| Author | Message | ||
     Bellsguns |
hey there... btw;this post may appear on other sites looking for info asap if my knee holds up, may be picking up an 03 xb9s this week![next week] long time comming, and its all you peoples fault too! one of the greats in buell has found me an xb9. but have some concerns: are belts on an 03 anything to worry bout? why did they make the belt bigger for 04? i know there is a kit to upgrade but dont got the doe$. anything about the 04 that would make it more reliable? what changes were there? orig. i was thinking of getting an 04 but couldnt, so now i need to know about the 03. how do i know if the recalls or upgrades were done? and what recalls were there? any issues w/ the 03? anything i should concern myself with or look out for? i really want to get into this and enjoy one of the great bikes of today and not look back w/ remorse. after being on this site and a few other buell sites i truly believe ,win, loose or draw that buell is in an elite class. and there are only a few that command the respect and passion of such a devoted group. its like chevy vette...ans to all the foreign hi pro elite autos ie:ferr,lamb, etc. as does the buell takes on duc, april, bimot, etc. well u get it! vette an american exotic- buell an american exotic!!!!!! anyway any info on the 03 xb would be great!!!!! thankxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx as always thanks for all your help ride safe!!!!!!! btw i really didnt mean anything negative in that earlier buell post. sorry........edit. | ||
| M1combat |
Make sure the wheel bearing seals are red and not black. Make sure there is an "R" stamped into the kick stand on the base somewhere. Try to get the dealer to give you an "upgraded" belt that you will be able to install when the original breaks. If not, no biggie, just order one when you can get the money. Swap the tires to Metzeler Sportec M1's or Pirelli Diablo's ASAP. Before the Dunlop's even wear out if you can. They can be had for ~$200/pr | ||
| Flick |
I have an '03 9S...original belt was still going strong at 15,000 miles, but upgraded to the replacement belt as per service manual. I think the biggest cause of belt failure is the person installing the belt...as stated MANY times on this board, do not twist, pry, or force the belt when installing, follow the instructions in the manual, and it should last at least as long as the manual says it will (?). If you search the web for recalls, you should find everything you need... | ||
| Reepicheep |
Leave the original belts on, LEAVE THE BELT GUARDS ON, and don't mishandle the thing (or let anyone else mishandle it) during maintenance. Dont ever kink, bend backwards, or twist AT ALL. You will be good for 10k easy. When it breaks, replace with the upgraded part, repeat rules above, and you will be good to go. Just don't mishandle the thing. | ||
| Mellow_yellow |
I bought an"03"leftover Lightning this past Nov. and replaced the belt with the revised /upgraded"03 belt over the winter,just from stuff I read here.The thought of a drive belt breaking out in the middle of nowhere freaks me out. | ||
| Court |
Buy service manual and get to know the bike. | ||
| Daves |
Bellsguns, Did you get my email yesterday? | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
I recommend that new '03 owners ride the bike "as is" for the first 1000 miles. Then when you take in for the first 1000 mile service, do the following or have the dealer do it if they know what they are doing - more likely now as the number of Buell dealers has been narrowed down to the more supportive ones. 1. Required 1000 mile service: see owner's manual 2. Replace tires with Pirelli, Metzler or Michelin sport tires: your existing Dunlops are half way gone, and not very good to begin with . 3. Replace the belt with the latest version for safety's sake. You will save on labor since you are changing the tire. 4. Install the factory race kit: you will also save on labor here. 5. Change over to Mobil 1 15W50 in the motor and Mobil 1 75w90 gear oil in the transmission. 6. Have the dealer replace the wheel bearings if they have black instead of orange seals: this is a warranty item. 7. Check to see that you don't have a defective side stand: not too many of them are actually out there anymore. Result: You will have a bike that runs better,faster, louder and cooler, shifts smoother, corners much better, and you probably won't have to worry about the belt for ten or fifteen thousand miles. Now you can just concentrate on enjoying a marvelous motor bike and annoying your friends on crotch rockets:-) And......, I almost forgot, pickup the shop manual and parts list if you plan on doing any work on the bike yourself: due to its original design, several service procedures are specific to the XB. (Message edited by gentleman_jon on April 02, 2005) (Message edited by gentleman_jon on April 02, 2005) | ||
| Tomzweifel |
I picked up an '03 leftover in December, and I'll be darned when I started shopping for the bits to do the '04 swapout, I already had the newer 14mm pitch Goodyear belt. I got lucky, I guess, although I'm wondering if the factory switched over to the newer parts before the end of the '03 production run... | ||
| M1combat |
That's still not an '04-'05 belt I think... That would be the upgraded '03? | ||
| Tomzweifel |
The old and new '03 belts are 11mm. I know we're only talking 3 mm difference here, but I'm measuring 14mm between teeth, and I don't think my calibrated eyeball is off that much... I asked a couple of guys at the dealer when I was riding by, and I got some head scratches like they were wondering what that was doing there. But it sure seems to be the '04+ hardware. I'm really actually wondering, to put this one to bed in my own mind, if there is some sort of definitive marking on the belt or the sprocket I could try to find. |
