| Author | Message | ||
     Captainkirk |
Just for snicks, I hopped on eBay and Craigslist to see what tubers were fetching these days. Imagine my shock to see there were only 4 Buells listed on eBay (3 of them XBs) and only 1 tuber listed withing a 100 mile radius of my house! Granted, its been a long time since I checked. But hey, what gives? Have they all been chopped by psycho hacks, or are the current owners just sitting tight on their tubers and/or not listing them due to the virus? | ||
| Mnscrounger |
By now the tubers are old enough that most of those bikes lucky to survive the chopper kit builder boom have probably found their forever homes. They may not be that valuable, or even that rare, but the people that enjoy them REALLY enjoy them. Things you like you tend to hold onto. | ||
| Sbaugz |
Exactly, I’ve bought and sold literally dozens of really cool bikes over the years but the two I will never part with are my S3 and S1W . Those are staying around for a while. | ||
| Falloutnl |
Yeah, not selling mine anytime soon. And I think it's not unlikely they'll become valuable at some point, I mean all the ingredients are there: - interesting and tragic underdog backstory - S1, S2 and X1 are rolling works of art - immensely characterful engines - genuine sporting credentials in terms of handling and envelope pushing design - unmolested examples are getting to be pretty rare | ||
| H0gwash |
It took me about a year of on and off obsessive searching on Craigslist to find a good cheap parts M2 on Craigslist near me. I did pass over maybe 4 very pretty but high mileage M2s during that time. | ||
| Upthemaiden |
I only see 4 on ebay as well, 2 tubers, but if you click on completed listings there's a pretty good assortment of ones that have sold lately, pretty much daily. I'm in the same boat as everyone else though, I bought mine and have hopes of just keeping it forever. The only way I'd really consider selling it is if I could find a nice S1W to buy, then I'd sell my regular S1. My wife already knows that if I die, she's not allowed to get rid of it, she just has to save it forever haha. It would be nice if there were more of them for sale, and if I was a little more patient to have found a slightly nicer example. I drove a long way to get mine, and it had a handful of issues. At least these bikes are nice to work on. | ||
| Captainkirk |
Quote "The only way I'd really consider selling it is if I could find a nice S1W to buy, then I'd sell my regular S1" Good luck with that! The S1W has become pretty much unobtanium these days, with total original production numbers at 2210 and the Ice White Pearl version being only 1258 total*. You could conceivably convert yours to an S1W replica for a whole lot less than you would pay for a White Lightning. Sure, it wouldn't be the Real McCoy, but it would look the same. As long as you didn't try to pass it off as an S1W to a buyer, there should be no issues with it. *Information source: https://daviddreesen.blogspot.com/2015/01/buell-mo torcycles-1983-2009.html | ||
| Captainkirk |
While I've put a boatload of money and mods into my M2 and it's pretty much pristine, I sometimes can't help wishing I'd held out for something with a little more zest than...black. The orange or nuclear blue frame and wheels are simply stunning compared to black.  | ||
| Upthemaiden |
Right, mine is boring silver, but I think the nuclear blue and molten orange S1 is gorgeous. I'm sure they're hard to find. I'm not actively searching for one, but if one happened to pop up at a time I had some money, I'd grab it to replace mine. Never been crazy about the white on white bikes, so at least I'm not hoping for anything that specific. I'll definitely be happy with doing some top end work someday to get a few extra HP out of mine, especially since I switched from the V&H back to the stock exhaust and lost a bit or torque in the process. | ||
| Buell3some |
For me it's nothing to do with the virus, i'm just sitting on mine is all. Iv'e had 4 Buell's over the past 20 Years. I'm still hanging onto 1 that i just can't seem to part ways with and doubt i ever will. My unmolested 2002 S3T Thunderbolt that iv'e owned since 2002. I registered and insured it but have not ridden it yet this season. I purchased 2 new Yamaha's in the past year so it's possible it may just remain in storage for now. Occasionally i think about selling it, then i uncover it, stare it for a while and change my mind. (Message edited by BUELL3SOME on April 30, 2020) | ||
| Captainkirk |
My brother has a '97 Cyclone and has done all the top end mods to make it a Thunderstorm along with Wiseco pistons. It flat out rips! | ||
| Kenward |
Searched for years for a Fireball Orange, Fallout Blue S1. Found a all-Black S1W in the San Fran CL offered at $3300 two years ago, and bought it. Previous owner said he'd dropped the price to $3300 because so many callers hung up when they discovered it wasn't White. Still have to deal with the bubbling paint on the tank. | ||
| Sbaugz |
Buell3some, you have a zero mile 2002 S3T that you bought and haven't ridden yet? Kenward, Fireball orange and Fallout Blue S1? Are you making those color names up? (Message edited by sbaugz on April 29, 2020) | ||
| Upthemaiden |
Bahaha I liked the names of the colors too. I also like that 20 years later we're still pretending its orange and blue, instead of just calling it red and purple like it is. | ||
| Kenward |
When I test rode an S1 the Santa Cruz dealer actually told me the colors were Nuclear Fireball Orange and Radiation Fallout Blue. Call it what you want, those color names work for me! | ||
| Falloutnl |
I think only the later M2's and (maybe) S3's were available in Molten Orange. My dad has an M2 in that color that was converted to look like an S1. It's being rebuilt right now with 1275cc kit, flatslide carb, collapsible pushrods and PM wheels. Here's a picture.  Kenward, Fireball orange and Fallout Blue S1? Are you making those color names up? Haha, got all excited for a moment thinking there was such a thing as 'Fallout' Blue. Buell3some, you have a zero mile 2002 S3T that you bought and haven't ridden yet? Yeah I would like to know this too. Did we read that right Buell3some? And since we're sharing pictures, here's my S1 and X1. The X1 is the first Buell I ever bought (in 2013). The S1 the second to last (in 2018).   | ||
| Upthemaiden |
Love the orange frame. I think if I had that frame I'd be tempted to keep it and paint the bodywork in the nuclear blue color. Did your dad do the conversion, or build it up that way? I've seen one or two of those where people left the subframe, and just sandwiched the tail light between the frame and the bodywork. Cutting that one off looks really good and is a clean way to do that conversion without having to completely rebuild the subframe to match what came on the S1. | ||
| Buell3some |
Sbaugz, Falloutnl, Sorry i meant not ridden yet this season. I edited my post. It has 39K on it and is the same Volcano grey w/ orange frame & wheels as your beautiful M2. | ||
| Buelltours |
Here's the blue/orange version. A few weeks ago I was asked whether I was a Gators fan. I had to look that up to understand... :-)  | ||
| Falloutnl |
I had to look that up to understand... :-) Lol, you're my kinda guy. Good looking S3! Sbaugz, Falloutnl, Sorry i meant not ridden yet this season. I edited my post. It has 39K on it and is the same Volcano grey w/ orange frame & wheels as your beautiful M2. Nice, no worries! Love the orange frame. I think if I had that frame I'd be tempted to keep it and paint the bodywork in the nuclear blue color. Did your dad do the conversion, or build it up that way? I've seen one or two of those where people left the subframe, and just sandwiched the tail light between the frame and the bodywork. Cutting that one off looks really good and is a clean way to do that conversion without having to completely rebuild the subframe to match what came on the S1. The cosmetic conversion was done before we got a hold of this M2. And yes, parts of the subframe were cut, though we still have those parts and the original fairing + seat thankfully. I think it's an RRC tail unit. German after market part. Actually I used to have a (black) 2002 M2 that had the exact same conversion done, but I traded it for a very low mile 2009 Scg. Bad move. Still regret it. Though that money (09 bike is sold now) did go towards purchase and restoration of the S1. | ||
| Captainkirk |
Actually, I think that orange color was "Covid Orange". Gorgeous bikes, all! You aren't helping me, BTW... | ||
| Sbaugz |
regarding upthemaiden's quote- "I also like that 20 years later we're still pretending its orange and blue, instead of just calling it red and purple like it is" its funny you say this because I have a really tough time differentiating molten orange bikes from snap red bikes when I see them online. The orange definitely comes off as red, depending on lighting and which electronic device I am using to view them. } | ||
| Captainkirk |
Fallout, that S1 just blows me away! Such clean, classic lines! | ||
| Upthemaiden |
"Actually I used to have a (black) 2002 M2 that had the exact same conversion done, but I traded it for a very low mile 2009 Scg. Bad move. Still regret it. " I bought my first buell right after they closed the doors, and even though I always loved the S1, I bought an XB because I thought it was a bit more of a smart purchase as far as reliability goes. It just wasn't the same(nothing against the XBs), so I ended up selling it, going through 3 other bikes, and coming back to the S1 I should've bought in the first place. I'm sure they look different in person. I've mostly just seen pictures of them, and they usually look pretty red. I do have these pictures that show off a really nice color.   | ||
| Captainkirk |
That's a looker! The color on the rear fender looks really good instead of black. | ||
| Falloutnl |
Fallout, that S1 just blows me away! Such clean, classic lines! Thanks man! Yeh pretty proud of how it came out. I bought my first buell right after they closed the doors, and even though I always loved the S1, I bought an XB because I thought it was a bit more of a smart purchase as far as reliability goes. It just wasn't the same(nothing against the XBs), so I ended up selling it, going through 3 other bikes, and coming back to the S1 I should've bought in the first place. Yeah, what year XB did you get? I like my Ulysses (05) and the hybrid XB I built with my dad can't be beaten in terms of handling, but the extra refinement also takes away some of the character. The engines on the tubeframes also feel ever so slightly more old school, which I like. The engine in the 09 bike I had was barely recognizable as a Sportster motor. Was glad to see that one go. (in that sense, the earlier XBs are closer to the tube frames in terms of feel). As for reliability, the oiling/lubricating on those 08 engines is better apparently, but the shop here tells me the oil pumps of those post '08 engines are not made anymore. So if that ever goes, that's an issue, while it's not so much an issue on the older bikes. | ||
| Buellish |
Captainkirk,I've always wanted a Blue Streak M2.It's the bike that made me look at Buells in the first palce. | ||
| Upthemaiden |
I had an 03 xb9s. It was a great bike, easiest bike I've ever owned, but just wasn't the right bike at the right time. I think it fit me better than any bike I've owned, and it's the only bike I've sold that I've missed. Honestly if it was a 12s I mightve ended up keeping it longer. I was younger and still rode with guys with sportbikes, occasionally on the highway, and I got tired of not being able to keep up with 600cc bikes, and it was just lacking in torque for what I wanted at the time. | ||
| Captainkirk |
Thanks, Buellish. It's a great bike overall, and completely untamed since I did the mods on it. | ||
| Falloutnl |
Agreed, the Blue M2 is just as nice. Not as conspicuous as the orange obviously, but that's definitely not a bad thing. Gorgeous bikes, all! You aren't helping me, BTW... So are you actually looking for something to add to your collection or just looking? :P |
