| Author | Message | ||
     Ohbueller |
After 10 years on a Honda Nighthawk and 5 on an SV650 - I found what I thought was a great deal on a Buell and thought I would give it a try. It is a 2004 XB12S, with only 1270 miles, was actually bought from the dealer this year though (I kept a copy of the PO's title with 8 miles dated June 2010). I now have just over 2000 miles on it, and am not quite sure if I want to keep the Buell or the SV. (One has to go - not my choice.) I love the added torque of the Buell, especially at low RPM levels, my main complaint is comfort, primarily regarding engine heat. Being used to the water cooled SV -I was a bit surprised when a few minutes into my first real ride a blast of hot air shot onto my right thigh - what's up with that? Also - after a bit into a longer ride I realized my seat was getting hot - from what I have read it seems this is more noticeable because I have added a low seat (I'm 5'4") - this seat is also much less comfortable than the Sargent on my SV after about 45 minutes. Second to this is the exhaust heat - the routing is much closer to my legs than the SV and the heat radiating off it is much more noticeable. So at stoplights -putting my left leg down results in heat from the exhaust and fan, while the right leg results in exhaust blowing directly on my foot from the muffler (no getting around this I guess). Other minor complaints include lack of storage (no room under seat, can't use my magnetic tank bag), and the headache I get trying to use my mirrors. Also - If I understood the previous owner correctly -the frame pucks and right side scoop were not stock on the 04 and were added, can some of the resident experts here verify that? From what I have found by searching this board and another one, I think the following might help, but wanted to ask the experts before sinking any money into it: 1. Special OPS heat shield under seat for hot seat. 2. Baldwin Seat for comfort (any other recommendations, does the comfort gel option help any more?) 3. Wrapping the exhaust - does this really help and will it damage anything? -read something somewhere about a damaged O2 sensor. Any other tips? If I decide to keep the SV, what is a realistic value given the low miles on the XB? Anyone interested?   | ||
| Gunut75 |
That there is a clean machine! That scoop is stock on 2010 XBR. It just fits our slightly aged Buells as well. The pucks are aftermarket Buell parts. No longer available. Might as well be the first to ask: How much? I have no heat issues with my 05 XB12R at all. You still might be breaking her in. I change my oil every 2k miles. I bought mine with 5k miles on it, and now at 16k it runs better than ever. Oh, welcome, and keep BOTH the bikes. Much more fun that way.  | ||
| Lovematt |
I had an SV1000S a while back and ended up selling it since it just wasn't as much fun as the Buell. I had also ridden several SV650's while I had my SV to see what the differences were and I can say that I would still have done the same thing whether I had the SV1000 or the SV650. My bike ran a bit warm for the first 5000 miles and then seemed to cool off a bit when idling in traffic...now have 50,000+ and no issues but I am on the West Coast as opposed to Ohio. Might want to give it a bit more time but I would think the heat shield would be a good starting point...seems like it is the closest thing to the rider as a heat deflection method. | ||
| Dmhines |
Nice XB!! It will cool down as it breaks in and you start using Synthetic oil. Also ... it's easy to tune with ECMSPY since it's running the original ECM. You can richen it up and adjust timing to have it run better AND cooler. If you ride in the winter you will enjoy the engine heat. | ||
| Toecutter |
The pucks are no longer available? That's too bad. They really do their job well when you lay it down (speaking from experience). Back on topic. Coming off a water cooled bike myself, it took me a while to get used to the heat coming off the engine of the Buell. I have gotten used to it over time, and can attest to the Lovematt's account of the engine temperatures getting lower as it breaks-in. As far as other ergonomic issues go, I have the Ss, so I can't really compare seat comfort, but I can ride 'till the tank is empty. Then I have to get off the bike to fill up anyway, so I take the opportunity to stretch my legs a bit, and I'm good for another 130 miles or so. I start to get really uncomfortable after a 400+ mile day though. However, for me it's because of the "high" pegs. My legs get really sore after a long day. That being said, the Buell is way too much fun for me to give up just because my right leg gets a little warm. And the other cramped ergonomics I just deal with. Sure it would be more enjoyable over the long haul if I had lower pegs, or an alternative foot position, but for the 4 or five times a year that I am riding 400+ miles per day, I have just been living with the discomfort. I guess that's the trade-off I have to live with for riding such a fun and unique machine. Riding from Wisconsin to Americade next year is probably going to be a real challenge for me (physically), but then again it probably would be on any bike that puts the rider in a slightly more aggressive position than a true sport touring machine. | ||
| Dmhines |
Pucks should definitely still be available. They were standard on 2008, 2009 and 2010 models so they ARE NOT considered an accessory. (Message edited by dmhines on September 22, 2010) | ||
| Reepicheep |
Beautiful bike! And right in my hometown. There is a matching red 12R I have seen running around every now and then as well, and JohnnyMelceno (sp?) on his black 12s. Cool! 1. Special OPS heat shield under seat for hot seat. Stop by, I'll try and find it and dig it out. It came with my used Uly, I'm not sure it will fit the S, but easy enough to try. If it looks like it will fit you are welcome to it. Maybe somebody here can tell us how we are supposed to install it... Also, without riding pants and boots (the rare times I jump on the bike with just a jacket and jeans) the Uly gets pretty hot as well. Bearable, but hot. The solution was just to wear the riding pants and boots most of the time. 2. Baldwin Seat for comfort (any other recommendations, does the comfort gel option help any more?) I hated the SCG seat I tried at the mid ohio track day. My 9sx seat (05, so the skyline seat?) was always fairly comfortable for the first hour, but after that it was clear that the bike was more sport than tourer. For longer rides, padded cycling shorts were the ticket. Still getting pretty ugly after about 300 miles, but doable. 3. Wrapping the exhaust - does this really help and will it damage anything? -read something somewhere about a damaged O2 sensor. Can't speak to if it helps. I suppose it would depend on if the heat you are feeling is coming from the header or not. I don't think it hurts the 02 sensor, though I think it does stain the headers. Of course they stain anyway over time and need polishing (or just live with the stain). You would have to rotate the engine down to get the wrap on there (I suspect). Not a huge deal, but not trivial either. Maybe an hour the first time you do it (half an hour to get it down, half an hour to put it back, and add in whatever time you have in the mean time while it is down). The SV650 is a great bike for the price... but the XB12S is head and shoulders above it in just about every measurable category (except maybe thigh heating  ). Did you buy it from aces and eights / powder keg or whatever they call themselves now? | ||
| Al_lighton |
FYI...regular XB pucks ARE available without issue. Uly/Lightning Long pucks are discontinued. Rumor has it that they accidently destroyed the tooling when they shut down P&A. Can't get 'em any more, and I'm pretty pissed off about that. Al | ||
| Dmhines |
(Message edited by dmhines on September 22, 2010) | ||
| Brother_in_buells |
Very nice bike! also for the color   And last week i asked http://www.twinmotorcycles.nl/ and they told me that all the frame pucks inclusive the uly/lightning long pucks are still available! | ||
| Terrys1980 |
You would have to rotate the engine down to get the wrap on there If done properly you can start the wrap and slide it up without having to rotate the engine down | ||
| Catalan42 |
I also have an '04 XB12S just like yours and love it. I bought mine used and the previous owner had added a D&D pipe and reworked the ECM. Sounds and runs great! I (almost) always wear riding pants and that makes the engine heat a non-issue (I have good boots too). I really like the non-skid sold by American Sport Bike for the frame/airbox cover. It helps you grep the bike a lot more and also reduces frame heat on your right leg (only noticeable in jeans). I would also recommend a rear-axle slider to protect the swingarm in the event of a tipover. One thing you absolutely owe yourself is to replace the stock mirrors with the Aprilia Tuono mirrors from American Sport Bike. These are super-nice, and 10x better than stock for both size and lack of vibration. I also really like my Buell saddlebags. See http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BUELL-LIGHTNING-Det achable-SADDLEBAGS-06-XB12Ss-/350396417916?pt=Moto rcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item519541077c Have fun! As soon as I got off my Sportster and onto the Lightning, my first thought was, "Where have you been all my life?!" | ||
| Sifo |
The Special Ops heat shield helped the seat heat on my XB12Ss. Seat beads fixed the hot seat completely though.  I've since spray painted the beads satin black and it doesn't look too bad now. Bar end mirrors fixed my issues with the mouse ear mirrors. I found my XB worth working on the issues I had with it. There's no way I could replace it with an SV650. Nice looking bike you found there. I'd call it a keeper! | ||
| Ohbueller |
Wow - thanks for the tips everyone -you are all so helpful. I will go ahead and tip my hand as to the price for Gunut75 - I got it for $3500, if I sold would not be looking to make anything necessarily, but think I should be able to recover the total I have into it with tax, gas to pick it up, extra seat, etc. - about $4000 - I don't think that is unreasonable given it was only titled this year and the low miles. Reepicheep - got your PM - sounds like I live right around the corner from you - hopefully we can get together soon -I bought from the first owner in Louisville. Who do you go to around here for parts and service (that you do not do yourself)? Surprised to hear no one recommending an aftermarket seat - the Sargent made a big improvement on my SV -maybe I will try without the cg seat for a while. Sounds like the only thing I need to spend money on right now might be new mirrors - put the original seat back on, and maybe try a heat barrier - go to synthetic oil so it runs a bit cooler. Will also put on axle sliders and maybe the gripster if I keep it. At what point to most people switch to synthetic? What oil is generally regarded on here as a top choice? (have not searched yet - topic has been beaten to death on the SV board -sorry if bringing up an overly discussed subject) I have not ridden the SV since buying the XB - I expect I will be disappointed when I do ride it again - which I will have to do before making my decision. (Message edited by OHBueller on September 23, 2010) | ||
| Slaughter |
My thinking is that if you EVER want to do some spirited canyon carving - the SV needs a $1000 worth of suspension. Rear shock, and cartridge eliminators, re-springing at a MINIMUM. Most folks who seriously RIDE the SV will fork over the money to put a GSXR front end on it. At that point, you have a suspension that is equivalent to an XB. I raced BOTH the SV and XB. I owned the SV outright, the XB was still making payments. Ended up ditching the SV and staying with the XB. Pics taken the same day - 2005   |
