| Author | Message | ||
     Submax |
Hi all, I'm new to this forum. I've been interested in Buells for a long time, but never pulled the trigger and bought one. I came across a Craigslist ad for a 2009 xb12ss with 6500 miles that looks like it is in great shape and is not too far from me. Seller is asking $5800. Any advice? Is it a good price? Anything I should be concerned about? How is it finding parts these days? Thanks! James | ||
| Fotoguzzi |
worth $5800? yes but the prices on all Buell's have tanked so he might be having trouble finding a buyer. Lot's of people talk about poor parts availability but I've never heard of anyone not being able to get parts. I'm not concerned about parts, I just ride! | ||
| Submax |
Thanks, Fotoguzzi! I'm going to look at the bike today, but don't plan on buying it quite yet. I want to see it up close first and hopefully get some insight from the folks on this forum! Here's the ad. The seller has told me a little about the mods, but I don't have enough experience with Buells to know if what he is saying is BS or not. He says that all the mods are "standard, recommended mods by Buell for the 2009 model." That includes a Buell tail eliminator kit, a Buell airbox mod kit, some kind of factory re-breather kit, an Erik Buell triple clamp (says his handlebar is higher than stock and that the triple was made by Buell and is almost unobtainable now, an exhaust rebuild where the exhaust is sent back east and the guts are taken out and changed (sounds like Drummer?) and the EBR ECM. I'll let you know what I find out in person. Anything I should verify/look for? What is the typical going price for one of these with these kinds of mods and low miles? Thanks! http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/mcy/4931243061. html | ||
| Fotoguzzi |
the ad is down, hope he didn't sell it on you. I would inspect the ECU and plugs under the seat, has it been moved so it won't crack? belt been replaced and is there a spare? | ||
| Submax |
Strange...the ad is still active as far as I can tell. Here it is again: http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/mcy/4931243061. html What should have been moved so it won't crack? Thanks! | ||
| Fotoguzzi |
I see it now.. NICE! that looks like a keeper and 6800 miles it's hardly broken in.. If you really want a Buell get it for what ever price and that's the cost of ownership.. I've gotten thousands of dollars worth of enjoyment from my Uly (I paid a little more than that). | ||
| Submax |
Hi all, Just got back from looking at the bike. Here's a link to pics. It is in awesome shape. The seller seems very knowledgable about bikes and was very honest and willing to answer questions. He is very firm on price (I think part of him really doesn't want to sell it). Seems like it will be pretty challenging to find another one of this color and this good of shape this close to where I live (I really wouldn't want to ship one from around the country). Let me know what you think and what I should be concerned about. If all seems good, I plan on buying it. Thanks! James https://www.dropbox.com/sh/w3ptajsnpjelpgk/AAAAEEX XVwBkNsyUT97f95rDa?dl=0 | ||
| Fotoguzzi |
If you were me it would already be in our garage! Just pay him... know that you may not get the same price at re-sale time.. swallow it and enjoy.. don't know why nobody else is in on this, maybe riding. I think those who know would agree you need to get it now the season is on us.. that thing is so much cooler than a Ducati or anything else.. | ||
| Submax |
Hey Fotoguzzi, Thanks for trying so hard to talk me out of it.  I am very excited, but also want to make sure I cover all my bases. The seller has been very cool about working with me. I've told him I will purchase it this weekend after a test drive (wasn't able to on my last visit due to bad weather). He has pulled it off of Craigslist and says he has no problem with me riding it and going over it with a fine toothed comb when I come to buy it. So, if you have any recommendations about what to check out or things that should scare me off, I would appreciate it! I found this page on another forum, which looks like a good check list to go over: http://www.buellxb.com/Buell-XB-Forum/General-Moto rcycle-Chat/Buell-XB-Buyers-Guide. Anything else? Should I be worried that the mods (airbox/breather/exhaust/mapping) weren't done the right way? Any way I can tell? Sounds like the original owner had done all of those mods (I am buying from the second owner), so I don't have a lot of detail about that. Seller believes that the exhaust was done by a guy that is common to the Buell forums back East where you send him the exhaust pipe and he converts it by cutting it open. Sounds like Drummer...but he thought the name was different. The bike has the EBR ECM. Thanks again! James | ||
| Froggy |
I have no idea what that means, HD/Buell typically does not recommend any modifications, as improperly done ones can damage the bike. They had a limited selection of official accessories including a race muffler, but it always had the usual disclaimer about having a dealer install it.
All those things you mention are not Buell accessories, but many of them are available from 3rd parties like American Sport Bike. The tail eliminator is cosmetic, and removes the large "cheese grater" between the tail light and license plate mount. The open airbox kit improves airflow to the motor, and the breather redirect diverts the crankcase gasses away from the airbox to improve low RPM smoothness. The downside to this setup is you now have a catch can near the oil cooler that needs to be emptied regularly, if you don't it will spill all over your bike/you. In a stock setup the crud is simply ingested by the motor and burned off. http://americansportbike.com/newdir/Item/A9304 http://americansportbike.com/newdir/Item/5624 I have no idea what an Erik Buell triple clamp is, but the one this bike has is not from them. What it does have is made by Crossroads, and that changes you from having standard upright handlebars to clip-ons, these clip-ons are nowhere near higher than a stock setup, and it will be similar to a Firebolt. http://www.americansportbike.com/shoponline/ccp0-p rodshow/A9074.html As for your exhaust, it appears to be bone stock. Drummer cuts the end off, does their magic inside, and then puts a new end cap on and gives it a fresh coat of paint. Your exhaust has the stock endcap that the late model bikes have, plus I don’t see any unusual weld or cutting marks. Here is what most Drummers look like: http://froggypwns.com/images/LightningLong/2008-07 -01/slides/IMG_3035.JPG The EBR ECM is the only thing that sounds legit on there, but given how wrong he is about everything else I suspect that it may still be stock, if you look at the ECM under the seat, it has “Race use only” engraved into it. The Race ECM is a fantastic addition to any Buell, regardless of exhaust, as it improves fueling and makes the bike run the way Erik intended it to run, not how the EPA wants. It also tweaks some other things like engine braking, fan operation, use of the exhaust actuator and handling of error codes.
About $3000-5000, depending on condition, given it appears to be in great condition, it is not unreasonable to expect near $5k mark, but they simply don’t have a decent resell value so it is rare that a Buell is actually worth that much.
Nothing on this bike
Some modifications that have not been mentioned – Tuono mirrors, different hand grips, exhaust header wrap, missing lower belt guard, aftermarket right side scoop, scraped up clutch lever. The bike does not appear to have been crashed, but it is hard to tell for sure. Wrapping the exhaust is common cheap fix after crashing on the right. Good luck with the bike, it would be a great buy if you can get the seller down a grand. | ||
| Submax |
Hi Froggy, Thanks for the input! Like I said, having met the seller, he told me that he was not the one who did the mods. He seems to be a pretty serious mechanic having seen his garage and the kind of work he is doing. My take on it is that the original owner told him about the mods and how they are available on places like Buell Parts and erikbuellracing.com and he interpreted that as meaning that they are official Buell parts. Clearly, this is a crossroads triple (now that I am starting to learn what these are)...again, he seemed to be going from memory of what the original owner had said about it being an Erik Buell part. In terms of the exhaust, I looked at it myself and could see where there was a weld down the middle of it where it has been cut into. The seller didn't think it was Drummer, but another person who does this kind of work to the original exhaust, but couldn't remember the name. He did think it was someone commonly found on the forums. Not sure. I looked under the seat and saw the EBR ECM engraved with "Race Use Only" as you say. So, that is there. Is that something that people reprogram themselves? Or is it just plug and play? As for the other mods, I had noticed the non-stock mirrors (like the Tuono mirrors better anyway). I can certainly ask him to remove the header wrap so I can inspect the pipes (I was thinking of doing that anyway). Good eye on the scraped clutch lever...I had hardly noticed that when it was right in front of me.  I looked it all over and didn't see any signs of actually having been down...pucks are good, not scrapes or marks...footpegs are good, handlebars are good. He has the belt guard along with the passenger pegs (he took them off). He does not have the original handlebar or upper handlebar clamp. I agree that it might be possible to find another one of these that is this clean, low miles, and this color (which is the one I want) for a bit cheaper...but it seems like the odds are against it. I may be wrong, but from what I can tell there were only about 7000 of these bikes made from 2006-2010 and I believe that the hero blue color was only available in 2009. So, there were probably less than 1000 of those. Seems unlikely to find another one within a reasonable distance of me. But...I could be wrong. It's certainly happened before. Thanks again! James | ||
| Doughnut |
Great bike. Have the same year and color. One thing to note. My seat ripped at about 13000 miles. I purchased the touring seat (Buell part) and it did NOT fit properly. The bottom tray was pressing against the battery terminal and causing the bike to stall while riding. Cut out some of the plastic and foam underneath and will be trying it again this season. GREAT bike! Get it for as little as you can and keep it. | ||
| Fotoguzzi |
Did you get it? | ||
| Submax |
Hey guys, Sorry I haven't responded for a few days...been swamped. I got the bike! So happy with it! . The bottom end grunt is amazing! I'll post pics soon. Love the sound...the look...and the way it handles. I was a little bummed when I got it home and gave it a good wipe down. I noticed some road rash that I didn't before buying it (of course). (Good on Froggy for being cautious...not something I'm always good at.) It is hidden well. On the right side of the swing arm, along the bottom in a couple of places are some damage spots that are painted black to match the frame. You can also see it on the rear passenger peg (which the seller had taken off and was in box since he rides solo and wanted to have a cleaner look). I assume that the right side frame puck was replaced since it doesn't have a scratch on it. You can see just a hint of some a mark (painted black) along the very bottom of the puck. This model and year came with the pucks as stock equipment, so it is very likely that there was a puck in place when the bike went down. There may still be some damage under that puck, but given that the bike looks essentially pristine without a magnifying glass, I would rather not know. And, in the end, I don't think that it would have kept me from buying the bike. One other question. When I got home, I noticed a small amount of blow-by oil around the air filter attached to the catch can of the breather mod. Should there be any oil making it past that filter? Any thoughts? Thanks again for the advice! James | ||
| Froggy |
The catch can is likely full, there is a valve on the bottom you can open that lets you drain it out | ||
| Submax |
Hi Froggy, Checked that. There was nothing in the catch can. Maybe its clogged? James | ||
| Froggy |
I don't know if it makes a difference, but on my bike the filter is on the rearward port, the top port is hose coming from the airbox. In the pictures above it appears to be reversed. | ||
| Submax |
Hi Froggy, Turns out the catch can was totally full and clogged, so no spooge could come out of the petcock on the bottom. I did a little roto-router job on it, so hopefully that will fix the problem. I didn't thoroughly clean the inside of the catch can, just got it opened up so that the spooge could drain. I assume that the inside of the catch can doesn't need to be clean as it just fills up with more spooge. Thanks! James (Message edited by submax on March 26, 2015) |
