| Author |
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Froggy
| | Posted on Monday, January 05, 2009 - 08:31 pm: | 
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Coming up on 2 years of Buelling for me. Heat depends on many factors, including your ergonomics and gear. Occasionally my right like will be a tad warmer than the left, but it is rare I notice. I have never had to pull over because of heat, but one I ended up pushing it in traffic because it was that slow and I didn't want to waste the gas idling. Oh that was right after getting a ticket for lane splitting too 
(Wasn't really pulled over, a cop on foot jumped in the lane and pointed to the shoulder, lol)
I have ridden 35,000 miles temperatures everywhere from 50C to -16C. Unfortunately I don’t even feel the heat in the winter. |
Desert_uly
| | Posted on Monday, January 05, 2009 - 10:51 pm: |
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Does it actually get hot in Wenham MA.? July through September in Southern Calif. Mojave desert probably averages 100+ daily but that doesn't mean drive your air conditioned car or truck for 3 months. The pleasure I get from my 08 XB12X is much greater than worrying if my right pant leg is about to start smoking. |
Kazz1949
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - 11:22 am: |
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There are too many positives for the Uley to disregard it because of the heat issue. The problem can be fixed with heat shields (Odie's Spec, OPS) or like I did. make it yourself with heavy duty aluminum foil.
After riding Jap and English bikes for sixteen years and Harleys for twenty five I have to say my XT is the best handling and most fun bike I've rode.
Bob |
Schleppy
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - 02:20 pm: |
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"Does it actually get hot in Wenham MA.? July through September in Southern Calif. Mojave desert probably averages 100+ daily but that doesn't mean drive your air conditioned car or truck for 3 months. The pleasure I get from my 08 XB12X is much greater than worrying if my right pant leg is about to start smoking."
You bet your ass it does. Summer days can easily be near 100 degrees with absurd humidity. Having to commute in that heat on any bike sucks. I can't imagine the heat pissing off the right side of the Buell would make it better.
Would I forego the Buell altogether because of that? I don't know yet. All I do know is that I do a lot of commuting in the summer, and I want to make it more comfortable, not less. |
Sgpatter
| | Posted on Friday, January 09, 2009 - 05:28 pm: |
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First, thanks for all the candid replies. Inspiring.
I am surprised at the breadth of experiences. Everything from 'not a problem' to 'definitely a problem.'
I wonder how much of it has to do with model year and how lean the bike was set-up to run out of the factory.
I also think there's something to the idea that how the bike is ridden effects the heat generation, especially for a bike that requires higher RPMs to get up on the cam compared to its Sportster brethren.
Only one comment, I believe, covered running an aftermarket for enriching the fuel mixture. I know in the HD world, the XIED from Night Rider is a popular, simple, plug-in product for closed loop systems but checking their website, they aren't available for Buell. Any body have much experience with running richer fuel/air without having to spend several hundred dollars?
On the remark about the 1125's running hot and boiling fuel, my understanding was with the remap and repositioning, the heat is way down. Maybe I have bad info.
Thanks again, guys/gals. |
Froggy
| | Posted on Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 03:04 am: |
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quote:I wonder how much of it has to do with model year and how lean the bike was set-up to run out of the factory.
No real variance here. The 08 and newer bikes have significantly different oil and cooling system, so they tend to run cooler, but nothing to write home about. Again, demo it. You might be one of the people that feel the heat, I don't. I should have elaborated on my last post; I have ridden over a dozen Buells of various years and modification, and never once felt any significant heat. You might be the kind of person that mistakes the header as a knee rest, who knows
About the RPM thing, it should be noted that I do majority of my riding at really low RPMs, I shift by the book, which many feel is too low (like 2000 rpm). Even when beating on it and running to redline, I don't notice the heat but I might be too busy worrying about keeping the front end down
For adjusting the fueling, ECMspy works great and is free for 07 and earlier bikes, limited compatibility with the 08+ models, so it’s not supported for them. There are some other modules like from Remus and stuff that connect to the ECM like a power commander that do the same thing.
Yes there have been a few reflashes for the 1125R right from Buell, each time it seems the bikes get better and better. Looks like the issues are 95% ironed out. |
Thruster
| | Posted on Monday, January 12, 2009 - 06:09 pm: |
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Right-side air scoop from americansportbike.com may help a little, and also sweet-talking your manager to let you come to work at 7 and leave by 4 to avoid parade duty. I did both, and I'm a happy camper on my '08 Uly, 12K mi now, NJ commuting 50 mi/day year-round in all weather (no car). I wear an Aerostich.com Roadcrafter suit all the time and don't mind a little warmth as long as I keep moving. I have two suits and two helmets, so I can wash and dry them thoroughly. Except for the scoop, Jet-Hot.com -ing my muffler, and putting on Michelin Pilot Road 2 tires, the bike is completely stock. Rather than perf-modding, I'll just get an 1125CR as my "backup bike" once the Uly is paid off. Oh yes, one other tiny but important mod was to pack the clutch cable rubber boot (near the front header) with grease and put a zip-tie around the top of the boot, to keep water from getting into the primary while parked in rain, and replace the recalled wire retainer with the upgraded bracket, to keep the cable off of the header. |
Edgydrifter
| | Posted on Monday, January 12, 2009 - 07:03 pm: |
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That's a good tip about the packing the clutch cable boot with grease, as my bike is outdoors almost always, and usually without a cover.
I haven't found the heat to be any big deal. I've only been uncomfortable on a couple unusual occasions where I was forced to idle in the sun stuck in traffic (accident on the freeway, that kind of thing). In such conditions, I don't know what bike would qualify as cool and comfortable. Now that it's winter, I appreciate the heat coming off the rear cylinder quite a bit. The rest of me may freeze during the morning commute, but my hands and legs stay nice and toasty. |
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