| Author | Message | ||
     Thebestofindica |
I have ridden both the 12R and the 12S. I would prefer the S, but I feel that there is a dramatic increase in wind on my body with the S. Do you other S owners feel the same?? R owners can chime in here too if you would like. For all of you who are going to throw out the usual "do a search man" b.s., save it. Do all of us a favor and please don't respond. If everyone could just do a "search", then why do all these forums exist in the first place? They should completely eliminate the "new topic" function for that matter. What I am looking for in this topic more than anything is to find out if buell owners in general are the kind of guys I would like to hang out with or take a ride with. I have a great interest the buell motorcycle as a machine and I'm sure you all do as well. If you want me to do a search, I will probably search for a motorcycle forum that doesn't say that every time someone posts a topic that has already been posted. I am not ignorant, I am just uneducated in the area of buells. With that said, thanks in advance for any information you may be able to provide me. | ||
| Metalstorm |
I have absolutely no problem on my 12S till I reach about 80mph then I just lean forward & all is well again. Though I do have good endurance & I have good strength from slinging shovelfulls of asphalt day in & day out. Windy days with lots of big side gusts can be a pain. I havn't gone over 95 mph yet. Every darn time I get the urge to really fly I run into a cop just before I twist the throttle. It's very frustrating sometimes. I havn't logged enough hours on an R do give any detail on how well it is. I do know one thing. If you like the wind protection of an R but not the crouched position, you can make it a little more comfortable by replacing the footpegs with the pegs from an S (1" lower). You can also replace the stock tripple tree with Heli bars which raise the bars 1" and moves them back 1.5". You'd still be leaned forward but not quite such a race rocket crouch. The only search I'll tell you to do is to search for a dealer & test ride some Buells  | ||
| Thebestofindica |
right on, I just want to make sure that my $10k is going to something I will enjoy always. | ||
| Wyckedflesh |
best of both worlds...  I can't ride long distance with the R seat because of where the edge hits my thigh... | ||
| Brad_buell |
I love my XB9S. However, I put a set of Zero Degree Crossroads Bars on mine to lower my riding position. Those bars are incredible!  The riding position is far more comfortable, and it lowers wind resistance considerably. | ||
| Chgojim |
80mph seems to be the number for me as well. up to it is very comfortable, past it...i get blown around alot. | ||
| Chgojim |
you can also consider a larger flyscreen for the 9S/12S. american sportbike (a sponsor here) offers one in carbon. i don't have one, and am not sure how much of a difference it would make. just another option. www.americansportbike.com | ||
| Johnb |
some pics of aftermarket windshields fitted to lightnings..          | ||
| Rubberdown |
See my profile for another. | ||
| Xring |
Some of the answer lies in your height. At 5-08, I can lean forward a little and be under most of the wind blast. If it weren't for the stock seat, I could be happy there easily between gas stops, at least at freeway speeds and under. I've never ridden an R, just loved the styling of the S, so that is what I bought. Good luck, Bill | ||
| Typeone |
I'm in the 'no issue until 80+MPH' crowd. 5'11" with the Azonic CR Low bars on. I rarely need to go faster than 80 anyway plus my license is about to get yanked  (no more speed for you son!) Last week I rode 2.5hrs in some serious headwind and it was just OK, but my fully-faired CBR didn't feel so comfy in strong head-winds like that either. I was worried about the wind-blast before I bought my S too but never thought about it again after it was in my possession. | ||
| Stealthxb |
A tank bag helps block wind for high speed S_capades! | ||
| Tommy_k |
Get the S, or SS(long) like I have. It has a really comfortable gel seat, plus a little extra room. Up to 80's no problem on naked bikes..and if you're going for triple digits, your probably going to be laying on the tank/air cover anyway. On my streetfighter bandit 1200(had similar fairing to the S), I was good to 130's leaned over. After that, it was a conscience effort to hang on. But that's not what we buy Buells for anyway. These things carve and cruise. If I wanted to go 180, I would've bought a Busa. TK | ||
| Kim |
The XB above in the Erico Motorsports pics was my wife's. It was rock steady up to 120 mph. Don't know about higher speeds as that's as fast as she wanted to go. Kim | ||
| Roly |
hi johnb like the after market screens,2nd pic in what make of screen is that ?. what bike should it be on , ideal for long trip , take off for short ones ,thanks roly. | ||
| Johnb |
hi roly, that might be a Maier (maier-mfg.com, jcwhitney) universal windshield mounted via adj hgt armatures to the handlebar. fyi, before going to the extreme of a big peice of lexan in front of you i'd also consider winglet/flyscreen/venturi-deflector alternatives from Saeng, Laminarlip or NationalCycle. yes, i to, would like to find something that could slide down and out of the way to suit desired riding activity - was also tempted to fit a ulysses fairing/shield and top dash section (w/power outlet) to a lightning; but, doesn't seem to be sufficient space to install additional gauges in it like i wanted, oh well.  | ||
| Kevinfromwebb |
When I test rode the R and S models a couple of years ago I did notice more wind on the S than the R. I believe it was from more windscreen on the R and the difference between the riding positions. I bought the R for that reason, commuting on the highway. Don't get me wrong, the Lightnings are nice bikes but you will get more wind blast on them compared with the FireBolts... Kevin | ||
| Max |
XB12R Ozero gravity doublebubble IMG]http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a154/max2006/xb12r.jpg[/IMG] (Message edited by max on September 13, 2005) |
