Hey folks, have a buddy who is currently riding a volusia 850, and is about to journey into the sportbike world. He has his mind set on a XB12. Was wandering if any of you have had any experience with the buells? I think they are neat looking bikes, but i've never been behind the bars. Oh yea, he likes the Vtwin ( ummm can you say TL, SV, RVT, etc.. ) He said the buells handle phenomally. Anyways, just lookin for some info i could pass along.
Buell XB12
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FL Knifemaker
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I'll try not to go into my normal Buell rant...........
They handle great as you mentioned. Any Japanese 600 will more than make up for the slight edge in handling with power, all considered. Just make sure the dealer you buy it from has an established record for successful service of them. My experience is that just because they sell'em doesn't mean they know ANYTHING about repairing them.
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Sirissac
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I owned a 2000 Buell M2 Cyclone, 1200. The bike had a lot of torque after I added a Vance and Hines pipe, force air and had the carbs rejetted. It handled great, but the darn thing was nickle and diming me to death. I was going through valve cover gaskets like crazy. At least one a summer. It was a nice bike and really mean sounding, with the pipes and all. As you can see though, I went back to japanese, the technology is a hell of alot more advanced and you don't have to wrench on it all the time. I don't mind wrenching, when adding modifications and such, but when its breaking down and Harley parts cost a but load of money, not to say anything about the customer service skills they have at the harley dealerships. I bought mine because it was different and not that many out on the road at the time. I don't regret it, but I can tell you that buying the busa brought the old feeling back, about motorcycling. It was like I had never been on a bike before. I love biking more now than I ever have. Hail Busa
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Great Handling, very good brakes, everything else on it : crap
I've been trying for 3 weeks to get Buell pegs for my Busa. There is 1 Buell dealer in the area. Before he finds out that I'm buying them for the Busa, the parts guy lets me know that we will get to know each other very well because he's the only Buell parts guy around. It took him 45 minutes to find the part numbers for the pegs. I order them and wait a week and a half. When I pick them up, he had order 2 right pegs. I had to expain to him that right and left pegs are different. Another 45 minutes for him to find the the part number for the left peg. That was a week ago and still no peg. That's enough reason for me to never buy a Buell.
I not extremely familiar with Buell. Is the XB12 that new "City" model? If so, one of my friends just bought one. He comes from the dirt track world and thinks the bike is just the shid. He let me take it for a spin and I absolutely was not impressed. It was uncomfortable, handled okay to my surprise; but after being so used to the hp in the busa, it seemed positively weak and didn't seem as though it would be "fun" for me. I don't know, I'm another one that has ridden pretty much exclusively kaw, suzuki and honda, some with mod's some without, so my experience is limited in this respect.
I'm thinking about getting one for my 5 year old. They handle great and with their horsepower and speed I won't have to worry about governing it
thats too funny! I dont think he's worried about the power, im sure it has plenty of power compared to the 805 he's got now, i think i said earlier he had an 850, its an 805 Vtwin. He's not so much a run of the mill type of person. meaning he doesnt want something that EVERYBODY has.I'm thinking about getting one for my 5 year old. They handle great and with their horsepower and speed I won't have to worry about governing it
I'm thinking about getting one for my 5 year old. They handle great and with their horsepower and speed I won't have to worry about governing it
thesnake
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ive rode a xb12 quite a bit-- my riding buddy owned one and we switched back and forth a few trips.
great torque, handles well-- but twitchy, brakes decent.
I would never want one tho. IMHO UGLY and secondly, every time we swtiches, I was miserable and just wanted to get back on ym own bike.
my buddy totalled it last sept-- now owns a k1200
great torque, handles well-- but twitchy, brakes decent.
I would never want one tho. IMHO UGLY and secondly, every time we swtiches, I was miserable and just wanted to get back on ym own bike.
my buddy totalled it last sept-- now owns a k1200
Buells are GREAT bikes! I spent several years with one, my wife still has one. They handle great as mentioned, and they accellerate WAY better than you would expect. Not Busa fast, but respectable. Certainly fun for the real world, but they're not track kings. Yet.
The engine is old technology, but there is no "crap" on these machines. Gas in the frame, oil in the swingarm - genius!
I've talked with Erik Buell on a few occasions, and he's the real deal. He cares about the people who ride "his" bikes. And he REALLY cares about the bikes.
The engine is old technology, but there is no "crap" on these machines. Gas in the frame, oil in the swingarm - genius!
I've talked with Erik Buell on a few occasions, and he's the real deal. He cares about the people who ride "his" bikes. And he REALLY cares about the bikes.
All right, where do I begin.
What ever body else has posted is pretty much true.
Like Sirissac, I also own an M2 Cyclone. Well mines a 2002 model.
Now the XB12R/S in my opinion is probably the most reliable Buell ever made. For working with an engine design that's well over fifty years old Eric Buell has done one hell of a job. That being said I thinks it's a great bike if all you are going to do is work the twisties. If you live some place like Florida where you have to hunt for the twisties I would not suggest one.
But apparently the Germans love em. So go figure. Check out www.hillbilly-motors.com. Them Germans are really putting the Buell through hell. Pun intended if you visit the site.
If he is going to buy one tell him to head over to badweatherbikers.com. It is the biggest Buell enthusiast site on the web. They have ever thing you will ever want to know about Buells.
Also the most important thing is to find a HD/Buell dealership that actually supports the Buell line. Most just sell them and do not give a rats a$$.
What ever body else has posted is pretty much true.
Like Sirissac, I also own an M2 Cyclone. Well mines a 2002 model.
Now the XB12R/S in my opinion is probably the most reliable Buell ever made. For working with an engine design that's well over fifty years old Eric Buell has done one hell of a job. That being said I thinks it's a great bike if all you are going to do is work the twisties. If you live some place like Florida where you have to hunt for the twisties I would not suggest one.
But apparently the Germans love em. So go figure. Check out www.hillbilly-motors.com. Them Germans are really putting the Buell through hell. Pun intended if you visit the site.
If he is going to buy one tell him to head over to badweatherbikers.com. It is the biggest Buell enthusiast site on the web. They have ever thing you will ever want to know about Buells.
Also the most important thing is to find a HD/Buell dealership that actually supports the Buell line. Most just sell them and do not give a rats a$$.
BTW, my wife's Buell is an XB9S. She doesn't put a lot of miles on her bikes, so I can't address the reliability of the newer models (but I've heard no complaints). However, I put over 20,000 miles on my old 1998 Buell S3 and never had to open the cases or replace a single gasket. It was rock solid.
I've only got 1,300 miles on my new '05 Hayabusa, but I hope it will be as solid (I'm sure it will).
and +1 to Sgt Busa
I've only got 1,300 miles on my new '05 Hayabusa, but I hope it will be as solid (I'm sure it will).
and +1 to Sgt Busa
FL Knifemaker
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If that's the case, he's the only one in the entire program with ANY enthusiasm for the bikes. It's too bad he couldn't pass any of his values along to HD or Buell customer service. Actually, my Buell being totally unreliable got the Busa fever going in me. In the long run, I guess I should be happy!! I still have to figure out how to make a Buell lawn ornament.
Not true, FL Knifemaker. There are plenty of people in the Buell "world" that are enthused about the bikes and their support. The problem is that too many HD dealerships don't care (or understand) about sport riders. Therefore, they don't work too hard to please them. I've talked with HD/Buell dealers from all over the country and the sad truth is, that some dealers resent being pushed to sell Buells by the Motor Company. They just don't care about selling bikes to "those kids and their crotch-rockets". (Knock Knock Harley, "those kids" are getting into their 40's now...) I wouldn't expect to get decent service at one of these places. The good news is that there are also some really committed dealers that are totally behind the Buell line. Find one of those, and you'll have a great experience.
Buell needs to find a way to sell their bikes away from HD dealerships. Perhaps someday we'll see a Suzuki/Triumph/Buell/Ducati/Aprilia/KTM/etc. store. Now THAT would make for some fun shopping!
Buell needs to find a way to sell their bikes away from HD dealerships. Perhaps someday we'll see a Suzuki/Triumph/Buell/Ducati/Aprilia/KTM/etc. store. Now THAT would make for some fun shopping!
FL Knifemaker
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Just going to the BWB forum will yeild lots of enthusiastic owners. Many people enjoy owning them. My problem is with HD and Buell customer service. Maybe it's a Florida thing. My bike has just 3500 EASY miles on it and has major wiring harness/electrical system issues since the day it left the dealership. Buell customer service is useless. They kept telling me ANY HD dealership that sells Buells has factory trained techs, blah blah blah......... 3 dealers, MUCH wasted time and still nothing resolved. I could never sell the bike with the problems it has, forget about riding it. HD service cannot fix it. Like the footpegs, they can't even figure out or order any electrical parts for it. Trade in or sale value if the bike was running is practically ZERO. All things considered, I really took it high and hard, with my pants on
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I wish I could help you bro, but I can't suggest any Florida dealers, I'm not familiar with them. Too bad you're not in the midwest, there's a TON of outstanding Buell dealers. More all the time. Especially here in Wisconsin.
Perhaps being close to East Troy (where Buells are made) helps.
Perhaps being close to East Troy (where Buells are made) helps.
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