| Author | Message | ||
     Cityxslicker |
Riding impression, bike has alot of go, bike has ALOT of STOP. That 8 piston front brake will endo if you fat grab it. It is way more aggressive than the standard XB brake. Y'all have been warned. (yes I did have a couple of scary moments around the track with that brake) | ||
| Doerman |
Let's get the discussion back on topic again..  They are pretty in the wild, aren't they?  Today's excursion Sorry about the phone camera quality pic Asbjorn | ||
| Cobralightning |
Still very possible to go 'balls fast' without going over the 6000 break in. Already pulled more then one unintended wheelie, and a mini stoppie that brought me out of my seat. Very small and I was not trying to stunt. Compared to my 99 X1, this bike halls everywhere. Keep putting about 50-100 miles on the bike everyday and do not really go anywhere. Just down the block 15 miles then back. Can seem to stop riding. First tank of gas only lasted me 110 miles. I might get better gas mileage later, but I do not care if I do not. Super fun  | ||
| Kravfighter |
Sounds sweet! | ||
| Dalton_gang |
 Sorry for the crap cell phone pic. I took off work early today to go visit my bike. After checking the bike out front to back, up and down, and round and round, Justin (service tech @ Mid America H D & Buell) asked me if i wanted to take it for a ride. I told him that I wasn`t planing on riding it today and didn`t bring a helmet etc.., So he twisted my arm a little, gave me a loaner helmet and after signing a waiver & slapping a plate on it I was riding! It was only an 8 mile trip and it was cold & wet plus I was trying really hard not to rev it out past 6k rpm so I don`t have any real impressions to pass on yet other than it really seems to come alive at about 5k rpm, for me it needs the bars relocated up and in (about 1.5" each way), it is super light and handles super easy (I`m used to fat pigs though). Also it DOES look better and smaller in person! The blue paint is also better looking in person (changes color with change in lighting) Thank you Kevin and Justin!!! This thing is so bad ass. I know that I`m going to have some serious fun with this one.  | ||
| Brad1445 |
Doerman Posted on Friday, December 21, 2007 - 08:54 pm: They are pretty in the wild, aren't they? ___________________________________ Pretty what? Fast?  | ||
| Teach |
Hmn, let me see, riding impressions.... O.K. think the thread kinda got lost. I had my 1125 out for the first time yesterday, it was about 43 in Ohio. The fairing and pods do a great job of deflecting the cold Ohio air. I found it a little difficult getting used to the shift lever, the pedal part seemed a little short, or my feet may be too big. I stalled it at a stop light, guess I though I was on my old lightning. It handles great, seems to have a lot of power and I can't wait to get some more miles on it. I really love Buells, but appreciate all kind of bikes. In a way Rocketman drives me a little crazy, but then some of his stuff makes me think. We need bikers like him to ask those hard questions. Thank you Eric and friends for the great Christmas gift!!! | ||
| Doerman |
Dang! I know this thread is no longer about riding impressions or what was it? I dunno. Riding in the Malibu canyon country today. Two 1125Rs spotted at the Rock Store on Mulholland drive:  On the ride : Pacific Ocean on one side:  Canyon country in the other:  Asbjorn | ||
| Xb9 |
Well it got over 40 degrees here today so I took the 11 out for it's first 100 miles. Having ridden the 11 on the track at VIR and Mid-Ohio, I was dieing to find out what it was like at a more moderate pace on the street. All I can say is wow, it's way more than I expected! What a bike for the street! Even keeping it below 6k, I can't believe how linear the power delivery is. Very very smooth and powerful and literally no vibration or buzzing just cruising along. Since I wasn't wearing ear plugs this time, I was very happy with the exhaust note at speed. I wouldn't want to change out the muffler for anything, it's just got a perfect sound without being to loud. I've ridden a 1098, and it is somewhat similar in the sounds you hear while riding: a little bit of gear whine except you don't have that rattly obnoxious dry clutch. The Buell power delivery is way better because it is so linear. And when you crack it open you can hear those huge throttle bodies sucking gobs of air. Suspension felt really good on the street also, just like the track. It is also a notch up from my XB9r for sure. The heated grips are awesome! I had it on low and my hands were toasty. Overall this bike is very refined and sorted; if anyone out there is sitting on the fence waiting to see if there are any problems, you're just wasting some good riding time! That engine is awesome. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Xb9, did your grips heat evenly? There were reports of the throttle grip getting much warmer than the other. Congrats on the new bike. I am on a day to day with mine now. Probably not until after Christmas now. Crap. | ||
| Zac4mac |
Congrats XB9! I installed my own grips, Buell stock kit. Works like a champ, rode 185 miles Wednesday in 40˚ weather. Actually turned them off a few times and got the same heat from both grips. Will see tomorrow how they are for low-mid 30s. Z | ||
| Xb9 |
Regarding the left grip having less heat, I did notice less on the left at first. I came to the conclusion that it's because I normally have a firmer grip on the right throttle grip. You are forced to grip the throttle consistently, obviously for throttle control. The left hand is more relaxed because it's not constantly performing the task of working the throttle. I also have a habit of resting a finger or two on the clutch lever, which reduces contact on the grip. When I forced myself to hold the left grip the same as the right, it felt to have the same amount of heat. Anyway there's plenty of heat to keep those hands warm. | ||
| Rocketman |
The Buell power delivery is way better because it is so linear. Good. Seems like they got this sorted, as this was one of the niggles several of the preproduction testers reported. Though I did find the power delivery on the 1098 like a raging bull from the get go through all the gears. Maybe you test rode a duff one. I'm looking forward to putting the 1125 through its paces given the stuff I keep hearing in this thread  Rocket | ||
| Spatten1 |
Great writeup XB9, thanks. Doerman: Must have been exciting to see a couple at the Rock Store. Always something cool there! | ||
| Doerman |
Yeah Scott, the Rock Store is always a treat. The "two" at the Rock Store is actually a bit of a setup in that another BadWeBber and I agreed to meet up for a ride yesterday and of course we both brought our new bikes to the event! We did see a third one though. | ||
| Spatten1 |
That's funny. I say Leno there one time, hanging out with some old biker broad, totally ignoring anyone that wanted to talk about show biz. He was actively looking at all the different bikes, though, a real motorhead! | ||
| Rocketman |
Asbjorn, what kind of attention did the 1125's get at the Rock Store? I should imagine you felt pretty special most likely being the first to take a new model Buell to that place. I'd have done the same. Well, I like posing  Nice one. Rocket | ||
| Doerman |
Some attention. Medium, I'd say. Most stopped for a glance others were really curious. I skidaddled to get food, the other BadWeBber hung back to discuss the bikes. Posing??? I just stopped for breakfast dude. They serve a mean scrambled eggs with country taters there. I covered pert' near 200 miles yesterday, so not much time for posing. Cheers.. | ||
| Doerman |
And you are right. There is a certain amount of poser element in stopping at the Rock Store with a brand spanking new bike. What the heck, I am proud of this bike. | ||
| Bertman |
Asbjorn, do you mean this one?  The throttle delivery definitely has more snatch between off and on the gas, but that engine - Damn! | ||
| C4bird |
That has got to be the coolest picture of the 1125r I've seen!  | ||
| Court |
I agree. I'd like to have poster of that with the words "Everything just changed" across the bottom. It was interesting taking the first Buell to most these places years ago. I've got tons of neat pictures and THE Buell used to get lots of notice. Another great "first" moment was when we took the first S1WL "White Lightnings" the the famed Highland House one morning. Cool pics! | ||
| Doerman |
So that was you coming barreling down by the pullout on the top? Cool. You know you should be more cognizant of the speed limits!  Great picture! Asbjorn | ||
| Spike |
I managed to get the run files from the 1125R dyno I mentioned back on the 17th. I emailed the run files to Blake, but his email bounced back and said he'll be offline. In the meantime, here's a .gif file of the 1125R run against a slightly modded '04 XB12R (XB9 pistons, micron pipe, direct link):  | ||
| Blublak |
Hmmm.. Ok, trying to stay on topic (such as it's been).. I rode the thing home yesterday and while I only clocked about 60 miles prior to parking it in the garage, I think I got a pretty good feel for it on a couple of different road types. First things first, the ergos. Compared to my XB9R this is actually a more comfortable ride, with peg and bar relation well thought out and granting the rider more space then the previous model. For a six foot rider, this really improved the feel of the machine, making it much more comfortable for me in the knee and lower back areas. The shift and brake pegs seem a little small at first, but with only a few minutes worth of riding you naturally start to find them with no problem. My brake actuators (hand and foot levers) both felt almost soft but at the same time the brakes seemed to grab well and slow the bike down with no drama. Grabbing a handful on a back road did get the rear end light (no surprise there) and I'm sure the 'softness' I felt is simply a matter of adjustment. If after I've adjusted the levers better, I still get that sensation, then I'll be back at the dealer or some professional input. First things first. The hydraulic clutch works flawlessly, despite my not having much experience with one and it showing through in the initial stalls of the motorcycle that I experienced. The system is so smooth that there is no perceivable friction point as you get with a ‘traditional’ cable operated system. This means that if you’re not versed in the actual point the clutch engages, you’ll want to play with it a little prior to starting out. Don’t try to feel for the engagement as by the time you feel a nudge, if you haven’t already started winding the engine up, then it will stall on you and leave you with that.. ‘Duh!’ sensation as those around you glance around in a ‘nope, didn’t see that’ kindness that some people have. In case you’re wondering, yes, there was one highly amused guy on an E-Glide that made a statement about getting a real bike, since that new one was obviously a pile of shit that won’t even run.. Or better yet, get a real rider… Yeah yeah.. hehehehe.. I watched as he plugged in his full electric gear, adjusted the thermostat, pulled on two layers of facemasks prior to cinching on his soup bowl helmet. The only way I mention his preparations is due to the fact that we ended up leaving at the same time, we were even following the same road.. for about ten minutes in traffic, then he pulled off into a neighborhood and vanished from view as I continued my little run from the dealership to the home. One other thing about my ‘delivery’ experience, it was pretty much a ‘there it is..’ kind of thing. John was nice enough to come out and point out the single 1125R in the ‘new bike’ ride away zone. Ok, it was the ONLY bike there, but that was it. When I asked about break in, I was told ‘ride gently, you’ll be fine.’ That was it. They had decided that Joe (RatBuell) had already gone over anything of note with me and that was it. Now back to the riding impressions; I quickly left the ‘city’ behind as I headed South towards my home. I had decided to stay off the ‘big’ roads and use a slightly more off the beaten path approach to get there. This was actually a great choice, despite the 40* weather and overcast conditions the generous upper fairing gave me a good deal of protection. The feel of the overall chassis is very solid and actually seems to be a little thinner then my XB if that is possible. One the road at moderate and low speeds the bike is highly nimble and responsive to light inputs making basic maneuvers easy and solid feeling. The new transmission is a marvel compared to previous units, with extremely light shifting allowing one to quickly loose track of what gear you were actually in and unlike an inline even at RPMs in the 3K range the bike felt confident and ready to go without much hesitation. The only real indicator of being in a gear too high for the speed was a slight lugging effect that wouldn’t have caused any rider to worry or feel insecure aboard the machine and of course, a quick shift would correct this problem, no worries. The linear power delivery has been mentioned here numerous times, but few seemed to have spoken about the roll on capabilities of the new power plant. Keeping it under the 6K-RPM limit I was lead to believe was the break in limit, a quick flick of the wrist would take me effortlessly from 40mph to 90mph in a smooth and controlled manner. I found myself watching the speedo a bit more then usual since as I hit that upper speed number I didn’t have the usual sensation of catapulting through the countrysides, instead the solid feeling and sensations belied the actual speed I was traveling. This combined with the intuitive easy steering allowed such speeds to feel less extreme. How good is the new chassis? Well, turning the 1125 as I do when on my XB I found myself running much tighter into corners, slicing around the apex and carrying higher speeds by virtue of it’s ease at changing directions. The new suspension eats up road imperfections transmitting very little shock to the rider and maintaining the smooth ride over your normal road imperfections such as train tracks, minor pot holes as well as ripples and the like in the road surface. This combined with it’s willingness to turn in easily gives the rider a confidence that usually doesn’t come from a new machine without some time in the saddle to learn its quirks and foibles better. The engine is a bit of beast, but a tame beast. I’ve ridden it on the track at VIR and had a chance to open it up and let it roar, on the street, it’s got all the civility of a highly educated wolverine, getting ready to suck down a triple espresso and show you what happens when it gets a chance to toss off that veil of calmness and go into beast mode. The thing about beast mode is that it’s still a very understated beast, kind of like the really dangerous individual standing in the corner, no posing, no great big demonstrations of what a bad ass he is.. Just quiet confidence at being able to do the job. This is how the Helicon motor is. With a nice healthy exhaust note and a constant pull that never try’s to jerk your arms out of their sockets, this bike just goes about it’s tasks with great aplomb and skill. A testament to the designers and builders. While the 1125R won’t terrify those speed demons that live on short, quick injections of all out ballistic speed, it will more then live up to it’s basic hype and prove to be a great street machine with all the qualities that make for a great track day weapon as well. Will it make a great racer? Only time and tuning will tell.. Will it make a great street bike with occasional forays onto the track? It already is. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Blublak...nice assessment. thanks for the post. I soon hope to do the same....someday... | ||
| Dano_12s |
Pete,nice write up,keep us posted on your next miles! | ||
| Zac4mac |
Quite the "post", Blublak; enjoyed it immensely. I believe it would pass for a good article in most any bike magazine. Add a couple of photos and you're there. I cackled a bit when I got to the Wolverine part. Glad to hear your impression on the chassis. Now I'm confident that time spent on the suspension adjustments will be fruitful. Mine was rattling my molars on the Interstate slabs. I should be into the 400s, maybe 500s today on the odometer, put it in the garage with 360 last night. Been thinking a lot about the feeling that the 1125 is narrower than the XBs. The airbox is the same, but the frame is wider at the bottom than the XB frame. So, a cross section would be a trapezoid for the 1125 and a rectangle for the XB. I think it feels narrower because your knees come in more, better grip now. I finally found the sweet spot for my legs, almost as protected as if full faired. I used to put a rag in the oil-cooler scoop on my XB when it was this cold, but with a radiator system I'm not going to worry. Since I rolled her off the trailer, she runs stable at around 166˚, ambient 22˚ to 54˚ so far. Winter just started, long 6 months to Summer. Z | ||
| Doerman |
Yeah, Great write up Blueblack! Thanks for taking the thought and efforts to do that! I'm at 650 miles now and I'd like to add a little report on my impressions so far. The break in period is mostly all about the bike mechanicals but it is also a period where the owner gets used to the machine. So too with me. Owning an XB9R did not make me a immediately an expert on the 1125R, because it is such a progression from the XB platform. For your reference, my riding skills can be characterized as a novice on a track day (maybe intermediate) and average as a canyon rider. Comfort: The most comfortable bike I ever owned was an S2 (after Corbin upgrade). I sat “in” the S2 and could ride all day long. My most recent bike was a BMW R1100S. It was nearly as comfortable to ride as the S2. The 1125R falls in between the two on comfort. Comfort is a personal thing and relates to size and riding habits so for reference, I’m 5’8” and 200lbs geared up. It probably helped a lot that my dealer went to great lengths to set up the suspension to my weight and riding style and the Firebolt Custom seat is a great addition adding to posterior comfort. On the same topic of comfort, the production model seems to have worked out the issue of the temperature management. I have not experienced any temperature issues (overheated legs or feet). Although the warmest ambient temperature I have ridden in is 75F. Vibrations – no issues until you hit 7.5K rpm. Then you will feel vibes in the footpegs, not intrusive, but it’s there. Drivability and fuel economy: During the first few miles the bike would shudder, jerk and snatch under 3000 rpm. This has improved greatly during break in to where it is all but gone at this point. It is now nearly on par with the XB. 650 miles is not a magic number either where it is fully broken in. I expect it to gradually improve slightly in the next few hundred miles to get to the level of the Inside Track day bikes. Fuel economy has steadily improved. The first tank drained away quite quickly. At this point I am getting 31 MPG under hard riding (and I mean HARD). I did an experiment of driving 46 miles on the freeway and I put 1.1gal of fuel in after that ride, which means 41mpg. The display read 38mpg for the same trip. I expect this to improve yet a bit more as break in continues. Handling Wow.. May I repeat? WOW! I can’t say enough about how well this bike handles. It is a huge step up from the XB. Many have written their positive impressions on this issue so far and I can only add +10. I have done the majority of my break in miles on canyon roads around LA therefore challenging the handling part more than city or freeway riding. It is nearly impossible to be in the wrong gear coming into a curve. The chassis, brakes and motor will handle it for you. The power throughout the rpm range and especially above break in rpm is just enormous. More than my abilities can make use of but not of the character that challenges my abilities. My point of comparison regarding power and power delivery is a Duc 999. The Pirellis are just incredible. Although I am a little bit pissed since the tires have such a drastic profile that it is difficult to rid yourself of the chicken bars (just kidding!). I think the mirrors will scrape before you hit the edge of the tires, just kidding again. But it inspires you to experience high lean angles without biting you back as punishment. Nits The clutch engages far out. I’ve adjusted the lever to 5 to reduce the distance from the grip and that helps some. At first, it was disconcerting, but now I am used to the engagement point and it is not a big issue. I wish there was an adjustment though. Warm start has been an issue for me. After riding it hard it is a bit difficult to start sometimes. I have found that, under these conditions, pumping the throttle 3-5 times before hitting the starter while keeping the throttle cracked slightly open helps while starting helps. Take this “hint” with a huge grain of salt since I’ve not come to a conclusion yet. I can sum it up like this. Thanks Buell, you built the bike I always dreamt of. Cheers Asbjorn | ||
| Smoke |
picked mine up friday in Atlanta and heat cycled it twice after taking time to set it up for my weight. at 5'6"- 155lb this bike is roomy. went for the first ride of 140 miles on-off throttle to 6000. very solid and precise, slight burble at 5200rpm constant speed, not there on advancing or retreating throttle. 45 deg and grey misty skies had me thankful for the heated grips installed by the dealer. changed oil and got ready for the ride home to Louisiana. Saturday was more of the same-45deg, grey and misty skies, more on-off throttle to 6000 and then 300miles were completed and WOW!!! 4th gear roll on from 5000 to 7500rpm was impressive with 115 indicated at 7500 in 4th. rolled it on in 5th and let up way before 7500 at 120ish. on-off throttle to 7500rpm in 3rd until 600 miles. unfortunately that was when i ran into stopped traffic and found out about the hotfoot syndrome. moving at a walk for extended periods brings the bike temps and heat radiation way up. after a while i went to the emergency lane and escaped about 3 miles down the road. rode down the beach for about ten miles and got back on the slab a little after dark. good visibilty with the lights but could be a little brighter for an older fellow. ran into a squall line then rain for the last 100 miles and arrived at the house fully broken in at 757miles. looking for some clean twisty roads to scrub in the rest of the tire. very happy with the bike, power,power everywhere. tim |
