| Author | Message | ||
     Desotonorsocal |
This is a coming-to-terms story of hard-ache & passion, so if you're not a reader, feel free to skip to the triple asterisks below! I got on BadWeb a few years back after purchasing my first Buell, an '00 M2 Cyclone. (Check my profile for the 'loose' stats on that bike and what was done to it. I'll update with the new bike shortly.) I read a LOT on BwB, but didn't post much, for two reasons: 1.) I was having too much fun on that bike, averaging 550 miles a month for nearly 6 months, and 2.) I made a mistake with leaning out the bike, much to the chagrin of the original owner, my Godfather, who knew what to do and not to do to make that bike move & handle like a raped ape. Ultimately I had to sell her. (Note to other Buellers: Don't just throw on a Windjammer or some other nonsense because you hate the breadbox unless you IMMEDIATELY get it tuned properly afterwards.) So, front piston blown, I sold the bike, thankfully to a fellow enthusiast who who rejects the term "parts bike" and plans on rebuilding the bike for his nephew. Meanwhile, as previous posts will attest, I had *pretty much* concluded that I needed an import bike that I can just "fuel and go" as I'd been told. Fast-forward to now: I recently obtained a (much needed!) job that's a 1 1/2-2 hour commute each way in my 4-wheeled brick, me watching time and money peel off like a bad Geico commercial. (I can practically hear the Allman Brothers as I type this.) My first thought was to repair the Cyclone, but the quotes I got were high enough that I figured I could get something more inline with my current needs for roughly bike value + repairs, so off to Mr. Gore's Interwebs I went. My GOAL was simple: Find something economical & reliable. Use it to split some occasional dead-stop traffic, cut down on time and the $100+/week in gas. I SWEAR I tried people. Everything in me said "Dude, just buy a friggin' Honda, get a million miles per gallon on something you won't have to sweat on maintenance and just be done with it." My Left brain made sense, and afterall, this was what I WANTED, right?!?! Unfortunately, after 'switching up' to a Buell my Right brain was hooked. How can I explain this in terms you'll understand. I rode the Cyclone and it just 'felt right'. All of it. The rumble under my posterior, the juxtaposition of raw torque and nimble street fighter reflexes, and even foot/control placement. I felt instantly disconnected with everything outside the Buell family. Even the quick bikes, while fast and fun, didn't make me feel like I was "Part" of something. Whether it be the road, the bike, or (a strange side effect that I didn't expect), a unique group of people. Either way, this unexpected umbilical attachment had me slowly but surely honing my search results on CL and cycletrader right back to those very same motorcycles I thought I should stay away from. December 1, 2013. Sitting in front of my tiny apartment is a 2006 Buell Lightning CITYX XB9SX. I absolutely consider myself blessed to have purchased it from the man I did, a true gearhead. Anyone who has a dedicated 'room' for parts and riding gear is instantly my Hero. This gentleman of 66 years had several bikes, all of which he unfortunately needs to relinquish due to a handful of operations. His older, pricier gems were concealed by garage and covers, and this mini-collection of his is now relegated to another generation. I never want to see that happen, but I guess that's simply the way life works. So I LOVE my new bike- It's nimble as hell, far easier to toss around than the Cyclone, starts in 'cold' weather (I'm in So. Cal. so not that cold, but the M2 hated it), and is just a compliant bitch. I'm thinking at this point I have the best of both worlds.... Or so it would seem... Oh, and she's DAMN pretty. I LOVE the tuber look, but we're talking Salma Hayek vs. Penelope Cruz here. Simple mathematics will tell you that it's a matter of preference. At the risk of sounding like a guy harping on how great his ex was, I'll have to say this: The XB9 is a complete friggin turd-box in terms of performance. My '00 Cyclone had SUCH down low grunt that I could hit 3rd gear and sit there for most of my day if I REALLY wanted to. Actually, across the board that CB'd bike would absolutely kill what I'm riding now. What I 'get' is the fact that my GD (Godfather) happened to build and race bikes for 40+ years, so that Cyclone wasn't near stock in the slightest. EBR ECM, exhaust, complete rejet, etc. I could go on but I honestly don't know what all was done to that bike expect that 1,2 & 3 would throw the tire up. Again, I don't mention this because my new woman is short on talent, necessarily, but more so as a reference point. I've no experience in the 'what makes an XB9 fast' department. So without further ado, I'll present you with my ACTUAL, New Guy questions: *** Questions: * Where can I get an Owner's Manual. NOT a service Manual, I have that. (I'll pay for the manual. And yes, I've checked ebay. Unless I'm missing something, I'm not seeing any.) * What other manuals should I get? (I have tools) Note that I'll pay for info. I don't want/expect to d/l illegal crap. * My last g/f had SO MUCH more power than what I'm working with now- I don't want/expect a 3rd gear 50+ mph tire launch but rolling f/t on the first few gears without being even remotely scared doesn't enthuse me. :/ Oh so the question(s): What can I do, in order of precedence, to improve performance. And to prove I've been all over BwB, here's what I know: -- White wire mod: Only good on non-US models -- Intake Cut-Outs: '06+ models have that done from Buell -- Exhaust: American Sport Bike analysis shows several slip-on models pro/cons. I can figure my best model for my preference BUT, I don't want to replicate the lean condition of my last bike, so IF I got a 3rd party slip-on, how do I approach that? -- I've got a shop close by for dyno testing, but they charge a minimum of $100/hr @ 4 hours + additional fees. I'd love to know more about the the Direct Link or TunerPro or ECMpro, etc software. I'm SO not afraid of reading and learning, but based off of my last bike my only personal issue is I CAN'T frag this bike, so while I want/need a LOT more horsepower, I won't do it at the risk of killing this fine-ass stead as it were.... For anyone reading to this last and final sentence, all I can say is thank you! -DeSoto | ||
| Desotonorsocal |
OK so I *thought* being 'verbally creative' might help but apparently not. So I'll be succinct: I recently grabbed a job that had me slated to go out of country (still a civilian, lol) but at *least* for 3 months, I'm just stuck with L.A. (Seems like a different country to me but I digress..) So in the interim I've bought a new bike, the cityx. What I don't want to do is become the Buell-Killer and buy up these bikes only to destroy them. I purchased from someone who didn't ride much and now I'm commuting on this bike. Already I can smell gas (is this normally on a fuelly bike?) and it's *slightly* tougher to start after a long run. (Also not sure if that's normal.) I'm thinking I should have a full service done at LEAST because the former owner *might* have let the bike sit. Recommendations on OC-area Buell Mechanics would be greatly appreciated. Also, I'm fine with doing my own work, but I need the info to do this. (ie oil changes, etc.) Thanks in advance guys! | ||
| Froggy |
Your local Buell dealer can order one up, it is about $20. If you have the service manual already, there is no point, as everything in the owners manual is repeated in the service manual.
The parts manual. It has nice exploded diagrams to show how things fit together, and it makes it a lot easier to order replacement parts as you can write down a list of numbers the parts guy can plug in, instead of him trying to figure out what you are talking about.
There is not a huge difference in power between a stock XB9 and a stock M2. From what I can see in dyno charts, the XB9 makes more horsepower, but the M2 makes a few ft lbs more of torque throughout the band. One thing you need to consider is the feel of the motor, as a smoother powerband will feel less powerful than one with dips and sudden bursts. Your M2 was heavily modded, which may or may not have increased power, but it sure messed with the powerband and may make it feel faster while not actually doing anything that can be measured at a drag strip. That said, a pipe and tune does wonders, and as you have seen with the exhaust shootout there are a bunch of options. Personally I recommend getting a Drummer exhaust, and the EBR Race ECM will take care of fueling for it. http://www.erikbuellracing.com/store/parts-accesso ries/fuel-injection/xb9-model-ddfi-2-preprogrammed -ecm.html I wouldn't bother doing doing anything more extreme than this, as the price to performance ratio sucks, and you start to hurt reliability with other gofast parts.
Fuel smell once it is hot is normal, the frame heats up, thermal expantion causes vapors to be pushed out the fuel vent hose. If it bothers you or it is stinking up your parking area, you can install the carbon canister on it. The carbon can was stock on California spec bikes, it is a black soda can sized container that contains charcoal and sits mounted below the left air scoop, with the fuel vent hose feeding into it then into the throttle body.
No, if anything it should be easier, given a fully charged battery, and being warm requiring less fuel to start and everything is still lubricated.
That is highly recommended regardless of what you bought, have a pro with experience check things over while giving it fresh fluids. I have no clue on who for you though. Contact Al at American Sport Bike and see if he can recommend anyone, as he is from the same state as you. | ||
| Desotonorsocal |
@Froggy, Excellent info across the board, thank you! Yeah, so after my long commutes (1-2+ hours) I sometimes stop at a gas station or store and upon re-starting the bike, it starts 'weak'; sometimes I have to run the starter for more than just a 'blip' (which is all it takes in the morning) or when it does start the rpm's are near-death low til I flick the throttle. Similar to the Cyclone. On the Cyclone note, I thought my '02 was 10+ HP and 20+ TQ more than my XB9? And again, in stock trim. I DO know this: I could never full throttle the Cyclone like I can the Lightning without my front wheel coming up in 1st & 2nd. I can't count how many times I pulled out of a parking lot (hard) and didn't realize I was *just barely* on one wheel until a shift or letting off the throttle. I don't think I could do that if I tried with the XB. But again, mileage is better. (The Cyclone never jumped or staggered unless it was cold, and until I switched the intake w/out a retune.) Anyway, I'm loving the bike regardless; getting 49mpg which is great. I'll ask Al at American Sport Bike as you recommended though I was hoping to do some basic service/PM-ing myself so I'd planned on fluid change & inspections myself this Saturday. I'll have a week of commuting on it by then, and the drivetrain seems a bit noisier than before, but that could be my imagination. Anyway, thanks again Froggy! | ||
| Froggy |
Regarding the power, here are dyno results, Johnson Engine Technology has some plots of both an XB9 and M2 in stock and beefed up, so I merged two of the charts and erased the beefed up run leaving the two stock bikes http://www.johnsonenginetechnology.com/JETPAGES/dynoruns/buell-xl_performance.html  The two lighter blue lines are the XB9, and the teal and purple are from the M2. As you can see, some parts are very similar, while others are night and day different. This is only a small factor on how the bike feels, as other things like rotating mass, how quickly the motor can spool up, fuel injection acceleration and so on all can affect how it feels, and things like the gearing can be why one bike would loft the wheel easier than others. My understanding is that the XB9 has shorter gearing than the M2 so in theory it should loft it easier, but I'd have to double check. Either way, the stock fueling is pretty lame at lower RPMs to meet EPA regulations, so a tune or Race ECM can really bring it to life. Honestly I'm not sure where to start regarding the warm restarts, I would have the TPS and idle reset first, as if those are wrong then the fueling for the entire bike is off. Hell that could also tie into your power complaints. | ||
| Desotonorsocal |
@Froggy- Thanks again for following up. I hit up AL but he's in SD and doesn't know anyone near my area (OC) or farther north where I commute. I may be paranoid due to the mishap with the last bike, but aside from the hard starts which happen nearly 100% of the time after long rides/warm-ups, I *swear* the drivetrain is getting noisier. It's still a fresh bike and I've only been commuting on it a few weeks so it could be me hearing it in different conditions, but I dunno. I'd feel much better having someone local go through it and give me the thumbs-up. I'd meant to grab the service manual and go through at least the fluids & plugs myself but this weekend was rained out. As to the Cyclone vs. Lightning, it's almost moot, but I'm curious as to what all my Godfather (previous owner) did on the Cyclone. I definitely understand 'seat of the pants' differences. And btw, he put a TALLER gear on the Cyclone for lower highway RPM's and it still liked to get light in the front end. Again, doesn't matter. I'm falling in love with this bike, and while I dream of seeing another 8-10 hp at the wheels, it's a commuter right now, and does everything it should. Agility and braking seem quite a bit better than the old gal, and at least fuel-up I broke 50mpg so other than freaking out that she's going to explode any second, I'm having a blast. (Not that kind of Blast.) BTW, I'm pretty decent with computers, I understand ICE's from years of car experience (near zero in bikes unfortunately) so I'm wondering if learning some of this mapping software might make sense for me so I can do some basic tuning myself? I found a place in Long Beach that will dial in my bike on a legit dyno and with software, but $600 is way too much for me. This thing is stock so I'd really prefer to learn her myself and do as much PMing as possible, including software. Thoughts? |
