| Author | Message | ||
     General_ulysses |
I'm pretty new to the Buell family, bought my first one this spring ('06 Uly). Now I'm starting to get the bug for a tuber after the Uly has worked its charms on me all season. I've looked at the various tubers, and I have to say I think I prefer the S1 bikes. But for the life of me I can't decipher all the variations that they came in. According to wikipedia they were made between 96-98. The S1 appears to be a bobber looking single seat model, but then I've seen a few with what appears to be a longer seat. And I think I saw someone say there was a wide version too?? The ones you see for sale on ebay often are modded, so I'm not sure if what I'm looking at is stock or a mixture of other parts from other bikes. Can someone point me to a reference source that really explains all the details of all the S1 variations and also how they varied from year to year? I'm especially interested in which models were Fuel Injected and which ones were carbureted. Also, I've read there were many recalls on these bikes. What are the things to look out for? I'd like to know the problem areas and what all the recalls were so I know what to check for when I'm looking at a prospective bike to purchase. Thanks in advance for any help! | ||
| Jolly |
there are much more knowledgeable people on this forum than I, so let me be the opening line for "some" information, and others to give insightful additions. the best source would be the book 25 years of Buell, however, tough to find a copy! written by Court Canfield and Dave Gess... on to your question. the S1 was produced from 96 - 98 with the short "single seat yet they all had passenger pegs...(useless?). there was an option for a 2 up seat that came with the longer tail section and a somewhat true 2 seat, along with a mod to the rear of the seat bracket which on either the single or double was bolted on but it provded the right length to the sub frame to support the 2 up seat. a single seat bike cold be easily modded to 2 up and vice versa, however many folks just set a longer tail and set on with out changing the tail support bracket which by the way either the 2 up or the shorter tail support are both still available at last check. none of the S1 years were fuel injected. in 1998 you could order either an S1 or an S1W which had more HP due to heads and pistons. all S1s were sold with the WP forks, the Showas and fuel injection showed up in 99 with the x1 the S1W came with the wider manta tank while standard S1 bikes had the small tank....all M2 bikes by comparison had the manta tank. best source of information...here on BADWEB...some truly brilliant Buelligans, well versed in mods, problems and solutions reside here and they are all willing to help! most notable issues...... 1)oil pump drive gear change it to the hardened gear 2)primary chain tensioner needs the upgraded version 3)drive belt set way too tight 4)rocker box gaskets were paper from factory, need to be replaced with upgraded metal gaskets 5)rocker box covers need to be replaced with XB style single piece covers that breathe better/different design 6) exhaust hangar L bracket needs to be replaced with upgraded version Y bracket 7) most exhaust improperly tightened down which causes exhaust stud failure and other issues 8) 6 button floating rotors prone to failure, need upgraded 9 button or wave rotor upgrade 9) gas tank paint WILL bubble up issue with the crappy fuel we have now 10)fuel cap can fail and leave you stranded, the plastic fails and wont turn to unlock, fix is one of the guys here machines a piece to correct the weak design 11) seat sux, why does Eric hate me so? 12) HIGHLY ADDICTIVE!!!!!! now, on to the pros! | ||
| Court |
The recall's thing tends to get blown out of proportion. You can find ALL recalls on the governments website. http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchVehicles It's also helpful to understand what a recall is and is not. Most motorcyclists, beyond internet banter, know little about how they work and what they are for. http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/recalls /documents/recompendium.pdf In addition to recalls you can also search all complaints that have been brought to the attention of the feds. http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchResults. action There were 2 variants of the S1 that the public saw. It also, partially because it was so damn fun for the test riders, served as an idea platform for some other bikes that were never built. In the book . . actually NOT in the book (it went on the cutting room floor along with 3 other chapters that were dropped to make page count) I did a chapter called "The Special Buells" that discussed about 25 special factory built custom Buells and development bikes that never saw the light of day. The S1, even though you will likely need to address some of the items above, is a friction' hoot and wonderfully captures the essence of motorcycling. | ||
| Jolly |
Ahhh Court you're killing me! 25 special never built versions????? do you have any photos? +1 to his last line...Ive got a garage full of bikes and the S1 is sitting at the top of the list for carving up the corners! man what a ride!!! | ||
| S1owner |
Court is by far the knowledge vault! Here is a link that will help you visualize http://froggypwns.com/buellpdfs/Buell_Poster_24x36 HR.pdf But (this goes for all tubers) you will get one and ait may not feel right or ride right you need to make it your own bars pegs etc and become 1 with it then you will truely feel what Court is saying. I am 6 ft 245 and I ride an S1 i get how do you fit on that and I say very well like a glove! | ||
| General_ulysses |
Thanks everyone for the terrific information! Jolly and Court I especially appreciate the time you took to provide all of the details - I will put it to good use. S1owner that Buell poster is a great resource for learning about the different models year to year. Exactly what I was looking for, thank you. So after looking over the recall info provided at the websites referenced by Court, it looks like there were some pretty scary recalls, including: 1. The shock (which apparently is held in tension instead of compression?) has snapped on a few people and the bike collapsed on them. The swingarm can break too. According to the website, these two failures have resulted in a few deaths. Guess this is the number one thing to get fixed if I get an S1. 2. Plugged fuel vent which either leads to fuel starvation or the carb overflows and it might cause a fire. Hopefully that can be fixed pretty easily. 3. E-clip for front brake rotor can become dislodged and jam between caliper and disk (or something like that). Causing front brake to lock unexpectedly possibly causing a crash. 4. Front engine mount/isolator can break. There’s a few other recalls, but these seem to be the heavy hitters. I guess these would be pretty easy to check to see if they’ve been upgraded if you knew what to look for. Is there a reference on badweb that could show me what the old shock, swingarm, fuel vent, brake E-clip, engine mount etc looks like vs the upgraded versions? Seems like there's a few complaints on the recall site from owners complaining about not being able to get the upgraded parts from the dealer, although they all appear to be dated back in the 1999-early 2000s timeframe. Hopefully by now, nearly all the bikes have been retrofitted. As to the bike itself, it really does look like a truly dedicated road hugger. I like its raw simplicity and all the exposed mechanical parts showcasing that beautiful engine. That’s the thing I don’t like about the XB series, you can’t see the engine. And the XB's "refinement" much as I love it, takes something away from the essential motorcycling experience Court wisely spoke of. That's why I think the S1 could be the perfect complement to my Uly. Thanks again for the discussion! | ||
| Ratbuell |
In a nutshell? 96-98 Buell S1 - had a "lightning" motor, basically a sportster mill with lightened flywheel, different cams, and slightly better heads. I want to say 90-couple hp. Small fuel tank (the width of the frame). Solo seat with optional TwinTail (and the bracket mentioned above was to move the taillight back to the end of the bodywork, so it wasn't tucked so far under). 2" S-bend header. 1998 was the S1W - first of the Thunderstorm engines, 101hp rating, hotter cams, thunderstorm heads and pistons. The S1W came in four possible body colors (white, orange, billet silver, black), with four possible frame colors (white, blue, black, titanium). They had the large Manta fuel tank, and a 2.5" S-bend header. ALL S1's/S1W's were carbureted. They all had an original, true carbon fiber rear hugger that mounted the license plate down on the hugger/swingarm. Most folks chopped these off, which is a shame - it was a singular piece of art, made from carbon fiber. And as noted above...they're all a hoot to ride!   | ||
| Jolly |
I wouldn't let the list above or the recalls concern you, all of these fixes are easy day jobs in the garage that you can and "should" take on yourself, with basic and a few special tools that are readily available. every job you do on this bike connects you more to your machine and gives you the confidence for the next job. I've taken on a few that I thought...well, I might be in a little over my head here, but I am going to go slow, do some research, ask the smart people some questions here on the forum, have a manual, and a fall back plan  then go for it, and so far, everything has been easier than first thought. (of course next time I ask for help someone will shoot this note back to me with a simple....GO FOR IT.....) anyway, point is, THESE ARE FANTASTIC BIKES, FUN TO RIDE, FUN TO LOOK AT, FUN TO WORK ON, FUN TO RIDE (yeah that last one was worth saying twice)!!! | ||
| S1owner |
Someone had a link posted that will tell you if recalls have been performed. Also any Hd dealer can tell you if they have not been done they will still do the work. Heres mine love it!  | ||
| General_ulysses |
Hey wow, that's one purdy S1 you got there S1owner. Pretty close to what I think I might looking for actually. I like the black color although the orange in the S1W poster Ratbuell posted is pretty cool too. Choices choices. So what's up with the manta tank? If I get an S1 with the smaller tank and want to put the manta tank on it later, is it an easy swap? And S1owner what kind of seat is that? Looks like a Corbin, but still not a lotta foam in it. Is it tolerable? Everybody says the stock seats are horrendous. And what about the swingarm? Looks like you've installed a later model (XB?) swingarm or is that the upgraded version the dealer installs for the recall? | ||
| S1owner |
100 % agree with the General I purchased mine never worked on a bike before. Built my own table and with the help of everyone on this site and Al at American Sport Bike I tore down modified and completely rebuilt mine. | ||
| S1owner |
Manta tank is a 10 minute swap bolts right on may need some bar adjustment for the wider tank. Yes its a corbin sits like a log but is way better the the stock brick! I have a 2000 M2 aluminum swing arm on it bolts right on. I am doing a conversion to the xb oil tank swing arm currently though am also putting X1 showa forks on. My black paint shines red and purple in the sun and I powder coated all the other parts black! Ever need info or pics pm me I have everything documented. Also goto the knowledge vault and download a free serce manual its a must right along side Courts 101 classes! | ||
| Buellistic |
Proper installation of ISOLATORS make a big difference in vibration !!! | ||
| Edv |
I have one of the early S-1s it has 58,000 miles on it with none of the recalls done and I see no reason to do them | ||
| Kilroy |
Carbed Thunderstorm motors had 91 hp. Fuel injected ones had 101 hp. Lightning motors were less than 90 hp, I would guess significantly so. | ||
| 1313 |
Carbed Thunderstorm motors with M2 cams had 91 hp. Carbed and Fuel injected ones with Lightning cams had 101 hp. There - I fixed it for ya, 1313 | ||
| General_ulysses |
S1owner your pic is no longer visible, it says you removed/moved it from its original location. Can you post more pics of it? Trying to decide what features and colors I'd like to have. Your bike is almost exactly what I like so far - schweet! 1313 so did the S1's originally came with M2 cams? If I wanted the bump up I'd need the 98 Thunderstorm heads and the lightning cams? Or since it is a lightning it already has the right cam for higher power output? I'd like for it to have the same power that I have now with my Uly (which is ~103hp). | ||
| Ratbuell |
Only M2's had M2 cams. S1's had Lightning heads and cams, and lightened flywheels. S1W's had thunderstorm heads, cams, and pistons as well as the lighter flywheels. For reference, I put X1 cams and thunderstorm heads/pistons in my S2 (stock heavy-flywheel sportster motor) and even with the heavy flywheel it's a great runner. If you get a stock S1 (not an S1W), you can change heads, cams, and pistons...and pretty much be at the S1W level. But...ride it first. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised, even stock. | ||
| Steveford |
It's been a while since I owned an S1W but I'm pretty sure a well set up one would run away from a Ulysses. The one I had was um, rather peppy. | ||
| S1owner |
Yes I will I am a little perturbed with photobucket right now it appears they lost 109 pics of my build!   My fiberglass tail is shortened as far as it goes and here is my lights and turns they are built into the plate  | ||
| S1owner |
See my pics say they are there but they are not i will get more up in the morning shoot me your email I will send you some more | ||
| General_ulysses |
Actually I went to the site, let me see if I can get them posted....     IMPRESSIVE! (Message edited by General_Ulysses on November 02, 2013) | ||
| S1owner |
That is just weird as they are not there for me i can see them on my phone but not my computer but if I go into them on my phone they say picture moved | ||
| Jayvee |
Nice bike ! |
