| Author | Message | ||
     Ibanezgto |
How can I get the most power out of my new firebolt xb12r. Also is the chain drive conversion really worth the money. I am looking to keep up with my buddies r1. I know that these bikes were made for the corners but i would still like a little more power | ||
| 99buellx1 |
Not gonna keep up in a straight line with an R1. | ||
| Beachbuell |
I second the not gonna keep up with a R1. Not a chance in h*ll thats gonna happen in a straight line at wide open throttle. Your Buell tops out around 145mph or so, his Yamaha will do 170mph....... You do the math. However, light to light and cornering is another thing. If you can get a good launch, you will take him off the line. Also if you know how to ride that Buell can eat him up in the corners. You need to realize that the Buells are not made for top end speed, but for cornering and torque. I love my XB12R! | ||
| M1combat |
Yeah... An R1 will steal your lunch and run away and hide. Thing is though... They tend to hide in the corners so you'll find them eventually  . In any case... There are a number of fine folks who can build you a MONSTER XB. Watch your teeth ... I've heard that the 88" XB's with the right combination of heads/cams/compression/exhaust/etc will put the upper triple in your mouth if you aren't careful with the throttle. | ||
| Ibanezgto |
I understand that my bike is made to "own the corners" however I am young and still like to go fast I was just looking for some suggestions on how to get some more power on the light to light runs. More power never hurt anybody (except Roethlisberger) ouch maybe too soon for that | ||
| Fullpower |
you want to drag race? get a sportster cheep, much easier to build some horsepower to weight ratio... plenty of room for a BIG carb on right side, and the 60 inch wheelbase will ALWAYS launch harder than an XB with 52 inch wheelbase. | ||
| Buellrcr |
go see al at american sport bike, micron exhaust and the dl for the ecm will get you right at 100 rwhp and about 78 ft lbs of torque. no internal parts needed. it makes the bike come alive | ||
| Buellgirlie |
please be careful with your new firebolt. D | ||
| Nd4spd |
Buell tops out around 145mph or so, his Yamaha will do 170mph Wow. I did not realize there was that much of a top-end differential between the 9(what I have) and the 12. I've heard the 9 does 130. All I've seen is 120 on the track with a tailwind and a fast approaching turn. | ||
| Diablobrian |
Well with the Hp advantage of the 12 you'd have to see some advantage. Do not rely on your speedo as an accurate indicator of top speed. All factory speedos will have an increasing rate of error as you get into the triple digits. | ||
| Molly_hatchet |
sooo a little off subject but not too far....is it possible to stuff a big S&S or rev tech motor into a 9....or what kind of engine mods does it take to get maybe another 30 or so horses without going totaly nuts...changing the heads maybe...some new cams...and where does some doofas like me find that stuff ive had my 9 long enough now id like to see a real fire breathing dragon come alive from it....i love my buell but it needs more oof ya know....i really dont much about harley motors and the rice burners ive owned never really needed much more than a pipe and a power commander to scare the hell outta me....my buell reminds me a lot of my dads old pickup loud, mean, and a little obnoxious id like to be louder and more obnoxious. im already running the factory race kit so what else can i do. | ||
| Hammer71 |
verified 142 on xb9r by NYSP lidar on interstate 84. Been on the 12 at full throttle and didnt feel any faster. torque is another animal though. figure out which area you want more improvement and go from there but keep in mind what the bike was built for | ||
| Diablobrian |
The S&S is a no go, but Cyclerama, NRHS, Hal's, Racingmotorcycles, and others will be happy to build you a HOT motor for your Buell. Just know that reliability will be much lower than on a stock motor for day to day usage. That is always the trade-off. | ||
| 71sportster |
Ibanez, If you can afford it, wait & pick up a cheap liter bike on Ebay. R1, ZX10, GSXR1000, Etc. Save the Buell for street riding and use the liter bike as a track/go-fast bike. You'll go crazy trying to make you're Buell fast. And if you do too much, it will just blow-up. I just watched an XBRR blow at the track last week. | ||
| Molly_hatchet |
thats kind of the hard part is figuring out what kind of power id like....i think just a little more of what it has would be about perfect...about 5 or t3n more miles an hour top end and a bit more grunt...i should of went for the 12R but i didnt know jack about buells when i bought mine i just knew it was the nastiest sounding meanest looking bike i could find and i spend almost all of my time on the street its my transportation period for now. i think id just like to open it up a little more and make it a little meaner...maybe some cams ...can i change the cylinders and get an improvement without losing much dependability. | ||
| Jaimec |
With stock gearing an XB12 will hit the rev limiter before you hit an actual 130 mph in top gear. If you're seeing 145 mph, then maybe you should get your speedometer checked... And forget the R1... and R6 will eat you for lunch in a straight line... | ||
| Olinxb12r |
You can get a 1203 kit for your 9 without changing a ton of stuff. There are sponsors that can help you build your monster. One of the guys here in KC is getting almost 120 hp and over 100 ft lbs of tq out of his 9 with the 88 kit and a bunch of other goodies. He had to change to the 12 gearing and by a much smaller sproket to keep the front end on the ground. If you took the engine apart and made it a fire breathing monster you could throw a chain kit on it with a smaller sproket and get a lot more top end speed too. I'm sure Sam's bike has another 20-30 mph at the top that a factory Buell doesn't have, and it has a ton of power and torque too. | ||
| Beachbuell |
"With stock gearing an XB12 will hit the rev limiter before you hit an actual 130 mph in top gear." Try it sometime Jaimec and you might surprise yourself there. I see 130mph and more are a regular basis. And all I have is a factory race kit. | ||
| Jaimec |
This was reported in the recent comparo in Motorcycle Consumer News between the XB12Ss and the Triumph Speed Triple. They said both bikes top speeds were hampered by their rev limiters, and if I remember correctly the highest top speed they clocked on a bone stock XB12Ss with radar was 124mph. Of course, I've caught MCN in inaccuracies before... | ||
| Hogs |
HA thats a joke, Had my 04R doing past that packing double going up a hill and still climbing LoL | ||
| 99buellx1 |
You guys are totally missing the point. Forget what your speedo is telling you, it is wrong. As was mentioned previously, speedos are inacurate. If you do the math (which i will not) with the stock gear ratio, rpm limit, and tire diamater, you will find the actual available top speed. | ||
| Olinxb12r |
I've seen 145 on my speedo, and with a 5% error, which is pretty standard. that is 137.75. x1 is correct about the math when figuring top speed. If you take your gearing, tire size and available rpms you will find the actual top speed. My calculation is very crude, but I'm not going to waste my time doing more. It would only take a 10% error to have a top speed of 130.5. Since the speedo error increases with speed it is not a stretch at all to say that our speedos could have a 10% or larger error at speeds of that level. (Message edited by Olinxb12r on June 16, 2006) | ||
| Sokota |
Mathematiclly , after measuring rear wheel circumfrence , a CITY-X or XB9SX or any 9 does 138 mph at 7500 RPM , and that is what my speedo read after a quick glance while bouncing off the limiter in 5th gear on a slight downward grade .Took a while to get those last few mph's.........waiting and waiting and waiting and finally hit some stutter. | ||
| M1combat |
My speedo will read 141, I'll be doing 138.5. '04 12R. Of course, that can change with tire pressure... Anyway... As I said... There are a number of shops out there that will gladly build a monster Buell for you. I'd spend about $3700 on it. You won't be disappointed. | ||
| Jaimec |
You also have to factor in wheel slippage. Whether you realize it or not, your tires do not have perfect grip on the pavement. The faster you go, the more slippage as the bike has to work harder against air resistance, which rises geometrically in relation to speed. Or better yet, affix a GPS to your handlebars to get the most accurate fix available on your speed... | ||
| Jaimec |
From the February 2006 issue of Motorcycle Consumer News, page 15: "In terms of straight line acceleration, there really is no contest. The Speed Triple posts a 10.82 quarter mile @ 125.01 mph to the XB12Ss' 12.02 @ 110.69. Top speed in both cases is a matter of gearing, as their rev limiters prevent anything faster. The Triumph reached a maximum velocity of 143.3 mph to the Buell's 126.8, numbers that don't have any place on the street, but that do illustrate their respective muscle." | ||
| 71sportster |
That sounds perfectly consistent with my experience. At around 130 to 135MPH, I'm bouncing off the rev limiter with my XB12. I don't understand these guys who've posted on here claiming 145 MPH from an XB9? For $3700. you can pick up a low mileage GSXR 1000 on Ebay, which would be far and away the smarter thing to do. You'd not only have a seriously fast bike that won't blow up, but you'd have TWO bikes! | ||
| Molly_hatchet |
i dunno bout u guys but when my speedo starts reachin the point where its buried...the last thing im doing is lookin at it.... | ||
| 71sportster |
For me, it's only over 150MPH that requires totally focused attention, and I don't have to worry about that with the Buell. | ||
| Slaughter |
UNLESS you're racing and are held to displacement limits - your best bet for power without sacrificing reliability is CUBIC INCHES! That being said (slaughter steps up onto soapbox) - spend time setting up and PROPERLY tuning the suspension. With the proper setup, these bikes can be much more fun than the "ballpark" settings from the manual. Pay close attention to tire selection and pressures. IF you're trying to get power to "compete" with a bike like the R1 that can put down 150-170HP, fuhgeddaboudit. Kinda like asking to make a ribeye the same as a salmon fillet. Neither is bad, neither is better but you really have two totally different cuts of meat. |
