| Author | Message | ||
     Fast1075 |
Well...I finally did it...today I swapped the Mighty Blast in...and got a pristine 2004 XB12s. Now I get to learn the ins and outs of an XB  It is CRAZY fun to ride...except the clutch pull compared to the Blast. Looks like my first mod is going to be an adjustable clutch lever and a Muller Power Pull. Pics tomorrow maybe...I'm goin' RIDIN!!! | ||
| Pogue_mahone |
oil up the pivot and cable end,it should loosen up. | ||
| 20xb12s04 |
Fast1075, take a look at the Clutchlite before you drop the $$$ on the Muller. The Clutchlite works like the Muller, but it only replaces the inner ramp. Super easy to install too. I put the X-soft on my wife's bike and it works great. You can find one here: http://www.phatperformanceparts.com/ProductDetails .asp?ProductCode=CC-CLUTCHLITE or at any Custom Chrome dealer. | ||
| 20xb12s04 |
Oh, and congrats on the new XB! Welcome to the sickness | ||
| Fast1075 |
Thanks for the tip 20x...i'll check into that...the clutch cable, pivot, etc work flawlessly as is...the problem I have is my fingers are short...the lever is so far out, I have to pull it with my fingertips which makes it difficult when I get caught up in stop and go traffic...eventually I end up so cramped I have to stop. Yeah, eventually I'm sure I will HTFU...but an easy pull makes riding so much more enjoyable. This morning, before riding, I went over the suspension settings...found that they were set up for a 250 pound rider!!! Set everything up for my 145 pound self...the permagrin got bigger than it was yesterday (Message edited by fast1075 on September 20, 2009) | ||
| Bromanowski |
That's one of the biggest things with these bikes. As soon as you get it adjust the suspension for your weight. It can make a huge difference. | ||
| Fast1075 |
 Crappy cellphone picture, but there she is... | ||
| Zane |
Sssweeeet! Congratulations Harry. Does it go as fast as your Blast did after all the mods? | ||
| Fast1075 |
Almost  | ||
| Fast1075 |
I got a low seat and that definately helps with the seat height...I can live with it I believe....and I just installed a EZ-Pull for the clutch...WOW...easier to pull than the Blast clutch was...Highly recommended...should be stock from the factory. Ready to go..  | ||
| 20xb12s04 |
Which one did you end up going with? | ||
| Fast1075 |
I have a small independent shop just down the block...nice guys and very good techs. I had called to see what they recommended and to find out how long it would take to get one in....they said they had an "Easy Clutch" in stock and if I brought my bike in, they would install it for free!! (I have used these guys for tire mounting and getting misc. small stuff before...very reasonable and very good service...nary a nick in my powder coat wheels).... Anyways...$101.60 later (including parts, tax,labor,etc), I have an "Easy Clutch" (from the invoice) and am one happy camper. If anyone is in the Central Florida area visiting and has a problem, I will be happy to hook them up with the little shop down the road. | ||
| 20xb12s04 |
Nicely done | ||
| Brumbear |
Well its the slower red but those wheels oh how they shine Good luck with it you will love it I am sure | ||
| Fast1075 |
The XB is everything the Blast wasn't...it will take a while to learn proper technique for one thing...it takes a lot more input to make the XB turn than it did the Blast. Besides the obvious difference in torque and power, the XB chassis does not flex. The Blast chassis did, which I'm sure was the main reason for the worst trait (and the reason I upgraded) in which the bike was very disconcerting in high speed sweepers...the XB is rock solid. It does not wiggle around or get scary if you hit a bump mid apex. Good chassis, Decent suspension, and in my case a good set of tires...it came with new Corsa III's On the other hand...in really tight twisties, you can throw a Blast around with little effort...at the slower speeds of the tighter stuff it was a ball to ride. Maybe one day ole Erik will build a big thumper with a killer chassis...I would buy one in an instant...bike-money RIGHT NOW!!! So I am spending a lot of time researching my new bike...the KV is helpful and I will be asking a million dumb questions...no product is perfect, the XB has a few issues that seem to be inherent...I will pick away at them over time. | ||
| Zane |
Harry, Make sure you keep us posted on what you find and how you address those issues. It'll save me from re-inventing the wheel when I get my XT some day. Keep smilin' | ||
| Fast1075 |
Will do Zane...maybe we can get someone to put up some stickies on particular items as help topics or something like EZ and ERIK have over in the Thumper board. | ||
| Swordsman |
LOL, I don't understand you guys that fuss over the clutch resistance. I've never even noticed it, and I haven't oiled the thing in 3 years (I know, I know, I'm just begging for a broken cable!). Maybe you should find some..... ways.... to beef up that left hand......  ~SM | ||
| Fast1075 |
LOL SM...I have plenty of GRIP...I can run a sheetmetal hammer all day...it's my stubby little fingers... And why does the bike come with an adjustable brake lever and not a clutch lever??  The mod does make the engagement much more progressive..I would do it anyway just for that reason. It has some problems with surging at part throttle...I have fried my eyeballs going through the "search" function and it seems to be a very common problem...but with very little in hard "this is why, and this is how you fix it" info...on my "test" ride, it saw very very little low speed part throttle ....I mean...the tires are new...they need to be properly scuffed I'll figure it out...I look at it like this...nothing is perfect...I quickly bore with the usual...now I have something to keep the ole brain active. If anyone can throw in any thoughts on the surge problem...i'm all ears  | ||
| Fast1075 |
Went for a 150 mile ride today...getting more familiar with the bike...the new seat is starting to break in and is suprisingly comfortable. (I know...I'm supposed to be hanging off, not sitting ) Did a little tweaking on the suspension and headed for my favorite roads. Man does this thing handle good...point n shoot...I haven't used full throttle yet. Haven't needed to...Buell ought to offer them in John Deere green... Went to the dealership first thing to have them listen to the motor. (never owned a Harley or Buell V-Twin before)...Service manager says it sounds good, go ride it. So ride it I did...I did get in a little hanging off time, but I didn't push it much at all...even failed to wave a couple of times mid apex...but sorry...the bike draws so much attention, I couldn't help but meet some new people when I stopped for lunch... Fall is coming...gonna be some beautiful (cooler) riding weather pretty soon...I feel like a kid with a new puppy.. | ||
| Americanmadexb |
Congrats on the bike. i too never understand the clutch pull issue but whatever. Its a great bike, enjoy!! | ||
| Swordsman |
Fast, that throttle thing you're noticing is, as they say, "the nature of the beast". The XB's are terribly twitchy under 3k rpms, and still stumble a bit nearly to 4k. I'm fairly certain there is no total cure for it, or else it wouldn't come up so often. I believe it stems from a combination of an aggressive cam, Buell's tuning tricks to avoid a catalytic converter, and the use of a narrow band O2 sensor instead of a wide band. I've heard good things about simply replacing the O2 with a wide band. ~SM | ||
| Fast1075 |
I'm getting more used to it as I ride it more...I'll look into the wideband sensor... I just got my service manual this morning...it's funny...my local dealership didn't have one...it would take a week to get it...I ordered one via E-mail from a dealership in Illinois on thursday, got it this morning...and got a discount because it was an "old stock"...wooohoooo... Now I have a REAL problem with the bike...when I rode the Blast it was one thing...on the XB...EVERYBODY is in my way .... | ||
| Froggy |
A breather reroute helps tremendously I idle at about 700/750 rpm, and cruise at 1500-2000rpm. I only break 3000rpm if I am on the highway, I run out of gears to shift. | ||
| Swordsman |
That's true, I forgot about the reroute. That does help. My bike coughed pretty bad when I first got it, but after the reroute, I'd say the cruising "skip" was reduced by, oh, probably 80-90%. ~SM | ||
| Fast1075 |
Thanks for the tip guys...I'll do the reroute....unless that will mess up my extended warranty.. | ||
| Fast1075 |
Went for my first club ride yesterday...WOW...what fun!!! I hadn't ridden with a group since I got Jezebel... All went well...of course we all rode carefully and slowly well within the speed limits ....This thing handles like it is on RAILS...and I am getting used to riding it...I am glad I bought it. Had one problem...It blew the fuse to the ECU when I hid a hard bump...must have a pinched wire somewhere...I put in a spare fuse and had no further problems during the ride...I say no worries...just a teething problem with the new ride...I'll find the problem and fix it...if I can't find it...I have the extended warranty anyways.. I may look at some fairing options...there is nowhere to hide from the wind blast at speed even when tucked in...still a minor issue since I don't spend a LOT of time at speed... In any case this thing ROCKS!!! Thanks Erik and the Elves!!! | ||
| Fast1075 |
Friday after work, had time to look into the blown fuse thing...was really easy to find..one of the wire bundles that plugs into the ECU had rubbed up against the battery negative terminal and shorted...it looks like it may have been doing that for some time...fixed it, armored the wire bundle...done. When I rode the bike after I fixed the rubbed wire, it ran better, with less of the surging thing going on...I think maybe it has been intermittantly shorting, but lot for long enough to blow the fuse..it is definately better now.. I had ordered a RSS from the dealership...it was in this morning, so I put it on....and while I was there, they had some old stock on sale...I bought a Buell tail bag for $42.00 NIB...I ordered a "taller" wind screen from American Sport Bike, that will be in next week...Jezebel is developing her own personality...I love the bike more each time I ride it... |
