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islandigital

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Joined
Dec 17, 2009
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Hey all- Ive been looking at buying a bike ever since the XB's came out- I remember looking at on in NY where i used to live and saying "oh yea, im getting one of those..." fast forward 5 years. I still never owned a bike and then i heard about buell going extinct. So i started looking into it because here where i live its 85 every day of the year. i said what the hell. Almost ended up with a 05 12s a week ago then i found her. 09 12ss all black. 6 miles. demo unit. sold. Its on its way here now. It will be about a month till it makes its way all the way here but im trying to soak up as much info as i can before its in my hands. Now to the questions (and yes, i searched the crap out of them)

Size- Im 5' 11" and i used to ride BMX professionally. that was my original want for the motorcycle is that it felt natural. I am primarily using this for transportation so i wanted it to ride comfortable with the rough roads we have here on island. There is really only 1 small 2 lane highway here , everything is hilly and windy. i really wanted an s but they dont make them in this year and i thought about the reduced suspension travel in the scg and how short the distance is to the pegs. i was really worried about being cramped there. i could have gotten an scg but since ive never even sat on either i went with the general consensus of guys my size and go the SS. I just hope the SS is small enough to be "flick-able". Is this reasonable? anything i can do to the ss other then the touring seat to make it feel smaller if i think its too large?

Break in- I think im pretty convinced about doing a motoman break in. any of you new bullers done this? any experience to share? positive or negative results?

Oil- since its NEVER been below 68 degrees here i saw in the manual that it recommends 50w oil for my climate. I think that ridiculous, single weight oil is very oldschool. i want to run a multiweight synthetic once im past the 500 mile break in. What oils are you guys using for hot weather? mobile 1 diesel? Amsoil? What (black) filter are you guys running?

When i get it- Anything i should so right away? anything to check that gets overlooked or problem areas?

Thanks guys and i hope to love riding this thing as much as i "think" i will since i never have!

T

5587_20091219085435_L.jpg
 
Congrats and welcome to the passion.
On the oil note, Synthetic is definitely the way to go. Royal Purple in both holes is what I'm using with excellent results. Theses babies, being air cooled run hot. Wrapping the pipes is a good option to keep the heat off your right leg.
A right side air scoop is also a good idea to help send more cool air to the rear cyllinder. Not really familiar with the 'motoman' break-in. The key to a good break-in is to ride it in a variety of rpm ranges, not staying at one engine speed for too long. Loading and unloading the engine through its whole rpm range will help everything seat-in and provide a solid base for a good break-in.
As far as handling, they're awesome. These bikes are in their element when it gets twisty. Then the torque and handling give you a permagrin.
Cheers and have fun.:D
 
Nice bike [up] congrats. Your gonna love it.The torque is awesome.And i ride a 09 xb12r,i have plenty of leg room.I take it on long rides about 250 miles oneway no probs. Still cant wipe the smile off my face.Had it about 7 months now,almost 7,000 miles.Riden many other bikes. But my Buell is the shiznet. And if you have any probs or need help the guys here are always looking to help. Any way hope this helps. And welcome to the Family.
 
Do not switch to syn oil until after break in, its too slick and will not let you rings seat properly. The front break is very touchy so be careful. Make sure you set the suspension correctly to your weight or it will cause you handling problems. Have fun and be safe.
 
My opinion is mine was a little stiff.Up front i softend up about a quarter turn,bound & rebound. Back was a half.Dont really have any twisties down here.To drag a knee on.Yes im a flatlander!! I think it depends on your style and terrian. But the factory setting is pretty good.Ive never been to the track though.
 
Yea, the book settings are good just make sure you are reading the Ss settings not the s/scg settings they are different. Just take the corners easy until you have it set right or it may try to stand up on you if you break mid corner or drift out of a hard turn. I almost put mine down because the rear preload was on the wrong setting. I will post up the cheat sheet for fine tuning the right settings when I get back from dinner.
 
i hope that my lack of knowledge on how they are supposed to feel does not hold me back from being able to tune this thing. I guess it will come with time. I really want to lay some knee but with confidence.
 
I really want to lay some knee but with confidence.
Take your time, build the confidence, and it will come. You try to rush it before you're ready, things can go bad fast. An MSF course would be a great highly-recommended start.

Anyway, after putting suspension to manual's settings, make your adjustments singly - riding after each to make sure you're happy with it. Congrats on the beauty and Welcome to the Board. :D[up]
 
Thanks Steve! i would love to but the do not offer any here on island, or in Puerto Rico. id have to fly to the states and take one there. Unless someone want to come visit the usvi for a weekend :)
 
Harley offers similar courses at their dealerships.

On a side not, I know after completing the MSF course, you get a break on your insurance and you don't have to take the road course to get your permit. Don't know if this applies to the HD courses though.
 
Steve- I would love to but there are no motorcycle shops or dealers on island. nothing. Maybe one in PR but when i did a search for the harley course it only showed florida as an option to search.

Abs- Lookin sharp! already orders a few blacked out parts. single bar mirror to get rid of the fulgy ears and some black aluminum axle sliders. Really contemplating taking off the readers and spraying them black- Id like flat but i think it would be a bi!ch to keep clean- and ive never seen gloss black header paint.

Anybody want to chime in about the breakin procedure or oil wights?

Anb what they heck does everyone mean by "5-20 in both holes" i thought the engine to endine oil and the transmission to transmision fluid?
 
Anb what they heck does everyone mean by "5-20 in both holes" i thought the engine to endine oil and the transmission to transmision fluid?
You've got two oil locations or "holes" that need changed regularly. Your Primary (Transmission) and your Engine (Swingarm). The majority of us use a Synthetic bike-specific 5W-20 in both locations. But switch to synthetic only After Break-in.
 
The tranny takes regular plain old oil? thers no friction modifier for the clutch or anything? no tranny fluid? seriously?
 
Owner's Manual suggests: GENUINE Harley-Davidson FORMULA+ TRANSMISSION AND PRIMARY CHAINCASE LUBRICANT (Part No. 99851-05 quart).

But yeah, the vast majority of us just use the same oil we use in the engine, for the transmission as well. Makes for easier shifting and quiets the "CLUNK" when switching gears.

Edit: Afterthought, you may want to stick to the manual for warranty reasons, not sure how the above would affect your warranty.
 
well this bike was a "demo unit" so there is no warranty on it, but if i told you what i paid for it i may get banned.....
 
This may be a dumb question - but how does a demo unit only have 6 miles on the odometer? What was it a demo for - static displayng? Demonstrating sitting still? Confused....

rinky
2010 XB12SS (Demo unit?)[confused]
 
Probably was set aside for that use before they knew HD was pulling the plug. [mad] I doubt they would allow the demo status to change, even if not ridden, after it's been established. Whatever the case, sounds like he cashed in.
 


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