I need the help from buell riders!!

[J don]

hey guys im 100% new to buells and i love the firebolt xb12. I am a 17 year old kid and was wondering if the xb12 is an alrihgt bike to start off on. I am 5 10 and im about 155 pounds. I have been around motorcycles all of my life I started riding when I was 5 and have raced motocross all of my life. I was just wondering if I would be okay to start off on this bike and any input would be a great help.
Thanks guys Jordan

 

[RT Performance]

thats alot of bike for your size.
but you been around bikes alot you may want to look into a 9 i can't imagen what the insurance would be

 

[ADAMLEE]

That bike has a lot of low end torque. Very easy to loop it if your throttle control isn't on par. Over all a bit touh to learn to ride due to the design of the bike but once you have it down the bike is amazing to ride. Cornering is superb!!

One thing, if your looking at this as a starter bike due to the low top end speed, be weary of the power of this bike. You can get hurt in a hury with all the low end power.

If this is your first street bike it might be a bit much, but that all depends on your character(IMO). How will you ride it, will you let the bike get the best of you, are you going to ride to live or ride it like you stole it? If your smart, have decent throttle control, good braking ability and want to live this bike will be perfect! Plus the price on these bikes are pretty good used.

My 2 cents.

 

[Stevenc150]

It's got a "steep" learning curve for newer riders. It's not smooth like the 4's are at lower RPMs, like when putting around a parking lot/gas stations/etc. And these have a short wheel base, so it takes some good counter-leaning at lower speeds to keep them balanced & upright. Having said those, I don't regret it for a second, corners with very little input. (BTW: Not much difference between the XB9 & XB12, they output about the same numbers)

But it sounds like you've got quite a bit of dirt experience. Do take an MSF rider's course if you've not done much street riding. There's a lot of difference between riding on pavement and riding on dirt. (Guys I took my class with were motocross and commenting on things we were learning constantly.)

If you do get one, gear up fully when you ride. It's easy to get that "invincible" feeling when carving corners, especially since Buells are so intuitive. They're torque monsters so you can get in trouble Fast. Take an MSF, see how you feel, then maybe test ride one if you can.

Sorry for the long post, but in the end - Is it a great starter bike? It depends, like Adam said, on your maturity. Ride safe.

 

[dave_xb12r]

All I have to say is; If I had my XB12R when I was 17, I would have died.

RIDE SAFE AND WEAR YOUR GEAR ALL THE TIME!

 

[badbumblebee]

My xb9r was my first bike and I have never rode before so its all about practice and being responsible...knowing me when I was 17 probably wasn't as responsible as I am now being 23...but my best friend started on a 12 but he was also 20...so just be careful and responsible and you should be fine.

 

[only1reds]

Okay here's what I have to say. I first learned how to ride at your age, in the summer fresh out of highschool.

I purchased a Yamaha FZR600. First day, went down on it as a relative taught me how to ride and learn the controls.

In the 31-32 days of riding a bike I went down approximately 3-4 times, from either the street, or in a parking lot learning how to ride.

And this was a 600cc with way less torque. If I were to have tried to ride my Buell (in which is only a 984cc) with all the torque that she has would not have been an easy task, and could have possibly been a disaster.

Here I am 27, I feel comfortable riding this type of torque up underneathe me. But again, we're speaking of 10 years of riding experience, and a legally licensed rider (unlike most that are your age, I too were one of them).

But your speaking to someone that "DO NOT CONDONE" motorcycles to new riders. I refuse to teach any of my friends and family how to ride, nor do I give rides on my bike.

They're just dangerous, I have a newly repaired ankle and fibula from motorcycles after almost 9 years of riding.

MY 2¢

 

[His_and_Her_Buells]

If you've been motocrossing long then I would guess that you've been on thumpers that could loop it on demand. If so you probably have learned some respect for powerful machines. If that's true you should be OK. It's all about respect and responsibility. Dress for the slide, not the ride.

 

[only1reds]

If you've been motocrossing long then I would guess that you've been on thumpers that could loop it on demand. If so you probably have learned some respect for powerful machines. If that's true you should be OK. It's all about respect and responsibility. Dress for the slide, not the ride.

Words of wisdom, truly well spoken.

 

[briarsarmor]

Okay time for my two cents. I am 18 years old and I have had my XB12R for about 5 months and absolutely love it. It is my first street bike and like you I have ridden dirt bikes all my life. Completely different story though. As long as you respect it and know your limits as well as the bikes you should have no problem. You have to be more worried about other drivers more than anything though. Be careful and let us know what you decide.

Briar

 

[only1reds]

Well there you have it from a fellow young chap. Go for it, and make sure you post up some pix while you're at it. [smirk][up]

 

[onelogue]

Hey man SAME SITUATION.

My brother and I (at the time 18 and 19) We have raced MX all over the northwest since we were real young. Both have xb12's as our first street bikes for over a year now and neither of us have gone down. If you got the experience and the respect then you will be fine. Just avoid being a show off and remember it is a Buell not a Jap bike. (Jap bikes are faster) The Buells are low maintenance too. No chain=no messy chain lube.

The torque intimidating factor is not a big deal, a bike will only go as fast as you want it to.

 

[ROJO]

If you have been on bikes then go for it. I rode plenty of ATVs and dirt bike before I bought my Xb12s. Everything is different, but you will understand/respect power if you have ridden MX bikes.
"never ride beyond you or your bikes limits" Live by that quote and you only need to wory about the other people on the road.[up]

 

[driftingswiftly]

Do it. You have a very similar story to mine. I rode dirt bikes forever and to be honest wasn't even eager to take on the street bc it is SO MUCH more boring than dirt...so when I did take my riding to the street I jumped to a 12r to make in interesting. It is a lot of power, but you know how that goes. I ride pretty aggressively and have never been down. You'll be fine, you know the game.

 

[driftingswiftly]

Oh, and by the way, I'm about a half in shorter and 5 lbs lighter than you so you are good there too...

 

[LeFox]

just wear your gear and don't go over your own limit...

follow that and you can ride anything you want...

 

[xtremelow]

I learned on a 9 and my GF did the same and neither of us had any riding experience of any type before hand.

If you have that many years behind the bars of any type of bike you begin to realize the key is the clutch. I assume you dont ride an 85 or 110 and if you have been raceing for 12 years you are capable to ride pretty much anything.

But with that said wear your gear and never forget you dont know everything, there is always something to learn. Reading up through the forum is a great way to learn some of the steps to a Buell, but nothing beats time on the road.

I say go for the 12, but I road a 12 and am glad to have the 9, I really couldnt feel the difference other than the 9 felt like it was a bit quicker in the mid range. But it was a bone stock 12 versus my 9 with a race kit.[up]

 

[marko138]

It's your FIRST bike, not your LAST. I'd advise getting something a little smaller, taking a MSF course and learnig the basics. You can always sell a smaller bike, usually for close to what you paid for it, and buy the Buell.

Start small and work your way up.

 

[only1reds]

It's your FIRST bike, not your LAST. I'd advise getting something a little smaller, taking a MSF course and learnig the basics. You can always sell a smaller bike, usually for close to what you paid for it, and buy the Buell.

Start small and work your way up.

I agree. Only thing is, by the sound of his original post.

I started riding when I was 5 and have raced motocross all of my life.

He's already been riding smaller bikes.

 

[dave_xb12r]

I had another thought. J don, I know how temping it is, but you have to resist your teenage tendencies. NO TEXTING WHILE RIDING! Don't be like this guy.




So ride safe, play it cool, where your gear, and dont text while riding and you should be good.