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There have been a couple of threads recently discussing the various Buell bikes and their quirks/attributes. Many people are quick to judge and criticize without even educating themselves about the bike and the history behind Erik Buell himself.
Personally, I like many of the features of Buell's and I love the styling. When I found out Harley Davidson and Buell dealers generally offer test rides on any of their bikes, I couldn't resist. I headed down to my local HD dealer and the following is what I observed and exerpienced.
The staff:
The staff was friendly and quick to greet me as I walked in. They were knowledgable about their product. When the salesman asked me what I rode and found out that I rode and SV, he did not jump on the opportunity to recommend buying a "real man's bike", in fact he acknowledged the huge following and respect for the SV. He did use some of the "weak" points of the SV to pump up the XB12's image; he said the XB12 would provide a lot more torque in more places of the rev range and the XB12 would have a better suspension. One thing I was suprised to learn was that they will set up the bike for the rider before it leaves the dealership. The salesman said they'd even respring the bike (for free) for my weight before the bike left the dealer parking lot. Now whether this is true, I don't know. I don't know how well they'd actually set it up either, but this is already more than my local dealer ever offered.
The Dealership:
Amazing. Tons of floor space for all of the different bikes, a COMPLETE accessory shop - tons of inventory stocked in the store. Racks, racks, and more racks of gear. If there is one thing Harley does well, providing accessories at decent prices to their customers is it. If only my local dealers could even approach this level of retail...
Then I saw the service area. Immaculate, immense, and incredible! There were tons of lifts and technicians to go with them. The shop was very clean well stocked with tools and parts. This is a model dealership to all other manufacturers.
The Bike:
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Many people have criticized the Buell's fit and finish of being "cheap." I didn't think it looked cheap at all. In fact, the fit and finish was close to as good as my SV. The Buell has many things I really like: USD suspension, VERY low CG, belt drive, better handlebars, dual headlights, cool (very good) brakes, fuel in frame, oil in swingarm, a massive air intake, muffler under the engine (really cleans up the look of the bike), and much more. One thing I didn't like is that the Buell lettering on the tank is not paint. They are thick rubber letters that are glued to the tank. This would make the tank harder to wash/wax. The seat was rather hard, but so is the SV's. The clutch pull was a little stiff, but I'm sure that could be adjusted. There were other things that I wasn't a fan of, but there are things that I don't like about my SV too.
One thing I really liked: The rear fender LOOKS GOOD.. The signals look good, the headlights are great. I would have no reason to modify the rear fender/signals at all. They are clearly visible and the fender serves it's purpose without looking like an airbrake.
The Ride:
The salesman started the bike up, a 2003 XB12S Lightning. It shook like a paint mixer. I expected this - it's a big harley 45° V-Twin with no counter balancer - of course it's gonna shake. However, at speed it was pretty smooth. The mirrors were still fuzzy, but I expected this.
Sitting on the bike was great. The seat height was near perfect for my 6 foot frame and the reach to the bars was perfect. The ergonomics felt great to me. One thing I noticed was the bike felt MUCH lighter than my SV. It does weigh 30 more pounds, but the center of gravity is much lower on this bike.
The clutch pull was still a little stiff for my taste, but I got used to it very quick.
The bike only had 10 miles on it, so I didn't go real hard on it, only about 5000 rpm and not at full throttle. This isn't my bike and I don't feel like buying it. The bike accelerated smooth and hard in just about any gear - remember, I wasn't giving it full throttle either.
The transmission didn't really bother me, but it didn't stick out as great. There could definitely be improvements in this area. The drive was nice and smooth, most likely due to the belt drive. The wasn't as much drivetrain lash as my SV, something I noticed quickly.
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However, the bike's handling was the shining attribute of this motorcycle. The bike was unfamiliar to me, so I didn't rail on any corners on it, however, I did take the turns fast enough to require leaning off the bike. It changed directions quickly and easily with little effort at the bars. Once leaned over in the turn, it took a set and easily allowed for line changes. Remember, this is on a bike that probably was not set up for my weight and most likely had no adjustments to it's fully adjustable suspension. The suspension felt better than my SV's modified suspension (GSX-R shock, new springs and oil up front). When leaned over, I always felt like I could be going faster - the handling was very confidence inspiring. Despite the extreme trail and rake numbers, the bike still tracked nice and straight on straight stretches. You can definitely tell Buell's attention to the chassis dynamics.
The conclusion:
I was not a fan of the engine, however; I did like it's broad torque curve and fat powerband. Still, the bike didn't seem that much faster than my SV. For engine almost twice the size, I expect more regardless of it's primitive nature.
The handling really shined on this bike. I had a lot of fun riding and it felt great in the turns. Buell's slogan, "Own the corners," is definitely true. The bikes do have the ability to own the corners. Unfortunately, race tracks also have straights and engine choice really hurts the Buell.
I really like the fact that Buell still chooses to use the belt drive. They are quiet and low maintenance, two things a chain will never be.
With the new emission standards coming in 2007, I suspect that Harley will have to resort to liquid cooling their engines. The basic design of the Harley V-Twin hasn't changed much - maybe Harley has been waiting for this moment to introduce a totally new design? Probably not, but they're definitely gonna have to do something and liquid cooling is a proven solution. Imagine a liquid cooled DOHC V-twin in the Buell chassis - hopefully they'll come up with this soon.
Would I own a Buell? No, not right now. I will not own a Buell until they advance the engine designs to exceed today's modern standards. Why exceed? The Buell's are a showcase of technology, the engine shouldn't be a history lesson.
What would I suggest Buell do? Keep the styling, I love it! Keep the belt drive - it's great for us who log tons of miles and may not have time to properly maintain a chain - tedious work if you ask me. Improve the handling even more (it was great, but I'm sure they could do better with a different engine design). I think they need to put a liquid cooled V-twin or V-4 between the frame rails with DOHC and maybe variable valve timing and/or lift. I'd like to see some more manufacturers apply their research and development dollars to the a desmodromic valvetrain as well.
My next bike will most likely be a Speed Triple, I haven't had a chance to ride one yet, but I've heard nothing but good stuff about them. I've heard them in person and they sound great. Hopefully my Triumph dealer will have a test ride event coming up soon.
Sorry for the long post, I just kind of wanted to clear up any misconceptions of Buell and their bikes.
Personally, I like many of the features of Buell's and I love the styling. When I found out Harley Davidson and Buell dealers generally offer test rides on any of their bikes, I couldn't resist. I headed down to my local HD dealer and the following is what I observed and exerpienced.
The staff:
The staff was friendly and quick to greet me as I walked in. They were knowledgable about their product. When the salesman asked me what I rode and found out that I rode and SV, he did not jump on the opportunity to recommend buying a "real man's bike", in fact he acknowledged the huge following and respect for the SV. He did use some of the "weak" points of the SV to pump up the XB12's image; he said the XB12 would provide a lot more torque in more places of the rev range and the XB12 would have a better suspension. One thing I was suprised to learn was that they will set up the bike for the rider before it leaves the dealership. The salesman said they'd even respring the bike (for free) for my weight before the bike left the dealer parking lot. Now whether this is true, I don't know. I don't know how well they'd actually set it up either, but this is already more than my local dealer ever offered.
The Dealership:
Amazing. Tons of floor space for all of the different bikes, a COMPLETE accessory shop - tons of inventory stocked in the store. Racks, racks, and more racks of gear. If there is one thing Harley does well, providing accessories at decent prices to their customers is it. If only my local dealers could even approach this level of retail...
Then I saw the service area. Immaculate, immense, and incredible! There were tons of lifts and technicians to go with them. The shop was very clean well stocked with tools and parts. This is a model dealership to all other manufacturers.The Bike:
Many people have criticized the Buell's fit and finish of being "cheap." I didn't think it looked cheap at all. In fact, the fit and finish was close to as good as my SV. The Buell has many things I really like: USD suspension, VERY low CG, belt drive, better handlebars, dual headlights, cool (very good) brakes, fuel in frame, oil in swingarm, a massive air intake, muffler under the engine (really cleans up the look of the bike), and much more. One thing I didn't like is that the Buell lettering on the tank is not paint. They are thick rubber letters that are glued to the tank. This would make the tank harder to wash/wax. The seat was rather hard, but so is the SV's. The clutch pull was a little stiff, but I'm sure that could be adjusted. There were other things that I wasn't a fan of, but there are things that I don't like about my SV too.
One thing I really liked: The rear fender LOOKS GOOD.. The signals look good, the headlights are great. I would have no reason to modify the rear fender/signals at all. They are clearly visible and the fender serves it's purpose without looking like an airbrake.
The Ride:
The salesman started the bike up, a 2003 XB12S Lightning. It shook like a paint mixer. I expected this - it's a big harley 45° V-Twin with no counter balancer - of course it's gonna shake. However, at speed it was pretty smooth. The mirrors were still fuzzy, but I expected this.
Sitting on the bike was great. The seat height was near perfect for my 6 foot frame and the reach to the bars was perfect. The ergonomics felt great to me. One thing I noticed was the bike felt MUCH lighter than my SV. It does weigh 30 more pounds, but the center of gravity is much lower on this bike.
The clutch pull was still a little stiff for my taste, but I got used to it very quick.
The bike only had 10 miles on it, so I didn't go real hard on it, only about 5000 rpm and not at full throttle. This isn't my bike and I don't feel like buying it. The bike accelerated smooth and hard in just about any gear - remember, I wasn't giving it full throttle either.
The transmission didn't really bother me, but it didn't stick out as great. There could definitely be improvements in this area. The drive was nice and smooth, most likely due to the belt drive. The wasn't as much drivetrain lash as my SV, something I noticed quickly.
However, the bike's handling was the shining attribute of this motorcycle. The bike was unfamiliar to me, so I didn't rail on any corners on it, however, I did take the turns fast enough to require leaning off the bike. It changed directions quickly and easily with little effort at the bars. Once leaned over in the turn, it took a set and easily allowed for line changes. Remember, this is on a bike that probably was not set up for my weight and most likely had no adjustments to it's fully adjustable suspension. The suspension felt better than my SV's modified suspension (GSX-R shock, new springs and oil up front). When leaned over, I always felt like I could be going faster - the handling was very confidence inspiring. Despite the extreme trail and rake numbers, the bike still tracked nice and straight on straight stretches. You can definitely tell Buell's attention to the chassis dynamics.
The conclusion:
I was not a fan of the engine, however; I did like it's broad torque curve and fat powerband. Still, the bike didn't seem that much faster than my SV. For engine almost twice the size, I expect more regardless of it's primitive nature.
The handling really shined on this bike. I had a lot of fun riding and it felt great in the turns. Buell's slogan, "Own the corners," is definitely true. The bikes do have the ability to own the corners. Unfortunately, race tracks also have straights and engine choice really hurts the Buell.
I really like the fact that Buell still chooses to use the belt drive. They are quiet and low maintenance, two things a chain will never be.
With the new emission standards coming in 2007, I suspect that Harley will have to resort to liquid cooling their engines. The basic design of the Harley V-Twin hasn't changed much - maybe Harley has been waiting for this moment to introduce a totally new design? Probably not, but they're definitely gonna have to do something and liquid cooling is a proven solution. Imagine a liquid cooled DOHC V-twin in the Buell chassis - hopefully they'll come up with this soon.
Would I own a Buell? No, not right now. I will not own a Buell until they advance the engine designs to exceed today's modern standards. Why exceed? The Buell's are a showcase of technology, the engine shouldn't be a history lesson.
What would I suggest Buell do? Keep the styling, I love it! Keep the belt drive - it's great for us who log tons of miles and may not have time to properly maintain a chain - tedious work if you ask me. Improve the handling even more (it was great, but I'm sure they could do better with a different engine design). I think they need to put a liquid cooled V-twin or V-4 between the frame rails with DOHC and maybe variable valve timing and/or lift. I'd like to see some more manufacturers apply their research and development dollars to the a desmodromic valvetrain as well.
My next bike will most likely be a Speed Triple, I haven't had a chance to ride one yet, but I've heard nothing but good stuff about them. I've heard them in person and they sound great. Hopefully my Triumph dealer will have a test ride event coming up soon.
Sorry for the long post, I just kind of wanted to clear up any misconceptions of Buell and their bikes.
