Help with buell questions

[EzziBob]

Hello everyone! I am new to the forum but not new to bikes.

I will take this time to introduce myself to everyone. I am a boat mechanic in the Florida Keys and travel to Orlando once or twice a month (about 350 miles one way). When I was 17 I bought a wrecked zx7r of a buddy of mine and rebuilt it. Following that I built and owned a Honda CBR600f4i, and a gsxr750. Then I sold the bikes to purchase and engagement ring. I am divorced now and want a bike again. I know I don’t want the “crotch rocket” style of bike but I am not ready for the big boy cruisers (to boring, I really enjoyed dropping low in turns). As I am at a red light contemplating what kind of bike I want to purchase a Buell pulls up beside me and it was the sexiest bike I have ever seen. I love the naked look to the bike with the fairingless front end. I have been looking at the Buell xb12ss but my concern is that I might be too big and will be uncomfortable for me. I am 6'1" 250lbs now days. Another concern I have is how the sitting posture will be. I don’t want to be slouched over to much for 350 miles while riding to Orlando. Lastly, I would like to know how parts purchasing is considering that Buell is not in production anymore. I will be doing all my maintenance and mechanical needs myself so a dealer will not be an issue for me.

Any response will be realty appreciated but would really like to hear about the riding posture and size issue from someone about my size or larger.

 

[CrazyTexan]

Welcome to the forum.

Posture...Neutral and comfortable
Size...You'd fit just fine
Parts...Gotta love the forums, ebay, and theres a few buell specific stores so parts are not hard to find at all.

 

[sprk_sprd]

Hello and welcome. Like you, I've been riding for a long time but I'm a newbie to Buells. I bought a 2005 XB12s last December and am in love with the bike. I'm sure you're going to get the same responses from everyone here. The XB12s series is fairly upright. You're not reaching for the handlebar like you would be on a sport bike, yet you're not slouching back as if on a cruiser. It's simply one of the most neutral positioned bikes you'll ride. However, while it's relatively comfortable, it's no sport-tourer (i.e. FJR, Concours, VFR, BMW K bikes, etc.) which are set up for long distance travel. I've ridden my XB12s all day and didn't have any problems. But that wasn't 350 consecutive miles from one city to the next. It was a mix of highway miles to go meet up with friends, followed by riding the twisties, followed by stopping for lunch, followed by riding the twisties some more, etc. I'm 5'11", 165 lbs for what it's worth. Again, I'm sure there are other bikes with much more comfortable ergonomics and saddles, but the Buell XB simply ain't bad!

If long distance travel is something you'll do often, you may want to consider the Buell Ulysses. It's also part of the XB series, but is more properly set up for sport-touring.

Lastly, you're justified in being concerned with parts availability. But there are two things to consider: parts can still be found, and maintenance is fairly cheap on these bikes. In fact, I was originally looking to get a Ducati Monster. While I love the looks and the sound, the high maintenance & costs required of that bike pushed me to look elsewhere (i.e. Buell). As for parts, you will find that some Harley dealers are fairly Buell-friendly, while others won't give you the time of day. But I think that goes for any dealer in general. Customer service varies a lot. That's where the internet is great. There are several sites that still carry Buell parts. One of them is http://americansportbike.com/ They still stock a ton of inventory. The first thing I did when I bought my Buell (off Craigslist, fyi) is I bought and installed all the protective parts I could find, namely frame pucks and axle sliders. In the event of a tip over or crash (hopefully nothing too serious), these bits will at least help to minimize damage. Face it, these bikes are lots of fun, but they're not ubiquitous GSXRs and CBRs which have replacement parts practically growing on trees.

You'll find a lot of very informative and friendly people here, so feel free to ask lots of questions! [up]

 

[Lesley]

Welcome to the forum. I have never thought these bikes were comfortable at all. I can't help but love riding it though.[up]

 

[user_deleted]

bob: craigslist search-tempest is your best friend though i see a few pop up in cycle trader from time to time. prices seem to have stabilized in past year and actually creeping up a bit though that may be seasonal. buy one...you won't regret it. i'm 6' and 195 lbs and my ulysses is very comfortable in stock configuration if that helps. i'm with lesley on love riding buells. tons of torque, that aggressive beefy look, pretty damn rare at least here in amish country, and parts availability will never be a problem. the dealers are required to stock most all parts thru 2020 and you can bet that if a particular part becomes obsolete and demand is sufficient that the aftermarket will step in and take care of it. just ask any Vincent owner.