| Author | Message | ||
     Clarythedrill |
hello everyone, new to the forum after lurking for awhile. im once again considering an XB12S for my second bike. it will accompany an 06 R1. i have several questions, and as im posting from iraq, i cant run down to the local dealer for answers, so i thought i would pick yalls brain. so, here go's: 1. belt drive- with normal commuting, how long will they last, and what are the chances of it leaving me on the side of the road? i DO NOT ride like an idiot wheelieing away from every light, so whats the life expectancy? 2. how much detonation do riders in hot climates see? i live in texas, and will ride it year round. 3. service intervals- how large are they and does performing ones own maintenance void the warranty? 4. speaking of warranties, does the owner still have to pay for trouble shooting, and then the warranty kicks in to fix the problem? this was a MAJOR sticking problem 3 years ago and the main reason i didnt purchase one then. to me its crazy to expect the owner to pay for anything during warranty period. 5. overall fit and finish- is there anything inherently wrong with the switchgear or anything like that? and last, overall reliability. this one is huge to me. yes, i understand that things sometime happen, but what can i expect from a bought new, well maintained, treated well and broken in correctly XB12S. i will be home on leave in 10 days, and may pull the trigger then, if my worries are abated. who knows. i dont expect this bike to compare with my R1 in the acceleration and top end power as it will be a commuting type all weather bike for me. so i judge this bike as what it is, which is a torque happy streetfighter, not a full on racebike. any advice or insight to my questions is very much appreciated. thanks in advance. clary | ||
| Hughlysses |
1. belt drive- with normal commuting, how long will they last, and what are the chances of it leaving me on the side of the road? i DO NOT ride like an idiot wheelieing away from every light, so whats the life expectancy? Buell says there is no recommended belt replacement interval. Belt problems are pretty rare lately. The early 2003 XB belts were pretty fragile but they have consistently gotten better to the point where they're pretty bullet-proof now. Some people still don't like them; most of us swear by them. 2. how much detonation do riders in hot climates see? i live in texas, and will ride it year round. This seems to be hit or miss. I commute with my Uly in stop-and-go traffic in 95 deg. F South Carolina heat and my bike never pings. Some folks have a problem in hot weather. I suspect the 08 bikes with their more advanced fuel injection/engine controls will have less of a problem. 3. service intervals- how large are they and does performing ones own maintenance void the warranty? Recommended oil change is 5,000 miles, recommended transmission oil change is 10,000 miles, recommended fork oil change at 10,000 miles. Primary chain has to be adjusted (I think interval is 10k on that too). 2008's basically don't require any other maintenance apart from spark plugs and air filters. Doing your own maintenance does not void your warranty. These bikes are easy to work on. 4. speaking of warranties, does the owner still have to pay for trouble shooting, and then the warranty kicks in to fix the problem? this was a MAJOR sticking problem 3 years ago and the main reason i didnt purchase one then. to me its crazy to expect the owner to pay for anything during warranty period. No, you certainly shouldn't have to pay for trouble-shooting. As you can easily see from reading this forum, there are unfortunately a lot of dealers that treat Buell owners like red-headed step children. Good dealers are not that common but worth finding. This forum is a big help in trouble-shooting problems yourself or getting assistance with dealer difficulties. 5. overall fit and finish- is there anything inherently wrong with the switchgear or anything like that? IMHO the fit and finish on these bikes is great. A lot of people complain about the appearance of the switch gear but it's pretty bullet-proof. The switchgear on my 2000 S3 works just as well as the identical switchgear on my 2007 XB12X. Be sure and take a test ride. | ||
| Chadr81 |
Hey Clary, Hope my answers help you out a little in your decisions. 1. The 2003's have really touchy belts. As far as the 2004 and up models, the 2006 and 2007 have the best belts as in reliability. You can always do a 2006-2006 belt conversion to cure your worries. I have a couple friends with 2004 12r's and they have about 20k miles on there bikes with the original belts... and they ride them pretty hard. 2.I haven't noticed any detonation in the heat. Even in stop and go traffic, all that I normally notice is a warm butt. 3.I do all the service myself. There was one time I had to bring it in for warranty work, and they covered it no questions asked.(loose starter bolts) 4.When I had it in for warranty work, they covered it... again, no questions asked. 5.Overall fit and finish I think is great. I always get compliments on how good the bike looks, and all I do is ride it and clean it. 6.As for reliability, the bike has never left me stranded. I ride about 70 miles a day from home to work, and it has never even had a hick-up. I think it is the best bike that fits my personality. When you come home, definitely go take one out for a spin... you will not be disappointed. I nice improvement is to go with the race ecm, K&N filter, and the race pipe of your choice. (I have the D&D and would not buy any other) Having this race kit on will give it a little more grunt. Hope this helps out a bit. Make it home safe! Semper Fi (Message edited by chadr81 on July 21, 2007) | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
1. belt drive- with normal commuting, how long will they last, and what are the chances of it leaving me on the side of the road? i DO NOT ride like an idiot wheelieing away from every light, so whats the life expectancy? The belt should last a very long time. I know of Badwebbers that have 60,000 plus miles on the belt drive. My Uly gave it up at 9200 miles, But.... I ride like a idiot  2. how much detonation do riders in hot climates see? i live in texas, and will ride it year round. I can't give you a good answer for this one. Both of my Buell have the race ecm installed. 3. service intervals- how large are they and does performing ones own maintenance void the warranty? Should not void your warranty, make sure you buy a service book when you buy the bike. 4. speaking of warranties, does the owner still have to pay for trouble shooting, and then the warranty kicks in to fix the problem? this was a MAJOR sticking problem 3 years ago and the main reason i didnt purchase one then. to me its crazy to expect the owner to pay for anything during warranty period. I didn't when my belt broke, but there wasn't much trouble shooting involved. 5. overall fit and finish- is there anything inherently wrong with the switchgear or anything like that? The fit and finish is great. If you end up getting a Uly, they never need washed. Just spray it with S100 when it rains and go for a ride. The lightning may need to be towel dried. (test ride the Uly and the TT) Thank you for your service!! Come home safe! My head is a jar, Semper Fi | ||
| Clarythedrill |
thanks guys for the quick responses. the advice about a test ride is probably spot on and something i definately need to do. im looking for a "do it all" type of bike here, and the hopefully low maintenance appeals greatly to me. i guess the dealer in killeen was trying to put the screws to me with the troubleshooting costs. i have a few more questions if yall dont mind. 1. what is the normal MPG on the XB12S? 2. how many places (drive train wise) do you have to change oil in and what are the types and weight of oils used? 3. for an everyday do it all bike, would the cityx be a better bet than the 12S? again, thanks alot for the advice. now if i can get it from military sales at a good price, i might have a really good leave. thanks again. clary | ||
| Hughlysses |
1. what is the normal MPG on the XB12S? Seems like 40-50 MPG is pretty average. You do HAVE to run premium. 2. how many places (drive train wise) do you have to change oil in and what are the types and weight of oils used? (1) engine: Most people run 20W-50 (or something close to it); most people here run synthetic. (2) primary/transmission: Formula+ from HD is recommended for the 2006-up bikes. It seems to be good stuff. The only thing we can conclusively tell you NOT to run is Mobil-1 75W-90 gear oil. Mobil 1 engine oils are fine. The gear oil eats stators. 3. for an everyday do it all bike, would the cityx be a better bet than the 12S? The 12S has much more low-end torque, but the 9 in the CityX has significantly lower low speed vibes and rev's quicker. It's strictly personal preference. Try to ride them both and choose. | ||
| Mikexlr650 |
1)mpg, 50 average, 60 if you "baby it" 2)oil, 1-motor, 2-tranny/primary (type and weight is your usual internet can of worms, i stick with hd syn.) 3)total can o worms here! city is smoother, 12 has the torque. neither is better, just personal opinions. test ride both! | ||
| Mikexlr650 |
if the belt thing bothers you, just get an extra one fold it up and take it with you. can be stuffed in a tank bag, tail bag, airbox etc. yes, folding it can shorten it's life span but you won't get stranded from a belt issue. on trips i bring the belt, no worries, been two years and 12,000 miles no issues so far. | ||
| Gtobill |
Just a thought. Buells web site doesn't list the Killeen dealer as a Buell dealer anymore. You might have to go to Austin or College Station. | ||
| 07xb12scg |
I bought a 2007 XB12Scg in November of 06 and I have about 4,800 miles on it so I'm giving my experiences within this short time frame. 3a. Doing your own maintenance should almost never void a warranty, but you must have proof you performed it. Keep all your receipts! 4a. My bike died on me and the dealer had to find the problem and determined it was the voltage regulator. This was all free of charge as it should be. They even picked it up at my house at no cost. 5a. The fit and finish is good, but there are some things that could be better IMO. The underseat arrangement of wires and such could be better IMO. Also, the key is placed at a dumb spot. It's minor, but it's just not as easy to put the key in and take it out because it's down by the side of the headlights. 1b. I have only calculated my MPGs a couple of times and it has always been above 40 MPGs even with hard and repeated acceleration. 3b. I have not ridden a CityX or any 9, but my 12 is a pretty good commuter IMO. Today we rode about an hour and 45 minutes to the Carlisle bike show and another hour and 45 minutes back home and my body was only tired because of the wind at 70-90MPH. The ride was all highways. A 6th gear would also be nice for highway speeds like these. The only other complaint I would have is that the bike doesn't like to run below 25MPH or so. The injection below that leaves much to be desired, especially when cold. This can become really annoying in parking lots or in stop and go traffic, especially in town. | ||
| Clarythedrill |
thanks again everyone for the responses and all the good information. sounds like i really cant go wrong with a new buell as long as its maintained correctly. should be a good companion to the r1 and a good everyday bike which is what i need. the old back isnt what it used to be and the r1 reminds me of that often. thanks again for all the replies. clary | ||
| Tunes |
I own an XB9S and XB12S... The 9 is a smoother, higher reving bike. The 12 has more power off the line and cruises at higher speeds more easily. I like them both. I like the 9 for easy backroad burning. I like the 12 when I want extra power and higher sustained speeds. Both are very relaible. I ride them constantly, everywhere, including commuting. I would ride them cross-country at the drop of a hat. I agree with everyone... test ride several models and pic the one YOU like best. Using this formula, you can't go wrong. For the wide-open spaces of Texas, you might prefer the 12 over the 9... but the CityX can still make tracks! Let us know what you buy! | ||
| 65460 |
One other thing that might be worth noting. I have only owned my bike since last year but, according to pretty much everyone on here that has alot more experiance with these bikes than I do, setting up the bike for your weight is very important. When I bought my bike it was a dealer demo (there are opinions on that subject too) but it had the aggressive settings for a 200lb rider, which is what I weigh. I find the bikes handling to be great just the way it is so I left it. Im just mentioning it incase when you go for a test ride and the handling seems "off", this may be a reason. Others here can correct me if Im wrong. It really is a great bike thats a blast to ride | ||
| Kuuud |
I agree with most all the posts...you can't go wrong. Shop for a good price if your getting an 06 or 07. Find a good dealer, or maintain it (easy) yourself. | ||
| Kuuud |
I agree with most all the posts...you can't go wrong. Shop for a good price if you're getting an 06 or 07. Find a good dealer, or maintain it (easy) yourself. | ||
| Toona |
Are you going to consider the Ss or TT? Longer wheelbase, bigger gas tank, a little more susp. travel. If you plan on riding double on the TT, you'll need the Ss seat and passenger pegs. | ||
| Cgocifer |
Had an R6, now have an XB12S. I love the bike and though it may not be as fast on the top end, the torque is ridiculously fun. Funnest bike I've ever owned! | ||
| Buellshyter |
I have nothing to add except I appreciate the hard work you and your fellow soldiers are doing over there. | ||
| Skully |
+1! | ||
| Clarythedrill |
guys, thanks again for all the replies. talked to military sales, and they havent received their allotment of bike yet, so i will have to see if anyone is willing to wheel and deal. if i do purchase, it will be the XB12S, i like the look of the short wheelbase and im tall enough that seat height isnt a problem. thanks again for all the insight. clary |
