What does everyone think of Buells?

[buellbabe]

I am 5'3". My seat has been modified to make it easier for me to touch the ground and you can also adjust the shock somewhat without compromising the ride. For ease of parking it I will sometimes just get off the bike and push it to where I wanna park it cos its hard doing that sitting on it when I am on tipp-toes!

[Rashika]

I like the high bars of the XB12. Due to some injuries, I cant ride a bike with low bars, hence looking for a Monster/Buell etc.

I looked at a Buell some years back, and from memory they had a high seat height, and me being only 5 ft 7, and with a dodgy hip found it real hard to swing the leg over and be confident on tippy toes.
That was about 6 yrs ago I think.
Are the ride/seat heights adjustable on them.

is that the S (lightning) or R (firebolt) XB12 you are talking about?
The Firebolt (XB12R) is from memory 1cm or it may be 1 inch taller than the XB12S, otherwise very similar except it has a longer pillion seat.
I stand at 5.8 and have no real problems manouvering, standing with 'almost' flat feet
Buellbabe is somewhat shorter than me and pretty much manages fine, altho I think the heels help at times eh girl?!

[Pablo Uganda]

Its the XB12S Lightning I'm refering to.

That is good news about the ride height and adjustment.
Cheers.

[Blackbuell]

You can't go wrong with either the Lightning or the Firebolt,they are both great bikes,i had a bit of a race with a younger fella on this site,through some windies up north that he knows very well,he was on a very good jap sport bike,he couldn't get away from me.they are a fun bike,with heaps of grunt,it has been published somewhere in a mag that these model are the best cornering bike on the market !!!!!! go for it,
parts are not that expensive.

[riffer]

I've only ridden one, the XB9S with racekit.

I found it to be a very enjoyable ride. It felt to me like the perfect split between a sports bike and a trail bike.

The wheelbase is incredibly short, you sit up very vertically with your arms almost at a 90° angle (well I did, and I'm 5 foot 10.)

The "flywheel effect" took a little getting used to, and I wondered a couple of times when shifting up and feeling the bike lurch into the next gear if it would be the sort of thing that could catch you out in a corner, so I tried not to shift when leaned over.

The brakes are pretty strong - at least as good as the dual pot Nissin's on my RF900.

The bike feels light, and turns fast. It doesn't seem to mind you throwing it into a corner hard, and while the steering is very light and fast, it doesn't feel like it needs a damper.

My only complaints would be it feels too small for my liking (but I am a nearly middle aged 20kg overweight bogan who grew up at a time when sports bikes were Z900s, GSX1100s, CB900 Bol'dors etc) and that it appears to rev up so quickly that its a real disappointment when it runs out of revs and you have to change. Oh - and the gearbox is pretty agricultural compared to a Suzuki.

If I won Big Wednesday, would I buy one? Yes. As well as a few others.

[Pablo Uganda]

Are they any good for carrying a pillion?

I dont mean on long trips, just say afternoon rides etc.

I kinda have to think of the missus.....alas.

[Blackbuell]

I take my girlfriend all the time,she loves it(on the bike i,mean)on a long ride of 4-5 hours she is starting to squawk about a sore backside,but for short trips no worries,it handles no probs with a pillion.

[Lou Girardin]

Are they any good for carrying a pillion?

I dont mean on long trips, just say afternoon rides etc.

I kinda have to think of the missus.....alas.

XB12SS is marginally better due to the slighter longer wheelbase. Still not great though.

[buellbabe]

Once again I gotta plug the X1. I have actually pillioned on my own bike and had no issues for a day ride. And 1 up it is just supremely comfortable...

[Pablo Uganda]

That sounds good for a pillion for all we'd use it.

When I buy another bike, and I will admit I was leaning towards a Ducati St3 I dont plan on going for long trips, just rides and the occasional hoon around the place, and ride to work now and again.
I dont like the high screen on the Duc, thats putting me off.

How much are a set of pipes, muffler etc for the Buells, no probs to fit etc?

[Blackbuell]

You can buy just the standard bike ,but most Buells come with the option of a race kit,basically a different chip for the computer,and a different exhaust pipe that sounds very nice,take a look on Trade Me there are a few Buells on there with race kits fitted.

[Pablo Uganda]

Cheers everyone, told me everything I need to know.

How much is the race kit sold as an option?

[buellbabe]

I think you'll find it cheaper to buy individual parts rather than purchasing the kit... thats what I did.
Rashika/Shot1gun might know how much they are for an XB.
For an X1 it was around $2500 for the factory kit.

[Blackbuell]

About $1500.00 - $1600.00 at a guess.

[Bonez]

That sounds good for a pillion for all we'd use it.

When I buy another bike, and I will admit I was leaning towards a Ducati St3 I dont plan on going for long trips, just rides and the occasional hoon around the place, and ride to work now and again.

You' say that now. I bet a chocy fish you will end up going on long trips.......................