Introduction

[cb200t]

Hello everyone! I purchased my first Buell today! It's a 2006 XB12X in orange. It has nearly 13,000 miles on it and seems to run well.

The previous owners lowered it about an inch, which I would like to reverse to stock height as I'm 6'00" with long legs. The bike came with the Buell low saddle, stock saddle, and a Corbin Gunfighter saddle which is what I'm using presently.

First order of business is to change the engine oil, primary oil, air filter, and repair the Interactive Exhaust module. I found a great write-up on here on replacing the stock unit with a Dorman unit. I would like to keep the bike as stock as possible, other than to re-spring it to my weight.

Cheers,

Alex from Ohio.

 

[Tollywood]

Hello everyone! I purchased my first Buell today! It's a 2006 XB12X in orange. It has nearly 13,000 miles on it and seems to run well.

The previous owners lowered it about an inch, which I would like to reverse to stock height as I'm 6'00" with long legs. The bike came with the Buell low saddle, stock saddle, and a Corbin Gunfighter saddle which is what I'm using presently.

First order of business is to change the engine oil, primary oil, air filter, and repair the Interactive Exhaust module. I found a great write-up on here on replacing the stock unit with a Dorman unit. I would like to keep the bike as stock as possible, other than to re-spring it to my weight.

Cheers,

Alex from Ohio.

Hey Alex! Congrats on the new Buell. I’m also a recent Buell owner; the same model as yours. Good luck!

Bryan

 

[c3powil]

Hi there. I used to own a CB200T. Fun little bike. Of course the one I owned was 40 years old and probably still had the original tires on it. Wasn't so fun when I started sliding around on the highway.

You shouldn't have to re-spring it. The Buell suspension is fully adjustable. Do you have an owners manual or shop manual? They can be found relatively easily online, if not.

 

[Starman]

Hi Alex, welcome I"m a relatively new 06 XB12X owner myself! This forum has a wealth of information all you have to do is look. I highly recommend getting a service manual also. They are really fun bikes i can't stop riding it, almost 3000 miles around the neighborhood so far this season!

 

[cb200t]

Hi there. I used to own a CB200T. Fun little bike. Of course the one I owned was 40 years old and probably still had the original tires on it. Wasn't so fun when I started sliding around on the highway.

You shouldn't have to re-spring it. The Buell suspension is fully adjustable. Do you have an owners manual or shop manual? They can be found relatively easily online, if not.

I downloaded the shop manual from buellmods.com. Is it worth purchasing one?

I bought my CB200T as a basket case and restored it. It was a very fun bike, and was my gateway to motorcycling. I really enjoyed it. My most recent bike was an r1150GSA that I went through. That needed a fair bit of work, but we got there in the end.

As for re-springing it, I need to remove the lowering kit anyway, and I don't have the stock springs any longer, so I figured I'd just buy the correct RaceTech springs for the front and rear. I may also send the rear shock out to be refreshed with new oil as it's obviously quite old.

 

[Barrett]

Alex: Your info and answers below.

1-If you downloaded the correct year and model service manual from Buellmods, then no need to purchase factory issue. If you insist on factory issue SM, several decent choices on Ebay in the $50 range.
2-Link below is all the accurate and no BS info you need to trouble-shoot and replace the IEV actuator unit. See my name.
3-Allow the swingarm drain plug and primary cover drain plug to drain out at least ONE HOUR first time you personally service this Ulysses. REPLACE O-ring on both plugs. Don't chance it. Same as XL-XR models and dealer available anywhere. Snug up both drain plugs smartly. NO NEED TO TORQUE. SM torque ratings are incorrect for same.
4-Oil filter crosses over 2007-2016 Toyota Yaris with 1.5L engine. Use either Wix...Mahle...K&N...HiFlo. Most others crap.
Engine full drain and filter change--------2.5 QUARTS 20W50
Primary/trans full drain--------------------1 QUART 20W50 or suitable---MUST BE JASO-MA OR MA2 RATED
5-Service both front & rear brake systems. New owners never do. Replenish with DOT-4 ONLY. Nice simple evening project with plenty of Youtube vids for assistance. You're simply looking to clean everything nicely and clear out all old brake fluid and replenish with new.


Leave this thing stock for now and establish a baseline. You will have FC-21 stored in ECM. Clear it out once IEV system restored to proper function. Resign yourself to the fact that eventually your fuel pump will need servicing. They are now failing at alarming rates.
Enjoy your new Ulysses

https://www.buellxb.com/forum/showthread.php?57516-Check-engine-light&p=635973#post635973

 

[Starman]

Another tidbit of information for you is that it's a good idea to use a low strength thread sealant on everything you take apart that doesn't require anything stronger. I use Loctite 565.

 

[Pushr0d]

+1 on Barrett #4 - DO NOT overtorque the oil drain (swingarm) drain plug!

 

[cb200t]

Alex: Your info and answers below.

1-If you downloaded the correct year and model service manual from Buellmods, then no need to purchase factory issue. If you insist on factory issue SM, several decent choices on Ebay in the $50 range.
2-Link below is all the accurate and no BS info you need to trouble-shoot and replace the IEV actuator unit. See my name.
3-Allow the swingarm drain plug and primary cover drain plug to drain out at least ONE HOUR first time you personally service this Ulysses. REPLACE O-ring on both plugs. Don't chance it. Same as XL-XR models and dealer available anywhere. Snug up both drain plugs smartly. NO NEED TO TORQUE. SM torque ratings are incorrect for same.
4-Oil filter crosses over 2007-2016 Toyota Yaris with 1.5L engine. Use either Wix...Mahle...K&N...HiFlo. Most others crap.
Engine full drain and filter change--------2.5 QUARTS 20W50
Primary/trans full drain--------------------1 QUART 20W50 or suitable---MUST BE JASO-MA OR MA2 RATED
5-Service both front & rear brake systems. New owners never do. Replenish with DOT-4 ONLY. Nice simple evening project with plenty of Youtube vids for assistance. You're simply looking to clean everything nicely and clear out all old brake fluid and replenish with new.


Leave this thing stock for now and establish a baseline. You will have FC-21 stored in ECM. Clear it out once IEV system restored to proper function. Resign yourself to the fact that eventually your fuel pump will need servicing. They are now failing at alarming rates.
Enjoy your new Ulysses

https://www.buellxb.com/forum/showthread.php?57516-Check-engine-light&p=635973#post635973

Thank you for the very detailed posting. I did as you suggested and let the primary oil and engine oil drain for a couple of hours after I had warmed the bike up. That tip about the oil filter was great. My local auto parts store carries the K&N filters. I typically make a habit of changing the brake fluid, on any new to me bike, and every 2 years anyway. I don't know that it had ever been done on this bike. There was a pretty good coating of orange slime in the master cylinder on the front, and on the rear.

I tend to not bother with torque specs on things like drain plugs. They always seem to be too tight and just don't "feel right".

I think I'll return the bike to factory ride height over the winter with a HyperPro kit from epmperformance.com. They said they service the shock, so I'll just send that out to them to install the new spring. I can do the forks myself.

Yesterday rolled the first 100 miles on the bike since buying it on Wednesday. I'm very happy with it overall. The front brake has a pulsation to it under braking at any speed. It's also due for brake pads. Only about 1/8" on the current pads which I believe are the original Nissin pads.

Is there a good replacement for the turn signals? I have a mismatched set of incandescent rears, and LED fronts. The PO dropped the bike and broke one of the front turn signals and put some cheap LED turn signals on. Now they're mismatched, and blink quickly. I'd like to either return to stock, or finds some nice looking LED units and an appropriate resistor or relay for LED to slow the blinking down.

Anyway, thank you everyone for the advice. I really appreciate it.

 

[cb200t]

Also, what is the best ECM interface for zeroing the throttle body?

 

[Barrett]

My pleasure Alex. I possess minimal ECM skills...virtually 0 tuning skills...hillbilly computer skills. I use ECMspy for things like synching the TPS to the ECM(your reference to zeroing the throttle body) and reading/clearing fault codes.
Never installed aftermarket signals so have nothing to recommend. Stock signals always seemed to work great. 2009-2010 direct interchange and have the sexy diamond-shaped body and lense. Tons of new and used signals on Ebay. Match yours up.

 

[cb200t]

My pleasure Alex. I possess minimal ECM skills...virtually 0 tuning skills...hillbilly computer skills. I use ECMspy for things like synching the TPS to the ECM(your reference to zeroing the throttle body) and reading/clearing fault codes.
Never installed aftermarket signals so have nothing to recommend. Stock signals always seemed to work great. 2009-2010 direct interchange and have the sexy diamond-shaped body and lense. Tons of new and used signals on Ebay. Match yours up.

Thanks again for the info. Looks like Rev-Mo has a bluetooth dongle that interfaces with ECMSpy. Seems like a good way to go. I'll start looking for new turn signals. Cheers!

 

[cb200t]

Did some work on the bike. My AFV was around 123%. I replaced the fuel pump assembly, intake seals, spark plugs, and wires. I also found that at some point a battery had leaked and corroded the battery tray, so I painted it with POR-15.

I have also changed the front rotor for a BraKing rotor I found on eBay, and replaced the pads. I also flushed both front and rear brakes thoroughly as they were filthy.

I put in a K&N air filter as it was due for a change anyway.

Lastly, I bought the Ford Ranger intake actuator and fitted the cable pull to it.

I ordered the comfort kit which should arrive today.

Last piece of the puzzle was to upload the Race Map for Stock Exhaust from Rev-Mo.

The aftermarket support has been wonderful. The folks at Rev-Mo have been fantastic with their advice, prompt shipping, and support for the bikes. Couldn't be happier all around.

 

[cb200t]

I guess I'm just maintaining this as a page to list the work I've completed on my Uly. I didn't like the fuel map I got from Rev-Mo. It feels like the bike is running way, way too rich. Coughing through the intake, slow acceleration off the stop, and hesitation at lower RPM. I reinstalled the stock map, and am going to send the ECM out to IDS for the appropriate aftermarket map to be installed. They did recommend I plug the extra holes in the intake that a previous owner had drilled. Apparently this can also cause problems.

I also repaired the exhaust valve actuator and reactivated it using the Buelltooth. Love the sound when I honk on the throttle!

Here's how I plugged the holes in the intake:
I bought a piece of Kydex as it is obviously mold-able with heat. To make the template, I laid strips of 1.5" wide painters tape on the air box to get the compound curve. I marked the outline of the box with pencil, then peeled the tape template up, and put it on a piece of paper so I could cut it out. I then transferred that flat shape onto the Kydex sheet and cut it out. Sanded the sharp corners off with the disc sander.

I formed the Kydex to the shape of the air box by heating it up and pressing/holding it against the airbox until it was cool enough to take the shape.

Next, I sanded the air box and the Kydex with 120 grit, and mixed up some JB Weld plastic epoxy. I wiped the airbox and the Kydex off with some acetone, and spread the glue evenly onto the Kydex and clamped it onto the air box.

Seems to be a good repair, and will hopefully have accomplished the goal.