| Author | Message | ||
     Rick_A |
My dealership just got one this week. I was checkin' it out as I waited for them to charge my new S1 battery. It does look better in person. Seating feels forward...bars feel high. Very comfortable but I prefer clipons. The looks I favor over the 9R. Soon I'm gonna be testing their kitted 9R...I can't wait! | ||
| Prof_Stack |
My dealership has a Yellow Lightning on the floor and Saturday I was allowed to take it for a demo ride. It helps being a regular customer. He said he declined letting two squids take it out earlier. As a Blast rider, I expected more punch and the XB9S delivered. What I didn't expect was the superior sense of handling in the corners. The Lightning is tight and really corners. Sure is short, too. LARGE back tire. The seating position, handlebars, and footpegs (I prefer rubber) are more aggressive than the Blast, but quite comfortable. The stock exhaust has a nice growl to it. I wouldn't mess with it if (or when  ) I buy it. Summary: I loved the bike. Emotion 1, Logic 0. My wife rolled her eyes when I talked about with the enthusiasm she remembered 16 years ago when I wanted an 883 Sportster.    | ||
| Rd350 |
I got a good look at the 9s yesterday. Lookin good. It looks like they moved the lower fairing out so it won't melt like the 9R. Also has a newer side stand that won't make the bike fall over when running. The bike feels really small. There is not much room to move around on the seat. It feels like the old S1. The bike looks better in real life. Taking the bike for a spin the front end is very fast and light. All you have to do it just touch the bars and it goes. I do worry that if you don't take the the time to set it up (suspention) there is going to be a lot of wobble in the bike. When you get on the bike it just starts to lift the front end up like nothing. The gauges are easy to see. Mirrors work great at not seeing your arms (hint hint 9R). Some vibs through the bars. The lower pegs help your legs feel not so compact. If you are thinking about putting clip ons on the bike it is almost impossible stock. Everything is so close to the forks. As for the back end if you want to drop that bracket holder you will have to get a good grinder and a torch. It is all thick metal. Buell has a winner on its hands...now if they could just put the price at $8999.00... Marketing are you hearing me? Yes $8,999.00. | ||
| José_Quiñones |
 I had a chance to take all three of these throught the Battletrax course today in Frederick MD.  Compared to the 9S, the 9R feels like it has a flat front tire, it basically does not want to turn. On the X1 you sit IN the bike, while on the 9S, you feel like you are ON top of it. handlingwise, I think the 9S was the best, but I have always liked the X1, it was a close second. All three of them reved slower, turned slower, vibrated more, made more noise and felt heavier to muscle around the course than my SV650. I like my SV.......... | ||
| Ray_Maines |
José, If this was an ugly contest your new bike would win first place in that event too. Besides that, it's a girls bike! Get some personal pride, man, ride a real bike. There's lots of them to pick from but an SV ain't one of your choices.  Love ya, Bro. Don't take offense.   Don't ya just love how I can insult the crap out of you then throw in a  and expect you not to be offended. This literary food fight stuff is new to me but I'm catching on. Kind of fun actually. RD350 says "Marketing are you hearing me? Yes $8,999.00." RaY2K says No way, Pal!  I'm thinking that in a fair market the XB9R & S are worth about $8,500 with a two year warrantee and no shipping and setup charges. | ||
| José_Quiñones |
No offense taken, I think..... Well, I'm a "function over form" type person anyway so the SV's looks don't bother me. Which is why I REALLY REALLY like that new Duke 950! I just have to wait a year..... If I want more power next spring, Suzuki just made my day with the SV1000, for $7,999 naked and $8,500 with the fairing! BANG FOR YOUR BUCK! Here in the Wash DC area, our "sponsor" dealer has XB9Rs on sale for $8,500. | ||
| Jima4media |
I was wondering about putting the 9S bars on a 9R. Can't do it. Look at the Ignition switch. On the 9R it is in the middle of the triple clamp. On the 9S it is on the left hand side under the bikini fairing. Maybe someone can engineer a fix for that problem. The fixes I have thought about don't allow you to lock the front forks. Ouch. Jim X-2.5 | ||
| Davegess |
$8999 That price may prove doable if the bikes don't move real well. However I think that so far the R is OK , some dealers are offering discounts and more may start as the model year gets old. The S seems poised to be a big hit and dealers won't be inclined to discount if they are flyng off the floor. I would suspect that the dealers have a healthy markup on these bikes, not as much as on a big twin but they still have room to move. It will really depend on the market place. The bikes will move off the dealer floors at whatever price the consumer decides is right. The tube frames bikes seemed to have moved pretty slowly at list but when discounted they moved OK. Unfortunatly many HD dealers are so used to MARKUPS that the idea of MARKDOWNS seems to be impossible. They will let a bike sit forever when with a little agressive pricing it could be sold. It will be interesting to watch the XB market over the winter and into the spring. Will the bikes ALL get sold at list or will dealers have to mark them down? What are you guys seeing out there? | ||
| José_Quiñones |
Jim, i think it's doable, you would have to securely attatch the ignition to the 9S clamp, but that can be done. Then you might have to worry about the handlebar's clearance relative to the fairing. Dave Read my post above, it's already happening... | ||
| Davegess |
Josè, I hope he sells a ton. That might wake some of the greedy guys up. One of Buell's pricing problems has been that many dealers want the same margins on Buell that they get on big twins and don't like it when that does not happen. Dave | ||
| Sparky |
Dave, one dealer has several Firebolts on the floor going for under $8K. SteveB mentioned this a couple weeks ago in the GDB. Rode over to Bartels' on my S1 to sit on a 9S last Saturday. Shouldn't have done that. If I were to close my eyes I would be hard pressed to tell the difference, the ergos are that close. I think the S1's seat is lower though. Sparky | ||
| Mikej |
Sparky, Is the S1 seat lower, or just narrower giving the impression of being lower? I still think I want a couple more inches of wheelbase. Court, If you're reading this, and if you can speak on this issue, since you've logged a few test-rider miles, how much difference would 3" in the wheelbase make to something like the XB series of bike? I know in the past that I said a 3" stretch would/could add fuel capacity if done in the right way with that goal in mind. I'm just wondering about the handling. I don't mind a more aggressive geometry, I just don't want twitchy to the point where you have to stay right on top of things when the going gets sketchy. Sort of like comparing a Colnago MasterLight bicycle to a Trek road bicycle to a tight track bike used on the road, the track bike will be sketchy/twitchy where the Trek will feel slow and the Colnago will feel quick and tight like it's ready to turn on short notice but will give full confidence during the turn. Probably a bad analogy but it's what I came up with at the moment, sorry.  | ||
| Sparky |
My S1 seat is a little lower because it's a custom Saddlemen job & the suspension preload is backed out all the way. As such, the dealer's bike, even if setup for the 200# Buell demo guy, felt really close. Compared to the Firebolt which puts me on the balls of my feet, the 9S feels about 2 inches shorter. Then again it doesn't help that the Firebolt seat is wider at the front. My wife who is shorter than I feels comfortable sitting on the S1 & 9S, not so on the 9R or S3. Sparky | ||
| Imonabuss |
In regards to the wheelbase question...the bike doesn't need it for stability. The new Lightning is more stable than an S1 or X1, yet incredibly flickable. It's very similar to my Firebolt that way, although different (now I want one of each...AAAUUUGGGHHH!) It does what you want, but only when you want. Ride one and you will see. It was the huge thing that the magazines in Europe raved about on the Firebolt...they were absolutely amazed at how a bike this size and geometry was absolutely rock solid. As much as the import freaks don't want to admit it, Buell has made a breakthrough in chassis design with the XB series. | ||
| Mikej |
I'm starting to think that maybe sometime next summer I may have to wander down to a dealership with some filled saddlebags, a duffle bag, and a tankbag and ask to borrow one for the weekend. Maybe if I get something published by then I could convince them that I'm a writer and plan to write an article on the suitability of the XB9S as a Sport Tourer. What's the average range on a tank of gas on these things again? On my M2 I can comfortably go 200 miles, 250 if the conditions are in my favor, but usually refueled between 150-190 miles. That aspect is my concern, and my inherent discomfort with f.i., maybe that's something I'll grow out of. | ||
| Captainplanet |
MikeJ, My low fuel light comes on at about 115 miles on my XB9R. I have pushed it to about 135 miles before filling up. I don't really want to push it beyond that. | ||
| Mikej |
Thanks Capt..., Does this latest f.i. have the same issues as the previous f.i. if you run out of fuel? Do you have to turn the key on and off 50 times and ride at a steady pace for 30 miles to get the f.i.brain to recalibrate? (Those are just exagerations on my understanding of what previous/current f.i.Buell owners do when their f.i. bike runs out of gas, and should not be taken as the actual procedure should someone run out of gas, read the manual I guess). A carb'd bike, if it runs dry, you just dump in more gas and go again. I like that. I'm still wondering who will be the first to put a downdraft carb on an XB series bike. Or to swap the intake with a conventiolal side-draft carb and, uh, that won't work, frame/tank in the way I think, nevermind. Or is it? Hmmmmmm, thinkin',....... | ||
| Bomber |
Mike It'll be the same guy that puts a single round headlight on it . . . .likely a Lucas unit ;-} | ||
| Mikej |
You must be looking at our plans, eh? I still want to see what a 9S looks like with an M2 headlight, or an S1 headlight and flyscreen, but I don't have Photoshop. | ||
| Bomber |
nah, havn't seen your plans . . . .. we just seem to have similar tastes actually, I looked a the plans I have for the Ma Duece this winter, and I do seem to be backing my way into building a tube-framed 9s . . . . perverse SOB, ain't I? | ||
| Mikej |
Somehow I don't think the M2 frame will hold enough fuel to make a decent day at a BattleTrax event though. You might have to work on the frame capacity for a true tube-frame 9S. The swingarm might have enough capacity though for most of the oil if you use a big enough oil filter. Now who's gettin' perverse?????  | ||
| Bomber |
I could put extra fuel in my catch-can, though, and route the breathers into the forks . . . high-speed = higher spring rate! as for oil, hey, my axles are hollow! | ||
| Jim_Sb |
Got my first ride on an XB9S today at the Long Beach M/C show. Very comfy, wonderful ergos. The bike's handling is quickety-quick and it begs to be tossed around. Very confidence inspiring as soon as you let out the clutch... Minor issues: finding neutral was hit and miss and I personally didn't care for the way they had rigged the shifter. I suspect the former is just a break-in issue while the latter would be a simple adjustment. The bike was smooth, the suspension soaked up bumps with aplomb, acceleration was smart, the brakes had nice feel to them. I suspect the 9S is a hoot to ride in the canyons and mountains and that it will absolutely devour the switchbacks. The 9S is very light on her feet. The Buell factory rep I spoke with said they are selling more of the 9S than the 9R... | ||
| Prof_Stack |
As a joke I offered a very low price for the XB9S today and was turned down only to get home and find out that the offer was accepted. QUESTION: Will any riders who have traded up from the Blast to the XB9R or XB9S offer any helpful words to me as I decide? Yeah, I would trade in or sell the Blast. | ||
| Budo |
Prof_Stack, how low? | ||
| Imonabuss |
Prof Stack, Go for it NOW! I haven't spent time on the Lightning, but my Firebolt is wonderful, and I'm sure the Lightning is, too. | ||
| Prof_Stack |
Budo - sorry, but the salesguy made me promise... however, I offered the price that I think the Lightning is worth.  | ||
| Prof_Stack |
What are XB riders paying for insurance on the Lightning or Firebolt? Is it rated as a sportbike (more $$) or a standard? | ||
| Timbo |
FWIW, My Sportster was totalled and replaced by an XB at end of Oct. Insurance renewed in Nov. The XB is $42 more per year for same coverage, but is four years newer too, so it's probably a wash. Timbo | ||
| Jim_Sb |
Prof, If you're a clip-on kinda guy grab the 9R. If prefer your bike 'straight up' grab the 9S. 2 different ways to ride the same fun bike. Having ridden both I'm a 9S man myself... |
