About Buells...

[Pixie]

Best if you only listen to people who own them as you are moving in to the Harley rhelm and all the wanky doodle knockers will come out of the wood work as you can see from the other answers so farwww.ktlbikes.co.nz

Good idea!You'll get good even handed,unbiased opinions from the Hardley owners

[Pixie]

The 900 is a destroked 1200 not the other way round..the 9 can be bored to just over a thou..not to 1200 as a 883 sporty can be.

It's not quite breakfast, it's not quite lunch, but it comes with a slice of canteloupe at the end. You don't get completely what you would at breakfast, but you get a good meal

[Headbanger]

Headbanger you make a valid point but the X-factor thing with a Buell is not just about finding a bike that suits ya...its hard to explain...

Maybe its has something to do with the fact that they aren't mass-produced, or it could have something to do with the fact that they don't seem to fit into a neat little slot in the market...Buell might market them as one thing or another but really when it comes down to it they are a hoons bike!
However Buell don't like to market them as such cos that would encourage 'bad behaviour'.

yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaa!

Everything you said to dispute my point just reinforced it 100 percent, The bike and (how you perceive) everything about it hits your individual sweet spot.

[Rob Taylor]

Good idea!You'll get good even handed,unbiased opinions from the Hardley owners

Thankyou for helping me prove my point

[NighthawkNZ:Me]

(awaits a burst of smart comments about 'ride' 'astride' and 'counts')

sarcasm joke... overload... ov...er... load

[ajturbo]

Thankyou for helping me prove my point

i was even more one eyed when i had my suzuki....


we all used to feel sorry for our mate who had the 883....even after he bored it out to 1200cc.... big rushing .. yawn... lol

[buellbabe]

Really? have you ridden an 883?

They are almost as much fun as the Buell LOL.

I had one many years ago and used to treat it like a trail bike!

Got lots of happy memories of that little bike

[ajturbo]

Really? have you ridden an 883?

They are almost as much fun as the Buell LOL.

I had one many years ago and used to treat it like a trail bike!

Got lots of happy memories of that little bike

no i never got to ride his... we all felt sorry for him as he was the ONLY one in our group who (at that time) had a hog...

but they also felt sorry for me.... i was the only one with a GS750 ESD....

[sheddy]

Hi.
I am not the fastest or most capable of riders, but I love my bikes just like you guys. I have had several bikes over the last 30 years. I have never ridden a better handling bike than the Uly. Ive had faster, quicker bikes but nothing has delivered usable power and handling and seat comfort like this little sucker. Yep I have a softail so if that makes me biased you can use that to justify your thoughts. These Buells have more character than any Japanese bike I have had. I love Jap bikes so dont bother using the HD line as a reason for a biased opinion. I have a list of other bikes I would like including Dukes Guzzis and Hondas but a bloke can only afford so many toys at any one time.
Because I love my softail I'm not trading it. To be perfectly honest I'd keep it in my lounge if I was allowed. Aside from any pros or cons on how it goes the HD is the nicest piece of art work I have ever owned. The Buell however, is not the best looking piece of kit, but the innovations, the power delivery and the handling make it something else. Now I will have my show bike and a go bike.
Thank goodness Mrs B and my excellent Banker have made it possible even in these testing times. Hey I'm a lucky bast**d and dont I know it. I hope I have my low km 06 Uly by this weekend. All the good info on the net indicates the XB's are no more problematic than many other MC brands .
It wont be my last bike but I hope we get along nicely for this next summer. ps If I'm not waving and your on a bike its probably cause If I take my hand off the bars I'll crash. [ Excepting maybe burgmans I dont get those at all]

[buellbabe]

I like the way you describe the Uly. It is what it is and everyone I know who has one absolutely loves it...

ENJOY!

[Big Dave]

The 06 had a few issues

wheel bearings - the originals were made from cheese
Bank angle sensor was a recall

check that they were done.

Mine is nearly 4 years old. Broken it once, broke a belt once.

I still think it's a fantastic NZ all roads bike.

[Pwalo]

Have a look at Badweather bikers. They are definitely Buell biased, but you will find the sort of problems other riders are experiencing with their bikes.

I must admit that I've had a hankering to own a Buell, but until their later model bikes there did seem to be a lot of niggling and annoying faults.

One day when I use my bike for enjoyment rather than commuting I wouldn't mind an XB12.

[Ducky848]

I had an 04 XB12R. I didnt rate the handling much and the brakes are shite...BUT..Fantastic commuting and short trip touring bike. The engine was its best feature without a doubt. Several reliablity issues with mine including a dodgy ignition relay which was tricky to ID and would cause the bike to cut out randomly, broken belts, the fecking annoying cooling fan packed it in (maybe a good thing?), low speed miss and enough false neutrals to make getting to 5th gear an adventure.

Lots of personality though without doubt.

[Big Dave]

Don't agree about the handling or brakes, but now you remind - my fan failed too. But then I don't find it annoying, I appreciate what it does.
Mine has never missed a gear either.

I've ridden a lot of later model ones, they've all handled as sweet as - when set up properly.

Had yours been crashed or something?

Brakes I reckon are about average. Buell says that the advantage is in unsprung weight - then 1125R are really nice.

Some reports of XBs pulsing due to residue are about. Mine's not done that either, but apparently it's fixed with aftermarket pads

[buellbabe]

Brakes shite???
Wow thats a first!

Bad handling?

Most bike critics would disagree with ya there...

I recently demo-ed and subsequently bought an 1125CR.

I was reminded of a report on a CR on here earlier in the year. It was a very unfavourable report. I mentioned this to the dealer .

Their response was "oh yeah...well maybe if the suspension hadn't been totally f**ked with (front and back set to extreme soft and hard) he might have had a different experience...

Now they weren't actually saying that this reviewer was responsible for the alteration ...buuuut...thing is that the suspension is really easy to adjust and people do tend to fiddle just cos they can. Now maybe some else had fiddled in which case bad one dealer for not setting back to default before giving the bike to a journo... My point? I just find it hard to fathom that an XB12 can be accused of bad handling...I have ridden quite a few of them and they never fail to put a grin on my face...
Also what some people call 'bad handling' is the fact that they just aren't used to a bike that drops into corners as ridiculously quickly as the XB does, it can be a bit disconcerting if you are used to a different style of bike LOL.

As far as niggles and problems go...jeez I have owned a Buell (an older model) for the last 9 yeras...no niggles and problems and all my Buell riding friends report the same satisfaction from their beasties.
People tend to focus on the small percent of reported niggles and forget about the huge percentage of absolutely trouble free bikes.

And anyway, "niggles" are something that happens with ANY brand of motorcycle. Buell certainly haven't cornered the market on that score LOL.