| Author | Message | ||
     Taylormade |
Hi all, I'm hoping to become a new Buell owner shortly. I'll be taking an education course at my local Harley dealership soon and will know for sure whether or not I like riding. I've been thinking about getting a XB9SL for my first bike. I don't care for the look of the Blast and have no interest in any other sport bikes. What's the opinion on this board regarding this bike as a first bike? Sitting on it in the dealership, I love the height and the balance of the bike. I tried sitting on Honda's, Suzuki's, and Kawasaki's and even the bikes with a more upright sitting position didn't seem nearly as balanced as the Buell. My local Harley dealership is selling a 2003 for $8800 but I've found another dealership selling an '04 for $6900. | ||
| Svo1023 |
i think it would make a great first bike...what dealer are you looking at? i'm in the orlando area too | ||
| Tank_bueller  |
I say go for it man!! My XB9SL is not my first bike, but it is my first sportbike, and I also don't have a lot of experience. The bike has more than enough power to get you into trouble, but any bike can do that. I find that as long as I don't push too hard, and RIDE WITHIN MY OWN LIMITS, that I am easily becoming more familiar with the machine and more confident as well. Good luck to ya!! tank (p.s. forgot to mention how much fun the thing is!!!!!) (Message edited by tank_bueller on November 28, 2004) | ||
| Mou5e |
ive owned my xb9r for 1300 miles now and it was my first bike. i had ridden in the dirt for many years but i still am a novice on the road. i think a 9 is a perfect bike to start on and i have no complaints. you wont be disapointed. go for it. | ||
| Black_sunshine  |
I have a 9SL with a stock 12S seat. I am 5'9" 155lbs. and it fits me perfect. The Low seat keeps you in one position all of the time and can get a little cramped. The seat change it great. I say go for it you will not regret it. Although $8800 is a little much for a 03'. Mine had 300 miles on it and was bought off the floor on March of this year for $7200. Get the 04' Welcome to the madness. | ||
| Taylormade |
Thanks to everyone for their input. Orlando Harley is the dealership selling the '03 for $8800. It does seem steep considering the '04 is only $6900. I guess it pays to shop around. Blacksunshine, how is the 12S seat different? Thanks! | ||
| Ezblast  |
I've just read some of the dumbest ••••• to come out of this forum - thank you for this rare honor - lol GT - JBOTDS! EZ  | ||
| Reepicheep  |
If you are a new rider, don't leave the showroom on an XB until you get the $35 frame puck kit installed (IMHO). | ||
| Black_sunshine |
Ez...explain. Taylor...the Low seat is thinner and has a lower profile. Very hard. 12s seat taller, softer and the curve behind your arse is not so define so you can move around better on the seat. | ||
| Ezblast |
An XB9 is easily equivalent to a 600RR/SS bike (Beating a 600RR time in its debute in Tolido Spain's track)- definately not recommended for a beginner - you can learn on anything - the idea of learning well though is to get a bike that won't intimidate you/screw you while you commit newbe errors - the very top of the line recommended beginner bikes in terms of power and performance in a stock platform are an older SV650 or a Duc 620 - you start going past those and the chances for a newbe error screwing you increase dramatically - best advice for a total newbe rider is to pick up a used beginner bike - thrash it and learn on it like ya stole it, then basically sell it for about the same price you paid - maybe minus a few hundred for the joy of thrashing it for 5000 miles or so and then step! This way the chances of your new XB staying new looking are greatly increased - this site has a good listing of whats available to newbees http://www.beginnerbikes.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl- Your first bike is not your last, but it should be easy to ride, fun, and forgiving - gee - I just described a Blast- lol - whatever you choose - play it smart and let the XB be your second bike and let a beater take the brunt of being your first bike. Your •••, but recommending an XB for a first bike is not responsible behavior - yes the XB is more stable than the RR/SS bikes, however, it still has enough of all those other traites of a RR/SS bike to screw you big time in the execution of a newbe error. Not even my opinion - Beginners Bikes, Cycleforum Newbe section, BARF - they all agree - I'm just echoeing common sense. GT - JBOTDS! EZ (Message edited by ezblast on November 29, 2004) | ||
| Glitch  |
I have to agree. Another point to think about. You're a new rider. You're gonna drop it. You're gonna drop it again. What cha wanna drop? Your trustie little beater bike, or that nice shiney new Buell? | ||
| Black_sunshine |
Gotcha EZ...I was thinking 1st Buell not 1st bike. | ||
| Volkswagenfreaky  |
Ez, you are so right ! I lost a dear friend this weekend. A beginner motorcyclist. Of all things she bought a hd Road king for her first bike. myself and others warned against it but she was stubburn and had to have it. She thought she could turn it like a car. less than 300 miles and she hit a tree. I've ridden since I was 15, starting in the dirt and sand. To this day I still treat the street like it is a dirt road. Riding looks so easy, but there's alot more to it and I'm sure your gonna hear a lot of people on this tread telling you the same thing.You know that saying "dont do the crime if you cant do the time " Same •••• man, except its your life! | ||
| Jlnance  |
Victor - Welcome to badweb! There are a lot of great folks here. You are smart to take the Riders Edge class. Let us know how you do. I found it to be a pretty difficult class, but I certainly learned a lot. I would encourage you to listen to what EZ is saying below. Get something cheap that doesn't have too much power. Spend a few months learning to ride. Then you can sell it and buy something else. You will know a lot more about what you want by then. I know you said you didn't like the Blast. However, it is an excellent beginners bike and used ones are cheap. It is the bike you will be using in your Riders Edge class. I would encourage you not to rule it out until after you have taken the class and spend some time on it. | ||
| Jaredkuper  |
I would definitely do it. I had a Blast as my first bike, and while it was a blast, it wasn't quite enough for me. I ended up trading it in after only 3 months and getting what I really wanted, an XB9SL. While there is nothing wrong with the Blast, I could potentially have lost a lot of dough by trading it in so soon. | ||
| Kcfirebolt |
XB9R First bike 2.5 years ago 27,500 miles Do it. Be careful. | ||
| Ezblast |
Sigh - you can learn on anything - as you have proven KC - still - on a Blast I would say have fun, on an XB I would have to respond as you did - be careful - I think you have proven my point to the final degree - merci' GT - JBOTDS! EZ | ||
| Chris_mackay |
I've got the perfect solution! Get the XB. Pull the rear plug. Learn. Put it back in! | ||
| Glitch |
I was lookin' at it this way. Take the Blast, let up the kickstand, walk away. Take the XB, let up the kick stand, walk away. Take both to the dealer for repairs. Which would you rather pay for? Unless, of course we're talking about EZ's bikes  The XB may or may not be "too much bike", but if I were new to bikes, I'd want the one that could be fixed the easiest and least expensive. Either way, your first being Rider's Edge couldn't be a finer first step. I'm not saying your first bike needs to be a Blast. Just needs to be one you're not that worried about too much after you pick it up off the pavement the first (or second) time. | ||
| CJXB  |
Chris Mackay, name looks so familiar each time I see it !! CJ (aka chris mckay) | ||
| Kcfirebolt |
EZ, Want to know something funny? I bought the XB first. I rode a Blast some months later, and I've ridden them a couple of times since. I'd love to have a Blast, and I think they're great fun to ride. The funny part is, I don't think I would have appreciated the Blast as much if it had come first. They are great bikes. Coming off an XB on to the Blast was so easy comfortable and relaxing. Made me smile from ear to ear. If I ever get my hands on one, I plan on making many of the same changes you have. Keep blastin' on the dark side. | ||
| Tripper  |
Blasts are a BLAST! I defy you to enter a corner TOO fast. It just don't care, and ZIP, around it goes. | ||
| Lovematt  |
My advice is to go slow and remember you don't have to do anything you don't want to...in fact you shouldn't. If something doesn't seem right then slow down or back off until you feel comfortable going for it again. Trust me...being a little scared is fine while riding a bike but only after you have some experience. I would love to do all kinds of crazy things on the bike but honestly knowing what COULD happen makes me back off. My dad taught me a good rule...the only one he ever stressed which was "try to make sure you can stop as far as you can see down the road/trail". that is probably the best advice I know for a beginner. After that it is your comfort level with fear, the unseen, and then exhilerating as to how far you want to take your riding. | ||
| Taylormade |
Again, thanks for everyone's input! It does make sense to get a less expensive bike for my first bike. Perhaps it's a little premature to right off a bike like the Blast until I have gained more experience. I think I was thinking more in terms of not buying a bike that I would out grow in 3 months, especially here in Florida where I can ride it almost 12 months. On the other hand, my safety is more important and as EZ mentions, a bike like the XB9SL would not be as forgiving with newbie mistakes. Looking forward to my riding course! | ||
| Reepicheep |
It's not that bad.. the 600 supersports are the worst because they basically have two power levels.... Jack Squat up to about 9000 RPM, and "awww crap I looped it" from 9500 RPM up. That, and their crappy ergodynamics (for riding, they are great for racing), make them lousy starter bikes. The XB is a lot more powerful, and would be happy to kill you if thats what you are asking for, but has plenty of tractable power and good ergos for learning. The bigger reason (IMHO) is that you won't really know what kind of bike you really want until you ride for about a year. You may go the way of the cruiser, the way of the tour bike, the way of the dual sport, the way of the hyperbike, or the way of the perfectly balanced and classic sporting middleweight twin . Buy a used bike, ride it for a year, fix what breaks, and sell it for $500 less then you bought it. Buy a new XB, ride it for a year, and sell it for $3000 less then you bought it for. A new bike for a first bike just does not make sense. That being said, if you know in your heart you will never get past the "Buell thing", buy it and enjoy it. I started on a "beginner" bike. It was OK in terms of drops (1 in 20k miles, I was lucky), but all in all, it was just crappy brakes, crappy suspension, in addition to crappy performance. Any safety perk I got from the low power was more then consumed by crappy brakes, suspension, and tires. That is one thing the Blast did right, the brakes and handling are much better then a "starter bike" ought to be. The best starter bike (IMHO) would be a dual sport. Ride the heck out of the think on every surface you can find for a year, and you will be one of the better riders on the street whatever bike you get next. | ||
| Thepup |
My first bike was my XB9SL,I did drop it in the grass,long story.If you think about it,he gets the blast drives it for a few months,nothing happens,trades it in for an XB loses money,drops the XB shortly after.Except for the frame,and frame pucks will help that,what would be the price difference of fixing the two if they are dropped,i bet not much.Ocala has good deals on XB's.No way you can compare a XB9 to a 600RR,the 600 will blow the XB away,believe me I know this. (Message edited by thepup on November 30, 2004) | ||
| Burnmyheartdown |
I wanted an XB9R for my first bike. Still live with my parents, wouldn't let me have that, but I begged my dad into letting me buy the Blast. I've ridden dirt from about 5-13 pretty consistently, an dual sports from 15-17. I was afraid the Blast wouldn't have the power to do what I wanted (squid wheelies) but I settled. And I love it. I love working on it, riding it, looking at it, showing it off. People dig the Buells. And the Blast is a great first street bike, I'll probably keep mine for a year or so before I move to something bigger. But it'll be a year well spent. Don't go with the big bike first. Go small, learn, then if you're still feeling it, go bigger when you're comfortable. I got ragged on for the little Blast once and I told the guy "It doesn't matter how big your nads are if they're splattered on the pavement." The End. | ||
| Firebolt020283  |
well i cant say much about having an xb for a first bike. Mine was my first street bike but i Have been riding on the dirt since i can remeber and dirttrack racing. I did ride my freinds gixxer a few times before i bought my xb. the only problem i have is the different riding style on the street (cant slide the bike sideways through turns). | ||
| Barkandbite  |
the only problem i have is the different riding style on the street (cant slide the bike sideways through turns). You're just not trying hard enough /Chris | ||
| Firebolt020283 |
yea but ur not soposed to like on the flat tracks |
