Who rides a buell

[wrigley_1285]

i was just curious if anyone else rides buell motorcycles or is it just me? i have a 2006 Buell Lightning XB12Ss. It's a bad boy pushing out 103HP from the factory but mine is estimated to be around 115HP with the upgrades. And now that Eric Buell has announced that the Buell division of Harley Davidson is closing up shop I don't think that I'm ever gonna want to get rid of it.

here's a pic with my lightning and my old buell blast in the background

 

[wrigley_1285]

BTW here's two of my favorite pics of my old buell

 

[Paul]

Buells Rule

Wrigley -

I commute 75 miles a day on my Ulysses - - picked it up new in late June, rolled over 10k a few weeks ago. Year 'round riding here in the Pacific Northwest (as long as you don't mind the rain...)

Great bikes, and although unfortunate about the factory closing, with luck Erik Buell will be back building bikes in the near future.

Here's a pic of the Uly with my '92 FXR in the background.

Since I ride six months in the rain, went ahead and covered all my body work with Line-X - - kind of has the "Skunk Werks" look.


Paul
'91 Sport
'92 HD FXR
'08 Uly XT

 

[wrigley_1285]

those are some nice bikes you got. i like the line-x on it. i don't think i've ever seen a bike with it before. the riding position looks a little more comfortable than mine for the long rides with those taller bars on it.

i don't know about you but i love rolling up to stop lights and seeing the cunfused/jealous look on people's faces when they realize it's not just another crotch rocket with a high pitch whine.

oh yeah here's a couple of fun shots of my dog when he was a puppy riding with me. it was cool bc he would lean into the turns with me and loved having the wind in his face. i don't want to take him with me on the XB bc i'm afraid it's too loud for him. i've got the drummer racing exhaust on it and it leaves my ears ringing after a long ride.

 

[jonlax]

I rode an Ulysses back in 04 because my friend hated it. I just had to insure it and i would go on rides almost every weekend. Fun bike but not a true DS like they try and push for. I actually took a my MSC on a blast and well i did not have a blast at all. I am happy buell crushed them! My most recent class here in germany was on a ducati 998 which was taught for a ex team rider from the mid 90's. As for now i am riding a supermoto.

 

[Paul]

Buells

Thanks for the compliments. I bought the FXR new 'way back when' and I'll keep it forever; it has a sweet ride and I've even done a few 1000 mile days on it. But for daily commuting, it's low seat, limited stopping power, and not so pliant suspension made the Uly a much better choice. Plus, although I don't mind riding in the rain, I hate having to clean up and detail the FXR. I usually just hose off the big chunks of dirt on the Uly about once every two months...

The Uly however, is a totally different animal - - not marketed as a Dual Sport, actually classified as an "Adventure Bike" for use on paved and non- paved roads. I'd take it anywhere a BMW GS 1200 would go, but not where you'd take a KLR. . . But it's a great bike, made in America, and a perfect compliment to the Harley.

Besides that, the Uly's Fugly Cool looking, although some less than admirable comparisons have been made in reference to the front end. . .

Paul

P.S. Jon - You must have ridden a Lightening - - the Uly's first year of production was 2006. The Uly is based on the Lightening, just more ground clearance, more supple suspension, wider bars, and luggage...

 

[wrigley_1285]

i love crow t robot

 

[Paul]

Dunlops

Wrigley -

You running Dunlop D616s? I'm in the market for new rubber, and those have a pretty decent price. If that's what you got (can't really tell from your pictures), do you like 'em?

Paul

 

[wrigley_1285]

i'm not home right now to run out and check it but i'm about 90% positive that it is the 616. the guy i bought the bike from had just put it on right b4 i bought it. it had less than 100 miles on it. so far i like it. i would say it's a good tire for a daily rider. i haven't had the bike out in the rain but the tire does grip fairly well when there is a little bit of morning dew or there has been a light sprinkle. that's the worst i'll ride in bc everybody in town drives like a complete dumb@$$ as soon as it gets a little wet out.

not that i would know this from personal experiencebut it rides really well at ~130-135mph.

 

[Paul]

Read some decent articles - - guess they were actually designed for racing in the rain... Although I read some reports that the front tire (based on the tread design) gets a bit squirley when leaned into the corners, but I've read great things about wet traction - - which is what I've been doing since November . . .

Ordered some today, the pair "to the door" under $250, so not bad.

Paul

 

[wrigley_1285]

that's a good price. i only have the rear tire. my front is still my original, which i want to replace this year when i get the time. it still has some life yet but better safe than sorry

i think i might have to replace my tensioner pulley for my belt bc if i jump on the throttle, from a stop or really low speed, it seems like it extends to far. i had the belt slip a couple teeth on the rear tire and scared the crap out of me. plus i want to see if i can get some decent wheelies out of the SS. i'll be in one of the local abandoned parking lots of course, i don't need to acquire any tickets. plus one of my dumbass friends got arrested last year bc he was doing a wheelie over a mile long, in town, and then decided to try and run when a cop saw him.

 

[Paul]

Bad Weather Bikers

Go to badweatherbikers.com, aka Bad Web, best Buell website out there...

They should be able to offer a ton of advice on the tensioner.

Paul

 

[james t]

I guess im what you would call a "converted" Buell fan.

I like the oddball naked streetfighter look, but never cared really cared for the HD motor. Then a buddy of mine let me ride his 08 Ulysses one day and i loved it.

One of these days id like to have a XB12 as a second bike.



....oh, and shipping on the blue bikini to 71854?

 

[wrigley_1285]

I guess im what you would call a "converted" Buell fan.

I like the oddball naked streetfighter look, but never cared really cared for the HD motor. Then a buddy of mine let me ride his 08 Ulysses one day and i loved it.

One of these days id like to have a XB12 as a second bike.



....oh, and shipping on the blue bikini to 71854?

the first time i saw my style of a lightning i fell in love with it. plus i've never been a fan of how crotch rockets sound, so having that big V-tiwn is awesome.

lol. i don't think i could get the bikini but i'll keep an eye out for ya

i can't wait for the weather to get a little nicer here. every time i glance at the garage i get an itch that can't be fixed.:scratch: it's driving me crazy

 

[Paul]

Another Buell. . .

Guess I'm a sucker for motorcycles they don't make anymore. . . (even though H-D shut down Buell, they are supplying parts for the next 5 years). Now that Erik Buell Racing is taking off, there's a good chance these 1125 Rotax motors will be well-supplied over time - - and if not, this thing will look good in the family room. . .

Cruiser (FXR), Adventure Bike (Ulysses), and Go-Fast Bike (CR) - - this ought to do it . . . (for now...)

Paul

 

[Paul]

Fun at Oregon Raceway Park. . .

 

[Paul]

Tri-colored as a tribute to Erik Buell Racing and their efforts in the AMA SupeBike Series - - great fun on the track. . .

Paul
'91 Sport

 

[james t]

That looks REALLY good.

 

[Paul]

Thanks James. . . These Buells are pretty neat. Going to roll over 50,000 miles on the Ulysses in the next two weeks with a "business trip" down to California and back. Not bad for just a bit over three years. . .

Here's another shot of the sportbike (Buell 1125 CR) with the tri-color scheme, and the Uly during a little off-pavement escapade near Mount Rainier.

See you in Moab!

Paul
'91 Sport

 

[wrigley_1285]

update. i hate to say it but a couple months after my last post in feb of 2010 my wife had finally nagged me to death about selling the "crotch rocket" and getting a cruiser. i ended up selling my lightning for the same price i bought it for and went almost a year without a bike. that was a very rough year lol. i ended up buying a 06 honda vtx1300 with only 600 miles on it and i paid it off in less than a year.

anyways heres a couple pics