| Author | Message | ||
     Snackbar64 |
Stopped by Wal-Mart last night and saw the new issue that had the Buell up against some stiff competition (Ducati,KTM,BMW) One of the testers noted the buell is bike he liked riding most. Seems that Buells have that affect on many. Not the best in any one area (except handling) but a blast to ride. | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
No it's a XB to ride. Blast's a bit smaller with a tube frame, I'd of thought you'd know that!  | ||
| Spatten1 |
The article was harsh, but probably fair. 1) Stalling in traffic. I've seen that problem here from other 2008 owners, sounds like it may be a DDFI 3 issue. You can't send bikes that stall to magazines. The Ducati had bad tip-in when it got hot, but it did not die. 2) Heaviest bike. I like my lump a lot, but it is a very heavy engine. It will be tough to lighten up the XB line anymore without a redesigned engine. | ||
| Spatten1 |
Forgot another comment they had that I agree with, as it sounds like my XBS. The bikes handle very well, but you have to get completely set up before the turn, get your braking done, then turn in smoothly. My XBS will punish the least bit of "un-smooth" riding. With perfect riding the XBS is exceptional. I can only assume that the TT has similar characteristics from the review. | ||
| Jaimec |
The old airhead BMWs were like that. If you finished your braking before you tipped her over and throttled through the turn you could just FLY on the backroads despite the lack of horsepower. If you were the LEAST bit sloppy the bike provided you a WONDERFUL physics lesson in shaft-drive effect and soft, undersprung forks. There's a reason they were nicknamed "Rubber Cows" in Europe. But once you learned the trick, it carried over to any other bike you rode. It FORCED you to adopt the proper riding technique or you quickly found yourself doing a little agricultural work on the north fawty... | ||
| Mesozoic |
Yeah, I wouldn't say that the XB is a beginner's bike. Don't get on one unless you know what you're doing and are interested in aggressive handling. No one should be using the brakes in a sweeping high speed turn on one of these bikes. I find that mine's very predictable and haven't paid a visit to the farms yet. Also, I've got an '08 XB12Ss and I haven't had any stalling issues whatsoever. Runs quite well, if not rough below 3000 RPM. | ||
| Towjam |
You can't send bikes that stall to magazines. And probably not a good idea to send a bike that stalls to the Buell Demo Days. I went to the BDD at American Eagle (Corinth, TX) this past weekend. After one of the rides, a ricer rider was comparing his demo ride on the 1125 to his R6 and was commenting on how "rough the engine felt" when idling. I was behind him when it stalled at a red light. That same 1125 stalled on me twice during another ride and the other 1125 stalled at the same red light with the ride leader on it. I'm just saying.... | ||
| Mesozoic |
I rode the 1125R and noticed that it would stall if driven below 2500 RPM. Small price to pay for majorly violent power in the midrange and top end, though. Mine ran out of gas on the demo day... had to push it back to the dealership! | ||
| Spatten1 |
It FORCED you to adopt the proper riding technique or you quickly found yourself doing a little agricultural work on the north fawty... Yesterday I went to the track for the first time in a couple of years, and the XB did great. I was slow, but not the bikes fault. It handled a couple of unexpected slides admirably (with Dunlop Qs). I am very conscious about being smooth, not moving my body around once turning, and easing into and off of the brakes, as I had some "moments" on my XB a couple of years ago. I rode a ZX10R for a few laps, and it was difficult, to say the least. The throttle tip-in was violent, a lot of either drive line lash, or sudden fueling, I'm not sure. That engine has serious juice, and cracking the throttle while leaned over would take some getting used to. I'll tell you one thing though, it has a hell of a lot of power down low. I hardly shifted at all, running from 4k to 12k. Power everywhere, torque and HP, period. That bike is a thug. And probably not a good idea to send a bike that stalls to the Buell Demo Days. Yeah, I'd probably cancel the event before letting anyone else ride a demo that stalled. |
