| Author | Message | ||
     Buellnewbie |
First, let me say thanks to those of you who answered the questions in my previous posts and helped sway me towards my purchase. This review will be lengthy and the comments and opinions contained therein are purely my own and intended to help others in their decision on purchasing a bike. First a short background on me.....I've been riding streetbikes for 17 years, the majority of which were on sportbikes. My previous scoots include: 1988 250 Ninja (first streetbike), 1989 Yamaha FZR1000, 1993 ZX-7 Ninja, 1989 GSX-R750, 1990 GSX-R 1100, 1996 CBR 900RR, 2001 Yamaha YZF1000 R-1, 2004 Yamaha YZF1000 R-1, 2004 Vulcan 1600 Mean Streak. I've ridden over 100,000 miles on these bikes and believe this should establish a little credibility with those who read this. My quest for something different ended with a Buell XB12Ss for numerous reasons. First, I wanted something different. Second, I wanted something more comfortable. Third, I wanted to buy American and wasn't ready for and couldn't afford a Harley. Fourth, at my age, I could care less anymore about going 170 mph in a straight line. I've done it too many times...it's boring and any squid can get on a 160 hp bike and twist the throttle wide open. For me handling is where it's at. Ride Deal's Gap once and all you straightaway guys will be changed forever. So.......I saw a Buell Lightning on the road one day and was absolutely intrigued. I had heard of them but had never seen one. At first sight, I knew this would probably be my next bike. So, here I am with a brand new XB12Ss........and I LOVE IT. So, here goes the review. The first thing I noticed after having this bike for short while is that it tends to draw a crowd almost anywhere you park it. The only people who don't give it its due respect are the young,immature hardcore jap sportbike squids who only care about stats and who's bike is faster (but hey, I was 18 once too), so I can't judge. People seem to be fascinated by this thing, which is something I had never anticipated, but in order of importance it ranks a far last to things like handling etc., and speaking of handling, well, let me just say this....I have NEVER ridden anything that handles like this, not even my last R1. Smooth, predictable and stable. It stays where you put it and doesn't move around in the corner. Now, I doubt I'll be doing any 120mph sweepers with it, but in the 25mph to 70mph or so twisties where the fun is you can't beat it. Bear in mind this is the Lightning Long, so I can't speak about the handling of the regular Lightning. Comfort is much better than any sportbike I've ever ridden, although the seat is just wide enough that it seems to "pinch" the backs of my legs in just the wrong spot. A slightly narrower seat might be better, but it is nice and soft. An upright seating position definitely helps on those longer rides, and the wind blast doesn't become annoying unitl one hits 80 mph or so. And anymore, I don't really have the desire to go over 80, so, for me, the small screen isn't a problem. The engine is a mixed bag for me. After years of I-4s (and one jap v-twin), a big Harley v-twin is certainly different. I think, overall, the engine suits the bike and what the bike was built to do. However, I wouldn't mind a little more power up top. Suprisingly smooth at speed, the motor seems to chug along effortlessly without the constant "hey, you need to go faster" feeling the jap I-4s give the rider. I feel content to ride the speed limit, which is a good thing. But on the other hand, the torque is awesome. Show me an I-4 that can pass cars with a twist of the throttle in top gear at only 2k rpm. And torque is what this motor is all about. Fit and finish are good, although I have noticed a few minor details I would improve, but overall, I won't complain. So, before I end with a brief summary, let me just say this......the Lighting is an all around great bike, and while it does have a narrow focused purpose (the twisties), it also seems to be able to do other things well too. My hat's off to Mr. Buell. You won't be racing any 600 jap bikes down the interstate (hey, that's illegal anyhow), but in the twisties they'll be eating your dust, assuming you can ride. And in the parking lot, your bike garners the attention, since you don't look like every other bike in the herd. Comfort is good enough to ride for more than 30 minutes without feeling like a contortionist afterwards. Overall, I'd have to say that this is the most fun I've had on any of my bikes, and I will probably be keeping this one for a while, unless Mr. Buell decides to put a V-rod motor in next years. Summary Pros - handling - unique looks - comfort - engine torque - styling and design - did I mention handling? - overall fun factor - no cookie cutter bike here - low maintainance - quiet, if that's what you want Cons - A tad bit more top end power please (without loosing bottom end) - seat a little too wide for me - fan a good idea but too noisy - a little more noise, please So, in my opinion, the pros far outweigh the cons, and most of the cons are something that can be dealt with. If you're considering buying this bike I can highly recommend it. I wouldn't go back to a jap sportbike ever after having ridden this thing. The only thing that concerns me is the heat buildup due to lack of water cooling, but I change oil in my bikes every 1k miles with synthetic, so hopefully this will help. God bless. | ||
| Johnb |
 thanks for the writeup, 10 bikes in 17 years nice.. different, comfortable, 'american', streetfighter focus all good reasons. oil every 1000mi - you really take care of your babies. comparison to typical IL4 characteristics interesting. wonder when buell/corbin will offer seat product for the long.  | ||
| Glitch |
Good to hear! There's also one more pro for your list, although you won't be able to add it for a few more miles. The pro is it never gets old!. | ||
| Buellshyter |
I'd pop on a Buell Race kit. It will give you that extra top-end you're looking for and you won't lose anything down below, contrary to some of the nay-sayers. Plus, it's not radically loud as to insult your adult sensibilities. You will definitely notice the difference in performance. |
