| Author | Message | ||
     Not_purple_s2 |
For those that have tried both; are there any ergonomic difference between the two? More specifically does the Firebolt seat and tail have any advantage over the lightning when riding aggressive? I've got an XB9S that I'm slowly transforming into a track/twisties only bike. Right now I'm running a set of clubmans to get into a more aggresive crouch. Would a conversion to an R tail be worth the money? I know I'd get some back by selling off me S parts but probably not all.  | ||
| Mpolans |
I did the conversion from XBS to XBR and then back to XBS. I did it just for the looks. For aggressive riding purposes, I don't think you gain anything, but I don't think you lose anything either. For riding around and or going on roadtrips (for me, DC to NYC), I thought the XBR seat was much less comfortable. It felt shorter (front to back) and didn't feel as well padded as my Select Seat. Plus, on roadtrips, I've found I can stay comfortable longer by moving around a bit and sitting on the rear passenger section of the lightning bit for a little bit...can't do that with the XBR tail. | ||
| Hammer71 |
Havent changed mine over but as a former Firebolt owner I can say that its much easier to transition with the Firebolt set up as well as giving a bit more room to move around to set up for corners and such. Not to say the lightning is bad or uncomfortable on the track or twisty roads it's just what I prefer. I still ride it the same way as I did the Bolt but For what you intend to use the bike for I would swap em out. If you dont like it I'll buy the parts from you (if I havent already done the swap) | ||
| Cbi |
I put an S tail on my Firebolt. I used an SCG seat. I am very happy with my setup, looks-wise and comfort-wise. I just never felt right on the R tail. | ||
| Billyo |
I'd like to put an S tail on my R so if anyone wants to sell theirs, let me know. | ||
| Gunut75 |
One of these days I will have an S, with an R tail. | ||
| Brightbuell |
The clubmans really add an aggressive look. I would deff go that route if I had a lightning. Nice! As far as which tail im not sure but make sure you post a pic if you go R. | ||
| Glitch |
S tail is lower then the R The S holds your ass in one spot better The R lets you slide off the seat side to side a lot easier The heat is easier on your legs with the S seat With a set of "clipons" the S with an R tail is the way to go for me. The S tail is excellent of the street and comfortable riding The R tail is excellent for more aggressive style of riding Erik once said he liked the S for riding unfamiliar twisties while he liked the R for riding the twisties more familiar | ||
| Trojan |
For track use the biggest advantage in fitting the R back end would be that you could save a lot of weight. Use a lightweight race subframe and a glassfibre/carbon fibre solo seat and you will save lbs over the S model subframe/seat. Using the R solo seat tail piece would also give you more support on track, although if you are tall (6') plus you may find it cramped. We changed ours for a Suzuki GSXR1000 K3 race seat unit on a XBR race subframe as this gave much more space to get down behind the screen. Unfortunately swapping from S to R configuration isn't as easy as doing it the other way round. The R model houses a lot of its electrics and ECU behind the front fairing whereas the S has everything under the seat. This means that you may have to relocate some of the parts to make it fit. Using a smaller lightweight race battery would help and save more weight in the process of course | ||
| Not_purple_s2 |
Thanks guys. I've ridden an XB12R before but at the time I was coming from an S2 and hadn't tried a S yet... plus it's been a long time. My goal over the winter is to bring the S2 back to life and use it as my daily ride and dedicate the XB to track days. There is however the thought in the back of my head that I should just get a 600 track bike for cheap and not thrash the Buell. I'm not 100% sure which way i'm gonna go but I will say that the vision of my XB9S stripped down to race weight with an R tail and lightning race fairing up front tearing ass around the track is way more exciting than a generic 600 track bike. | ||
| Gunut75 |
I guess it depends if your learning to race or not. If it's your first races, and track days, thrash the cheap 600. |
