TeamHennis
Active member
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2015
- Messages
- 42
Hey everyone, my name is David and I am an incredibly happy new Buell owner. I had previously posted in the Firebolt section with some questions about buying an '09 XB12 Firebolt with some issues. Well, I decided I really wanted a Lightning over a 'Bolt so I passed on the one I was looking at. I was able to FINALLY get a hold of a guy selling an '08 XB9SX (you would think people would reply to emails when they are trying to sell something, but I guess not...). He was asking $2800, it has 13K on it and ran "flawlessly". It was 3.5 hours away, so I conned my neighbor into driving there since my truck is lifted too high to easily load a bike. We ended up taking his minivan cause my wife and his wife wanted to go for an adventure too.
5 hours after leaving base (I'm in the Air Force and stationed in Florida), we finally make it to this guys house after hitting up 2 gas stations for snacks, a flea market and just about every bathroom along the way. I start looking the bike over and it looks pretty good. It actually only has 10K on it, not 13K. Its been dropped in the driveway once, judging by the bent brake lever, but no other damage other than some paint wear on the subframe rails. I start the bike up and notice it starts a little rough. The test drive further confirms that something isn't quite right, as the bike has hardly any power, won't accelerate past 60 mph in 3rd and handles terrible! I was told by you guys that Buells handle amazing and have torque for days!!!
I get back to the guys house (after getting mildly lost in the outskirts of Montgomery AL...) and start to hem and haw over the bike, complaining about the lack of power, the tires being flat (10 psi when I checked them at home) and a small oil leak from the rear rocker cover. I offered the guy $2400 and he said yes! Then came the fun part of loading it into the minivan...
A Lightning will fit in the back of a Dodge caravan if you take off the mirrors, compress the front forks with a tie down strap, fold down half of the seats and sweet talk your wife into sitting in the tiny rear seat for the long drive home with promises of a date night, back rub and swearing not to ramble about the Buell 24/7 (the last one didn't happen...)
So we get home after spending the whole day in the van, unload the bike and I immediately want to tear into it, but I remember things I said to my wife, so we eat dinner, watch a movie and the Buell sits. Fast forward to last night and my wife and I are working on the bike. We put in some new iridium plugs, blow up the tires, drain the old gas and splash in fresh gas and the bike starts and runs! I put on my gear, and go for a test ride. It is EVERYTHING I WAS TOLD A BUELL WAS!!!!! It handles amazing and has tons more power. This bike is going to be trouble I think. By the time I get back to the house, Annie is bundled up (its about 40 degrees out, btw) and she hops on the back. We go for another ride together and she loves it! Way more comfortable than my old CBR, sounds better and looks cooler too.
So for $2400, new plugs and fresh gas, I am a very happy Buell owner. I plan to keep this bike a long time and hopefully contribute to this amazing site. I've already learned a lot just from creeping on here and have a long list of plans for the bike already.
Oh and here is a better picture of the bike (with Big Red in the background)
5 hours after leaving base (I'm in the Air Force and stationed in Florida), we finally make it to this guys house after hitting up 2 gas stations for snacks, a flea market and just about every bathroom along the way. I start looking the bike over and it looks pretty good. It actually only has 10K on it, not 13K. Its been dropped in the driveway once, judging by the bent brake lever, but no other damage other than some paint wear on the subframe rails. I start the bike up and notice it starts a little rough. The test drive further confirms that something isn't quite right, as the bike has hardly any power, won't accelerate past 60 mph in 3rd and handles terrible! I was told by you guys that Buells handle amazing and have torque for days!!!
I get back to the guys house (after getting mildly lost in the outskirts of Montgomery AL...) and start to hem and haw over the bike, complaining about the lack of power, the tires being flat (10 psi when I checked them at home) and a small oil leak from the rear rocker cover. I offered the guy $2400 and he said yes! Then came the fun part of loading it into the minivan...
A Lightning will fit in the back of a Dodge caravan if you take off the mirrors, compress the front forks with a tie down strap, fold down half of the seats and sweet talk your wife into sitting in the tiny rear seat for the long drive home with promises of a date night, back rub and swearing not to ramble about the Buell 24/7 (the last one didn't happen...)
So we get home after spending the whole day in the van, unload the bike and I immediately want to tear into it, but I remember things I said to my wife, so we eat dinner, watch a movie and the Buell sits. Fast forward to last night and my wife and I are working on the bike. We put in some new iridium plugs, blow up the tires, drain the old gas and splash in fresh gas and the bike starts and runs! I put on my gear, and go for a test ride. It is EVERYTHING I WAS TOLD A BUELL WAS!!!!! It handles amazing and has tons more power. This bike is going to be trouble I think. By the time I get back to the house, Annie is bundled up (its about 40 degrees out, btw) and she hops on the back. We go for another ride together and she loves it! Way more comfortable than my old CBR, sounds better and looks cooler too.
So for $2400, new plugs and fresh gas, I am a very happy Buell owner. I plan to keep this bike a long time and hopefully contribute to this amazing site. I've already learned a lot just from creeping on here and have a long list of plans for the bike already.
Oh and here is a better picture of the bike (with Big Red in the background)
