Considering XB9's or 12's

[2XBOR1125]

Howdy from South East USA. My current bike is 1997 TL1000S with around 60K on it. been a great bike but its time to move on. I'm not afraid to turn a wrench on the bike. I ride in the twistees of Western North Carolina not too concerned about top end speed. Seriously considering the XB9's or 12's all my riding buddy's throw out the usual demeaning comments abouth the buells. But I have always disagreed. These folks are riding Duc's and Aprilia's and alway's tooting their horns about how great their bikes are.

Thought I'd go to the Buell Source and get your comments about the XB's

Questions:
Which years have the better build quality and performance?
Long Term opinions, Satisfaction / Non Satisfaction of ownership?
What kind of miles are you getting before any major maintenance?


Looking forward to your opinions?
Thanks

 

[turboraven]

If you're a v-twin fan and love the torque and grunt, XB12 is the ticket for you.

Ideally you want a 08+ XB12s.

I went from a Vtwin cruiser to a TLR to a Busa to a Turbo R1. The buell is hands down he funnest bike I have ever ridden.

Only thing to keep an eye on other than routine maintenance such as tires/belt/oil etc is to replace the rear wheel bearings every 15K or so. There was a thread awhile back with guys in the 90K miles on their XB's. They last as long as you take care of them.

 

[06xbss]

I have a 2006 XB12Ss, 35k and counting.

Other then routine maintenance..... Repaired fuel pump wires at ~15k and replaced front wheel bearings at ~28k.

I'll never get rid of my XB

 

[Gloomshadow]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVnIfzBX6nk

My video review of the Buell XB

 

[anrkizm95]

Which years have the better build quality and performance?

08+ has larger oil cooler,updated oil pump drive and larger crank pin,8 piston front caliper

Long Term opinions, Satisfaction / Non Satisfaction of ownership?

best and funnest in town/city bike ive ridden

What kind of miles are you getting before any major maintenance?

busted header stud,oil line failed,wheel bearings at around 15k. i have 24k on it now

ive had to many bikes to list and usally get rid of them around 20k but the buell will stay in my stable forever.
the down side is they are rough a little temperamental,they could use a 6th gear,most other riders look down on them and when getting gas you could be stuck there for an hour talking about your bike with someone.
there is just something about these bikes and if your one of the few that fall in love with them you will always have 1 or 2 or 3 of them.
good luck and welcome to the forum

 

[Cooter]

Sounds like your list of wants is exactly what the Buell's deliver.
VERY low cost to buy and maintain, great around town and in the twisties.
My '04 XB12Ss was so much fun, I bought an '05S '06Ss, '07R, and I'm looking for a CR......
They ranged between 5000 miles and 60k!
IMO they are more fun than bike two or three times the cost. The only people who hate them, have never ridden one and are regurgitating what their "forum buddies" say.
Maintenance is very straightforward if you have any mechanical ability. Nothing is really quirky with these bikes, and they're dead simple to work on. Keep up on batteries (2 years), belts (20K), and wheel bearings (20k).
Stay away from the '03 models, there were many upgrades in '04. '08+ has the Thunderstorm engine, I'm not sure of the differences internally, but people with them love to brag about them But I've never heard of a design problem with the other engine.
Or if you like to spend lots of $$ at the dealer or for specialty tools, Get a Monster, they are super fun too! But you'll need to budget even more $$ for the Ducati helmet, shirt, pants, boots, sticker for your car, bandanna, underwear, lanyard....

 

[08herobolt]

You'll love a Buell. I have a '08 firebolt XB12R. I've ridin/had many, many bikes. As said above, these bikes are a helluva lot of fun. Just pick the one (body style) that you look at and say, "That's it". I suggest '08+ also. The best part about these bikes though, is the family. Most everyone on this site or in/near your town would drop everything to help a fellow Bueller.
Way too many great things to say in a simple post. Much better discussion over a pint or two.

 

[go cytocis]

If you're coming off a TL, I'd give the 9 a miss, and look for an '08+ 12.
You're still going to find that you're down on power from the TL, but you'll find the handling better on the XB.