a big block to a short block. The 12 has a longer stroke than the 9. | ||
| Retrittion |
Yeah, your right Glitch...my analogy was more about the overall XB design than the 9 v. 12 engine -- my bad. Personally, I think the difference between the 9 and 12 isn't really that much -- both great bikes. It's not like comparing a GSXR 6 v. GSXR 1000 and I think people who haven't spent time around Buells may not get how slight the difference is. Heh, I wish there was an XB5 even more now! That would be a stark contrast in handling.  (Message edited by retrittion on June 09, 2008) | ||
| Cityxslicker |
black cases, enough said No where is my cape? I have dirt riding to do. Somewhere there is mud lying in wait.... (sorry I couldnt resist) | ||
| Retrittion |
 |
