| Author | Message | ||
     Iamike |
I had been looking forward to taking the ST1300 for a test drive. Since my '99 S3 has reached 52,00mi. I was looking for something else for the long trips. I am not getting rid of it, it'll just be used for the fun rides. Anyhow, unless Buell comes up with a Sport Tourer that can go 200+ mi. on a tank, can take a long ride without my knees dying, oh, and my wife approves of the back seat it looks like it will be another brand. The FJR looks pretty intriguing, the Concours a possibility but I haven't ridden one yet, and it's still a carb unit. Back to the ST, it wasn't real inspiring. The S3 is much more fun to ride, did I mention the torque? I guess as a long distance tourer the ST would probably do quite well. Much to the dismay of many here it also rides on D220s. | ||
| Josh_ |
Things to replace/add on the FJR to make it compareable to an S3T: seat bar risers braided front brake lines rear shock air-conditioning (it is considerably hotter than an S3) formed bag liners extra gas card (38MPG vs 50+) helium in the tires to try to narrow the 100lb weight difference. It does have a power windshield, easy to add sliders and a factory optional trunk. Oh and 125+RWHP and 90ft/lbs. | ||
| Iamike |
Josh, A neighbor of mine had an FJR that I was going to ride last summer when the Club took a trip to Prairie DuChein, WI. Unfortunately he totalled it when he missed a curve before I got to ride it. Ferris (or is it Jerry now?) had one while we were doing the Arizona Springfast. It was amazing what he was doing in the curves with that bike and Denise was on it too. Our dealer had two used ones that got sold before I could take them out. I have backed off the hard riding a little bit since the unfortunate events in Arizona last year. I figure that if I'm going to go that far I should at least look at the scenery a little bit. A coworker has a '94 Concurs that he is thinking of selling so I'm comparing cheap vs modern. That was one of the reasons I bought the S3 was the FDDI. Other than a little anoyance with the mapping, I have been quite happy with it. I'll keep collecting testimonials here (Neil wrote me a note about his ST) before I make up my mind. | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
Ferris or Jerry, either works. FJR: heavier than an S3, certainly, but seems light on its feet to me. i feel the weight pushing it out of my garage, but the weight magically disappears when moving. not as much cornering clearance as an S3, gotta watch the angle of attack in the twisties. my peg feelers are half gone, and on the left the next thing to touch (i've done it twice and i don't like it) is the centerstand. i'm averaging about 39 mpg, a fair trade-off for the performance IMO. the tank holds 6.6 gallons, so range isn't an issue, even here in the wide open desert SW. once you've had a bike with an accurate fuel gauge, you'll never go back. added bonus is the trip meter that zeros when you go on "reserve," making it easy to tell at a glance how many miles you've got on your remaining fuel supply. the windshield can be annoying, as it's hard to find a position that blocks the wind AND doesn't cause noise and buffeting. am looking at after market options. element protection via the bodywork is superb. the ABS is great, haven't HAD to try it out yet, but partnered with the R1 front brakes the stopping power is simply amazing. shaft drive, what can you say? ZERO shaft drive effect, on or off the gas, virtually no maintenance, certainly no belt to break or chain to lube. comfort/ergos are great for me, at 5' 8". the pegs could be a skosh lower, but then the cornering clearance would go from issue to ISSUE. passenger accommodations are great, says my occasional passenger. the hard bags are AWESOME, quick on, quick off, and hold a ton. no inner liners? not an issue IMO. rear top box is available from Yamaha, but i'm using an RKA tail bag lashed to the factory rack and quite happy with the results. the engine DOES emit a lot of heat, time will tell if it's a deal breaker, as it's been a very moderate spring so far, temp-wise, here in Sunny SoCal. loads of cubby space under the seat -- i've got an amazing amount of "emergency" gear tucked here and there and everywhere, meaning i've always got this stuff along, even without the tankbag (steel tank means magnetic tankbag, very convenient) or bags affixed. front suspension is three-way adjustable, and the forks are huge, but the rear suspension, IMO, is a Very Weak Link on this bike, not adjustable enough, with not nearly enough spring. two-up and loaded with fuel and gear, the engine cares not a whit, and powers the party down the highway or up a gnarly mountain pass with deceiving alacrity, as demonstrated during AZ SpringFast. even I was amazed at what the bike was capable of, and i'd already logged enough miles prior to that weekend to think i already knew. the quality of the power delivery is creamy and torque-rich, and the bike does not need to be spanked to deliver the goods, as the torque is already making its presence known even at a mere 2000 rpm. at five grand the bike starts copping a serious 'tude, and from there on you better have a good idea of where you're pointed and what you're gonna do next. it'll cruise effortlessly at at least 140 two-up and loaded with gear, for those who might be curious what such an experience feels like. cool thing about how the bike was designed is that you can pop the bags off (about two seconds per side), snap the body-colored plugs in the resultant holes (about 10 seconds per side), and end up with a sportbike instead of a sport-touring bike. yep, it's gonna be heavier than your buddy's sportbike, but in capable hands the weight is of little consequence (being ever mindful of your corner angles). i traded my V-Strom for the FJR, and couldn't he happier. the build quality seems far superior, as does overall design quality and fit and finish. not sure the FJR vs. S3 comparison is entirely fair, altho i suppose the target market is similar for each bike. in early '96 my S2 (with optional factory hard luggage) cost almost EXACTLY the same as my '05 FJR. hmmmmm. and i wouldn't consider for a moment losing the FJR for an S3 (or a Concours, for that matter), but i AM watching and waiting to see what next month may bring to those of us who have long lusted for a truly world-class Buell-badged sport-touring machine. ride to lean, FB | ||
| Smokedaddy |
FB, In case you haven't seen this. -SD: | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
thx SD, have seen it, may give it a try. Rifle sells their replacement FJR shield with a "tuning block" that also changes the angle of the shield similar, i think, to what was done in your link. FB | ||
| Ccryder |
Well I'm finally all unpacked and settled in down here in Bowling Green, KY. Great area for riding, but I don't have any riding Buddies  . There are a LOT of cruisers down here and they, well they cruise  . Saturday it took me 4.5 hours to travel 120 miles. It was GREAT! I let my GPS route me on anything paved and only 2 lanes. It was tight, twisty, smooth and up/ down. Drop me a line here or at neils@insightbb.com and we will see what turns we can burn. BTW: I found a road called "Whoopie Hill Rd.". It lives up to it's name, at moderate speeds you can loose contact with terra firm. Time2Ride. Neil S. | ||
| Court |
Can someone point me to that puzzle "put my Buell together" that was here a week or so ago? Court | ||
| Hobanbrothers |
Blake or whomever is in charge of Badweb decals please contact me? hobanbrothers@lakefield.net or call me at 920.726.4990 I will be out of the office later today (Monday) but Tuesday I will be in all day. Thankyou, John | ||
| Turnagain |
Court, if you havn't found it yet, Amiralk's jigsaw puzzle: http://67.19.17.130/kosmas/Buell/jigsaw/jigsaw.html | ||
| Firemanjim |
Has anybody heard from Blake lately?I sent him an e-mail and pinged him here a couple of times with no luck??? | ||
| Josh_ |
how can I get one of those way cool HobanBros T-shirts José was sporting on Sunday? The FJR really rocks on the straights at RA but I miss the S3s clearance a lot.... | ||
| Max |
Class Action Suit Filed Against Harley-Davidson In Federal Court By Dirck Edge According to a statement by the law firm of Lerach Coughlin, etc. published on their web site on May 25 2005, a class action lawsuit has been commenced on behalf of investors in Harley stock against Harley Davidson, Inc. in Federal Court in Wisconsin. The law firm refers to a disclosure by Harley-Davidson on April 13, 2005 that it would be forced to cut production of new 2005 motorcycles (as previously reported by MD) due to declining demand and increased inventories at its dealers. Here is an excerpt from the May 25 2005 statement by Lerach Coughlin. The entire statement can be found here. According to the complaint, during the Class Period, as defendants continued reporting quarter after quarter of “record” revenues and earnings, promising mid-teen earnings per share growth rates in fiscal 2005 and that Harley-Davidson would break the psychological barrier of shipping 400,000 new motorcycles by 2007, Harley-Davidson’s stock price traded at inflated levels, increasing to as high as $63.75 on July 14, 2004. During this same period, defendants caused Harley-Davidson to repurchase 10.6 million shares for $564 million in fiscal 2004 and another 2.9 million shares for over $175 million during the first quarter of 2005, further driving up the Company’s stock price. Meanwhile, the Company’s top officers and directors sold almost $92 million worth of their own shares, including the Company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer who sold over $50 million worth of Harley-Davidson stock himself. Then, on the April 13, 2005 disclosure, the Company’s stock price plummeted by 16.7% in a single trading session, or $9.84 per share, and would fall a total of 22% by April 15, 2005. Over $3.6 billion in market capitalization was erased. The complaint alleges that the true facts, which were known by each of the defendants but concealed from the investing public during the Class Period, were as follows: (a) demand for Harley-Davidson motorcycles was declining and the Company’s market share was shrinking; (b) the number of unsold 2004 and 2005 model year motorcycles in dealer inventories was growing exponentially; and (c) over-stocked inventories were running down the price dealers could obtain for new motorcycles. | ||
| Rocketman |
Hey Court, that Craig Jones wheelie competition got a column all of its own in last weeks MCN UK. Rising popularity in the UK those Buells!!! Fear not though. I couldn't get the damn thing to stop flipping. I suspect riding Apple is not the best way to do online stoppies LOL Rocket | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
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| Mikej |
Josh, Hoban is just a relatively short distance from RoadAmerica if you're still in town. http://www.hobanbrothers.com/ http://www.hobanbrothers.com/find.shtml Per Mapquest: Total Est. Time: 31 minutes Total Est. Distance: 19.85 miles | ||
| Mikej |
And the rumors spread to other boards: http://www.gixxer.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=1583212&an=0&page=0#1 583212  | ||
| M1combat |
Those next three posts are exactly why I don't care for any other bike forum but this one... | ||
| Sparky |
Aaah Craig Jones, my hero! Cool guy. Met him at Laguna Seca in the Buell demo tent. An inspiring role model. He & I know the value of running the stock muffler! | ||
| Charlieboy6649 |
From Mike's link... I loved the comment, "At Road America this weekend them fuggers were loud as hell!" Some good comments on the Buell, some misguided though... | ||
| Kinger |
"At Road America this weekend them fuggers were loud as hell!" I have read this comment on other boards as well. | ||
| Firemanjim |
Fired up the Frankenstein Yamaha my son will ride at B-ville this year for the first time.FJ-600,rebuilt motor,Nallin ported head,TL 1000 front forks,extended swingarm,and turbo set-up from a Turbo Seca.Here are a couple of pics--notice the hairdryer hanging off the bottom!   | ||
| Peter |
FMJ, I'm betting he likes having you for a Dad  Pete2 Dakar | ||
| Hotrodsportster |
Any one able to recommend a rack/hard bag for the rear seat area of an S3T? We have the side bags, but need a bit more room (spare helmet//) Thanks | ||
| Lurch |
Tom, Look at this: http://www.ventura-bike.com/english/fitments/display_picture.asp?fitment_id=524 I love mine..... | ||
| Rippin |
Tom I have the Ventura Bike rack system and love it. Ryan | ||
| Dbird29 |
Looks like Dyna needs to upgrade to the latest & greatest Japanese bike! http://www.motorcycledaily.com/08june05_gsxr1000.htm The new Suzi is killing the other liter bikes. Dbird "Want to stir the sh** but don't want to taste the spoon" | ||
| Davegess |
HOORAY THE BADWEB IS BACK. | ||
| Bomber |
phew -- I was jonsin there for a bit! | ||
| Daves |
Me too! |
