| Author | Message | ||
     Safetybob |
From another post on this site looks like there were 2210 '98 S1W made. How many of them were the black white lightnings? Others here have told me it is rare but it is the real deal with the black heads and correct vin etc. It has 17000 miles on it, it has had a lot of TLC this year. Thinking of selling it. What might it be worth? | ||
| Safetybob |
Sorry don't know why the pic didn't take here it is.  | ||
| Skntpig |
$3,000 - $3,500 Nice bike, Good Luck with the sale. Are you going to replace it with something or just slimming down? | ||
| Safetybob |
Just slimming down for now. Maybe. I like the bike. But I might like the $$ more now. Just on the fence. I put a lot of TLC into her and new parts and such. Any ideas as to how many black s1 were produced? More out of curiosity than anything. Not that it would make it worth more. | ||
| Sapper |
+1 on the nice bike. I would hold onto that if money allowed. Thats just my personal opinion though. Wish you were out west ... I might not be able to resist that bike. I have seen S1s going for anywhere from 3 to 5k (Message edited by sapper on November 13, 2009) | ||
| Rocketman |
I've never seen a black, black one. As far as I was aware, like mine, black S1WL's had grey frames and grey wheels with carbon black bodywork. I do know several colour combinations existed, but even if it were a carbon black S1WL with a black frame, I'd have thought the wheels would have still been grey. Rocket | ||
| Ratbuell |
When Buell had the "custom color" program, the wheels always matched the frame...unless they were PolishMe wheels  Bob - I'm sure he'll see the thread eventually...but post the question in Court's forum, or PM him or 1313. If anyone knows (or knows where to find out), it'd be those two. | ||
| Malott442 |
It was either 234 or 243. I just sold one, all black white lightning about 2 months ago. I miss her!!!! If you dig in the archives court or someone else posted the official build numbers according to number. Black was the 2nd to rarest. I forge the rarest. Maybe nuc blue and orange. | ||
| Jos51700 |
Saying "Black is the rarest" doesn't really apply because it depends on both the frame and body color (and wheel combo, which is harder to document). White bodywork on a black frame has far lower production numbers than a black on black. I have the build charts at home, and will look it up for you later tonight. | ||
| Ratbuell |
oooh-oooh...so I can maybe finally remember to write down how many Liberace bikes (white/white/white) were built? Probably the "least rare"...but it's what's in my garage, so it matters to me! | ||
| Court |
There were 2,064 built with black frames and black bodywork . . of those all had Castalloy wheels except 23 that had PM wheels. Of the "all black" bikes there were several dozen "specials" including a project bike, 3 race bikes, 2 demos for Scott, a couple for Mike Kennedy and 4 I could tell you about but I'd have to shoot you . . . several dozen left East Troy with the dual seat. | ||
| Court |
. . . . course that's just a lucky guess and if yoiu heard on the internet that there were only 12 built . . . . well, then I'd go with that. There was no "gray" frame . . . . my records do show a TITANIUM frame.         Then again . . . . as was just pointed out in another thread . . . I am imbibed with the kool-aid, talking out may ass and have no clue as to what I am talking about . . . . yeah, you'd better go with the Internet. | ||
| F_skinner |
I am imbibed with the kool-aid, talking out may ass and have no clue as to what I am talking about . . . . yeah, you'd better go with the Internet. Funny, I do not know the thread but someone is misinformed. Court, thanks for that pic of the S1W advertisement. I had to use it to make a point. BTW: That is some cool stuff. I never tier of looking at all the old Buell advertisements and catalogs. (Message edited by f_skinner on November 13, 2009) | ||
| Court |
>>>>That is some cool stuff. I never tier of looking at all the old Buell advertisements and catalogs. Good news . . . . I just found an entire HARD DRIVE of files from WAY back (think CompuServe days) that included all the notes, records, photos, files, spreadsheets, program documents and all sorts of JUNQUE. . . . . It included a note from a young man named Tat Marcy proposing to state a company called AMERICAN SPORT BIKE and outlining his ideas . . . . Hehehehe . . . also found this of Neil (CCRyder) and Erik . . . I own Neil now!  Seriously . . . I owe Neil so many favors I'd better watch what I say ! | ||
| Davegess |
You had to mention the custom color program didn't you. Now the nightmares will start again. I'll wake up in a cold sweat muttering about not having purple wheels. God that program was a disaster. Glad I quit before it really got going. | ||
| F_skinner |
I was wondering what happened to my purple wheels. Thanks for the insight guys. CCRyder is a top notch Buell Enthusiast. | ||
| Rocketman |
Titanium it is Court thank you. I'm flabbergasted so many. 2064 black on black. I've never seen one in the UK. But apparently the European bikes could differ from the US, but not sure if I remember how. One thing I do know that makes the white white white bike different from all others were the transfers. They said 'White Lightning' were others just said 'S1 Lightning'. Neil how you've changed, lol. Rocket | ||
| 1313 |
There was a factory special black S1W that had Black Lightning graphics in white with the same font as the regular production White Lightning graphics and the tank decals off the Molten Orange S1's.     Sure wish I had a digital camera back then, 1313 | ||
| Rocketman |
So do I, lol!!! Wow, how nice they looked untouched and stock. That bike looked revolutionary back in 1998. And whilst I know the Ducati Monster came well before, the S1 really was the bike that started the trend that we now see with everything from Brutale to TNT to Z1000 to CB1000. They're all at it. The naked bike revolution. We could say even stuff like KTM's venture into road bikes, and their Super Duke were inspired by the S1. And KTM didn't stop their. All their Motard style bikes look related to the SD. From the SD to Super Motos we could go back to Ducatis Hypermoto. Full circle then and back to the Monster. Do you think all this could have been down to the S1? Rocket | ||
| 80rs427 |
Getting a bit off subject, and confusing matters a bit more, weren't the non-white / white european S1WL's actually called "Lightning Strike" rather than "White Lightning"? Here are a few quotes I found doing a quick search: Court, 2006: "The S1WL Lightning Strike was a Matt Levetich special and was UK specific. Of roughly 2,000 S1WL's made, 51% stayed in the USA and 49% went "world". Toss out 7 (5 and 2) special police bikes, the group of race bikes built the first week of May, the bike we sent to the freight forwarding company to prepare to ship bikes to Europe and a host of media, dual seat and test bikes, the mix can be accurately represented as 50-50. There were a couple "first time" and unusual places that S1WL's went that year. The most notable is that Harley-Davidson DM's (District Managers", in an effort to spur Buell interest, were "required" to ride Buells. Hence they got S1WL's." Ratbuell, 2007, the second part quoting Court: "...98 S1WL 1,258 Ice White Pearl 378 Carbon Black 295 Orange 138 Billet Metallic I have never heard of a Liberace or Elway. There were 1129 White frame/white body S1 White Lightnings produced. There were 234 Blue frame / Orange body S1 White Lightnings produced. I have ignored (it's a bitch to count) Californina models." It doesn't answer the black/black question, but kind of interesting anyway.... | ||
| Court |
The Black Lightning was for Karen Davidson as I recall. I think Wilke had one made as well. | ||
| Safetybob |
Wow, lots of discussion on my baby :-) and a lot of good info to boot. So all in all it is a nice ride that has a little history. :-0 It was bought at The Hitching Post in the twin cities MN. So lots of discussion on the how many can I use the vin to help narrow down how many? And what is she worth. She isn't priceless I know and she is worth more than the blast I have but what we talking here 3-5K depending on the buyer? Thanks for all you input it is very interesting to me. Bob | ||
| Rocketman |
I'm really confused. There were 2064 black ones. But earlier only 378 carbon black. As I understood it, the first HD imported Lightnings of 1998 were White Lightnings only. I saw my first one at Wheels International just north of London. I don't know how many if at all S1's were imported by Harley into the UK, but certainly several came via Sparks who were threatened with legal action by Harley. A few, but maybe only one, maybe two, were imported 'privately' by York Suzuki. After the White Lightnings came the Lightning Strikes. White Lightnings then, but just different colour combos and slight graphics differences. But I'm still confused as to how many black ones are here. As I said, I've never seen a black black black, and between 1997 when I first started looking and wanting, and now, and I've looked in a lot of places including many dealers up and down the country, they are a mystery to me. Rocket | ||
| Mikeyp |
Just to back track a bit here. There where only 23 black on black with PM wheels to leave the factory? I owned two of them. One went through a house, (wrecked) and the other is in my garage. Im glad i kept all my stock parts.  Could be a collectors item someday. | ||
| Court |
I'd say . . ROUGHLY 23 . . . . I just brought up the files from that year . . . about 10,000 bikes . . .sorted for black bodywork . . . black frame and noticed that they nearly ALL had cast wheels. So I did a sort by wheel type and . . . . well frankly I just looked at the remaining VIN's and quickly counted. I could be off some. Spreadsheet, with over 10,000 rows . . . can get cumbersome. | ||
| Rocketman |
So in 1998 there were 10000 Lightnings in black alone? That doesn't sound right to me. If it is so then how many white ones? How many not all white ones? Molten ones? Yellow ones? Red ones? Add those together, then the M2's too. And the S3's and S3T's. How many more than 10000 black Lightnings is that? If that number is correct what am I missing, because Buell reached 100000 total about 10 years later. Such implies Buell sales average therefore fell year on year compared to 1998. That can't be possible given the sales success of the XB range, Blast sales, and 1125 variants included. Rocket | ||
| Skntpig |
I think he meant 10,000 the whole year all colors, then sorted black/black out | ||
| Rocketman |
Ah Court meant he sorted the files from that year for black bodywork........ Apologies. I didn't read it that way, but see it now. Thank goodness. For a moment there I thought my black Lightning Strike was as common as muck! Rocket | ||
| Easy_rider |
Court, If you're willing, I'd love to get a copy of the file. Also, in the event that you haven't played with pivot tables yet I'm more than happy to walk you through. It beats sorting/filtering! A "no" to the first and "yes" to the second is perfectly acceptable. | ||
| Backnblack |
Good info, thanks. Black on black my fav. |
