Hi guys,
I’ve been away for some time as I bought a KTM RC8 after selling my XB9S.
Although the KTM is a great bike and a big improvement over the XB with regards to BHP and the additional 6th gear, it could not prevent me from starting to miss my Buell.
As it is a bit of a difficult bike to sell, at least in Holland, where in general superbikes are no longer very popular and the KTM is a quite particular bike which you either hate or love, I decided to try and trade it for a bike which is even more difficult to sell; the Buell 1125CR!
Nobody wants it, which has maybe something to do with the fact that on photos the side scopes seem bigger than they actually are, probably due to the fisheye effect of the lens.
To be honest I thought the same until I saw one pass my by on the motorway, which was the first one I ever saw. It is that rare in Holland!
The test-drive was very familiar. The turning of the 1125 is great and feels the same as my XB. However with the additional BHP (almost the same as the KTM) and the 6th gear.
I was sold in a minute and so was the Buell which I took home with a big pile a cash I got for trading in the KTM. Truth be told, the KTM was brand new with only 5000 km, but so was the Buell which had even lower mileage.
Besides the great handling, etc, the Buell also permits a little customizing, which I also did on the XB9 and which was impossible on the RC8.
Without wanting to offend anybody, let’s be honest, Eric Buell might be quite good in the engineering part of building a bike, but the styling of the 1125CR has a lot of improvement possibilities.
The first thing I’ve decide to start with is the tail section, which is in my opinion to bulky and it does not flow with the lines of the side pods. Also the rear shock absorber is almost invisible, which I think is a shame.
In the photoshop rendering you can see, what I intend to do.
I already started to cut the subframe to remove the batterybox, passenger side pegs and all the additional extending parts so it will be possible, hopefully, to swap the bulky plastic bottom of the tail with a flat aluminium sheet. I saw that someone else already made changes to swap the 1125 tail bottom with one of an XB, but I want to go all the way. It will require to swap the battery for a lithium ion one, which is almost half the size.
This will also mean that the taillight will disappear. Instead I want to add a small taillight to the number plate bracket.
I also want to cut the lower part of the fairing on both sides so part of the subframe and almost all of the rear shock will become visible. Obviously the subframe will be powder coated after tidying the welding spots a little bit.
This should further reduce the bulkiness and the tailsection will line up with the sidepods.
I’m interested to hear any comments or advise in case this modification has been done before!
I’ve been away for some time as I bought a KTM RC8 after selling my XB9S.
Although the KTM is a great bike and a big improvement over the XB with regards to BHP and the additional 6th gear, it could not prevent me from starting to miss my Buell.
As it is a bit of a difficult bike to sell, at least in Holland, where in general superbikes are no longer very popular and the KTM is a quite particular bike which you either hate or love, I decided to try and trade it for a bike which is even more difficult to sell; the Buell 1125CR!
Nobody wants it, which has maybe something to do with the fact that on photos the side scopes seem bigger than they actually are, probably due to the fisheye effect of the lens.
To be honest I thought the same until I saw one pass my by on the motorway, which was the first one I ever saw. It is that rare in Holland!
The test-drive was very familiar. The turning of the 1125 is great and feels the same as my XB. However with the additional BHP (almost the same as the KTM) and the 6th gear.
I was sold in a minute and so was the Buell which I took home with a big pile a cash I got for trading in the KTM. Truth be told, the KTM was brand new with only 5000 km, but so was the Buell which had even lower mileage.
Besides the great handling, etc, the Buell also permits a little customizing, which I also did on the XB9 and which was impossible on the RC8.
Without wanting to offend anybody, let’s be honest, Eric Buell might be quite good in the engineering part of building a bike, but the styling of the 1125CR has a lot of improvement possibilities.
The first thing I’ve decide to start with is the tail section, which is in my opinion to bulky and it does not flow with the lines of the side pods. Also the rear shock absorber is almost invisible, which I think is a shame.
In the photoshop rendering you can see, what I intend to do.
I already started to cut the subframe to remove the batterybox, passenger side pegs and all the additional extending parts so it will be possible, hopefully, to swap the bulky plastic bottom of the tail with a flat aluminium sheet. I saw that someone else already made changes to swap the 1125 tail bottom with one of an XB, but I want to go all the way. It will require to swap the battery for a lithium ion one, which is almost half the size.
This will also mean that the taillight will disappear. Instead I want to add a small taillight to the number plate bracket.
I also want to cut the lower part of the fairing on both sides so part of the subframe and almost all of the rear shock will become visible. Obviously the subframe will be powder coated after tidying the welding spots a little bit.
This should further reduce the bulkiness and the tailsection will line up with the sidepods.
I’m interested to hear any comments or advise in case this modification has been done before!
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