im a newbie with some thought on my XB9R

[adventurerXB9R]

i am thinking of upgrading my 2003 XB9R Firebolt with a few things here and there but not completely sure what i should do about the parts becoming more and more scarce. as an owner of my first motorcycle i am interested in keeping this for the rest of my life, which i admit sounds lofty but its more of a pride thing. with that said i am also a student so living moderately at the moment is something i try to maintain. \

about the bike: 2003 XB9R with 11,000 miles on it. performing a rocker box seal replacement on the engine....both ends. and replacing the grips.

what i want to do with it: 1. replace the exhaust and bring out that true beast sound without being too loud. 2. i would like to clean up the rear lights with LED's, nothing that blinks but is classy. 3. powder coat the rims (possibly) since i live in florida and corrosion is a big thing so i am totally unsure about protecting them. 4. replacing sprockets to give me better top end and better fuel efficiency since i take trips of 250 miles at least 4 times a month. 5. change the fairings to black or my preference dark gray. 6. change out the ecm so it can handle better headlights. i think the headlights on the firebolt are incredibly dull and dont go very far plus it makes the bike look like a 90's thing.

all of these things go in order of my preference of doing them realizing that this is about $1,500 worth of work and equipment, i do take into account that i bought the bike for $3,200

like i said im a newbie and i have been hunting down odds and ends parts for the past year of having it and maintaining the bike well. with these new costs of improving the bike and the degree of locating parts should i keep going or go with an easier to handle bike? i want to stay american and within a reasonable budget as i will still have 1 year of college and 2 more years of chiropractic school. im faced with a challenge right now of improving the bike and keeping it for another 3 or 4 years or getting something else in a year with no changes. thoughts and suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[thrstrmech]

you're off to a good start by joining the forum...welcome...keep an eye out for parts through the parts for sale thread, they'll also pop up in other areas

evilbay can be a great source for parts...pinwall cycles, Buellstersparts, surdyke, LSHD1, new castle harley davidson, kutter harley davidson, Latus harley davidson, Buellparts.net, ASB, twin motorcycles, google search by part number can give lots of results for parts too

also there are several members on the forum that can help with acquiring parts...just list what you're looking for and someone will either chime in or pm you, good luck and again welcome to the forum

 

[d_adams]

Here's the fix for #1 on your list.

 

[Lesley]

Greetings and welcome.
I have no input because its early in Tulsa and I am not awake yet.

 

[FlaXB9R]

Where are you in Florida?

 

[iman501]

The ECM shouldn't effect your headlights, you just need some hid's a company called ddm tuning makes a good cheap kit that many of us use.

And do you have a chain set up on your bike, or is it still belt? If belt i was under the impression that there really aren't many options to change out the sprockets to change gearing.

Before you paint your plastics see If anybody has a color you want for trade.

 

[RamAirZ]

Drummer has great exhaust systems, also look for a Buell Race Pipe (not made anymore and no I won't sell mine lol) or Jardine makes a pipe too. Like mentioned the ecm doesn't need to be changed for headlights but you might want to do a race map if you plan on running the exhaust and a K&N etc. And xblights.com has the LED taillight your looking for. Where in Florida are you? I've lived here most of my life and never had corrosion problems on any of my wheels (Kissimmee/Pensacola/Panama City). What kind of mileage are you getting now? I avg bvetween 45-55 depending on how I drive it, are you looking for more than that? As mentioned if it's still belt drive then you can't really do the sprocket thing but you could do a chain conversion or swap in the XB12 trans gears, will lower your cruise rpm but most guys that have done it haven't seen a large enough increase in MPG to have made it worth it just for that reason. What color is your bike now? The black or dark grey sounds like a good choice! Enjoy your Buell, they are so much fun!

 

[Gloomshadow]

leave it belt-drive.. you already got the best set-up you can get. Belts last a long time and are lighter and cheaper than chains anyway. Ive see used low-milage Buell XB9 belts for 30 bucks on ebay before. You also cant gain enough gas milage over what you already have without turning you bike into a total dog. 45-50mpg is exellent gas economy. Put a race ecm, a carbon jardine exhaust and do your airbox mods... bypass your breathers. Thats about all you need to do. LEDs are out there, brighter lightbulb elements are out there for your projectors. A race battery can save you 9lbs...thats about it. Dont paint your plastics, just buy used ones in the color you want then sell your old ones off on ebay, or trade them here.
All XBs are close to about the best they can be, once its "race modified" thats about it, all you can do is reduce a few more lbs with carbon fiber but thats big money. The best mod you can do is to put really good tires on it.

 

[old thug]

For your lights check out this site: http://www.buellxb.com/Buell-XB-Foru...s-On-w-Hi-Beam

 

[turbo357]

performing a rocker box seal replacement on the engine....both ends

Can someone help me out with this? Is there a how to thread or video on this and also what to look for indicating that this is needed. Like leaking or whatever. Pics would be great. Thanks.

 

[user_deleted]

turbo: you'll know it if they leak. you'll see oily residue on the cylinder cooling fins, oil around the rear fan mounting area, and if bad enough you'll smell it when you get heat in the motor. the rear seems to be the rocker box area most prone to leaking....heat related. engine has to be rotated forward to do it. i have the link and instructions if you need it. a relatively easy gearing swap is to install a used 12 primary drive assembly in place of the stock 9. the trade-off is less rpms at any given speed for less acceleration but many have done it. Randy Hawkins muffler sounds great for the price but tons of alternatives.

Lesley.......no input on this??????? LOL