Mine will be a high mileage one probably towards the end of this year. I bought mine in August with 9000 miles and I just turned 16000 miles before the Christmas holiday. I change the oil and primary every 3000 and has been running perfect.
Anyone have a daily drive Xb with high miles?
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Rays
Well-known member
I have an '06 Uly with just over 64,000miles (104,000km) and it hasn't had the engine / gearbox opened yet.
I change the oil in both holes every 2,500miles and don't run it into the rev limiter on a regular basis - if you find one with higher miles and the owner mentions 'ride it like you stole it' or how well he can shift without the clutch, I would personally move on.
I bought an '09 XT right after the Buell demise and my dealer wouldn't touch my '06 as a trade - had about 48,000 miles at that point.
I change the oil in both holes every 2,500miles and don't run it into the rev limiter on a regular basis - if you find one with higher miles and the owner mentions 'ride it like you stole it' or how well he can shift without the clutch, I would personally move on.
I bought an '09 XT right after the Buell demise and my dealer wouldn't touch my '06 as a trade - had about 48,000 miles at that point.
captain chaos
Well-known member
You're right, their not. The "rice rockets" last even longer (when cared for):
http://vimeo.com/34062690
http://www.gsxr.com/showthread.php?t=86668
http://www.gixxer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=203761 (read through the thread for lots of examples)
http://www.gixxer.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5248576
Lots of 100,000+ mi "rice rockets" out there.
The "20,000mi and their ready for the scrap heap" myth is an old relic that needs to die. Things have improved dramatically in the last 20-30years.
The beauty of a "high mileage (20k)" bike is that they are just as reliable and cost 1/2 as much.
If it means anything, I had a 2006 Suzuki SV650S vtwin with 30k miles that I ragged the hell out of, and I did nothing but oil and filter changes every 2000 miles. The way a bike is treated means everything. I sold the SV and bought an '09 1125R and I change the oil and filter every 1500 miles. Some say it is overkill, but I plan to have the 1125 for a very, VERY long time.
I've got an '04 xb12s with about 22k miles on it. It's seen track days and doesn't get ridden like grandma's Buick.
I stripped about 6 teeth off the stock belt (back in 04 the belts were of lesser quality) at 19k miles. other than that, no problems.
I was changing the oil every 5k. All mobil1 v-twin synthetic. but, I think I'll cut it down to every 2.5k miles.
I'll be keeping this bike for a long time.
are there any 100k mile XB's out there? I hear about 100k mile map bikes all the time. One would assume a bike that turns 1/4 the Rpms of a japanese bike would have better longevity...
[confused]
I stripped about 6 teeth off the stock belt (back in 04 the belts were of lesser quality) at 19k miles. other than that, no problems.
I was changing the oil every 5k. All mobil1 v-twin synthetic. but, I think I'll cut it down to every 2.5k miles.
I'll be keeping this bike for a long time.
are there any 100k mile XB's out there? I hear about 100k mile map bikes all the time. One would assume a bike that turns 1/4 the Rpms of a japanese bike would have better longevity...
[confused]
captain chaos
Well-known member
That sounds reasonable but you have to remember that the Sportster engine was never really designed for the kinds of RPM's or power levels that Erik got from them. An air cooled, horribly unbalanced (45deg twin), and moderately powerful motor turning 7000rpm is not a recipe for mega miles. That's not to say that they will die an early death, far from it, but they don't have the benefit of being designed from the get go to produce big power for many, many miles like the inlines or sport V's (Ducati).
You can find 100k mi Sportsters for sure but it takes a pretty hot Sporty to make the power that a Buell does and that cuts down on longevity. I think a Buell could go 100k under the right conditions, but I'd actually be surprised to see one much over that. Fortunately, because of their Sportster heritage, Buells should be CHEAP to rebuild and get back on the road.[up]
IrieBolt406
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My 04 xb12r has 34 k on it I bought it. The motor was gone through completely at 18k by the one owner before myself who was a certified h-d mechanic. I purchased the bike from him last fall with 32k and so far so good...
i have an 05 xb12 and i went up to over 80,000 before a rebuild. i got little over 12 on this one. basic maintenance adn kept up with the bulletins all good. i did fry the ecm and coils once but that was all me so it dont count. good buy do it.
captain chaos
Well-known member
The Softails have a counterbalanced engine. That means that there is basically a weight in the motor that rotates out of phase with the crank so that it offsets the crank imbalance. The crank itself is still imbalanced but the overall package is smoother because of the counterbalancer.
XB motors (or any Harley for that matter) cannot be balanced because the 45deg angle of the cylinders and the single crank pin (both rods connected to one crank journal) means it has a VERY uneven firing order.
Here's how it works:
The rear cyl fires and the engine rotates CCW 315deg (360- the 45 deg cylinder angle)to bring the front piston up to firing position). After the front piston fires it rotates 405deg (360 + another 45deg for the cyl. angle) before the rear piston is at top dead center again. So you have FIRE...short wait...FIRE...long wait...etc, etc. This gives Harley engines their distantave "lope" but it also limits their RPM range (along with a number of other factors) and their ability to make large amounts of power reliably.
For example, Ducati has a new 1198cc twin that makes 195hp and will do it reliably for many miles. A 1203cc Buell will blow itself to pieces trying make that much power without a turbo or some other kind of help.
Granted, there are a number of other factors that allow the Duc to make that kind of power from a twin almost exactly the same displacement as an XB12 where as a Harley (or buell) simply can't (without forced induction or a WHOLE lot more displacement). But that's the difference between an engine that was designed from the start to produce power and one that was designed in the 80's (the Sportster EVO) to follow a traditional "sound" and "feel" and was later massaged into making some decent power (Buell).
Now, I'm not trying to knock on Harley or Buell, so I hope nobody takes it that way. To someone that likes the unique character of the Harley design there is absolutely nothing like it out there. Because of it's design though, it has limitations as far as balancing power output and longevity.
turboraven
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- 444
I disagree. As stated, our XB engine come in a much higher state of tune and then placed in an extremely aggressive chassis/suspension/brake setup. This encourages the rider to ride it like a sportbike -wheelies, high rpms, riding hard, etc and more short distance spirited rides in general. Your uncles' bike probably spent most all of those 140K at 3K rpms on the highway. That in itself makes a big difference.
captain chaos
Well-known member
Agreed.
"Uncle"'s bike probably makes all of 75-80hp on a good day (assuming he's done the typical AC/Pipes/tune: much less if he hasn't) and he's probably got a 96" (1600cc) motor. Making 100+hp from 1200cc's with a Harley engine means you are giving up longevity for power. You just can't have you're cake and eat it too.
On the bright side, even 70,000mi (1/2 of what "Uncle" has done) is a LOT of years of riding for the average rider. A Buell should run 70k or more so ride on and don't worry about it.[cool]
