What's your take on the Buell XB9s and XB12s

[Big Dave]

You'd think that AMPS would be more careful with their demo bike, wouldn't you?

Inasmuch as having it badly set up could cost them sales, etc.

Did you check tyre pressures?

[Blackbuell]

J Random yes you are open to your comments,but ya got ya hand on it ,I have had my XB12R on Taupo track quite a few times,the only person that has passed me on the corners was Kiwifruit,i have passed many 600 as well as 1000,s yeah they pass me on the main strait but thats it,obvious their was something wrong with that demo,cause i ridden just about every jap bike in the last 30 years of riding,My choice now is to ride Buell cause i know they are a awsome bike!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ajturbo]

My position on Buells remains that, yes, they're interesting bikes, but that their lauded handling characteristics are a result of design decisions that go off at a tangent from the direction that decades of motorcycle development has led more established marques in. Other motorcycle designers aren't stupid; there are good reasons why most bikes don't handle like Buells.

Take an XB12R out on the track with a bunch of 600s, and you'd see what I mean. You'll get lapped so fast that the arse of your leathers will flap from the breeze. (That is, if you don't crash first.)

Of course, you Buell owners are welcome to stipulate that, yes, they're inferior in their handling and power delivery, and need to be ridden more gingerly from A to B than other motorcycles, and that you get a masochistic buzz from having a bike like that.

Heck, I know I'd get a masochistic buzz from a hardtail chopper; I'll have one someday. If Buells do it for you in the same fashion, more power to you!

I just take issue with the starry-eyed fans who hold the XB models up as some kind of advance in motorcycle frame and suspension design, when, in fact, they're a step backwards. A fun step backwards, but a step backwards nonetheless.

Jramdom..
your full of shit....

yes a 600 will beat me...not only on the track but everywhere..

but they friggin handle so well i would be able to keep them insight..

i take it you have not ridden one for lengthy period...
when i first got mine, i rode it like the turbo.....not the thing to do!..lol

[Rashika]

BTW Hi there Rashika, I see you're into bucket racing I have been seriously thinking about having a go.
Cheers
Cheers

ofcourse bucket racing is where its at chicky!! Down to Levels raceway at Timaru tomorrow to give some of the guys the learn... hehehe... yeah right! oh yeah nice to meetcha!

You'd think that AMPS would be more careful with their demo bike, wouldn't you?

Inasmuch as having it badly set up could cost them sales, etc.

well you'd think huh? The amps demo bike was the one I rode as well and it really was not the best setup one at that time (several years ago now), but I didn't just ride that one and decide I disliked Buells cos of it... I tried another, that was differently setup and I fell in love. Perhaps you really did get one that just was setup badly, cos you really are the first person who I have heard being so highly critical of them, it does surprise me.

But you seem to have a bit of a dislike for them for a few conflicting reasons- too slow to speed but too quick to corner? (I cant be bothered quoting all the stuff but its all up there somewhere)... tho I really find your reasoning a bit flawed as the others have said.
What is it you want? A racebike with lights as BD has said? I mean lets face it, just what IS the point of having a bike that can do 300kph on the road?
Or a road bike that you can have fun in the corners on and yet still feel relaxed after having been on it for a couple of hours?

Ah well I guess opinion of bikes are as varied as the bikes we ride, and that is a good thing

[Rogue]

Ah well I guess opinion of bikes are as varied as the bikes we ride, and that is a good thing

I totaly agree

It's not what we ride it's as long as we ride.
We all ride what we want and what suits us and our riding style
As long as its got two wheels its ALL GOOD

[Ocean1]

You'd think that AMPS would be more careful with their demo bike, wouldn't you?

Inasmuch as having it badly set up could cost them sales, etc.

Hint of sarcasm there dude?

Did they, in fact adjust anything before your ride?

They are well known to behave badly if not dialled in for the rider reasonable closely. And yeah, you'd think AMPS would know that sending someone out on one not so tweaked wasn't a real good idea.

I rode half a dozen R's when shopping, most without any adjustments from whatever the current set-up was. Some were downright scary, all had individual quirks seemingly not common to the rest. When I test rode the one I eventually bought it was configured for a guy way smaller than me, the front wallowed and felt in imminent danger of tucking under, it shook it's head powering out of corners with almost no provocation, the rear squirmed and the tip-in under brakes was downright dangerous. In short, it was a dog.

By then, though, I knew it wasn't behaviour inherent to the model, just that set-up. Two clicks on the rear preload made it rideable for me, and once home it took me 10min to set it up "to the book" for my weight. That transformed it, it became actually manageable. I've deviated from that a fair bit since then, just playing, and it's possible to dramatically change the feel, it's not going to track like a cruiser with that wheelbase but you can make them quite stable in a straight line without sacrificing too much sharpness in the corners. You can also make it behave like a cat on acid in twisty stuff, but around town comfort suffers.

I don't have much experience with comparable Jap bikes but in passing I don't believe there's any out there with the same design intent. I do ride with a bunch of very experienced big Jap bike riders though, mostly sports tourers. We swap bikes often, invariably the last stop before a closed road section has them all eyeing the Buell. None of those guys are as quick on their own bikes as they are on the Buell on roads where there's no straights, and invariably when they do manage to pry it from my arse for a fanglet they’re laughing out loud when we stop.

[jrandom]

Did they, in fact adjust anything before your ride?

Nope.

... the front wallowed and felt in imminent danger of tucking under, it shook it's head powering out of corners with almost no provocation, the rear squirmed and the tip-in under brakes was downright dangerous. In short, it was a dog.

That sounds exactly like what I experienced.

OK, folks, sounds like the XB12Rs are very sensitive to setup, and my bad opinion is entirely premature. I very much look forward to riding one that has its twiddle-knobs in the right place.



I guess part of my reaction was driven by disappointment after years of hanging out to ride one.

[Ocean1]

That sounds exactly like what I experienced.

All symptoms, btw, that it's either soft up front or too high at the back.
With 21 deg rake it matters, the change in trail is significant. That initial 2 clicks off the rear preload I made amounted to less than 10mm, huge difference. I don't think it's a bike I'd ever be comfortable doing long stretches on, personally. Others do, but I find that no matter how "passive" I've got it set it demands my full attention, all the time, and both of us can't have rampant ADD...

The engine ain't going to change though, some do seem crisper than others but opinions about how effective they are seem as polarised as those regarding the rest of the bike. I could give you chapter and verse about torque vs HP, but given my current ride you'll have the basic gist already eh?

[Badcat]

when i bought my xb12 ulysses, the previous owner had mixed up the rebound and compression adjusters - and had the settings transposed.
it was 'interesting" to ride until i sorted it with the manual factory settings for my weight.
so it's worth checking any multi-adjustable setup before a decent ride.
it takes 10 minutes, tops to do front and rear.

ken

[Big Dave]

when i bought my xb12 ulysses, the previous owner had mixed up the rebound and compression adjusters - and had the settings transposed.
it was 'interesting" to ride until i sorted it with the manual factory settings for my weight.
so it's worth checking any multi-adjustable setup before a decent ride.
it takes 10 minutes, tops to do front and rear.

ken

Until whom sorted out your settings?

[Big Dave]

I guess part of my reaction was driven by disappointment after years of hanging out to ride one.

Yo ass needs to ride an 1125r.

Imagine a Firebolt with a 'Prilia motor. Buell would cack at that comment, but it for illustration purposes only.

Goes and handles much like a 1098 special - for around 10 grand less and with 'Ongoing cost of ownership' part of the design criteria.

[Badcat]

Until whom sorted out your settings?

until i sorted them - with kind help from dave who sent me a scan of the relevant manual page.
thanks dave.

[Big Dave]

until i sorted them - with kind help from dave who sent me a scan of the relevant manual page.
thanks dave.

:-P :-P :-P :-P

[kiwifruit]

ok, ok, buells are not poo, they are cool, leave me alone

thats more like it, Mr.

[jrandom]

Yo ass needs to ride an 1125r.

Imagine a Firebolt with a 'Prilia motor.

Yes. Yes, even with sorted handling, the XB's motor would still have been a shortfall. At least Eric, presumably, realised that a while back when he gave up and called the nice men in Austria.

146 ponies at the crank, they say. It'll be fast.

And < NZ$20K RRP, too!

Gnah.



Now if only they'd put the same engine in the XR1200. Why must the HD-badged bike lag a powerplant design generation behind?