| Author | Message | ||
     Ronvc |
1) lowering: I have a works shock on her. can I just loosen the nut that rests on the spring or do I need to do something else? I only want to drop it about an inch. should I assume I don't need to play with the forks? 2) Tires: I've been reading a lot of "if" "buts" and "I'm not sure" and that last one always seem to follow with a "but" So I'm going to ask anyway..lol On my Vulcan I bumped up the rear tire by 20mm (150 to a 170) and it worked out better than I thought.. on the front I bumped it up 10mm (100 to a 110) I liked that as well. So, can I safely do the same thing to my Buell? I'd like to go 130 and 190 (maybe 200) 3) Shifter? Mine is really loose. Mostly at the base of the foot peg. My thought was to take off the peg and add a nylon washer or two. Think that will work or have you done something else? also, the shift tow peg? can it be replaced? I feel a hole behind it but I don't know if it's a screw in or press fit. 4) The charging system. I would like to run a HID headlight that I already have. can the bike deal with the load without stressing the stator? (it didn't work out so well on the Vulcan) 5) Oil: can I just buy the cheap crap at walmart? lol just kidding way more info here about the oil than I'll ever need.. 6a) what's in your tool box? Not the one in your garage that you need a step stool to open the top but the one under your seat. What the tools you will not ride without. On my rice burner I have a pretty short list.. I mean. you can only do so much on the side of the road. 6b) Spare parts: I was thinking about shopping for some spare parts. What should I keep in stock? brakes, fuel pump, spark plugs and tires are already on the list.. anything else I should consider. 7) What else should I think about for this bike? it's a 2000 x1 lightning red/white #49. I think I'm going to name her Funk 49 like the James gang song. | ||
| Alfau |
Log in and use search at the top of the page. 1. lowering x1 2. tire size x1 3. foot peg I'm sure you get the idea | ||
| Ronvc |
Not for nothing but I'm not even sure when I'm logged on here.. every time I post I need to log on not once but twice. Last time I used the "search" I found just about everything (that I wasn't looking for) Let me ask you something. When you saw in the subject line "Some general questions (X1 lightning)" did you think to yourself oh boy here's my chance to be a keyboard hard guy? cause I gotta tell ya. I've been reading a lot here this past week and it seems like most here are very cool.. You however, Not so much.. | ||
| Blu1hockey |
Haha. I have the same problem with the search. At one point I had to go page by page to page 39 before I found something even close. | ||
| Hybridmomentspass |
search feature on this site blows donkey balls. the software on here is horrible, youre right, youre never really "logged in," search sucks, and if its an older thread, posting in it doesnt bring it back to the top, just keeps it in the archives. good content though. ok - shifter - you have the boomerang shifter, right? I've dealt with the slop in it too and I dont know that there is much you can really do about it. I added some spacers/washers, but never got to a point that I was really happy with. Either it was still too loose or it was too tight and harder to shift. When i rode my tuber on the street (not drag it), and on my 1125R that I ride on the street - dont really keep anything on me. I have the factory tool bag, but never used it on the side of the road. And, personally, I always have a Leatherman multitool on me, so that would help. But as you stated - theres only so much you can do on the side of the road. If youre set on keeping tools on you - maybe some screwdrivers and a few nut drives to tighten up any loose bolts? Some electrical tape, extra spark plug, not sure what else to recommend. | ||
| Oldog |
Ron I cant answer your shock question, I would stick with the recommended tire size or real close. Oil I used the HD stuff castrol, and mobil1 2050, like mobil best, YMMV the shifter can be shimmed, the later ones had a threaded toe peg the electrical system will support a 35 watt hid ( I have one on my bike ) I have the clutch tool, the pinion tool, locking bar for the primary was given the seal pusher, and a stud drill guide, I made a showa shock tool / wrenches and re-built my shock a big torque wrench for the primary nut, and big sockets too, I have a fuel pressure tester, new compression tester last but not least if you own an X1 you may want ECM Spy and cable.. most other tools are usual stuff or specialty shop tools ( fork seal drivers etc ) welcome ! | ||
| Lynrd |
I cannot comment on lowering the bike - The suspension geometry and therefore the spring rates would change - too much math for me. But with regard to the rear tire - Roll the bike forward a few feet, then measure from the innermost edge of the belt to the outermost edge of the tire. For every 5mm you can go up one tire width. I ride with a 7/16. 1/2 and 9/16 wrench, roach clip, sockets in same sizes plus 3/8", 3/8 ratchet and extension, a small voltmeter, a Torx head "Foley" wrench, Dual head screwdriver phllips/Flat. some safety wire, safety wire pliers, a some zip ties and a small wad of misc hardware and electrical crimp connectors and ends, and a little roll of solder. My cigar lighter doubles as a torch for soldering That all fits in a plastic bag in the tail. The kit is not specific to the Buell other than the Foley wrench - most of the rest has shuttled from bike to bike for a long time. I also picked one of the fancy Buell Toolkits that I can stash in the bottom of the saddlebag on the S3, which has all that and more. The S3 is the designated long hauler. Parts in stock: More like materials - I stock well nuts, fuel and oil line, Oil, clamps, and electrical hardware - connectors, wire, and pins. Oil Filters. I do keep spare Isolators in stock for fetishtic reasons, but most parts I will buy as needed....i am not seeing a availability or lead time issue with anything yet. All of my bikes have been changed out to different shifters. Rhonda has a one-off one, Gloria runs a Banke, and Veronica has the later X-1 style. All work better than the boomerang for me - but then I never tried to make the boomerang better. I also thought it felt sloppy. | ||
| Ronvc |
Thanks guys this is very helpful.. Damn Lynrd, I can't remember the last time I heard the term roach clip.. but I do know what you're referring to.  | ||
| Ratbuell |
1. Loosening the spring perch only softens the preload. You will get more "sag" but lose handling accuracy. And, if you only lower the rear but not the front...it will turn in slower. What is the purpose behind lowering it? 2. What wheels does it have - castalloy (colored), or PM (polished)? Castalloys were stock at 170 rear; PMs were 180 rear. "Pinch" a wider tire onto a narrow rim, and you will get a "tippy" feel when you transition through turns - instead of a smooth curve from one side of the rim to the other, you will have a pointed profile. 3. there should be stock bushings in there already, but they may be worn. Simple replacement. 4. HID will pull less than the factory incandescent. 5. I run HD Syn3 in every Buell I own. 6a. I have a large Buell tool roll on every bike. And a cell phone. 6b. Wear items. Maybe a set of cables (clutch, throttle, idle). Intake seals. Rockerbox gaskets. 7. Get a Kuryakyn voltmeter for it to keep an eye on charging. ECMSpy and a dongle so you can read EFI codes. And bookmark www.americansportbike.com - Al rocks. If you have the question....Al has the answer. | ||
| Ronvc |
Hey Rat, I have the cast wheels. After reading some of this and other threads I think I'm going to stick with the 170's.. On my cruisers up sizing the tires seem to do more good then bad.. This is my first "sport bike" So a lot of this is new to me.. I thought it would be about the same as what I've been used to but.. I wanted to lower it about an inch so my feet are flat when I stop.. It sounds like more BS than it's worth so I'll try it for a few weeks to see if I just get used to the stance, | ||
| Ratbuell |
tripod. Right toe on the brake, left foot on the ground. It's a 400-lb-and-change sportbike...you'll be surprised how well it responds  | ||
| Ronvc |
Thanks, I haven't thought about "tripod" If not sportbike what? When I look at it I feel like it's something special like an exotic car. The only other bike that crossed my mind (in this style) was the Ducati Monster. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Spend some time with it. TUNE the suspension. Flog it through the twisties. It may be a naked...but definitely SPORT. Not "super"...but definitely SPORT. And yes...definitely special | ||
| Littlebuggles |
If you find you've really got to put your feet down more just have a bit of foam trimmed from your bike's seat. I ran a 180 Pirelli on my bike with the Castalloy rims, and really didn't like the way it turned in. Same tire on my XB (rear wheel is 5.5") handled great.Stick with stock tires and you'll get the best handling. I keep a few zip ties and a multi-tool on hand for if my sport bike riding friends crash and need to secure fairings or whatever (running off the road is a noob trick people should do on naked bikes, fairings are costly). I've only been stranded by too lean jetting when I first brought my Cyclone home from California, and that one time I ran it out of gas... and that one time a driver cut me off, not the bikes fault the forks were bent... so... yeah. | ||
| Essmjay |
I replaced the shifter bushings with bronze bushings and it still was sloppy. Finally came up with a combination of tiny bearings and shim washers that transferred the shaft pressure to the bearings and that made a huge difference. That was on an updated shifter but I am probably going to do it to my S2's boomerang also. Can't tell you the exact combination, I took the whole assemble into Ace Hardeware and went through all the bins until I came up with something that works. Basically bearing/shim/bushing/shifter/bushing/shim/bearing. | ||
| Fahren |
If having problems with the search function, then use the "Google Badweb" button way up at the top of the page. That has worked for me in the past when the site search has failed to turn up anything. And Ratbuell is right: tripod is the way to go. The only bike I have ever been able to flat-foot is my (former) Blast. |
