New Buell owner needing advice

[Josh4291]

I just purchased a 2009 Buell Blast and have never rode a bike like it before. It almost feels alien to drive. My last bike was a 1300 GSXR. I just have a few questions that I need help with.
1. Sense the Blast does not come with a tach what speeds are best to shift at?
2. Is it me or is the Blast a very touchy bike on the throttle? Every time I went it to first and was letting off the clutch to start going it seemed like it just tried to take off like a bat out of hell instead of just gradually build up speed.
3. Where is the clutch suppose to engage at? Mine seems to be engaging at the very end of the release.

 

[jetlee]

1. Sense the Blast does not come with a tach what speeds are best to shift at?

Upper revs, after the engine smooths out.

2. Is it me or is the Blast a very touchy bike on the throttle? Every time I went it to first and was letting off the clutch to start going it seemed like it just tried to take off like a bat out of hell instead of just gradually build up speed.

We call this "torque", something you don't experience on 13krpm 4-bangers. Give it less throttle when taking off. If you think a Blast is touchy, you should try the larger XB's.

3. Where is the clutch suppose to engage at? Mine seems to be engaging at the very end of the release.

That's the stock location. If you follow the manual for adjusting the clutch, then go an extra 1/4 turn out on the adjustment screw, you can get it to grab closer to the handle.

 

[9lbHammer]

1. Sense the Blast does not come with a tach what speeds are best to shift at?

Since the blast does not have a tach you should sense the shift point.

 

[Josh4291]

Awesome thank you for the input.

And I went to practice on it some more yesterday and for some reason the only issue I am having is going from a stop to go in first. The other bikes that I rode it seemed you only had to ease on the throttle to get it going.

With the blast do you need to rev it up more just to get it to take off smoothly? it seems the best ive been able to do is rev as i engage the clutch and it seems to start sounding choppy until it starts going a little bit. Do i just need to give it more throttle on take off?

 

[jetlee]

I can get moving on my Blasts with no throttle. It's no launch and not quick enough to be used in traffic, but possible none-the-less.

Perhaps you should run some Seafoam or Lucas Upper Engine Treatment through your fuel to clean your carb a little.

 

[lawdog]

Go to a empty parking lot and practice, practice, practice. Concentrate on getting a feel of the friction zone and the use of clutch and throttle to get smooth transitions. Keep playing with it till you get rid of that choppy feel.

Honestly it is all just practice. I go to an empty lot several times a year just to practice and hone my low speed handling and clutch work skills. I can only go for about a half hour to an hour before fatigue sets in and I start making mistakes. But I laugh at the duck feet bike walkers or feet out riders. Keep your feet on the bike and work on your full lock turns, starting, and stopping. You can come to a complete stop then accelerate without using your feet. Balance and clutch control!

 

[9lbHammer]

Seafoam

[up] Only thing I run in carb'd engines. Also, I usually remove the bowl first in the event I have any sort of gel that Seafoam might breakup and move into the carb.

 

[Josh4291]

I can get moving on my Blasts with no throttle. It's no launch and not quick enough to be used in traffic, but possible none-the-less.

If I let off my clutch and try to get it to move without throttle it will shut down every time.

Go to a empty parking lot and practice, practice, practice. Concentrate on getting a feel of the friction zone and the use of clutch and throttle to get smooth transitions. Keep playing with it till you get rid of that choppy feel.

Honestly it is all just practice. I go to an empty lot several times a year just to practice and hone my low speed handling and clutch work skills. I can only go for about a half hour to an hour before fatigue sets in and I start making mistakes. But I laugh at the duck feet bike walkers or feet out riders. Keep your feet on the bike and work on your full lock turns, starting, and stopping. You can come to a complete stop then accelerate without using your feet. Balance and clutch control!

That's what I started doing to try to get a feel for it and I thought it was Rider Error and not the bike. I am going to a parking lot that's empty almost every day to practice. And I'll start searching for that sweet spot where there is no choppy feel.

 

[lawdog]

Also is the engine running good? Good plugs, smooth idle, etc. If the bike is running a bit rough then you may be fighting that off idle transition which could be throwing you off. It wants to stall or miss so you give it throttle then try to match clutch and get jerky. Do a quick plug swap. Can't hurt.

 

[Josh4291]

Also is the engine running good? Good plugs, smooth idle, etc. If the bike is running a bit rough then you may be fighting that off idle transition which could be throwing you off. It wants to stall or miss so you give it throttle then try to match clutch and get jerky. Do a quick plug swap. Can't hurt.

Yeah the engine feels like it is running great idle seems to be fine the bike shakes like crazy from a cold start but from what I read that is natural and once it drops down to idle it smooth.

I can do a quick plug swap though.

The only other thing is i am not sure about but the exhaust smells rather rich. it almost smells as if the bike is running race fuel. Is that anything to be worried about?