| Author | Message | ||
     Gravedigger |
They should have kept the old style tail section or a closer redesign. much better looking. just a personal opinion. I'll stick with my X1. this bike just doesn't seem to do it for me for some reason. but to each his own. | ||
| Pilk |
Ditto Graveman, I love my X-1! Pilk | ||
| Rick_A |
I like the 9R version better...the Lightning variant just doesn't look proper completely naked. Put some clothes on that thing! | ||
| Buellzebub |
its a good start, it just needs slider mounts and performance upgrade options... and where is the promised race kit? i really think that the marketing dynamo at the mother company missed the boat with the new models and will be waiting patiently til at least next year before i decide if Buell still has what it takes. don't get me wrong, S1's still rule and the new model is very nice... but if i have to spend 10k USD's on a bike just to get a nice starting platform. one that requires an additional 5k investment to make it competitive with current street bikes i will spend my dollars elsewhere. (think KTM, aprillia, suzuki) has anyone seen how easy it is to damage the new style frames? one good lowside and it's toast, wonder what the replacement cost is on one of those puppies? enough whining, time to ride Buzz be gone  | ||
| Peter |
Personally, I can't wait to see one of the new Lightnings in the flesh. I think they look very cool in the pics. PPiA | ||
| Anonymous |
Could you attempt to support this statement with some facts? | ||
| Anonymous |
I've heard of a 'bolt laid down twice, saw it recently, and there didn't appear to be a damned thing wrong with it. | ||
| Dynarider |
Can someone with photoshop take the new bike in black without the passenger pegs & blackout the frame & post it here. I think it would look great all blacked out. Call it Black Thunder. | ||
| Court |
Frankly, having low sided my share of tube framed Buells, I think it'd be tougher than hell to damage the thing. Buell knows, they've had to prove it to the United States Government during homoogation. Ford doesn't wait for Pinto's to get rear ended to find out it costs them $78M a copy. | ||
| Gomo |
I like what I see, but I'm really looking for a bike for my wife to step up from the Blast. Seat height just to high and really can't see any chance of just a seat making it any lower. You would think that after trying to push the Blast, the folks at Buell would come around with a Step-up Bike. I guess I'll have to see what they may have along the lines of accessories (lowering), or other bikes this year or look somewhere else. GOMO AMA/BRAG/HOG/CMC/I.O.O. | ||
| Turnagain |
Dyna, here's a stab at your request:  only had a cheap can of flat black.  | ||
| Dynarider |
Yea I like it!! Badass streetfighter look. | ||
| Jrh |
Yah,that blacked out frame looks better to me.Lets me focus on the shape of the rest of the bike more.IMO thats the best looking bike since the S1,just what i want,except the power level. Maybe because i got the colorvision of a dog,i notice shapes more. | ||
| Pilk |
That does look better but??? Maybe black out the other shiny stuff? Call it Darth-lightningsaber  Pilk | ||
| Aaron |
If only we could see the engine  I know this new chassis is great and all, but I miss seeing the engine. | ||
| José_Quiñones |
Who will be the first to graft the XB9S top clamp/handlebars and lower pegs on their Firebolt....... | ||
| José_Quiñones |
What will be the popular term used to describe the "removal" of that license plate mount? Platoctomy? I think Dana used the term tailectomy over on the GDB, that's good too. | ||
| José_Quiñones |
Ironic isn't it Aaron? The aircooled Lighning Streetfighter hides its engine, and the Watercooled Vrod has the engine out there for all the world to oogle at. VRSF, maybe 2003, probably 2004 tick tick tick.......... | ||
| Anonymous |
You just don't get it do you Jose? IT WAS AN APRIL FOOLS JOKE!!!! | ||
| José_Quiñones |
That was quick..... What I do get is that I won't be buying another Buell anytime soon, they don't make what I'm looking for. Too bad, I would rather spend my money with them first. Patience, grasshopper........ | ||
| Anonymous |
I like the looks of the XB9R and the XB9S, but for the money why would I want one. I can't believe that is all Buell is introducing for the 2003 line up. What are they planning for the Sport touring people who are riding S3's and T's? for now I hold my breath to see what this next week reveals. | ||
| Josh |
The new 9S looks like something AirTech or EuroComponents should have come up with. Where's an actual new model? Not that the mother company did any better. Nice stickers. Ya know if you lowered the seat height on the XBs there'd be more people stepping up from a Blast. Josh (You don't scratch the frame on a XB when you lay it down? 'Cause if you did it would be pretty hard to repair as-new) | ||
| Chuck |
So . . . Is that it for the 2003 Buell line up ? ? ? Just three bikes ? ? ? Are they discontinuing their use of the sportster-based engine for good  | ||
| Buellzebub |
in response to the one good lowside comment, i personally witnessed the aftermath of one going down at around 35 mph, highside/lowside into a baled wall. frame was dented and ground, the dent was about 1/4" deep and was as big as a hardball, right by where the knee cutout starts. the tech at the ride said the frame would probably be written off, at the time i thought it was a bloody shame and it opened my eyes as to just how fragile the little bolts could possibly be. on the other hand s1's slide beutifully no need to get excited, all i would like to see is proper slider mounts from the factory, especially on a frame that is multifunctional! | ||
| Raymaines |
About the first Buell I can remember seeing was an old S1 with the license plate bracket built into the rear inner fender. I've always liked the look of that fender and it was uniquely “Buell.” I'm sure it could have worked on the new Lightning and it would have looked better than the goofy thing that now sticks out of the tail light area. The cool thing about that setup is that the license plate bobbed up and down with every little bump in the road and you couldn't read the numbers on the plate, and might not be able to photo it clearly either. Sounds like a good thing to me. | ||
| Rick_A |
Hell noo! I found that incredibly ugly. That's the first thing I took off mine. Looking at the XB's it's obvious that if the handlebar gets a hard enough hit, the next thing in contact with the ground is the frame. They should've all been built with the built-in slider mounts like the racebikes are using. I think I've seen one racer resort to using a knee puck. I guess if it's not damaged too bad some bondo and a flat black paint job would fix it up nice. I can also attest to the fact that the old Buells slide nicely.  I'm sure there's a sport tourer in the works...and an XB9S Low...and a race kit...and pretty covers and all. | ||
| Raymaines |
Rick, I love ya like a brother but you've got bad taste in fenders. | ||
| Mikej |
Hmmm, there's got to be more to come. Not what I was expecting at all. Oh well, I'll still take a test ride on one though. Two-up bike able to handle carrying camping gear as well. | ||
| Reepicheep |
I think that XB9S is fantastic looking... The reincarnated and modernized S1... It's the first bike that I have looked at and thought "maybe, just maybe, someday, I might someday be able to bring myself to part with my beloved Cyclone". It feels good to be torn between two such wonderfully inspiring bikes (the Cyclone because it does SO MANY thing SO WELL and the XB9S because it is... well... just SO FREAKING COOL). Bill | ||
| Anonymous |
Does anyone know why that piece of metal is sticking out the back? Is it just to keep mud off the rider, or are there some legal, license plate legibility issues? If there are no legal issues, will models be offered without it as an option? |
