which Buell to buy??

hey there: great site, glad i found it. my name is john lutz and i live in southern PA, Amish country to be exact. have lusted after a Buell for a few years now and figured it's time to take the plunge and buy. question is this: i know what to look for cosmetically, tires, service records, abused or not, etc. i've been searching cycle trader, ebay, craigslist and am getting confused on models. i would like to buy an XB model, 9 or 12 doesn't matter but getting confused between the city, the XB, ulysses, R model. can someone explain the differences between these models and give me some direction on what to buy? i don't need skidplates, luggage, and trying to avoid lay-down riding position as i'm 57. any advice greatly appreciated. thanks much for any help!

If your not wanting a lay down position you need to go with the Lightning ( XB model )You sit upright on that model . I'm 6"1 270 lbs and ride the Lightning long models and they fit perfect , sit upright with no lean. The city X is short and low , the scg is short and lower , the Ss is longer and higher and the Ulysses is tall like a dual sport. If you want to lean go with the firebolt ( R model ).

John , there a dealer here by me , they have a XB12x for under $4,000 , looks to be in good shape . I only about 1.5 hrs from you , just north of allentown

really? do you know the mileage, year, etc? that price sounds great. i am looking at an XB9 city down near baltimore. under 1000 miles, a 2006, in the guy's garage, dead battery and dirty. he is asking $4500 but negotiable. do you have particulars on this 12 model or a phone #, etc? thanks very much for your help.

XB9S or XB12S= upright riding position
XB9R or XB12R= lower bars; higher pegs-sportier riding position- has 1/2 fairing on nose
Ulysses= dual sport "adventure" type model
City is just an XB*S with a few cosmetic diferences

Have you looked on searchtempest.com ? That's where I found mine. Got it in Harrisburg for $3200. I'm from Pittsburgh by the way, not all that far from you.

Captain chaos got most of them, but just for details, start with the XB9/12S as your base for comparison...

XB9/12R= Same suspension/frame motor, but comes with clipons, higher pegs, and the racebike bodywork

XB9L/XB12SCG= has a suspension roughly 1.5 inches shorter and a seat that's also about 1.5 inches shorter lowering the rider a total of about 3 inches. You sacrifice a little in the ride quality from the lack of suspension travel

XB9SX= same as the xb9s, but comes with hand guards, headlight grill/guard, and that plastic X on the airbox so you can use a tank bag without scuffing up the plastic. This was also the first year they started the transparent plastics.

XB12Ss= slightly taller suspension, longer frame, longer swingarm, longer/bigger seat. It's just a supersized XB12S, but the XBs are so small in general, it's just kinda normal sized.

The rest of these are better compared to the xB12Ss

XB12STT= same general dimensions as the xb12Ss, supposed to be a supermoto kind of deal. It doesn't have the suspension travel of a real supermoto, and it's about 100lbs too heavy for that, but that's the general theme. Has a dirtbike front fender, number plates, solo flat seat.

XB12xt= I believe it's a sport touring version of the xb12Ss. Big seat, bigger windshield.

xb12x= I guess it's an adventure/sport touring version of the xb12Ss. Similar to the XT only it has that dirtbike front fender again.

I think that just about covers it.

The XB12X is at Blockers Harley-Davidson. Did see how many miles But it is a 2007,here there link

http://www.blockers.com/custompage.asp?pg=showrooms

Buells are very cheap right now , Harley F us with that by dumping their 1010 models. if it looks like a high price don't by it . it will be a few years before the value goes back up

Welcome aboard. You've got a lot lot of good info above. Picking your riding style helps with the decision, but sometimes you have to go with what looks right to you. Don't buy an R and decide to change it to an S, or vice versa. We see a lot of that here and it's a pain to do either way. I bought an R for the looks, yet an S might have been a better choice for my riding style. Oh well. I put on different bars, pegs, and seat and I think I have the best of both models. But hey, that's just my opinion. I love my Firebolt.

The XB12X is at Blockers Harley-Davidson. Did see how many miles But it is a 2007,here there link

http://www.blockers.com/custompage.asp?pg=sho ...

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That is the Ulysses, it is taller and has more suspension travel. It is an adventure bike that comes with a taller windscreen, hand guards,and factory hardbags were optional. (Those are not the factory bags.)

there was a wheel bearing issue with the Uly's, I think it's the orange wheel bearing on the rear you want to watch out for. Someone will have to correct me on that if I am wrong.

really? do you know the mileage, year, etc? that price sounds great. i am looking at an XB9 city down near baltimore. under 1000 miles, a 2006, in the guy's garage, dead battery and dirty. he is asking $4500 but negotiable. do you have particulars on this 12 model or a phone #, etc? thanks very much for your help.

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4500 is what I am asking for my 2006 xb12ss. The only reason I am selling it is because i just bought a 2009 buell, but my is in excellent shape with practically brand new tires.

wanted to thank everyone on here for the great info. just bought a lightly used 1-owner 2007 XB9 city on the cheap. will post a few questions about it and thanks again for the help. regards, john