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Best big bore kit for the $$

Buellxb Forum

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I would be interested to find out anyway because it is a possibility i may have to crack my cases anyway. I have developed a noise that sounds suspiciously like a bad main bearing. I have oil in both the case and the swing arm so it's not from running it with out oil. Gonna go to my buddies house down the street and see if his XB 12 sounds like mine. It has kind of a squeeky aspect to it which worries me. If I have to crack the cases I will install the XB12 crank, but I'm contemplating doing the big bore kit and head work and make it a real monster. I'd be interested in what it would end up displacement and HP wise. Also wondering whether all that change would effect long term reliability and make it not so suitable for everyday riding.
Gods of thunder, I beseech thee!!!
 
Short stroke engines are notorious for better longevity in high(er) RPM applications. Take a look at bore/stroke ratios of Indy car, Nascar, etc. The 283/327 Chevys will often exceed HP per C.I. of larger engines. True...it usually takes more RPM to use them, but on a lightweight XB, thats what makes it fun! If you had an overweight FatBoy, then definately look at that long stroke for some torque to get that pig moving!! Erik Buell's favorite personal bike is a big-bore XB9. Just some thoughts and facts to ponder.....there IS no RIGHT or WRONG opinion here....
 
9 and12's are the same bore size.....(3.500"). Stroke on a 9 is 3.125"- 12 stroke= 3.812" :)
 
Hi Eric!
You DID notice they're only 1250cc on the 3.812" stroke. I'm sure you knew that, but I looked twice!! I WISH that price was for the 3-13/16" bore!! :)
 
Yes, sir! It's a much better option than buying the old XL smaller fin cylinder design when upgrading to the 3-9/16" bore. You don't have to spend much more than that for a 3-13/16" or 3-7/8" bore for the cylinders and pistons. Of course the machine work required adds up!
 
Just curious if either one of you tried the hammer kit? If so did you do any head work or cam swap?

Also to the guys who installed a big bore kit how are you running on fueling? I noticed even with just bolt-ons I was maxing out my duty cycle on my injectors at some rpms. Are you running into problems of running out of fuel or needing to upgrade?

Thanks!
 
Dan at hammer has been great. I've got cases bored to 4.015, and I'm going for a 1170 kit. 9 crank, and the big bore kit from hammer. Dan does land speed on tubers as mentioned. He also has an XBRR.
 
I second the Hammer recommendation. I sent them my heads and did the reverse dome 1250 kit with a valve job and combustion chamber milling (30 degree squish band). The cast iron sleeves on these cylinders is THICK and the cooling fins matched what I took off, so no problems with cooling. I had them assemble the pistons/jugs, and got the gaskets from them. They were GREAT to deal with and even offered some technical advice. After working through some unrelated electronic issues, she runs strong and I couldn't have asked for an easier install considering I tore the bike down to the bar engine. I would strongly suggest anyone talk to them before doing any kind of upgrade like this.

Lawdog, I shot an email to Xopti to confirm fueling, and he said to run the Drummer map with my setup. Here's the setup I am running:
Hammer 1250 reverse dome piston kit
30 degree squish band cut to accommodate pistons
back cut and unshrouded valves
K&N replacement filter
Hawk muffler
Breather re-route
So far, I am having no fueling problems, but I need to log and remap just to get it 100%. I am very happy with it this far though.
 
I emailed hammer and asked this: "I have a 2003 buell xb9s with 6000 miles. I have been looking to put the big bore kit in the bike, and while I'm there, I might as well have my heads done. I am looking to just tear down, and bolt on these upgrades without machining on my end. What are your thoughts and do you offer everything I am asking?"

This is what they said: "The bolt-on kit for your bike is commonly referred to as the "1050 kit", but in reality it's 1021cc (hey, I didn't come up with the name!). It represents just under 4% more displacement than your stock 984cc, and to the extent displacement constrains power (and it does on your motor), that means 4% more power. In reality though the power gain generally comes out more on the order of 5-7% as there's an increase in compression that comes with it, and also the larger bore slightly unshrouds the valves on the short side, improving flow. The 1050 kit sells for $699.95.

The next step up from there involves a full tear down. With a tear down, you can do a 3-13/16 bore (1170cc) or an XB12 crank (1203cc) or both (1426cc). Going to the 3-13/16 bore requires that you send your cases to us for boring.

In addition to the above, consider head work as well. With the stock 3.125 stroke, the XB9 is not a terribly undervalved motor like so many of the other XL/Buell models, and as such, honestly, it does not benefit from head work to nearly the same extent. But it does benefit from some port work and a good valve job. I would recommend the "Impact" level ($550), which with the stock cams, should be good for another 5hp or so.

The XB9 is a bit unique, to be honest, in that it's already a pretty well tuned motor even in stock form. So the bolt-on path is nothing earth shattering, like the 50%+ gains we routinely pull out of XL1200's for example. To get gains like that from the XB9 you need to go big with the full tear-down options.

We can provide most any or all parts and services you would need for the project, no worries there. Let me know a little more about your goals and budget and I'd be happy to make a more specific proposal and even generate an estimate.

Thanks"

So basically, 1050cc kit is $700 and heads are $550, and with the gaskets and other misc stuff, you can probably get about a 10% increase in performance for ~$1500.
 
Thought I'd resurrect an old thread…. any guys in here complete their big bore kits with head port and have new dyno results? Especially looking to hear from the XB12 guys :)
 
man thanks for bringing it back alive! i am SERIOUSLY contemplating this hammer performance setup! just trying to decide what route to go
 
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