| Author | Message | ||
     Xbjames |
Ok first off, I'm coming at this having never test ridden an XB, nor a new Moto Guzzi yet. Buell XB vs. Moto Guzzi 1200 sport. So far I've devoured some fifty hours online reading every mention, opinion, and review regarding Buell from every country. I've only owned bikes from Japan. I've never had to accommodate such quirky personalities as leaking oil, unreliable electronics, or clunky transmissions with evasive neutral. Smaller niggles like fan noise aside, I love the XB's overall design, and aesthetic. Having had worked for both American Honda, and U.S. Suzuki in my past, I approach the Buell option slowly, with the memory of seeing oil puddles on the floor of AMF dealerships. AMF? Yes, long in the past, yet I read in this very forum of continuing issues with electrical unreliability, and failing paper gaskets. Am I following down the same tragic path as when falling in love with beautiful but temperamental italian cars? Eric has come so far is so few years compared to H-D. When I review the rapid improvements Buell had gained, I'm left with only a short wish list of fixes. My impulse says the new Moto Guzzi's are probably the safer choice, albeit not as passionate in design. I'm still way open and undecided, and of course, test rides will be a big factor. I reiterate my desirous attraction for Buells, and hope my comments have not come across as overly strident. | ||
| Teeps |
I know 2 people that work for AHM and both ride Buells. See you at the Rock Store some time... I be the one riding the orange Ulysses. | ||
| Kowpow225 |
Wow. Well... I guess the most glaring question is which type of riding do you prefer more. Sport or more relaxed? I you answered yourself with sport, the answer is very obvious. WRT 'problems' associated with buells, they have come a long way. I'd seriously doubt you'd have any problems with their reliability even compared to the japanese two wheeled variety. Sure there's a few things you might want to keep an eye out for, but overall you'll be happy. I'll warn you now. Once you test ride one....your questions will vanish. | ||
| Punkid8888 |
"evasive neutral" The first time I test rode an XB I put it in neutral (first try) and almost cried. haha all I have ever rode was yamahas and sometimes I would just sit at a light with the clutch in so I would not look like idiot trying to put it in neutral for 5 mins. Now Loud trans, yes, electrical problems, yes (most are wire rubs easily fixed) but no oil leaks yet. regardless its a grin my yamahas never could duplicate. I love my XB  | ||
| Mcgiver |
James, Oil leaks are a thing of the past for Buell, im sure there are exceptions as with all things mechanical. Electrical problems are rare, not the norm.As was said in a reply above, transmissions are top notch, maybe a little noisy, but functions well.That said, where you will really appreciate the Buell, will be on sporting roads.The powerband of the engine, and the nimble handling will keep you happy. Brian | ||
| Bake |
The biggest reason for hearing bad reports here is.... Buell is all we talk about and there are bound to be a few people with problems, the Badweb has a lot of Buellers! I also think the good reports way out weigh the bad. Bet the Guzzi board isn't much different | ||
| Metalstorm |
The good reports would out weigh the bad if those with good reports would stop riding long enough to report them  | ||
| Blake |
"the Badweb has a lot of Buellers!" Over 10,000 and rapidly climbing.  | ||
| Tbowdre |
every bike I have ever owner was from japan....about 20 some motocross, some sport etc.. serviced everything myself. I am blown away at how nicely engineered buells are, easy to work on, amazing to ride, only 3000 miles so far but I am impressed! | ||
| Ejiii |
I know 3 guys at AHM. Two ride Buells and one a Moto Guzzi Sport. The Guzzi is very nice, I have ridden it in the past. If I was to own a Guzzi that is the model I would get. It is way different from the Buell. I have seen the Buells at AHM and they are very nice as well. One is a Uly the other an XB9SX. My advice to you is reduce stress in you life, it's not healthy...buy both bikes and get it over with! See you at Newcomb's Ranch sometime...I'll be the one riding the Line-X'ed XB9SX. | ||
| Rogue_biker |
ONe of my regular riding buds has a Guzzi Le Mans. Honestly, I would not put Guzzi's above Buells in terms of overall quality & reliability. Even late model Guzzi's tend to loose screws, break speedo's, contain plenty of quirks, and so on. In fact, many Guzzi-philes like to say once YOUR Guzzi is sorted out, it will run forever. "Sorted out" meaning you've fixed everything that needs fixing! Also, if you think it's challenging to find a good Buell shop, go find a Guzzi dealer! With a Guzzi, you're pretty much on your own unless you happen to be so lucky as to have a reliable dealer close by. I can remember my friend having to wait weeks for parts to arrive from Italy while his bike sits and waits. Heck! If you don't believe me, go visit a Guzzi site and see for yourself. No. Guzzi's are not inherently more reliable and durable than Buell's. And when you compare the Guzzi's to the XB's, there is no contest. The XB's will go faster, handle better, cost less to own and maintain, and will not drop parts along the road. That being said, given a careful, and meticulous owner, a late model Guzzi is capable of outstanding reliability and longevity. If I needed to have a reliable bike, I would choose the Buell well ahead of a Guzzi and Ducati. In fact, I would put the Buell XB reliability ahead of BMW's. | ||
| Geevee |
Ok first off, I'm coming at this having never test ridden an XB, nor a new Moto Guzzi yet. Buell XB vs. Moto Guzzi 1200 sport. So far I've devoured some fifty hours online reading every mention, opinion, and review regarding Buell from every country. I've only owned bikes from Japan. The XB I just bought pulls all the way to the rev limiter in every gear. Get used to shifting less. Torque is king. Never ridden a modern Gootzee. But I doubt I'll be buying a Jap sportbike again. | ||
| Wazza |
"leaking oil, unreliable electronics, or clunky transmissions with evasive neutral" Oil leaks - that would be my Kawasaki ZXR that also had soft cams and needed a rebuild by 40,000km. Unreliable electrics - that would be my Honda VFR that would die for no reason in the middle of nowhere and have to be trailered back to dealership. Clunky Transmissions and evasive neutrals -I've said it before and I'll say it again - y'all dont know what a clunky box and hard clutch pull is until you ride a Triumph - My 04 XB9S is way smoother and easier. My XB is the first bike that has had absolutely zero problems - not a thing in 2 years and 22,000km. And it has superb finish as well. New Griso looks nice but do inspect, test ride and consider a Buell. | ||
| Xbjames |
WOW I'm just feeling the love here. I come home to find all this warm support! The warm fuzzies are just wriggling all over me. Wul dun worry, I'm not even close toward dismissing the Buell. cheers, XBJames | ||
| Tiburondriver47 |
I have an 06 XB12R with over 12,000 miles on it and the only problems i've had is 2 low beams H3 bulbs, a oil leak in a weld on the swing arm {replaced under warranty} and a fan that is in need of replacement. Other than that i love the hell out of this bike. | ||
| Chris_in_tn |
I have ridden Guzzi's for the last 10 years. I sold my last one, an 03, about a year ago for a new Uly. Guzzi's biggest problem is lack of factory and dealer support. If you have a very good dealer it makes it easier to deal with. They are wonderful bikes. But parts can be hard or impossible to get. There is a good support community www.wildguzzi.com and www.guzzitech.com are good sites to ask some questions, be aware they are very biased as most brand dedicated bike sites are. Improvements have been made since Piaggio's take over but they still have a way to go. I look at Guzzi's now as a great second bike but would be uneasy if it was my only bike. I would always be nervous on a long trip. If something goes wrong, your trip is pretty much over, unless you are very lucky. Most parts are day's or weeks away. Most Buell parts can be overnighted to a dealer with no problem. There have been Guzzi's down in the shop for months waiting for something as simple as a cam. Also, there is virtually no U.S. aftermarket for Guzzis. Not that Buell's aftermarket is huge but it is existent. I do love the Guzzi's, they become addictive. Even with all their problems, it took me 10 years to finally get off of them. I will have another, just as a second bike not a primary. | ||
| Court |
>>>>>Eric has come so far is so few years compared to H-D. The spelling of ERIK's name is about as accurate as the other information you read. I've been riding Buells for 20 years and my first pointer would be to toss your unreliable information sources and turn to Badweb for information. One of the best accessories you can have for the Buell you are about to buy. Any questions? If so, drop me a note. Court | ||
| Sshbsn |
I put 11000 HARD miles on my '04 XB12R with no problems ever of any kind. Evasive neutral=too much oil in the tranny if I recall correctly. Before I bought the Firebolt I took hard looks at Guzzis and Ducatis, but the combination of bullet-proof engine and tranny combined with such clever engineering really interested me in Buell. In fact, the day I bought the bike I was on my way to purchase a 748, and just stopped by HD to test ride the 'bolt to make sure I'd made the right decision. Ergo, don't test ride one if you don't want to end up owning it...  | ||
| Vaneo1 |
I know a guy here in Cali who has his moto Guzzi on consignment down in the LBC. I asked him why because it is such a nice bike, he says because there is only 1 person in all of Cali who works on Guzzies. If it were up to me, I would buy the Buell all over again, nothing like have the factory rigth here in the states. Plus over seas, american bikes are regarded as a "status" thing, be thankful such a machine is manufactured right in our backyard. | ||
| Blue9r |
I have an 03 XB9R, the first model year is usually the one to stay away from in contemporary thought, well I bought it new and have not experienced ANY of the problems you mentioned, or the ones you did not, such as the belt...so I would say GO WITH THE BUELL, you will be happy | ||
| Xbjames |
With apologies to Erik for the misspelling, the Buell option sounds like a win-win situation | ||
| Isham |
You just have to test ride one. I really love all the stuff buell is doing. I feel that they are trying hard to reinvent themselves so that to seprate from then old HD ways. No other factory is doing what buell is doing. I felt really proud to own a buell when at stuntober fest they the host announced that buell is the first and only manufacturer that has stepped up to support stunting. Offering fuell to all buell owners is another great thing. Buell owners should be rewarded for carrying their brand. There is a lot of hatred towards the buell brand coming from the big 4 and Buell knows that the owners will be the ones promoting their product out in the field and freebees for owners helps us do that. | ||
| Spectrum |
On the subject of "clunky transmissions" I haven't been on new model Guzzi, But the older models were as clunky or worse than my O3 XB. Buell has much improved transmission on the 06 and newer models. | ||
| Bébèrt |
JUST TAKE A GOOGLE FIGHT AND SEE WHO WINS   | ||
| Rogue_biker |
Regarding drivetrain smoothness on Buells. I have an '06 Firebolt with the much improved tranny and light clutch. Not trying to gloat, but I also have a Honda '01 VFR800. Probably one of the best and most developed bike in its class. Many consider it the benchmark of a do-it-all motorcycle when it comes to refinement and overall competence. Everything else you ride after the VFR will usually feel a bit rough around the edges. I kid you guys not. The Buell tranny is just as smooth. Sometimes smoother. No missed shifts. No false neutrals. Quiet even when dropping down into first. And the clutch pull is just as light as the VFR. It is lighter than many of the Japanese bikes I have owned. And power delivery? It is the best of ANY bike I have ever ridden. Better than the VFR. Very, very smooth. Going from closed throttle to open throttle the Buell just oozes in the power. That belt drive has no noise either. I cannot believe other makers keep fussing with chains! As for shaft driven bikes, they're still not perfected. I recently rode my friend's '06 BMW K1200S and that bike was more jerky than my Busa. Especially at low RPM. It felt like the rear shaft was moving in and out of gear. Its tranny was also lot more clunkier--it felt like the shifter was dipping into a can of loose parts. And its clutch way heavier. And this is suppose to be BMW's flagship bike! Another example is the current test ride report on Guzzi's Breva 1100 with their latest CARC rear shaft drive. They all say the thing makes a ton of noise at low speed and is a bit jerky. One would think that after years of producing shaft drive they'd get that part right. Little things like that detract from the overall quality feel of the bike. And when you pay $10k, $15k, $20k for one, you expect it to be at the very least devoid of any of that negative crap. It would however, surprise many that there are makers out there still peddling motorcycles that you would think just came out of the prototype stage. For '06 and '07, Buell worked out all of the kinks. | ||
| Xbjames |
Rouge, what's funny about the VFR800 is that it's so refined, people complain it had "no personality", "runs like a sewing machine"," is more like an appliance then a motorcycle".. all quoted from owners. Do people want degrees of flaw? Bébèrt, RE the new Guzzi's, their definitely distinctive; like a strong espresso, not for everyone. More like a 4-8-4 locomotive, then a Shinkansen. I agree Buell is accomplishing more in short order, then the behind the scenes R&D wizardry of others. | ||
| Davy_boy |
I'm a big Guzzi fan but from what I have read over the years is they have there share of problems and have very little dealer support . I love my Buell and have had a few minor issues but when you need something there is always a dealer close by where you can get parts and service and that is worth more then anything to me . (Message edited by Davy_boy on November 13, 2006) | ||
| Court |
>>>>the Buell option sounds like a win-win situation James: I think you are ready. If you need me to set a demo up for you, just drop me a note. You're gonna love your Buell! Court |
