| Author | Message | ||
     Richardbiker |
Buell motorcycles are unique and iconic machines. I was wondering what brought you to the point of owning a Buell. I first saw a Buell at Salmon River Mall in Watertown, New York. It was being auctioned off by, I believe, a local fire department. This was in the early '90's and that makes it hard for me to figure out what model or prototype bike it actually was. What I do remember was my reaction - WOW !!! This bike was really neat. I bought 3 tickets at $5 a pop, a truly extravagant expenditure at that time. For weeks I fantasized winning that bike. My motorcycle experience at that time was small displacement Hondas and an 850 Yamaha. I dreamt of that beast. Flash forward many years to 2006. I discovered Killboy.com and saw a Buell. The infatuation with a thumping, torquey sportbike began. I researched Buell (I now had the internet!) and fell under the spell. Having been out of motorcycling for many years (raising the kids, private school tuition, home repairs, etc.) I began to tool up. I bought a jacket, I bought a helmet, I bought gloves. Getting ready for the day I would buy a Buell. Again flash - to June 2008 and a white and blue Firebolt. As I finished signing the papers they brought it around the building outside the window. There it was, this snarling little beast and I thought - "What the hell have you just done?" Coincidentally,as my wife and I were in the parking lot ready to leave (her in the car, me on the beast) our two youngest daughters called. "What's going on?" "Oh, We're at the Harley dealer picking up dad's bike." "You guys are nuts!" was the response. Guess what? They were right. 2008 Firebolt 2009 Ulysses XT | ||
| Rick_a |
From my profile
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| Dfishman |
I was out riding in the mountains on a rigid HD powered chopper too fast in the mountains.I hooked up with a guy on a 600cc sportbike who was trying to teach me a lesson.He was faster but could not leave me.I wore down my kickstand & ground off the wrap on my exhaust trying to keep up.After a spirited ride he suggested a sportbike for me.The logical choice was Buell.I found a X1 & nuthin' has been the same since. | ||
| Spiderman |
Well my Buell brought me to...  | ||
| Guell |
note to self, dont ever sit on spideys bikes | ||
| Nevrenuf |
first love was the xlcr back in the 70's that i never got but this time at bike week, i saw this checker flag themed bike and really wanted to know what it was when the owner came out and told me. then he lit that puppy up and i just about creamed my pants when i heard this thing. life has never been the same since. btw spidey, there's a white 97 down here in weekiwatchi for 2400 with out bags though as far as i know. i know it sucks being out of work but wouldn't it be cool to have twins. | ||
| Spdrxb |
I see a common denominator in my reason and others.... the powerplant! As much as all of us are now trying to be disassociated with HD like it or not its one of the reasons I (we) wanted it. However the bike needed to handle well, thus its the perfect combination. Of cruiser and carver all in one. It may not be the most powerful or the best performing bike in its class (XB) but it does anything you want it to,with character! | ||
| Vanvideo |
I was always interested in this US v-twin brand, so I took a test ride on an XB12R at Bike Week. Well, one ride and I was sold. I had my own XB9R within a few weeks. I kept it for almost 3 years, which is a long time for me. | ||
| Paint_shaker |
I like Harleys, I like sportbikes. Buell did an excellent job of mating the two to produce a thundering V-twin with a sporting chassis!!! | ||
| Iman501 |
I like to have "means of transportation" outside of the norm my first car was a very obnoxious wrangler that i had a fun time with! my first bike was an 89 honda transalp and i was always getting asked about it, and if i'd sell it to them, and such. well w/ it came time to get a newer bike i wanted a sport bike, but didnt want to join the cookie cutter club and get a ninja or CBR (not dissing on them!) i never new anything about buell, and i saw a firebolt one day, and i decided from the way it looked, and they way it sounded that it had to be in my garage, i was set on buying one before i even rode one! | ||
| Cowboy |
Naked Twins | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
Saw Buell at the NYC IMS in the mid 90's. Saw obviously hand built parts on them. Reminded me of parts my father (a machinist) would have made, and the function vs. form battle was evident in the designs. Never really gave them a second look until my wife needed an upgrade to her KZ440. Enter the Blast. Then the S3T, 12R, Uly, and 1125R. | ||
| Brumbear |
Triumph believe it or not. I wanted a speed triple but it was to tall in the saddle for me, At Americade I test rode a city X on the Triumph guys recomendation and blamo a love affair was born | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
i needed a bike as odd as me. | ||
| Cyclonedon |
I went to my local dealer wanting to purchase a Harley. I got lucky because he was out of all Harley's but had his showroom full of Buells. While I was there talking to Keith Ulicki, the owner, he suggested I take a test ride on a Buell. I don't remember if it was the second or the third block of my test ride when I decided to purchase it. An AMERICAN made sportbike made right close by in East Troy Wisconsin. | ||
| Two_buells |
1973 Kawasaki G3 90 at age 12 started me on two wheels Working for HD and seeing that damn Taco Bell Commercial during the Superbowl could not mistake that Oval Air box cover…… Seen my first one in person at York Open House 1990/91 Whites HD had a Westwind on display Saw my first S1 Lightning at the Baltimore Motorcycle show in 1996 and bought one April 1996 | ||
| Bikertrash05 |
Employee discount. What keeps me on a Buell? It just plain fits me. The looks/oddness/rarity/niche, the size, the handling, the speed, and lack of top speed, which would only get me in trouble. | ||
| Gunut75 |
I could not tell ya what year it was, but Uke's HD was IN Kenosha, and not out by Hwy 94. My dad and a buddy of his pulled some strings with someone, and got them to let me take a black cyclone for a spin. It took me until 2 years ago to be able to get one without the fear of killing myself. Ain't skeered, just knew myself too well. | ||
| Kc10_fe |
MY 2004 Softail custom kept leaking everywhere including the front end. Brought it in to get repaired again and left it there riding home on my 1125R. What went down sucks but if Erik can manage to hang on and eventually make more bikes this wont be my last Buell product. | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
What brought you to Buell? a test ride June 20th 2006, I took my Uly for a test ride. June 22nd, I traded the Road Thing for it.... | ||
| Koz5150 |
I wanted a sportbike that was American made and sounded like a muscle car. I bought my M2 brand new 8 years ago and haven't regretted it for 1 minute. P.S. I will probably tell this same story for many many many years to come. | ||
| Rwven |
I read here how reliable they are...someone has a strange definition of reliable....but still, I do love it so. | ||
| Moxnix |
Saw an RR1000 and thought to myself, someone made a silk purse from a sow's ear of a motor. Some years later bought a turbo S2 and realized the significant contribution the chassis made to Yankee ingenuity in the moto game. Or vice versa. | ||
| Froggy |
For me, I wanted something unconventional with pushrods, excellent chassis, and a funky look. Buell delivered.  | ||
| Dynasport |
Getting passed in the mountains in NC on my FXDX by two guys on Beemers like I was standing still. I know I am not a fast rider, but I knew then I wanted something that handled better than my Harley. I considered a lot of different bikes, but really liked the idea of buying American. I test rode Buells several times, but the test ride that really sold me was at Biketoberfest on an XT the year they came out. I knew deep down that I would be buying one when I could afford it. When Harley closed Buell, I wasn't really at the point I had planned to be financially before I bought my next bike, but I couldn't take the chance I wouldn't be able to get one later. Fortunately, Gainesville HD had a 2010 XT that is now sitting in my garage. | ||
| Rpm4x4 |
I tend to purchase American as much as I can. I went into a Harley(spit) dealer to look at Vrods. I saw a few Buells in the back corner and I was drawn to them. I went home and searched Buell on the web. Badweb was the first place I found. I signed in here before I bought a Buell. Badweb sold me on Buell and I bought a CityX about a month later. I love the CityX, 26,000 smiles to date. Soon after I bought the XB the 1125R came out. I had to have one. I still to this day think it is the sexiest bike ever. I had planned on paying the CityX off before buying a new 1125R but the firesale forced me to buy a year early. I didnt think I could love any other bike as much as my CityX but I love the 1125R just as you would a second child. Differently but just as much. 5800 smiles on that one. | ||
| Strato9r |
One night, many moons ago, my buddies and I were sitting around, talking about our "dream bikes". Mine was one of those bikes from that movie "Tron", a machine capable of operating outside the boundaries of traditional physics, but powered by a fire breathing XR-750 engine. Years later, I walked into the local dealership, saw a brand new Firebolt, and KNEW that was the bike I'd dreamed of. I bought it the next day. | ||
| Midnightrider |
Went into a chain-saw/lawn mower repair shop for new blades for a ride-on. One of the salesman used to have a Yamaha dealership and he still sold a few models out of that place. He had taken a 99X1 in on trade ( it was 2003). I had not ridden a bike since I was a kid (i was now 46), never had a license or owned one and I was a little concerned about the mileage (28K) not knowing the life expectancy of a bike. I didn't even have a license yet but later that week I went and got a permit then test drove it in a parking lot. I was pleasantly surprised to find it didn't have 28,000 miles - it had 2800. I bought it that day. Only sold it after buying a 2006 Uly in fall of 2005. Soon wished I had kept the Lightning for a back-up. Still love Buells | ||
| Ronbob43 |
The XB9SX motor. I had tested a lot of early Buells but they were too harsh in comparison to my 650 Hawk GT, or my SV650. After my wife bought an '09 blast I rode all of the upright XBs and found the 9SX was what I had been waiting for. | ||
| Just_ziptab |
I'm a Sportster man.Loved my last one,a used 72........but the damned XLCH didn't like my knees.........and I didn't like the newer electric start Sportsters. Harley simply lost the look I loved. I heard about these Buells from a harley rider that seen them at Sturgis and started looking around and decided "that's for me". I would NEVER, NOT EVER have 4 Sportsters in my garage......but now I have 4 Buells .................../ |
