| Author | Message | ||
     Xbniner |
Hey everyone! I have wanted a Buell since 2003, and I'm finally getting one next week. A big part of my decision to take the plunge was this community. I've been lurking around here for two weeks and the amount of knowledge and goodwill is mind-boggling, and the attitude is great. Plus I found a really good deal on the boards here on my soon to be XB9R. I have a few questions: What does a new rider like myself need to know about buells that might pop up? Mine is an 03 with 4800 miles. I need a helmet. Any suggestions? http://buell.com/en_us/gear/apparel/product.asp?Me nu_ID=1&CategoryID=6&ProductID=1526 That looked decent, but I don't know much about them. Any other hazing rituals I should know about? Thanks, and I'm looking forward to being a true bueller! | ||
| Darthane |
For the '03s specifically, and not necessarily all of them: 1) The wheel bearings were replaced. 'Good' bearings will have orange seals. 'Bad' bearings will have black seals. 2) There was an updated sidestand released. 3) There was an updated belt released - probably not on the bike unless the original one was broken, given the low mileage (listed replacement is 15K). Some people have had awful luck with the things, others ran the 15K without complaint (chalk me up as one of the latter). The belts (both versions) are touchy when it comes to being bent or twisted in any manner that doesn't mimic its motion on the bike, so be wary should you remove it for some reason. 4) There are new headlamp assemblies released. With the exception of the belt, these were free replacements offered by Buell, though I'm not sure if there was a time limit placed on them (1 and 2 are about 5 years old now, the headlamps are very recent). I strongly suggest you get the service manual for the bike and attempt to do your own work whenever possible. If you're not a wrencher, start with the small things like normal maintenance. I think you'll soon find you're willing to tackle all sorts of things, and it truly is a chance to 'bond' with your bike.  The stock tires (which may still be on there at only 4800 miles) are crap. There are many good replacements, however, and like oil, everyone has their own favorites. I've got Metzeler Sportec M1s on my XB9R at the moment and love them, but I'll likely switch to a more sport-touring oriented tire soon as too much of my riding is boring surface streets and highways. I'm really loving the Pirelli Diablo Stradas that came on my new Uly in that regard. There is actually a helmet thread going on here: http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/142 838/384425.html?1218211871 ...that you might want to poke around in. Bottom line on helmets is you really need to go try them on. A good fit is extremely important. Welcome to the club! | ||
| Not_purple_s2 |
Welcome to the gang. The only thing I can think of to check would be the wheel bearings. They should be the newer orange ones, if they're black get them replaced (I think this was a recall issue) First purchase should be Frame pucks, they're worth their weight in gold. Axle sliders are also a good idea. Some have made their own but DarkHorseMoto makes some great ones (I have the Eco Sliders on my 9S) If it has the stock tires replace them. The stock tires have a tendency to stand up under braking. There are some great options and lengthy discussions here on which are best. I personally use a Conti Sport/Road Attack combo. Do you know if the bike has had any belt issues. It appears that many 03's were plagued with belt failures. If the belt has broken before you might want to look into the '04+ upgrade (requires pulleys, idler, belt and guards) or chain conversion (search for Saintly Chain Conversion) Mine has gone 8K+ problem free on the original '03 belt. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Oh yeah set up your suspension for your weight/riding style. Start with the settings in the user manual and adjust from there after some good riding. | ||
| Not_purple_s2 |
This link should help with suspension settings if you don't have the owner manual. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/327 77/58666.html | ||
| Xbniner |
Wow thanks for all the info! That's amazing. The bike has new tires, and I have heard about the headlights, but I'll have to check on the rest of that, I haven't picked it up yet. Should I get the buell frame pucks or from some other manufacturer? How do they install, cause I know they aren't welded. Thanks for the quick helpful responses! | ||
| Ekass13 |
Get the frame pucks from Buell, they come with a sticky backing thats works great. | ||
| Azxb9r |
I need a helmet. Any suggestions? Go to a couple of places with large helmet selections, and start trying them on. Not everyone has the same shape head, and not all helmets are the same shape. sometimes different models from the same manufacturer will have different shapes. One example would be the Shoei X-11 vs. the RF-1000. the X-11 fits people with an egg shaped melon (like me), the RF-1000 fits people with a round melon. The most important thing is to get a helmet that fits properly, and is comfortable for you to wear. No matter how good a helmet is, it does you no good if you don't wear it. Enjoy your new purchase  | ||
| Jdemoxb9r |
on the helmet fitment should be your #1 priority.. I bought this one http://www.rideicon.com/product_details.jsp?catego ry=1236&id=6380 i love i got a medium and i wear a size 7 1/4 hat...and i didnt pay 3 hundo for it | ||
| Xbniner |
Bought my frame pucks yesterday. Is there just one size? | ||
| Darthane |
There are two - one for XB9s and XB12S, Scg, R, and SLow, and another for the STT, Ss, X, and XT (different frames on the last 4). The lower portion of the frame pucks for the latter set is slightly longer. Check the description and dry fit them first just in case. | ||
| Old_man |
If the bike has the original Dunlop tires, the best improvement you can make is to replace them with something else. The Pirelli tires on the new ones or other brand of quality tire. The originals truly sucked. It was by far the best thing I did to my 03 XB9S | ||
| Xbniner |
Are the buell helmets any good? Obviously my local Harley Davidson/Buell dealership has no buell gear, parts, or accessories, except one shirt. Is this made by a certain brand that I can try on somewhere locally? I tried on a few helmets at a metric store on my lunch break yesterday, and they varied wildly. Usually a large was fine, but some of them the large gave me an instant headlock. The newest HJC was this way, but the older ones were fine. | ||
| Old_man |
You have to try the helmets on. One of my helmets is XL. The other Medium. Both fit fine. | ||
| Kyri |
The guy at the HD/Buell dealer nearby said the Buell helmet I was using was made by KBC. Don't know if they all are, though. | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
Hello Eric, and welcome to the club. At the risk of repeating what I have posted several times before, and the good suggestions above, I beg the indulgence of regular Bad Webbers as I repost my notes on the 2003 XB9 This was written a couple of years ago, so some information is out of date. I have over 13,000 miles on my XB9S, “Ole Yaller,” so I thought I would share my thoughts with those who have just purchased one, or are about to buy one, so that they can enjoy their unit to the max, and perhaps avoid a few pitfalls that I have already encountered. These motorcycles will be seen as true classics as time goes by, and they probably provide the most fun for the dollar of any bike on the road today. 1. The dealer situation. The Buell dealership situation is in flux. At first most Harley Davidson dealers carried Buell. Many of them were not too enthusiastic about the brand, so Harley is reducing the number of dealers, to increase the importance of Buell at the dealers that actually carry them, and provide better support to Buell customers. The other dealers can no longer repair or sell Buells, and many of these have sold off their ‘03 Buell stock at low prices. The result: there are some excellent Buell dealers out there, but relatively few of them, very few. That’s the bad news. The good news is that the new XB line of Buells are well made, reliable, need little service, and parts are very readily available. Virtually all required service can be done by a motivated owner with an ordinary set of tools, bike stands and the shop manual. The ideal situation: buy your ‘03 leftover from a Buell Dealer who actively supports the brand if you can find one. 2. Bad Web If you have got this far, you probably realize the one of the best resources for the Buell owner is the Bad Weather Biker web site itself. The knowledge Vault has excellent discussions of every aspect of the Buell motorcycle. The Brag Organization is a great owners group that sponsors fun events around the country for Buell owners, and there is the Buell Customer Support line which is improving all the time. The number is 414-343-4056. Expect the best. The questions most asked by new owners are: A. The first thing to do. I always recommend buying the shop manual and parts list if you plan on working on the bike yourself. This is a bike that lends itself much more than Japanese or Italian sport bikes to home repairs, due to its inherent simplicity, and design. Parts are normally readily available, and not too expensive either. One of our member sponsors, Daves, ( Dave Stueve at Appleton HD), regularly monitors this board. He is very Buell knowledgeable, very helpful, and a great source for original and after market parts. Trojan Horse, ( Matt) and American Sport Bikes, (Al Leighton), both also sponsors, are great with after market parts too, many imported from Europe where Buells sell better than in the USA. 1. The belt. If you bought the bike new, it probably has the original belt. These often had a relatively short life, and have been replaced by an upgraded model that seems to be much better. If the bike has more than 3000 miles on it, it may already have the new belt. The '03 belt is now in it's third version, part number # G0500.02ABR. The belt parts number is permanently marked on the outside of the belt. If you don't have one of these, you might want to fit one the next time you change tires, cost about $136 from Daves. Lots of hard riders, such as Glitch, one of our leaders, has tons of miles on his, no problems. With the latest '03 belt, the conversion to the '04 belt doesn't seem to be as necessary, but many brothers have done it for peace of mind.The conversion requires new sprockets, belt guards, belt, and a few other parts. Daves or Al can give you an estimate of what it would all cost. Another option is a chain conversion, which has been much discussed on this site: see the knowledge vault. B. When you do change tires. Take a look at Dunlop Qualifiers, Michelin Pilot Powers, Pirelli Diablo, or Metzler M-3's: many members report better steering and longer life with these than the original equipment Dunlop 207’s. I am now replacing my first Michelin Pilot Power rear tire, and I was very happy. I got 4200 miles out of the rear, including one track day, and they still work great, just running out of tread in the middle. ( I subsequently converted to Dunlop Qualifiers for better handling). Several brothers have learned the hard way to always replace tires in pairs: the front may look ok, long after the rear is obviously worn out, but its profile will have changed, compromising handling. 3. Steering bearings: The steering bearings on the Buell tend to require tightening from time to time. The symptom is a clunk when you put on the brakes, that is often mistaken for a problem with the brakes. Takes about ten minutes to adjust as per the shop manual. The top triple tree is a bit delicate on these bikes, and have been broken more than once by over-tightening: the pinch bolt only needs about 18 ft/lb. Now a days a torque wrench is pretty much a standard item in the home garage. The front forks must be off the ground to do this properly. A rear wheel stand, and a scissors jack under the muffler jacking points is a simple way to do this. 4. Wheel bearings. Long story short: if the seals are orange, you are good to go, if they are black, they should be replaced by any Buell dealer at no charge to you. 5. The lubricants. The oils that seems to be preferred by many of the members are : Mobil 1 15w 50 in the motor, Mobil 1 75w90 gear oil in the gear box. These are available at Walmart very inexpensively, especially in the 5 qt. jugs and the Walmart Super Tech ST4967 oil filter was exactly the same as the factory part, (manufactured by Champion), last time I bought some for two bucks apiece. I change every 4000 miles, probably a bit excessive, but it can't hurt, and doesn't take very long to do. Factory recommends 5000 miles between changes. Certainly every year if your mileage is less than 5K. You can’t go wrong if you simply change the oil and filter every time you replace your tires. NOTE: There seems to be some anectdotal evidence that Mobil One Gear oil may cause premature failure of the stator insulation. I now use Formula+ from Harley. 6. Suspension settings. Because of its somewhat radical frame geometry, the suspension settings on a Buell DO count! You can assume that they are not set just right for you, so go to the owners manual, ( shop manual not required for this one:-), and follow the directions. Shawn Higbee has some settings for aggressive riders which work great too, and I use them. See Knowledge Vault. 7. Dipstick. The dipstick is located on the top of the left side of the swing arm: no kidding:-). Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to read. I put some yellow shrink wrap on mine to aid visibility. Using a little wooden coffee stirrer and comparing it to the dipstick markings works even better. 8. Frame Pucks: The Buell OEM frame pucks will keep you from denting your frame if you accidentally drop the model. They can be painted to match the plastic or the frame. These are really a must have item, because it is not to heard to dent the frame if you drop the bike, and it is very difficult to repair, and expensive to replace. That should get you up and running for a while, while you plan how you want to personalize your mount: it IS legal to run a bone stock Buell, it's just that no one has ever tried it:-). First 1000 mile service. I take a preventive maintenance point of view to this service, which takes place shortly after the bike is broken in, and the new owner has pretty much got the hang of things. So in addition to the factory recommendations, which are basically change the oil and filter, check and normally adjust the primary chain, and reset the Throttle position sensor, I recommend the following be done at this time. a. Fit the factory “race kit”. In spite of its name, this is more of a “make it a bit more fun to ride on the street “ kit. Improves mid range, makes it sound like a motorcycle instead of a lawn mower. Easy to fit, works fine. Requires a TPS reset, and removing the belt tensioner, so this is as good a time as any to do it. There are several other aftermarket mufflers, D+D, Drummer and Jardine to name just a few, that are louder and have found favor with many of the Bad Webbers. b. Replace the belt. Why worry about the belt breaking when a new better one only cost $140, and you already have the tensioner off. c. While you are replacing the belt, you have done most of the work to remove the rear wheel, you might as well replace the original Dunlop 207s, which only have about 1000 mi left on them, with some better tires like those mentioned above which will greatly improve the handling, and last twice as long. d. check the steering bearings. The have probably started to loosen a bit, even if you haven’t noticed it. After doing this additional work you will have a bike that: 1. Sounds cooler 2. Runs faster 3. Steers much better 4. No belt worries 5. Mostly likely will not need anything but gas for 4000 miles:-). Just my .02¢ | ||
| Ulynut |
Any other hazing rituals I should know about? Yes. The new guy buys the beer at Buelltoberfest. | ||
| Xbniner |
Fair enough, when and where is that? Thanks for the awesome tips Jim, It is amazing how much info is on this site, and how freely it is given! | ||
| Cruisin |
For the last few years, I'm pretty sure all the Buell helmets are made by KBC. You'll notice in the description "KBC Sizing". They fit like a KBC 'cause they are! They're good helmets. KBC is also a good company. I had mine for a year and had an issue - sent it in a year after that and they replaced everything but the shell. All it cost was shipping to them. I personally keep with HJC. They've tested well, and are priced pretty well. I try them on locally for sizing and buy online ($80 difference in price). I just picked up two of their Sy-Max II helmets (one for the wife, one for me). Inner sunshield, good venting, and comfy liner. | ||
| Not_purple_s2 |
Eric, Buelltoberfest will be Oct. 3rd, 4th, and 5th in Suches, GA deep in the 3%er territory. I went to March Badness V and enjoyed it so much (even though it got rained out) I'm going back for Biketoberfest. I didn't get to ride much but I did get to meet a lot of the guys that I only knew by handles (Djkaplan, Torquemonster, Spiderman, Smoke, Glitch, Gentleman Jon, Froggy...) I even had the opportunity to meet Jon Flickinger But the biggest attraction; the Curves. I only got to ride for a couple of hours when the rain stopped but HOLY COW! The roads there are just insane. Wolf Pen Gap blew my mind. It might be a long trip for you but I heartily encourage you to attend. If you can't make it in Oct. then definitely start planning to come to March Badness 6. | ||
| Xbniner |
I get my bike tomorrow, and he's even throwing in a helmet, boots, and a one-piece aerostich roadmaster suit. I'm literally so excited I can't think about anything else. This has been my least productive week at work in a long time. I'll post some pics when I get everything settled. Thanks for all the great advice! |
