| Author | Message | ||
     Formulaonefan |
I am looking a purchasing a Buell soon and I wanted to know how they are long term. I do a bunch of boring riding back and forth to work with some back road blasts on the weekends. I'm 44, 6'2" and 210lbs. I'm looking at the XB12S. How relible are they? What are the problems you guys have found? I've heard that they are "twitchy" because of the short wheelbase. Right now I'm riding a 2000 Suzuki SV650. Anything you can tell me will be welcome | ||
| Lowflyer |
One man's "twitchy" is another man's "flickable." Buells are some of the best handling bikes on the planet. I have 12k on my Ulysses with no real problems to speak of. I ride most every day to work. | ||
| Tramp |
Easton, Pa! man- you're real close to JT's shop in Unionville, NY. Stop out next Sunday and talk to some of the Hudson valley crew about theirs. I went to school with a girl from Easton, nice girl, rather.....healthy | ||
| Slaughter |
Weeeeellllll... having raced and ridden BOTH the SV650 AND the Buell XB on the same day, same track, I've got some thoughts. First, don't put down the SV! It's an excellent bike - but is severely lacking in the stock suspension. I ended up putting a gsxr front end and Penske shock on it before I really got the handling to work for me. The XB is a different little beastie. Not really as twitchy as some would have you believe BUT it is quite sensitive to subtle changes in suspension setup. It tends to respond more noticeably to your body position. If you are trail braking with a TON of fork compression, it really DOES get twitchy - but that's kind of a racetrack thing. The Buell forks and shock are very usable stock - good adjustment for preload and damping. Use the suggestions elsewhere here for suspension settings and you'll be in the ballpark. Again, I feel the bad rap the bikes have gotten is BECAUSE they are rarely properly setup before the particular rider hops on to ride. The power delivery is very similar to the SV - that's why I liked racing both of them - and didn't have any problem hopping from one to the other. The one thing you will find is that when accelerating fast - if you are used to shifting by engine sound, you'll be hitting the rev limiter more often til you get used to the lower RPMs of the beastie. Reliability is FAR better with the newer bikes than the earlier machines (commonly referred to as "tubers" - tube framed) One BIG thing is that they ARE air-cooled and the engines really MUST be warmed up before riding off. Also, that RPM thing - try to avoid bouncing off of the rev limiter too often. Older XB models ate up belts but the new machines resolved that with complete re-design and new manufacturer of the belts. One HUGE word of caution: find yourself a good dealer who appreciates Buells. A good sign is a dealer with a Buell riding group (used to be called B.R.A.G.) - because that is a sign that the dealer is involved in after-sale support. Check the "Storm Fronts" section - I see there is a pretty active Pennsylvania section - get their recommendations for a good dealer. That has been (in my opinion) the weakest link in the old Buell chain - poor dealers and poor dealer support. They are slowly cutting out the dead wood. Good luck with the "quest" I'd actually see if you might hook up with some local guys and go for a ride with a few of them on your SV and check it out. Face it, most of us ride because we like to RIDE - it isn't important WHAT you ride, what is important is THAT you ride! (buddy called, we're rushing out for pizza, I'm posting without proof-reading so hope it makes sense!) | ||
| Formulaonefan |
Thanks Slaughter, This is the stuff I'm looking for. I love my SV (I guess I've got a thing for V-twins)but I want more power. I've heard that Buells are limited to about 130mph (about the same as my SV tops out)Is that true? Is the speed limited by the ecu, or is that just the most the bike will do? I RARELY go that fast, so thats not a deal-breaker, I'm just getting tired of being left behind by my buds on their Duc's and R1's | ||
| Jumpinjewels |
I'm 5'3" and 120#. just sold my 2001 SV650 for an XB12scg. the transition was flawless. I was a bit nervous about the step up. the scg is like the SV650's BIG brother. it is very "flickable" and the power band is WOW!!! this bike has proven to be very user friendly. I'm on the balls of my feet at a stop but the balance is no problem. it's a great bike. | ||
| Jlnance |
It's is limited to 130 mph (actually I think it's 135) by where the bike hits the rev limiter and the gear ratio. Ie, when you hit redline in 5th gear, thats how fast you're going. | ||
| Firemanjim |
Yeah,I hate it when I hit redline in 5th   unless its going through the timing lights!!! | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
Perhaps you might consider the XB12Ss. It is just few inches longer, but you might find it suits your size and riding style a little better than the shorter models. |
