| Author | Message | ||
     Whodom |
Just noticed today that Suzuki has come out with a 650 V-Strom for 2004. Evidently the 1000 V-Strom is selling well, Ducati just introduced the Multistrada, and Honda is supposedly considering importing the similar Varadero. There seems to be a consensus here that Buell won't introduce a new sport-tourer because they don't sell well. What do you think about the possibility of a Buell sport-enduro-tourer? | ||
| Kevyn |
consensus on the Duc boards is that the Multistrada, despite being 'aesthetically challenged' is a superb ride. I have yet to read anything even vaguely negative about the 1000DS motor as applied to the SS or the Monster or the Multistrada. The Multistrada has a large accessory catalog including hard bags. Would I trade the S2T for a Multistrada? I'm leaving this discussion now... | ||
| Dynarider |
Both the Vstrom & the Multistrada may be very nice machines to ride, but you also have to look at them & they both look like they were beaten with an ugly stick. Why cant a bike be both competent & good looking? I think the XB12's have both of those bikes beaten in all areas. And they look sweet too. | ||
| Whodom |
Dyna- I love the XB's, but my problem is I have to ride ~250 miles to get to good twisties. I've done two ~800 mile weekends this summer on my little old naked bike and it's pretty rough. There are decent backroads here, but not much that requires dragging the footpegs. The sport-enduro-tourer bikes appeal to me because they'd be good for scooting around back roads, taking long trips, and riding real twisties. The V-stroms are pretty dog-ugly, but the Multistrada is growing on me. Maybe Buell could figure out how to do one that looks GOOD. | ||
| Jst |
Maybe something like this?  JT | ||
| Nevco1 |
I just would like HD/BMC to make a Dual Purpose bike along the lines of the old scramblers with the XB9 engine. Think the XB12 engine would be overkill unless you were going for a two up Adventure Tourer. You know, something retro looking with ground clearance, bash plate, 90/10 tires, Renthal's, 200+ mile range and chain drive that will serve light to medium trail/desert duty. Build one of these and it will be in my garage along side the X1 and Wide Glide in a NY Minute. Unfortunately, I get the feeling that this request will go unheeded by Buell as it would probably mean resorting to a Tube Frame and I would suspect it would really take up more space than allowed in their tight quarters. The inverse it, HD's Sportster operation should be able to do it nicely. | ||
| Nevco1 |
Jst...That is gorgeous. At the risk of sounding really ignorant, what is it? Am in Deep Lust over the pic and have to know now!!! No time to search, my hands are trembling too much with excitement! edited by nevco1 on September 16, 2003 | ||
| Court |
>>>Jst...That is gorgeous. At the risk of sounding really ignorant, what is it? That picture came from an e-Bay auction several years ago. The bike has been around since Christ was a Corporal. I have the complete set of pictures, drop me a reminder and I'll send them to you. It is an appealing looking bike. But, I suspect Buell could do much better. Neat idea, eh? | ||
| Madduck |
I think Buell should do something akin to the BMW R1150GS. There is nothing cooler than not having to worry about road conditions when on a trip. It comes with decent weather protection, hard bags and a torque monster motor. The shaft drive is and advantage but a good chain drive has pluses too. As manufacturers go, Buell is a lot closer to BMW than to Harley or Honda in that they cater to a pretty specialized segment of the overall market. I would love to have a Buell twin with a bash plate and muffler under the seat. | ||
| Nevco1 |
Court...Nice Idea, YES! Agree that Buell could do better, but I sure like the style of that bike especially since I was and you may still be a KLR650 owner. No need to send pics, I captured the one Jst posted. Just let me know if you ever see that animal for sale again! | ||
| Nevco1 |
Madduck...As I posted on other threads, as long as I watch the ground clearance, my X1 handles fantastic off road but could use slightly wider and higher bars. Did quite a bit of it last year, even on loose dirt'n'gravel roads under construction, until I learned (fortunately without incident) that the belt is highly allergic to gravel. You should have seen the look I got from the grading and construction crews when I was passing by at 50 plus standing on the pegs. Was a combination of big grins and pure horror. Even had to stop for directions and one guy asks if that was a Harley. LMAO Must admit that shaft drive is nice on an Adventure Tourer, but would like to stay with a chain for the rougher stuff. Master link and spare chain is both cheap and easy to replace compared to splines, seals and whatever else can fail with a shaft. I had a few shafties and have mixed emotions about them even on the street. Then again, I know BMW's reputation for reliability in that department. However, your concept would fill the niche for both Adventure Tourer and Sport Tourer for Buell. Interesting concept. Lots of demand for both and if wrapped in one package would be definitely "Buellish" in appearance! That is "Different in every way." LOL Just an opinion. Perhaps we both will be pleasantly surprised. | ||
| Nevco1 |
While on the subject, if a bike in this category ever surfaces, it sure would be nice if it had a center stand either as standard equipment or as an accessory. Put an aftermarket one on my KLR and it made all the difference in the world when playing Mr GoodWrench either at home or in the boonies. | ||
| Dynarider |
Would be great if Buells came with a centerstand. Just dont know how the hell you could mount one. Only bike I ever owned that I couldnt lift up easily with just a floor jack if I was so inclined. | ||
| Nevco1 |
Dyna...get the portable centerstand. I got one last year and it is about worn out already. I use it to work on, clean and store the bike. Is easy for one person to handle. Probably one of my better investments and cheaper than the aftermarket KLR stands. In reality, it is easy to understand why Buell does not offer a standard centerstand with all the stuff they mount under the frame to keep the center of gravity low. Then again, with the cross brace at the bottom it may be feasible. Just wonder where the fulcrum point would be. edited by nevco1 on September 16, 2003 | ||
| Whodom |
Jst- that's a really cool bike. It reminds me of ~30 years ago in "Hot Rod" magazine. Their motorcycle column covered an off-road prepped Sportster that ran in the Baja 1000 (it may have still been the 500 at the time). I distinctly remember that they said it did really well, "going fast enough to fling the knobs from the tires on the paved stretches of the course"! Unfortunately, it was a "DNF" because the sodium-filled exhaust valves, the only non-stock parts in the engine, failed. Amazing how much useless trivia is stored in my brain- but it comes in handy every now and then! | ||
| Jst |
I have no idea where I got the pic (prolly eBay as Court said). All I know that the bike moved me then and still does. I still love off road and always will. The unfortunate thing that down here you don't get to do high speed open desert runs. Just bouncing off palmetto scrubs. Court, If you have more pics I would appreciate seeing them. JT edited by jst on September 16, 2003 | ||
| Crusty |
I've owned 5 shaft driven bikes over the years; 2 Moto Guzzis, 2 BMWs and an XJ 900 Yamaha.4 of them required U-joint replacement. The BMW that threw its timing chain didn't live with me long enough to need a new U-joint. I've owned 3 belt driven motorcycles. I've replaced 6 belts between the 3 bikes. I'm not sure exactly how many chain driven bikes I've had, but it's a lot more than both shaft and belt combined. I've never had a chain break. I like chains a lot. Enclose the chain in an oil bath, and it would live long enough to make a shaft or a belt really look as inferior as they really are. U-joints are expensive and a pain in the ass to change.(especially in a rest area just outside Minneapolis) Belts are expensive and a royal pain in the ass to change.(especially on the side of I-71 in Ohio on a Sunday afternoon) The bike I would love to see Buell come out with is an XB12-T. A true replacement to the S3-T. I want a bike that would go head to head with a BMW R1100RS and surpass it in every significant category. In appearance, performance and especially personality, the 12R has the Teutonic Turdmeister completely outgunned. I suspect that it will also be no contest in reliability as well. More comfortable ergonomics, good hard bags and better passenger accommodations and it would be close to my Ideal Motorcycle. | ||
| Nevco1 |
Crusty...You would have loved to have seen one of my "Shafties" hanging by the front wheel from a chain hoist at the dealers for three days while they tried to figure out where the oil leak was. Looked like a carcass in a Mafia movie! Appears I would blow out shaft seals consistently at 5.0K miles and this was one of the suggestions the factory had for finding the source. Beats me to this day what they were looking for. LOL Yep, love chains, but have yet to have a bad experience with a belt. Did a lot of gravel riding last year and about all I can say is the belt guards Buell designed must work really well because the stuff was flying everywhere when sliding the turns and plowing though deep gravel at speed. Only damage was one small chip in the chin fairing and the touch up paint cured that perfectly. | ||
| S2rider |
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| Ocbueller |
Sport Tourers may not sell well, but I understand if you want a FJR1300 you better get on a list. Maybe "good" sport tourers will sell. Right now the wife wants me to get something for two up riding, and I want a sport tourer. Buell the time is now! SteveH | ||
| Nevco1 |
Neat, but I like the down tube frame and clean undercarriage of the one Jst posted. Easy to fabricate a bash plate for it and bounce over logs, rocks, etc. Now if I would like to see one with some funky bendable plastic fenders and body parts. Love that stuff. Just don't paint it. Mold in a nice color and leave it at that. That way, you can dump it all day long and just go home, sand/steel wool out the rough spots, clear coat it and it looks like new. Don't bother asking me how I know. Just rest assured I got real good at it before I learned a few valuable lessons. Tell you one thing though, the lessons learned really improved my street riding, especially when you start sliding both wheels. LOL | ||
| Court |
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| Jst |
I could think of about a million better places to mount a kick stand. This also the first time I've seen this side of the bike. I didn't even know it was single shock. Thanks Court JT | ||
| Nevco1 |
Court...You are my Hero. A million thanks. The detail is fantastic. | ||
| Thunderbolt_dad |
Two bikes ago I owned/rode a Triumph Trophy 1200. Without a doubt the best long-distance machine I ever had. After having had to ditch it (HARD!) to avoid t-boning a punk in his Acura blowing stop-signs, I bought my first Buell, a '99 X1. After blowing the engine out of that (another loooong story) I bought the '01 S3. The S3 is a huge long-distance advantage over the X1, but still not up to the Trophy. I would dearly love to see Buell really step up into the Sport-Tour market. The new 12's have the power/fuel economy/driveability that is a huge asset on long hauls. When I was at the factory on the 20th (for the 20th) I had the oppurtunity to talk to Eric (THE MAN!) about the possibility of a new Buell Sport-Tour. He said that Buell had looked into the long term demographics and at the time they were designing the 12's, Sport-Tour sales were falling off for almost every manufacturer out there, EXCEPT Buell. He believes that there is a possibility, however slim, as he himself liked the S3T the best out of all the Buells. Personally, I KNOW I would buy a new Buell tomorrow, if it were a Sport-Tour. As it is, I'm already trying to rearrange long-term finances to get a new 12 by the Invasion in august. edited by thunderbolt_dad on September 17, 2003 | ||
| Whodom |
Thunderbolt- thanks for the info. It's good to know that the possibility of a new Buell sport-tourer still exists. I'm lucky they DON'T make one right now or I'd probably be refinancing my house to pay for it. | ||
| Nevco1 |
T-Bolt...You have email. | ||
| Crusty |
Very few BMWs leave the dealership without a set of bags.How many bikes does BMW sell in the USA? When the S3-T came out, I knew a few people who bought them, only to sell them and get BMWs when the problems became too numerous. (If I didn't dislike BMWs as much as I do, I might have.) I think that a trouble free S3-T equivalent would sell,once it overcame Buell's reputation for unreliability. | ||
| Court |
I am still an advocate of Buell making a sport-tourer that has the framework to accomadate BMW luggage. I'd love to take the bags and tail pak from my BMW and mount on a Buell. Tooling for bags, given the numbers that sportbikes sell in, is inordinately high (can you say amortization boys and girls). The Germans have excelled, under pressure from the Borkenstockionians to make the best bags imaginable. If'n I JUST had a Buell-bracket and a licensing agreement. I know..I know...but I can dream .  | ||
| Aesquire |
BMW bag mounts for my M2! oh yeah! Make a setup for the Xb12S and I will go nuts, not being able to afford one. (still paying off the M2 for 2 more years) A sportster based scrambler, with Buell power would sell. I was talking to a Sportster owner, about the 2004, he wanted more power. He got a nervous tick when I told him what my Cyclone had. | ||
| Thunderbolt_dad |
GIVI, who makes OEM hard bags as well as after market kits for many bikes, has YET to come up with a bracket for a Buell. The OEM bags on my 'umph were well made, roomy, watertite, easy to remove....blah blah blah....something HAS to be done....Court.....get me a frame (just the rear section will do) from a new 12....I'll lay out the damn thing myself! | ||
| Bomber |
my understanding is that Buell is selling darned near as many scoots, if not more, than BMW in this country . . .Sport Touring rig sales, while nver high in the US, seem to have dropped since some of the big rigs (gold wings) have developed into very competant motorcycles, indeed . . .the new ones really handle well in the real world . . . . while I'd love to see a Buell Sport Tourer (which is the next sgement I'l lbe buying in 3.5 years, or 7.5 college semesters), I can't imagine that it makes fiscal sense for Buell to wander into that market . .. . . | ||
| Dynarider |
Bomber, the last numbers I recall seeing was BMW selling over 12,000 bikes here in the states. Buell sold somewhere around 11,000 worldwide. I agree that it doesnt make fiscal sense for Buell to go the S3T route again. | ||
| Bomber |
oops . . .thanks for the bacakup, Dyna . . . . | ||
| Nevco1 |
In my never-so-humble opinion, Givi makes ugly bags/trunks and Corbin ain't far behind. BMW and Kawasaki Concours bags are Bitchin'!!! ST1300's and FJR1300's are stylish but, well, just adequate. | ||
| Hootowl |
Weld a pair of old ammo cans on the side of your ride and be done with it. Waterproof...stylish... | ||
| Crusty |
Yeah, yeah; I'll weld 'em to the plastic tail section. No wait; I know - I'll weld some angle iron brackets to the chrome moly tubing. That should be durable. Or maybe I should make up a bracket and attach it to the swingarm. Why not? It would be different! Just don't carry beer in the bags. |
