I did it

[Jatich]

Went for a Harley street bob, talked with the rep about riding style etc... and signed for a XB12XT. Wen't home, googled and yes, I think I did the right thing. Should have the bike this Friday.
One strange thing comes up after reading reviews and fora; I read all positive about the XT (was not looking for other Buells), how can this big HD company let go this very special brand that is in a way made for people that are not different than Harley Davidson owners (with an other focus on motorcycling off-course), with this deep kind of loyalty that is under the skin. I don't know but I think it is a big mistake.

 

[konarider94]

good decision on your bike and welcome to the forum. and you have no idea how many posts are related to people now hating HD

 

[Jatich]

Thanks, you know I sold my last bike one year ago and thought I had it with bikes, getting a little bit older, getting a bit scared (thinking about my 3 wonderful kids), but just can't miss it. So I was thinking, way not an easy bike, a HD. It's cool and it's safe. I don't know what I was thinking

 

[Stevenc150]

Welcome to the Forum and looking forward to the Pics. [up]

 

[acepilot79]

Welcome to the awesomness, and pics are a must[up]

 

[BuddhaBuell]

Welcome to the Buell family, we are glad your here [up]

 

[Jatich]

Buell was new to me before I went the the Harley Dealer, I knew the brand off course but nothing more than that. I've test ridden my own new XT (waiting for the papers) and what a fantastic ride it was.
I spend some time reading about HD decision to kill buell. As a manufacturer myself I can only see one huge mistake. HD V-twin's are aimed at a niche market. What HD need are other lucrative markets. With Buell they had one foot in it. What HD should have done is pumping a lot of cash in the Buell company (but now HD personal!) instead of dumping it.

 

[Sidewinder]

I rode my Dad's Harley Fatboy home from winter storage (local Harley dealer) for him and I gotta say I find my Buell much more comfortable.

When sitting on the Harley your back is straight up and down and whatever isn't absorbed by the plush suspension goes directly up your spine.

When I'm on the Buell it either goes up my arms or hits me in the ass and stops.

Congrats on the new bike, I bet you made the right choice. Enjoy it!

 

[Jatich]

I just picked up my brand new XB12XT '09 and had a one hour ride back to work. To early for a thorough judgment on the bike, however here are my first observations:
+ Wonderful handling in tight and fast turns.
+ Easy maneuverability at parking lot speeds.
+ Comfortable riding position (although I need to get use to it coming from a Honda VFR).
- My right hand was asleep after about 15 minutes
- Notwithstanding the dealer installed the comfort kit the heat on my right leg was very high.
- The engine faltered regularly under 2500 rev and sometimes it seemed like the engine would shut down approaching a stop sign.

The engine needs to break in of course, or is this typical for this V-twin and should I consider the breather mod?

 

[fwkapaun]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Buell! The crank case breather modification is a must. Your observations are about right, got my Buell in November of last year during the HD fire sales. Haven't had any problems after the initial break in and the breather modification. Now have almost 2000 miles on the bike, and love it. It will cook your thighs and my hand falls asleep too. Stay safe and keep the rubber side down.

 

[smith2307]

congrats on the purchase. i bought my 09 XB12Ss last october right when they started blowing them out. the dealership is a 100 miles away from my house so my dad came down with me to drive my truck back. he ended up buying and riding his 09 XB12XT home while i got stuck loading mine in my truck and driving home. he wasn't even planning to buy one. welcome to the addiction

 

[Jatich]

A little more kilometers. The right hand issue is gone. The engine is much smoother. I will have some mods done in the coming months and I think that will bring this bike close to perfect.
I would like to add a positive note on my first observation: this bike is really amazing with two up. It's almost like there is nobody but you on the bike. I have never experienced that with other bikes. Really great. Looking forward to the long weekend trips coming up. The twisty roads will be way more fun than before and no more frustrations not to be solo.

 

[Tig71l]

I found this forum while I was looking to upgrade my second Buell purchase. I bought a slightly used (1700 miles) 2003 Lightning in 2006. I thought that I was riding it a lot with 14000 miles in 3 years. in 2009 I sold it to buy a 2006 Ulysses w/2400 miles on it. I have now put 5000 miles on it this year. If I wouldn't have screwed up my knee this summer, it would have been more

My big selling point is that with almost 2 miles of gravel to ride the Buell's handle the gravel with ease. I really have to be careful with the Ulysses because I am on a good day reaching 45 & 50 miles per hour.

 

[sprinklerdude]

Welcome Dude wish I had bags for road trips for my x saddlebags and backpacks sucks

 

[bbletterin]

Welome to Buell world. You will find you are amoung a small number of bikers. People will often ask about your Buell (they do me) not many people seem to know of them even though Harley was the parent company. Says something about their advertizing budget. I have enjoyed my 09 XT, and enjoy people looking tring to figure what kind of bike it is. Twistedthrotal.com sells a throtal lock/cruise that fits buell,will help on the tingly rt hand. Many wish Harley would have thought out their decisions alot more,Buell could have been a continued asset to the Harley company.

 

[BRatigan]

Welcome, you can overcome the heat issues with the comfort kit and some application of other heat reflective materials under the seat and at the airbox frame seam. I have zero heat issuea from my Uly. Best bike ever.

BR

 

[FLHP]

I'm a long time Harley rider, but wanted something different, for different riding. I had been looking at the Ulysses for a long time along with the GS line of BMW. BMW is just too high priced to a second bike, or at least for me to justify it.

The only thing Harley had close was the XR1200. Still quite a bit of cash, but I liked the feel. I'm 6'2", so the Ulysses is great. The XR, a little shorter, and missing about 30 (being kind) horsepower. No way it will pull the front wheel up like the Buell.