yesterday, here in the nutmeg state, at tsi buell, in ellington, they had buell demo rides on all the '08 buell line up. there was about 10 guys there to test ride, so i was able to make several runs on every model except the blast, which i believe no one rode. the 1125r was the most requested, but they had 3 so it was always available. there was at least 3 or 4 of each model. this was my first time on a v twin in quite a while. i was very dissapointed in the handeling, braking & wow the engine heat rising at all the stops was a bit much. all had alot of vibration that i forgot about from my v twin days. the 1125r was very powerfull but the riding position for me was to laid down for me. upon returning each time, the few that were there from the dealership & customers were always gathered at the only ducati in the parking lot, looking & pointing. what a treat it was to leave & have everyone there interested in watching the pasta burner leave. i took the long back way home (60mi) & enjoyed every mile of it. [moto] [drink]
Not a surprise they were so interested in your bike - A Ducati among a bunch of Buells is like Miss America (actually, make that Miss Teen USA) hanging with the day crew of that natty strip club by the airport.
To each thier own; Buell is so far low on the motorcycle hiearchy they don't even exist for me.
I got a kick out of this monthes Cycle World. They did a comparo with the 848 vs 1195 to make it a fight. For an honest comparison they shoulda thrown a 1098 at it. [laugh]
Quote from: factorPlayer on May 31, 2008, 04:39:54 PM
Not a surprise they were so interested in your bike - A Ducati among a bunch of Buells is like Miss America (actually, make that Miss Teen USA) hanging with the day crew of that natty strip club by the airport.
To each thier own; Buell is so far low on the motorcycle hiearchy they don't even exist for me.
well put. in my previous life i was a harley guy. i had been loyal for 35 years owning several. i've been on a ducati for 3 years now & yesterday was just a reassurance of why i will never go back. i often wonder if i would stiil be alive today if i had discovered ducatis earlier in life. [moto] ???
I kind of like the Buell Lightning, and at one time seriously considered buying one. Then I found out that the engine has so much inherent vibration that it isn't connected directly to the frame, but instead is buffered by some kind of damper. To me that should indicate to the engineers that they should totally redesign the motor. Glad I bought a Duc instead! ;D
Quote from: Grappa on May 31, 2008, 04:55:00 PM
I kind of like the Buell Lightning, and at one time seriously considered buying one. Then I found out that the engine has so much inherent vibration that it isn't connected directly to the frame, but instead is buffered by some kind of damper. To me that should indicate to the engineers that they should totally redesign the motor. Glad I bought a Duc instead! ;D
the vibrations on the lightning & firebolt was VERY noticeable. 1125 was not that bad. when i returned after the first run (firebolt 1200) the buell guy asked (knowing i was the ducati guy) "well, wud ya think" i was very honest with him & he never asked me anything at the end of any of the other runs.
The Buells I rode on a test day were ok, but too heavy, slow to turn and seemed inherently bred from chopper lines trying to be a sportbike.
They lack the life and soul, too many stamped parts, cheap plastic bits an unimaginative engineers..wait a minute did ducati steal the "updates " for the 696 from Buell designers?
Just my opinion, but have always looked at the Buell Lightining as a pretty good bike if you like to ride in bad/nasty weather. I work at night and it is a shame to walk out in the morning and see my monster covered in water, or even worse, ice. I try to keep it covered, but it doesn't always work out. Chain maintenance and replacement cost is a beast. That Buell belt drive looks awful user friendly.
Quote from: 55Spy on May 31, 2008, 05:10:39 PM
The Buells I rode on a test day were ok, but too heavy, slow to turn and seemed inherently bred from chopper lines trying to be a sportbike.
Honestly, the only Buell I've ever ridden was in 2003, and it was a 2000 X1 Lighting, IIRC (not sure if that's right, I'll have to double check but 99% sure)... It was a friends bike, and I rode it a few days before he sold it, for only 20 or so miles... He nded up selling it for a GSX-R 750 which he promptly highsided within 2 weeks of owning it.... [roll]
-Anyway, the bike had a tremendous amount of torque & was fast. but something felt wrong... I really don't know Buells that well but from what I hear, the 2001 and earlier models literally feel like a Harley motor stuffed into a half-assed sport bike frame with a steep rake + trail which is exactly what I experienced....Everything seemed cheaply made, and it was just a weird F'in bike to ride, and not really in a good way.... ???
-I probably didn't ride it enough to form a legit opinion on Buells, and they're definitely more refined now, but that bike just seemed strange from the get-go......Very steep rake/trail, weird frame, + a Harley motor surrounded by cheap plastic.... ??? ???
-To sum it up, Buells always confused me.....
a buddy in my riding group has a firebolt and his wife has a XB12Scg. He's a fairly diehard buell fan but even he complains about some things I couldn't forgive. 1- the thing leaks fluids like it's made out of cardboard. It's always dirty from fuel and oil leaking somewhere. 2- His dealer gives him just about zero support. Buells around here are just HD's bastard child and the dealers treat it as such.
It's too bad really. I like the way they look. but yeah, when we're on a group ride and I see the mirrors on her bike vibrating like crazy, and i see mine (same mirror, same location) rock solid.. Yeah, I'm OK without a buell. They were even on my short list when I was buying a bike.
andy
got a chance to demo an 1125R. stock it would be a good run for a stock s4rs. The aftermarket just isn't there to bring it up to a modded one though. fueling needed help, legs needed help, brakes needed help. But I had some (but different) issues with a stock rs too, although the aftermarket took care of everything I wanted.
I would have fun playing with one. It does look better in person than in photos, and it looks better riding it than looking at it in a showroom. Nice instruments.
I promised the sales guy to not scrape anything...he was worried a little when I came in on my RS [evil] (commented on the lack of chicken strips and I had to calm him down that it was track time before he let me out on their bike....damn HD store)
absolutely worth a test ride if big twin sport bikes tickle you.
Quote from: Statler on May 31, 2008, 07:50:15 PM
I promised the sales guy to not scrape anything...he was worried a little when I came in on my RS [evil] (commented on the lack of chicken strips and I had to calm him down that it was track time before he let me out on their bike....damn HD store)
I can see it now: "uhhh, sir? we just happened to notice that your foot pegs are all ground down, and your tire wear is out to the edges....Not mention the wear on your pant knee sliders....We don't know if it's such a good idea if you test the, uhhhhh, ummm...." ;D
Quote from: factorPlayer on May 31, 2008, 04:39:54 PM
To each thier own; Buell is so far low on the motorcycle hiearchy they don't even exist for me.
Funny that you would say that. it would almost seem that the mainstream motorcycle press agrees with you. in a recent issue of motorcyclist, or was it cycleworld, i don't know, featured a shootout between the new 1125 buell and a 848! and of course the 848 won! i mean if i was eric beull i would bury my head in the sand. i know that the beull has had a substandard motor for a while, but its been around for long enough to at least be competitive. i mean imagine what would have happend if it went up against the 1098? i would have been destroyed! unfortunatley i feel bad for beull owners, they would seem to purchase for some kind of loyalty, but all they are getting is a substandard motorcycle, in my own usually hated opinion.
the ron [evil]
Bought a new '06 Firebolt 12 two years ago. Test rode an S4Rs last friday. Bought the S4Rs last Saturday. Buell was sold the next day on Sunday. Buells can be fun, at least until you ride an S4Rs.
I drove one and that was enough for me. An 06 XB12 "long". Looked like crap (how many times have I seen the "Buell" logo peeling off the plastic tank...) and vibrated like an old tractor. Drove like one too, diesel like noise and torque and clunky gearbox. Redline came way to fast and the "top end" didn't exist, it just pulled bloody hard from no revs and then ran out of steam fast. I found the front brake worked well for a stock setup, but then I'm not used to the latest monoblock radial mount stuff. Despite the long wheelbase it still felt like a twitchy bastard of a thing, too quick steering for my taste. Fast steering is fine if the bike is featherlight and nimble, but on a quirky Harley engined engineering thesis it's just weird.
I'd never buy one. I don't care about the goofy features, to me they are just reinventing the wheel without improving anything meaningful. You put that much effort into changing the chassis and running gear and then stuff an antiquated motor into it? Put down the crack pipe Erik.
Quote from: WannaDucBad on May 31, 2008, 04:48:00 PM
I got a kick out of this monthes Cycle World. They did a comparo with the 848 vs 1195 to make it a fight. For an honest comparison they shoulda thrown a 1098 at it. [laugh]
They both qualify for the superbike class under the new rules so it's a fair comparison. Of course the 1125r could also match against the 1098s in the literbike class too.
An 1125r with 250 miles went for $9600 on ebay the other day. List is $12K. One in NM (350miles) is up for $9K
Quote from: NeufUnSix on May 31, 2008, 10:04:10 PM
Redline came way to fast and the "top end" didn't exist, it just pulled bloody hard from no revs and then ran out of steam fast.
Exactly....you hear one go by at WOT near redline and it sounds like it's just put-puttin' along, but they do pull hard..... ???
I dunno, they're just weird to me...can't think of any other word to describe 'em....
Quote from: NeufUnSix on May 31, 2008, 10:04:10 PMYou put that much effort into changing the chassis and running gear and then stuff an antiquated motor into it? Put down the crack pipe Erik.
I'll profess I don't know much about them, but my understanding was the new models have a different engine. Is there not enough difference between the old and new to drop the antiquated moniker?
andy
It's only one model, the 1125R, that has the modern mill. And contrary to what Buell claims, they "borrowed" it from Voxan in France (who used a remarkably similar 72 degree Rotax v-twin... hmm). All other models, the meat of Buell's sales and lineup, still use the Sportster based V-twins.
I stopped in the big HD dealer here in Portland recently on my lunch hour. I hate to admit it, but I buy the little packages of HD-logo Handy Wipes to wipe the bugs off your leathers. It comes in a cool little resealable plastic baggy that fits in your jacket pocket. Hey, it's at least one good idea to come out of H-D ;D.
Also, I figured I would also check out the new 1125. I spoke to one of the sales guys who admitted, after asking what I ride, that he owns a Ducati 851, btw, so we started off our conversation in a good way.
I sat on their one showroom model and the ergos felt pretty good for me, although I'm pretty far out on the Bell curve at 6'4". I asked him how many they had sold and he said 2 or 3 (which to me meant 1 or 2 in Sales Man Speak).
The fit and finish appeared very . . . cheap, for lack of a better word. I was not impressed.
The sales guy stated that the dealership was sponsoring an 1125 on the local track (i don't know what class, I assumed amateur). He went on to admit that they had to ditch the belt for a chain! They also ditched the rim mounted front brake for conventional calipers along with upgrading the forks. So much for the Buell innovations, I thought. The track is unforgiving and will winnow out the good ideas from the bad.
Then, here's where the conversation went south: he bragged that yeah, at the last outing at the track, their boy had outrun a 1098!!! I responded with a comment about hell and snowballs, and he backtracked by saying that was just what he heard, he hadn't been there. Perhaps if the 1098 rider had an episode of narcolepsy while going into the turns . . .
I trotted off back to work with my little packet of napkin-wipes, looking forward to firing up my Rs when I got home after work.
I will buy the napkin-wipey things from HD (good idea). Won't be buyin' the 1125. :)
J
buell hasn't been in the business nearly as long as ducati you have to remember. I myself own a buell an actually don't mind it. But I have to say it hasn't been very reliable although I bought it used in 2005 and it is a 2005 xb9sx. Since owning it I have had fork seals leak and both head gaskets and had taken to the closest dealer which I wasn't very impressed, seems as though most harley mechanics hate working on buells. Since repair pushrod covers are leaking oil and the return line to the oil cooler also, with maybe 200 km since the dealer had fixed it. I phoned to let them know I will be bringin it back for warranty work and the mechanic tried telling me that they had sealed everything hinting that I don't know what i'm talking about. It is very torquey when running properly and I actually find it handles very well with its short wheel base but all in all I love my duc [thumbsup] since owning it i'm in no big hurry to get the buell(aka back up bike) to the dealer [laugh]
Quote from: Statler on May 31, 2008, 07:50:15 PM
got a chance to demo an 1125R. stock it would be a good run for a stock s4rs. The aftermarket just isn't there to bring it up to a modded one though. fueling needed help, legs needed help, brakes needed help. But I had some (but different) issues with a stock rs too, although the aftermarket took care of everything I wanted.
I would have fun playing with one. It does look better in person than in photos, and it looks better riding it than looking at it in a showroom. Nice instruments.
I promised the sales guy to not scrape anything...he was worried a little when I came in on my RS [evil] (commented on the lack of chicken strips and I had to calm him down that it was track time before he let me out on their bike....damn HD store)
absolutely worth a test ride if big twin sport bikes tickle you.
Hahaha. I've got to try that. I'll show up in my full leathers complete with road rash. Does anyone have a Sammy Hagar "I can't drive 55" T-shirt I can borrow?
I did test ride a Buell way back before the XB series. I drove up on my turbo charged Harley and asked the salesman if I could try one. It turns out he was on their race team. He led me on a test ride and he was pulling wheelies and dragging his knees the whole time.
If agricultural is your thing, then buell`s are nice [thumbsup]
Until I can get a belt drive for my Duc the xb12s is going to be in the back of my mind. Chain mantinance is a PITA.
I hear Harley's change their own oil, too! [thumbsup]
I'm willing to bet future iterations of the 1125 will be MUCH better than the first attempt. Erik is no dummy, he just never had a real engine to work with.
One of the previous post mentioned chain maintenance being a pain. My experience is just the opposite. Maybe one adjustment in the 15,000 or so miles I put on a chain, wax/lube every 300 mi., never clean em and no alignment due to SSS. Better than shaft drive.
LA
Quote from: NeufUnSix on June 01, 2008, 07:23:34 PM
It's only one model, the 1125R, that has the modern mill. And contrary to what Buell claims, they "borrowed" it from Voxan in France (who used a remarkably similar 72 degree Rotax v-twin... hmm). All other models, the meat of Buell's sales and lineup, still use the Sportster based V-twins.
Voxan, mmm yummy [thumbsup]
Buell [puke] [bang]
mitt
Buell Blast. Hmmmm. To say it is the worst bike ever built and put together by retarded chimps would be an insult to retarded chimps.
I have had 3 monsters and 1 firebolt 1200. the 1st monster was a 97 750 that I had to sell in a divorce, and I loved that bike,(I really hate the ex-wife). but anyway I bought a new 2004 firebolt and a super glide for the new wife, and it was heavy, bulky, didn't stop for poop and didn't turn well at all. So I decided to get rid of it (crashed, when I hit a pothole and it brole 1 of the mags off the hub). So I bought a 99 750 and was in love again with my duc until the 2nd accident last october, going around a corner and hit some gravel, went off the road and hit a culvert pipe. Needless to say now I own a 2001 900. I will never go back to harley's/Buell's again. I have D&D pipes and my bike is louder than most anyway and much funner to ride. [thumbsup]
This is the 2001 when I bought it. But look in the background and see the front tire and rim off the 99. It was damaged pretty bad and so was I. (shattered left femur)
(http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x60/alamin115/Bike%20Pics/m_DSC03439.jpg)
So since I am the LYD I had to fix the bike.
And the new and improved LYD!!
(http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x60/alamin115/Bike%20Pics/m_DSC03950.jpg)