Buell Firebolt vs. S2R 1000

[lawbreaker]

Sounds like A great dealer! ! ! 

Care to give them props?

I looked in both Beverly Hills Ducati and Socal Ducati in brea (close to home)


I bought from SoCal Ducati. Very pleasant experience buying.

My service dollars go to FLIGHTCYCLES...... 'NUFF SAID

[Pancake81]

I would go for the manster myself, but of course I am partial to them. If you can afford it go new; always less of a headache in my opinion. I had a new 620 with not one problem in a year and half of daily riding. Then i sild it to a buddy and bought a used S4. Did my research real well before I bought it too. Unfortunatly I am working on it at the molement and its certainly not the first time I have had to pull wrenches on it. SO new is good, Monsters are good, but do what feels right for you.

Heath

[Augustus]

I wouldn't even factor in the "timed roll ons" "quarter mile time" etc...  I find it amusing how some of the people I ride with are always saying how their bikes are the fastest, bla bla bla...  They sound sophmoric at best, having the skill levels of sacks of mud it doesn't make any difference and even extremely skilled riders have fun and enjoy 600's or (name any slow bike of your choice).  IF you compare an 11 sec. quarter mile bike to a 10 sec. quarter mile bike, I would say they are both fast enough to enjoy the hell out of.


Your best bet is to stand back and ask yourself what your really looking for.  I tried to save some money and bought an inexpensive japanese bike that was a great reliable bike but it left me yearning for something.  I sold it a year and a half later and bought the S2R 1000.  It was a costly mistake that I won't make again.

I enjoy owning a bike that stands out.  Only you can answer your question.

[DRKWNG]

Your best bet is to stand back and ask yourself what your really looking for. 

Base the purchasing decision on this and you will never go wrong.  Buy the bike that speaks to you; you will know which one it is when it happens.

[mxwinky]

I had the good fortune to work for a Harley/Buell dealer for a couple of years and had lots of Buell experience, both on the road and on the track, and here' s my take:   The Firebolt (and Lightning for that matter) is a really fun bike that handles like a cat and makes tons of power, just don't expect it to rev to the moon.  it doesn't, and it doesn't need to.  It'll make 103 hp and sign off by 7,000 rpm.  All its torque and hp are right at the crack of the throttle, and you can wheelie it at will.  Expect the front end to get light out of any slow/medium corner in fact.  The ZTL front brake works very well too.  Reliability?  Like an anvil.  Hydraulic lifters, air cooled, simple as a pet rock.  Flog it, change oil, flog it some more.  Other than crash damage, I seldom had to sell anything but service parts for the Buells.  So what's the bad stuff?  Well some of us do like to have more revs to play with, and it definitely doesn't rev.  But still, 103 hp is quite a bit to work with.  The only super negative I ever found with the Buells was extreme heat coming off the rear cylinder.  And I'm talking bbq hot!  While not as bad as the Ulysses, the Firebolt and Lightning are both guilty of cooking their riders.  Ergos?  Sit on one, ride one, figure out for yourself whether you fit on one.  Some people don't like the feeling of being way over the front wheel.  Buells are very short feeling, and do have short wheelbases.  In fact their geometry makes no sense, and yet they work.  They should be as twitchy as a trials bike at 100mph, yet they aren't.  Go figure.

The Buell vs. the Monster?  Well here you're going to find we're (mostly) all biased Monster freaks so we'll sing the praises of our beloved beasts.  I'm no different either 'cause I love mine.  After a four-year Monster hiatus, I came back swinging and bought the S4RS Tricolore and absolutely love it.  Iconic styling, great ergos, fantastic handling, superlative brakes and a motor that just won't quit.  Of course that's the new 4v Testastretta motor so it doesn't really compare to the S2R or the Buell.  But I've also got a Multistrada with the 1000DS motor, which I absolutely love.  The Buell probably has more low-end grunt, but the DS motor out revs it, out pulls it, and keeps going when the Buell has signed off.  I find the 2v Ducati engine to be just a bit more flexible for all-around use, and it's still as reliable as an anvil.  While it won't be as nearly maintenance free as the Buell, it ain't far off.  Change the oil and do your basic services (which are now at extended intervals from the earlier bikes) and you shouldn't have a bit of trouble putting incredible mileage on one.  Best thing of all?  While Harley dealers all over the country have dropped Buell because they just don't "get" the sportbike market (and refuse to learn), most Ducati dealers are passionately into these bikes and speak the language of the sport rider.  I think having a good dealer to backup your purchase is worth nearly as much as the bike itself.

I hope this has been helpful.  Either way, you'll have a great bike and enjoy it immensely.  Good luck and keep us posted.  And if you do buy a Buell and want to do a Buell-Monster shootout, I'm sure you'll find someone here who'll be willing to meet up and oblige you.  Wheelie on!    

[Monstermash]

The Firebolt will have a few more HP and Torque than the S2R1000. The firebolt is closer to S4R numbers.

 If you just read the specs than that is an accurate statement. However if you've ever ridden a Firebolt it's not even close. The S4R will spank the Buell without even breaking a sweat.

Regardless, as the OP mentioned in the first post it runs out of revs way to quickly to be any fun.

 It's basically just a Sportster with a different riding position and better suspension.   It still comes with shitty components just like Harleys do. I wouldn't give you 12 cents for one, so forget $12 grand.

 As far as the service intervals go and the expense, Ducati's are really not that bad. With the newer bikes they are needed less frequently as well (7500 miles).

 If you have any mechanical ability you should be able to do most of the maintenance yourself. Also keep in mind there are a bunch of qualified people here that will be more than happy to answer any questions and help you out if you get stuck.

 With all that being said it really comes down to which bike you like better. Most of the Buell and Ducati dealers have a demo program so get out and ride both and then make the decision. The decision will be very easy if you do.  [moto] <you riding your new Monster>

 

[silentbob]

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/Article_Page.aspx?ArticleID=74

[SSSA]

Some interesting info in this thread!

I've heard the Buells tend to shake quite a bit.

True or no?

[silentbob]

Some interesting info in this thread!

I've heard the Buells tend to shake quite a bit.

True or no?

Only at low, high, and some of the middle of the rpm range.  There is a sweet spot of about 500 rpm in the middle somewhere that they smooth out.

[factorPlayer]

Well you are right, this is a duc board so most of our views are already pre-biased.  I'll freely cop to being biased myself - I would never even consider a Buell in any capacity.  that being said though I'm happy to weigh in on my experience on the S2R1K. 

Buell XB12R
I like that it gets great gas mileage.
I like the styling.

I'm curious - what's great gas mileage?  I get 42mpg average on my S2R, not to bad in my book. 

I'll admit the styling is interesting, and would win out compared to, say, a BMW.  But the Monster styling is iconic and incomparable.  just my opinion.

S2R 1000
I don't like the probability of high maintenance costs
I hate the look of the udder on the stock exhaust, meaning I'd have to buy a midpipe.
I don't like the possibilty that I will have surge issues unless I buy a new exhaust and ecu.

the maintenance costs on the S2R arent exactly negligible, but being an air-cooled 2V engine it is much easier to service than other ducs.  Many of us here are fully comfortable doing the 6k services ourselves as the valve adjustments and oil changes are relatively easy with a little practice. 

You should however factor in the cost of an aftermarket exhaust.  I personally had no surging issues with my bike in stock form, but the udder has to go and with any Duc aftermarket pipes are practically a must.  Yes it sucks to take the hit to the wallet but when you hear the bike fire up with those termis (or other quality pipes) its all worth it.  The hp boost and weight savings pretty much closes the gap to the Buell.  if you aren't set on buying new its not hard to find a nice used one with the pipes already on


In the end you've already heard the best advice - ride them both and go with your gut. 

[duc996]

Before you decide wait for the 696! Perfect for every use you intend to do.IMO

[LastSon]

I'm curious - what's great gas mileage?  I get 42mpg average on my S2R, not to bad in my book. 

The Firebolt is supposed to get 48mpg city and 65mpg hwy. So an average of 56-57mpg if you ride each equally.

I just want to say that I am completely amazed by the wealth of information on this board. The post of the roll-on numbers were especially helpful because it shows that the difference between the 2 bikes is negligible.

There are alot of great opinions here and it's nice to know that so many people have gone through the same thought process before. I really wish I could have both, and maybe someday I will.

So the consensus seems to be that a test drive will ultimately decide if the short rev range is a deal breaker, but someone suggested that having a great dealership should be given more consideration...

I've just assumed that I wouldn't spend much time at the dealership after I bought the bike. I know that having a good mechanic is important, and that there are alot of good ducati mechanics out there. How big of a priority is this when buying a new bike?

Oh, and mxwinky, your post was probably the most informed and fair-minded comparisons I've found between these two bikes on the internet, especially since you actually worked at a dealership. Very helpful.