| Author | Message | ||
     Orphan |
Hi everyone! I'm Dann, and a first time Buell owner and long time motorcyclist. Today I just made the deal on my first Buell. A 2003 XB9S. It's stock with just over 12K miles. Can you guys tell me what to look for and what improvements I'll need to make (factory upgrades or recalls) and what will help make the bike more user-friendly? One of the first mods I wanna do is hard luggage. Where do I find it? Thanks everyone! | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
Welcome to Badweb and Buelldom Hepco Becker makes a rack and hard bags that will bolt right up... but you will need to find someone that carries them... | ||
| No_rice |
check the front braided oil cooler lines. if there is not a clamp holding them apart about midway between the oil cooler and oil filter area then you should get one. the lines eventually rub together and poke a hole in each other and start puking out oil. make sure its got good tires on it(not dunlop) go through the owners manual(if you have it, if not get one) and adjust the suspension settings for your weight and such. they are very picky. (Message edited by no_rice on February 01, 2011) | ||
| Its_a_buell |
Congrats, My '03 XB9S has over 30,000 hardcore miles on it and I've never done any major repairs to it. Hopefully you'll be just as pleased. | ||
| Nillaice |
the 77 connector. it's where the stator leads connect. all the juice your bike makes runs thru this undersized/rated spade type connector. you can solder it, use some wire nuts, or if you insist on spending money, there is a pin connector kit than can handle the amps http://www.americansportbike.com/shoponline/ccp0-p rodshow/17390.html it may allready have been done. pull off the plastic cover infront of teh right foot peg, and have a look see. also check your ECM. (under the seat). the good ones say RACE USE ONLY, but the stockers can be re-written to with the same programming as the RACE ones. check your wheel bearings. they should rotate smoothly, and not be oozing goop out. someone correct me if i'm wrong on this; the seals changed colors a few times. black is the most recent. the origional black ones were bad. orange was teh fix. black is now good again. check your headlight reflector buckets for the reflective coating peeling off. drive belt. in 04 the belt was beefed up and almost each year it has been improved on. the older belts are suceptible to loosing teeth and snapping. like this  the 04+ belt kit includes front and rear pulleys, idler arm, but idler pulley is the same. belt is obviously different. check your part # while your at it get the vin and check if all the recalls have been done. that might save you alot of time. the servicing dealer should have records of what all was done. or call buell/h-d customer support | ||
| Kdogshirow |
Have had no problems at all with my 07 XB9R , could use more power , but thats why they rev so high , LOL. Get a Drummer exhaust pipe and map . You can't go wrong with that setup . http://kdfab.com/ | ||
| Orphan |
How do I adjust the suspension to my size? I'm 6'2", and 235. I look like a elephant riding a tricycle. LOL! | ||
| Kdogshirow |
Here is a link , there are a lot of them out there , just type "Buell Xb Suspension Settings" . http://www.steveturnbull.co.uk/buell/thexbpages/xb handling.htm You need your operators manual to know which screws to turn . | ||
| Reepicheep |
Great bike! The pinion drive gear in them can wear, the new "race" part that was stock in 2006 and up pretty much solved the problem. Some bikes wear them badly, some bikes never touch them. But it's probably worth snagging one of those $50 gears while you can still get one. Somebody will need it someday. At 20k miles or so, drop the oil pump and peek up into the cam cover for wear. If worn, swap it (lots of steps but not rocket science). Order a couple of extra front exhaust straps from Al at American Sportbike. Have them on the shelf. The newest belt wouldn't be a terrible idea either, maybe put the new one on when you get it and hang the old one on the wall for a buddy to grab and bring you if you get stuck somewhere. You will probably never touch it, but it's good to have a spare. Follow torque instructions for rear wheel install and remove. The 9s's are pretty easy on everything relative to the other bikes, I suspect the XB9S is the most reliable Buell ever built, and compares well to any bike. Polly grip heaters are nice if it gets cold where you ride. A HID for the low beam (the DDM kit) is an easy install, not that much more expensive then a new bulb, and gives a lot better light. Just get the low power version and don't mess with relays or delays or anything, just plug and play. A FIAM freeway blaster is an easier to package and louder horn, I appreciated that upgrade, and it was only $12 or something. Then good tires, good gear, and good training! It's a great bike. | ||
| Bumblebee |
Other than an engine issue early on and repaired under warranty, I can honestly say the XB9SX has been trouble free. | ||
| Its_a_buell |
Hey, I love my Dunlop Qualifiers!!! I never knew there was so much to upgrade on the 03 XBs. I'm about to go over mine with another fine tooth comb to check some of these things out. I can vouch for the oil lines(already had to replace one) and the wheel bearings(had to replace those too). My ECM was stock but was supposedly mapped by the previous owner. Without an ECM Spy, is there anyway I can verify? I do have the race exhaust and filter. | ||
| Easyrider |
Orphan 1. check bike for leaks on the intake manifold and fix it 2. put a good full synthetic 20W-50 oil we recommand Motul in it. 3. whatever exhaust is on that bike, be 200% sure you have a matching ECM update for that, you will slowly kill the engine if you ride a open exhaust with a stock or race ECM. 4. do your maintenance every time and always check all the bearings in the bike. | ||
| Orphan |
3. whatever exhaust is on that bike, be 200% sure you have a matching ECM update for that, you will slowly kill the engine if you ride a open exhaust with a stock or race ECM. Please explain. I don't follow. It's currently stock, but I will probably update it with a new exhaust. Do the dealers update the ECM for free or? | ||
| Migs16 |
buellmods.com check it out. and buellxb has some do it yourself videos that will help alot. look at your bike like a canvas and run with it! theres so much you can do and find for them! If you cant afford to get your stock pipe made into a kfab pipe. for 195 i got my done by hawk performance and i love it! looks great the guy that does them is such a great guy. pm me if you have any questions | ||
| Reepicheep |
I'll respectfully disagree. If you end up with a carb'd tuber, then swap the low speed jet to get a better start and idle, but leave everything else alone. If you get a fuel injected bike, just leave it be. I spent the first year with my 9sx tweaking it out (race ECM, after market exhaust), and the next year slowly putting it all back to stock (though with the later style open inner airbox cover). Spend your time and money on instruction and track days. That's where the big performance gains are still left to be had. | ||
| Orphan |
What's the difference in the airbox covers? Thank you guys btw, for the help! | ||
| Reepicheep |
The inner airbox cover on the 03 through 05 was completely closed, and the bike would breath through the frame snorkel. It was nice and quiet. In 06, they dropped the snorkel hole, which was originally there to allow a turbocharger (no joke), because Harley had successfully screwed up the whole Buell turbo project anyway. The Turbo is dead, so we might as well get the extra .6 gallons of fuel in the frame. When they did this, they created a "skeletonized" inner airbox cover (the thing that holds down the air filter). I don't think the power changed much, but you get a louder "honk" out of the airbox when you whack the throttle. Unlike a loud pipe, that sound mainly impacts just you, not you and everyone else in a square mile. I didn't notice any change, but if anything, it hurt power. I had already skeletonized up my inner airbox similar to what they ended up doing on the 06's. It created more hassles than helps, but not bad enough that I felt the need to go drop $40 or whatever on either an original uncut pre-06 style, or a new post 05 factory skeletonized part. Though (truth here) I was watching for cheap original airboxes here and on ebay to try and get it back to stock cheaply. | ||
| Xbduck |
One simple mod I did was to put a 12 inner air box cover on it. It's got a cone shape that goes down into the intake stack and gives better air flow for improved power. It's the black part under the colored part over the air filter. No, it's not a lot but every little bit helps. |
