| Author | Message | ||
     Aa5ch |
I arrived in Fayetteville early yesterday morning to snag a demo ride on an XB9SX at Bikes,Blues, and BBQ. The Buell demo fleet was there and the demo rides were being organized by Cycle Connection of Joplin. The appearance of the CityX appeals to me and seeing one up close didn't change my opinion. The wife admitted she liked it better than my yellow XB9SL. I was wearing a Buell tee shirt and a couple of guys approached me, thinking that I "worked there." I probably know as much [and probably more] about Buells as most H-D salesmen so I answered some questions before the real sales people showed up. After we signed the paperwork and got a briefing, one of the guys asked if we wanted a "curvy road or a straight road to play on."   There were 3 or 4 SX's available and I chose #8...aka "Rachel."  It took me a few blocks to refamiliarize myself with the Buell throttle response and the ZTL brake, bit as we headed out of town I was reminded why I enjoyed the XB9SL so much. For some reason [and it may be nothing more than a bike-to-bike difference] I found the engine in the CityX to be smoother than the 03 XB9SL. I have read that the CityX may have picked up a couple more HP. It's been a while but I think the new one had a bit more "pep." I couldn't tell on a demo ride whether the Pirelli's are better than the Dunlops, but after my 207 rear needed replacing after 1400 miles of very conservative riding, I'm glad to see something else on the XB's. I didn't get a chance to ask the man who sets up the bikes if they check the suspension settings and set them to specific values before the demo sessions, but I did notice there were 4 front pre-load lines showing, suggesting a pretty stiff setup for someone under 200 pounds. The ride confirmed this, but I found with my previous experience that my XB handled and responded more to my liking with rather stiff settings. The demo ride was longer and slightly more spirited that I had anticipated. The guys had picked out a good route and the only problem was that it was colder than I had anticipated. Ah...being cold on a Buell in the Ozarks...reminds me of last winter. Other than feeling a bit smoother and a tad more powerful, the SX was [unsurprisingly] very much like the SL. The seat was more comfortable but I caught myself slouching a bit, suggesting that I personally might be more comfortable in the long run with a slightly cupped seat. I'm 5'10+" and have a 30" inseam. I could flat foot the SX...something I was concerned about with the taller seat. I guess I'm preaching to the choir here, but there really isn't anything like riding a Buell XB...yes there are other V-twin mills that produce similar power curves[the Monster 800 and V-Strom 650 being two I have owned] and I have ridden bikes that were more comfortable to me, but the sensation you get on an XB is just unique and awesome. There is no buffeting...your head and body are out front in clear air and you have to look down for sensory confirmation that you are on a motorcycle and not some sort of human hood ornament [and I mean that in a most positive way ]  The guy doing sales seemed to have his •••• together, unlike the guy that I bought my SL from. My SL was setup so poorly when I picked it up, it was irresponsible IMO.... suspension wasn't anywhere close to factory defaults, rear tire already showing wear at 60 miles, tires dangerously underinflated, and it was a half quart low on oil.  It was my second bike and I needed these things to be correct out of the box until I learned what was what. Several factors led to me selling my XB9SL. One of the most important was comfort. I was hoping with the taller and softer seat the SX might be more comfortable for me. After the demo ride I had a terrible flair up of tendinitis in my knee. Unfortunately, I think having my knee bent at such an angle aggravated it. One of the other factors was the headshake I experienced a couple of times when braking. I was thinking the switch to the larger diameter forks on the 05's, the different tires, along with keeping the steering head bearing in spec, stiffening the suspension settings, and being a better rider in general may keep that at bay. Sooo... I guess I can call the doctor and have him order more refills on the Naproxen and get one...right?  We'll see.... I do want to thank Buell [and their subsidiary H-D  ] for making the demo fleet available. I was worried when I got there that there wasn't much interest but when we returned from our ride, several people had signed up. My wife noted that most of the guys who wanted to ride the Buells rode up on Harleys. FWIW...[and I tried this tac with one guy] I pushed the Buell XB as a "second bike"...to contrast and compliment the cruiser already in the stable. Yes...it is a vastly different bike, but it has the mill they are familiar and comfortable with. It seemed to be the mindset of the 30-40 year old guys that were interested. Just thinking out loud... Thanks Buell... and to Chris and the guys from Cycle Connection. You may have sold a bike to a former Bueller and brought him back into the fold...besides...what I am going to do with all these Buell tee-shirts and helmet. Here's a picture of me on top of Rachel at the rally....   (Message edited by aa5ch on October 03, 2004) | ||
| Gschuette |
I have never seen one in person and was just wondering is all the black on the lower half that ugly wrinkle stuff like on the Night Train(which I loved before seeing one in person) or is it just a simple matte finish. I love the look of the cityx in pictures. Just don't want to be disappointed when I see one for myself. Thanks for the help. | ||
| Aa5ch |
I'm sorry but I wouldn't know the difference between a matte and wrinkle finish unless examples of each were side by side and someone pointed out the difference.  | ||
| Anonymous |
Matte finish. | ||
| Prof_stack |
For some reason [and it may be nothing more than a bike-to-bike difference] I found the engine in the CityX to be smoother than the 03 XB9SL. I have read that the CityX may have picked up a couple more HP. The CityX has the xb12 airbox cover which many people (myself included) have indicated gives a few additional HP and smoother throttle response. I REALLY liked the Pirelli tires on the CityX when I rode at the Seattle demo rides last week. Seemed a whole lot better than the 207's.} | ||
| Gschuette |
Anony are you saying it has a matte finish? If so thanks for the help. | ||
| Doughnut |
why the Anonymous post for that?  | ||
| Jlnance |
Brad - I'm glad you said something about the Ozarks. When I started reading I was really ticked that Buell had showed up in Fayetteville, NC and not told anyone :-) aa4ch sounds like a ham callsign. I got a license too, but I haven't flipped a radio on in 10 years. Jim | ||
| Wyckedflesh |
Because certain people are not allowed to post on this type of discussion board at all Doughnut. There is a certain Anony that posts here regularly that is just such a font of infor that I for one REALLY appreciate his input as well as the motorcycles he designed. | ||
| Glitch |
The SX has different final drive pulleys and throttle bodies, both from the 12. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Different pulleys! Really? I had no idea... So the 9sx has the 12 gearing? Very interesting. | ||
| Wyckedflesh |
Not quite Reep, the 9sx still uses the primary drive of the rest fo the 9's, not the 12's primary gearing. | ||
| Glitch |
The part number for the final drive belt pulley (that goes on the rear wheel) is the same as the 12. Not sure about the final drive pulley on the engine. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Looked it up on the the Buell website (assuming it is right there): XB9 SX Transmission Ratios: 1st 2.688 2nd 1.850 3rd 1.433 4th 1.181 5th 1.000 XB12s Transmission Ratios: 1st 2.688 2nd 1.850 3rd 1.433 4th 1.181 5th 1.000 XB9R Transmission Ratios: 1st 2.688 2nd 1.850 3rd 1.433 4th 1.181 5th 1.000 Which clearly... uhhh... probably does not help me, as they probably don't take into account the final drive ratios of the pulleys, just the transmission.  Thats interesting. Wonder how the final drive ratio's for the three types (classic 9, 9sx, classic 12) compare? | ||
| Glitch |
Classic Nine...I like that. Trojan sells the pulleys as extra torque, and extra speed. I can't remember how much different they are. I'm waiting for someone to come out with a de-railer, so I can have both  | ||
| Aa5ch |
Jlnance, Yep aa5ch is my ham callsign. I USED to be very active until I took up motorcycling! | ||
| Fullpower |
Aa5ch de WL7PM. greetings from alaska, also not on the air much since the motorcycle habit got out of hand. regarding the XB: try one with a corbin saddle, very nice ergos, quite suitable for a thousand mile day. 73, dean |
