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Buellrobot
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 06, 2020 - 11:58 pm: | 
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Circa 2008, my step dad bought an X1 off craigslist. I came home for a visit to Oregon, as I was living in NYC at the time. I rode it up and down the street a few times. Had never heard of Buell, but quickly realized that this bike was putting a huge grin on my face – even though it looked kinda weird. Once we took the intake plastic pods off that X1, I knew I had to find something similar. Found a beautiful X1W on craigslist in Massachusetts. Right after I bought it, Buell announced they were closing. Rode that X1W all over the place, once from Brooklyn, down through TX, NM, AZ, through Los Angeles and back up (almost) to San Francisco. Top end blew up at Big Sur, but I still made it to my friend's wedding in SF.
More recently I picked up an 1125, because I figured it would be worth experiencing them while they're still available and running pretty well. It has a face only a mother could love, but what a fun bike! |
Falloutnl
| | Posted on Thursday, May 07, 2020 - 09:03 am: |
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More recently I picked up an 1125, because I figured it would be worth experiencing them while they're still available and running pretty well. It has a face only a mother could love, but what a fun bike!
lol
I kinda like it, but I see what you're saying. Mine has the blue frame and wheels though, which do look pretty damn good.
And yeah it's fun. Twice as fast as the air cooled bikes while still having plenty of torque down low. |
Buell3some
| | Posted on Thursday, May 07, 2020 - 02:06 pm: |
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Back in 1999 i was at a festival rock concert. The local HD/Buell dealer had a yellow Buell X1 on display at their tent. That bike just grabbed me and i couldn't stop staring at it. Later that summer i sold my Honda Sabre and started saving my money. I ended up buying a new 2000 X1 Millenium in fall of 2000. All my friends were either riding Harley's or crotch rockets, both of which i wanted nothing to do with. Buell was the fit for me!
(Message edited by buell3some on May 07, 2020) |
Falloutnl
| | Posted on Thursday, May 07, 2020 - 02:19 pm: |
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All my friends were either riding Harley's or crotch rockets, both of which i wanted nothing to do with. Buell was the fit for me!
Well it really is the perfect bike. The Harleys don't really handle right and the crotch rockets only start to become fun once you're far past losing your license territory.
In addition, I just can't stop looking at 'em.
(Message edited by falloutnl on May 07, 2020) |
Captainkirk
| | Posted on Thursday, May 07, 2020 - 03:01 pm: |
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There's a whole lot to be said for a bike that handles superbly (compared to a cruiser), has one carburetor, a trapdoor trans and is air cooled. As much as I admire the XB and later platform Buells and even the X1 series bikes, I didn't want to get into the whole fuel injection thing. |
98s1wl
| | Posted on Thursday, May 07, 2020 - 04:48 pm: |
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It was the summer of 1999 I was working in a local HD dealership (50 miles away or so). I was riding sportsters at the time and had an 883 -->1200 I was bombing around on loving life. I had been unpacking and working on Buells and the first one I took one for its complimentary "test ride" after service, I immediately began with my obsession of these bikes. That same summer two good friends of mine who also had a sportster and Heritage both added Buells to their garage:a yellow X1 and Black S3T. Now their Harleys sat and collected dust. I would try to keep up but we all know how that goes. I had been looking at the Buells. I rode with them all the time, they were riding the X1 and S3T, so I was interested in the Cyclone....Until I test drove a customer's '97 S1 after a service. Done, I needed an S1. I searched all over, and then my search focused on the S1W - since, ya' know...you cant find 'em anywhere...and...101hp. Ultimately one of the sales people located a brand new, never opened White S1W still in its original crate out on Long Island. Done! We had it shipped to NJ the next week. I traded in my 1996 883 (1200) and was happier than a pig in S#*T. I have the bike still, and will never part with it. I have done a Nallin Stage 2 1250 kit, and have the Buell race header/exhaust. Absolutely love this bike. I have the Buell crate cover and all paperwork from the shipment of from Long Island. I was the person to pull it from the truck with the forklift, uncrate it, and set it up and ride it for the very first time. This bike is a part of me and I'm sure there are not many out there that have that story to share. I recently had a friend repaint the plastics as the tank was bubbling like they do...all looks amazing but that was 3 yrs ago and I have bubbles again. But this bike is still the ultimate hooligan bike and brings me back to that summer of 1999 every time I twist the throttle - S#%t eating grin from ear to ear.
The color is Ice White Pearl
Frame and rims are black
I will try to post some pics soon |
Falloutnl
| | Posted on Friday, May 08, 2020 - 04:26 am: |
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X1 series bikes, I didn't want to get into the whole fuel injection thing.
Yeah I get that. My X1 is /really/ quick, but after spending some more time on the S1 it's much more apparent that the X1 doesn't run quite as smoothly. |
Captainkirk
| | Posted on Friday, May 08, 2020 - 10:31 am: |
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"Yeah I get that. My X1 is /really/ quick, but after spending some more time on the S1 it's much more apparent that the X1 doesn't run quite as smoothly."
That, and the fact that the HSR-42 is probably the most tune-able carb on the planet! |
Ggggary
| | Posted on Friday, May 08, 2020 - 10:46 am: |
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I'm a masochist? 
In order of Purchase starting 1-1-19
2014 EBR 1190SX bought with 2 miles on it. It's stupid fast and I'm just stupid.
1125R, Decided to ride the EBR, gone
Westwind Only ridden around the block once, still haven't fixed the gas tank.
ST3 bought and sold in a month, Friend FORCED me to sell it to him. Now working on a BMW R1150RT for touring duty. |
Xbpete
| | Posted on Friday, May 08, 2020 - 04:55 pm: |
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I rode unit construction bikes since 1967, started with a Bonnie at 16, my weight with gear is still only 155.. thru all the years I rode modified Sportsters, I liked the speed you could get out of them but none of the chassis made riding the fun it should be. Threw a leg over an S1 in 1997 and found what I was looking for all those years, Erik Buell is a Master, that thing was fun. Then got the 12R in 2004, different in every sense and just,, wow! Blew up an X1, love my 12R still, 1125Cr is wicked fast and the 1190Sx will be enjoyed too as soon as this lock down goes away and I can tag her! Now to find an HD FXR with the chassis Erik had a hand in for some two up with the wife, she owns a pair of Evo Sporties from 90 and 91...Safe riding to all! |
98s1wl
| | Posted on Friday, May 08, 2020 - 05:20 pm: |
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Cupcake_mike
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 12, 2020 - 11:42 pm: |
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I started messing with bikes in my teens, mid 90s, built a few "customs" out of bikes I found cheap, wrecked or forgotten in somebody's barn. Fast forward a couple years later and my skills had gotten me to the point that my work was paying for the beer when I was in college and I was doing full ground-up builds with my own frames, welding body work and machining during the the early 00s "chopper" heyday. Never was familiar with buells, besides my own rigid BT evo chop I didn't really mess with harley's-most of my stuff was jap or british bikes. About all I knew of buells were the hideous mutant chopper frames that were popular at the time and sportsters, in general I'd ridden, didn't have the engine performance to weight ratio I expected (at least compared to other bikes). After college I had a pretty decent side gig making specialty parts like exhaust for cb750s and a few other specific bikes and dabbled in some aluminum casting of engine covers. Then at 27 we had my son and I continued the custom stuff until he was 2 or so, and more active than a potato. At about 30 (2010ish) I pretty much got out of the custom stuff because i couldn't devote the time to it that I used to. Not wanting to to give up riding, but also being a cheap ••••• I set out to find a duc, as I'd never owned a newer one and really loved the trellis frame design. Spent a few months looking for on the cheap, without much luck, and stumbled across a beautiful low mileage 99 m2 that ticked all the boxes looks wise and I couldn't peel the smile off my face after the test drive. It became my work horse (I typically ride 15-20k miles a year) and did have some of its own mechanical issues that allowed me to tighten up my engine rebuilding skills (something I hadn't done a bunch of back in the day). About 5 years later (4/15) I picked up my 06 uly (again on the cheap) put a literal shit ton of miles on it without any real problems (80k of my own, 100k since new). And another 5 years later (3/20) I picked up my 09 CR, and if the world would just reopen I'd get tags on it. I absolutely hated water cooled bikes for their complexity but after I took the FI plunge on the uly I figured what the hell, can't beat a buell. One day i'll find a 1190 for cheap and add that too.
I have always had a good 5 or more bikes from multiple manufactures in my stable at any given time. Right now its closer to 10 (2 m2s, Uly, CR, 2 BSA a65s, 2 CB750s, Suzuki Bandit). I don't see the buells losing their place, ever. |
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