| Author | Message | ||
     Anonymous |
Somebody help me! Due to various reasons, unfortunately, I am trying to sell my S3. This bike has very few miles and looks as it did in the showroom. This bike is the most comfortable of all the Buells ( I have ridden the M2,S2,X1 and S1), it has the premium pieces (forks, wheels, best seat), is harder to find but yet appears to be the least desired. This puzzles me, especially when I see want ads for S3 parts to be installed on M2s and X1s. Is the S3 cursed or is it something I missed? I know that Buell dropped it from the lineup for 2002 but that should not be the death bell for value. As far as I know there are no more problem with the S3 as there are with any of the others. | ||
| Marks3tbillet |
Anon: You might post the year of your bike and the mods you may have made to it along with mileage, color, etc. for those of us looking for an S3. I say the S3 is a winner, I love my 2000. I've ridden all the Buell models and it is still my favorite. It is hard to resist the torque of the M2 though. Anyway, I'm looking for a second S3, post the details please. | ||
| Mikej |
This may be way off base, but it may be that of the 2001 lineup (just to simplify the discussion) the Blast is there for people who want a simple bike, for people who like single thumpers, for people who are not as tall as others, and for people who just want to have fun on a bike or simply just like the Blast, it is fun to ride. The M2 is there for (like me) people who wanted a basic road bike with decent performance and good handling at a relatively good price point, the old just get on the bike and ride folks. The X1 is there for the people who want a bit more performance, and more agressive riding position or attitude, who want to push their bike a bit harder. The S3T is there for people who want a sport touring bike with decent ergonomics, good performance, and an overall well put together package. That leaves the S3. Okay, compare the S3 to the M2: different body work and handlebars, add the fairing. Compare the S3 to the S3T: hard bags. Compare the S3 to the X1: less agressive steering angle, less cornering clearance. So, that leaves you with what, a nice looking bike that runs well, handles well, corners well, and is comfortable to ride. Nothing wrong with it really in my opinion. There's a guy about to trade his S1 in on an S3 for some reason. Others buy an S3 then later add the hardbag and mount bars. Some put the fairing on their M2's and X1's, probably not to make their bike more S3-like, more to just add the comfort or looks of a fairing. My definitions of the various models may or probably may not match what others opinions are. But I do somewhat understand your questioning of people's perceptions of the S3(non-T). In fact I was standing in my local dealer's showroom tonight after work getting some quotes on bikes and was looking at a couple of 2001 S3's they have in there. I kept wondering myself why someone would buy an S3 without the bag mounting hardware and just came to the conclusion that some people probably just like the S3 lines better and don't want or need the hard-side luggage. I don't know. Consider it this way maybe, take 100% of the Buell buyers and divide them up into various camps (these numbers will be way off, so don't shoot me I'm just making them add up to 100). Going by some production figures for the initial Blast release, 50% of Buell buyers this year are supposedly buying the Blast since Blast production projections equaled all other Buell model production figures combined. That leaves 50%. Let's take 25% and put them on the M2 because of it's overall ability to do many things well and because of it's price point. That leaves 25%. Take 15% and put them on the X1 because the Buell is a performance bike afterall (flames not required). That leaves 10%. Take 8% and put them on the S3T, some because they want a Sport Tourer, and some because they figure they can always take the bags off when riding locally and will have the hardbags for trips and grocery runs. That leaves 2%, people who want the comfort and looks of the S3 and didn't want to buy an M2 (or a carb'd bike) and put a fairing or S3 handlebars on it. I don't think it's really that hardly anybody wants an S3, it's just that the other models combined sort of override the S3. An S3 is an S3T without the bags and mounting bars, and less the cost of those components. It also might be because people think of the S3/S3T as the touring model, and wonder why anyone would want a touring bike without the luggage/hardbags. Does any of that make any sense, or did I just ramble on until I put you to sleep. | ||
| Anonymous |
zzzz | ||
| Mikej |
Sorry about that, probably why I never became a teacher.  | ||
| Leeaw |
Mikej I believe you are 50% correct +/- 50%. I don't know what the actual sales numbers are, but I would bet that the other models sell more as most people don't tour with luggage. | ||
| Mikej |
Lee, I think I was recalling the production numbers for the Blast for it's first year. I still think the sales/production (a guess) are from most sold to least number sold: Blast > M2 > X1 > S3T > S3. Which also coorelates to the costs of the bike, except for the S3 coming after the S3T, but I'm probably wrong on that. This is only for total number of units sold thru dealers. I'll ask my local dealership later this afternoon for some real local numbers. Maybe I'll even try to get a breakdown of the H-D and XL lines as well. I'm certain someone on-line here has actual numbers available overall. | ||
| Artful |
Hi. I for one love my S3, 2000 model. Very fuw mods as of yet, hypercharger air cleaner, and some cosmetic stuff. Runs great, fast and precise. No problems with the DDFI. One oil leak, rocker box gasket, at about 5k miles. Just my opinion. Art..... | ||
| Pangalactic |
I wanted an S3 from the get-go. I have a 98 S3, as I am a rather tall (and large) guy and didn't like the fit of the M2. I do double up with the spouse somewhat frequently, so the X1 is a little impractical (just my opinion, don't argue...). I don't usually ride long distances, so I don't need the saddlebags, but when I do, I would rather have the ease of removal and re-install that comes with softbags (which tend to be more flexible anyways- just my opinion, see above). Personally, I see the S3 as the perfect fit. | ||
| Anonymous |
Loser! | ||
| Bigj |
Interestingly enough, I talked to someone "well placed" enough to know, today. He stated that the S-3 is not selling well at all, and its future, whether in current state, or in a future evolution, is debatable. It kind of surprised me.I figured it sold generally as well as the other models. He stated that for the price, you can just a much better Sport Tourer. He's right. big j | ||
| Bigj |
Interestingly enough, I talked to someone "well placed" enough to know, today. He stated that the S-3 is not selling well at all, and its future, whether in current state, or in a future evolution, is debatable. It kind of surprised me.I figured it sold generally as well as the other models. He stated that for the price, you can just a much better Sport Tourer. He's right. big j | ||
| Anonymous |
Big J, That is interesting, but what did you intent to say with that last sentence. I must be the only one that looks at the S3 as an upgraded M2. What I mean is that it is more sport than tourer. It uses the same frame and handlebars but has a better seat, better forks and a fairing that helps going down the highway regardless of distance. Before I get blasted,I am not downgrading the M2(very good bike in its own right). It is looking like Buell has given up on this model and it is showing | ||
| Al_Lighton |
A, I agree with you on the S3, or at least I did when I bought mine. I didn't buy an S3T, I bought an S3. Until the colorado trip I just did, I really don't carry one heckuva lot on my motorcycle. A tank bag usually suffices just fine. But then I bought an S1W as well. The S3 lost a lot of of it's sport appeal once I'd done that, because the S1W is just so much more aggressive a motorcycle. I still like the S3 just fine, and can carve a pretty good corner up Palomar on it now that I've got the peg risers on it. But it is the bike I'll climb on only when the S1 is down for some repair/upgrade work, or when I want to put 400 miles in the saddle. The S1W is also a better commuter bike, because it is more agile lane splitting in SoCal traffic. BTW, my S3 came stock with "T" bars on it, though it isn't a T. They gotta go. They certainly don't help the sportyness of the package. Al | ||
| Rebel_1 |
I tried to sell my 99 S3 with touring package (large and small bags) for a not outrageous but higher than most price and never got a call. This surprised me because at the time there wasn't a single Buell in the classifieds other than a Blast. For me the S3 has the most versitility of all the Buells. I guess I'll just have to suffer and keep it another year or three. |
