new to buell and have questions...

[leethestud]

Hey dudes and dudettes,

I recently traded a friend my 99 monster 750 for his '05 buell xb9sx (the city cross model). Anyhow, I really dig the buell, but some things are just driving me nuts... is this a buell thing, or just something to fix on mine?

1. The bike had been sitting for a couple of months. It wants to backfire / bog down from the idle to the initial twist. Get it up over say, 2k, and rev all day. Are the injectors clogged? I have since ran through a tank of premium and added 1/2 bottle of injector cleaner (STP). Has helped, but I still get it now and then.

2. Neuteral... when i first got it home I would joke that buell's don't have neuteral gear to save weight. Now, that joke is getting old and I am worried about wearing out my clutch at stop lights. I can find N about 1/6th the time. Usually it gets harder to find as the bike heats up. Any suggestions there?

3. Speedo, always swipes when I fire her up, but about 1/3 of the time it doesn't decide to work. I took the whole front end apart and found no loose connections...

4. Brakes... I hardly have any stopping power in the rear. I can never judge how it should be as you can lock them up at 20mph on my R6 but the ducati barely had a rear brake. Should this work like a harley brake (can stop bike) or a sport / track bike brake (can only slow about 20% of mass)? Front brake... when I pull hard i get soft and hard spots making the bike stop very awkwardly. is this a function of the giant inside out rotor? Is mine just bent?

I'll upload a pic if I can figure out this website. Thanks!!

 

[captain chaos]

I'll try to answer them in order here.

1)Somewhat normal Buell/Harley behavior. The narrow bank angle and uneven firing order of a Harley engine are not really conducive to a snappy off idle rev. If it’s real severe it could indicate a problem but some is pretty normal. A lot of it can be “tuned out” with ECMspy, if you know what you’re doing but it’s nearly impossible to eliminate it entirely.

2)Normal “problem”, also a result of the Harley roots. Check the primary chain tension and primary oil level (the service manual is available on this site). Set it according to spec. Getting either of these wrong will create a CRAPPY shifting trans and an elusive neutral.

3)Not normal. Could be a bad gauge cluster or possible a faulty speed sensor. Buells are somewhat know for questionable grounds so go through and check/clean the ones you can find as they can cause all sorts of strange electrical problems.

4)The rear brake is kinda vague on these bikes. A different pad compound may help but you just kinda have to get used to it.
The front: the stock brake pads had a tendency to “glaze” causing the problem you describe. Change the pads and maybe try to scrub the rotor clean with some sandpaper.

Buells are a different kind of animal and take a little getting used to. They are a love it/hate it kind of bike because of this. There's no denying that they have more character than a whole room full of brand "x"'s though.

 

[WIGGLE2]

I second Captains reply! Not positive, but I think having someone do a TPS reset MIGHT help problem #1. These things won't be as responsive down low like your Monster, but they're not terrible either. Neutral shouldn't be as tough as you describe either...Captain is right on about lube levels and primary chain tension....DO NOT make chain TOO tight!! My XB9SX had the front brake issue too...stock pads do smear the rotor....put some good EBC's on there (or ANY good pad....I just like the EBC's!). It's the carbon based pads that seem to smear. I had glass-beaded my rotor when I put the EBC's on and its great now. Like Buell said.... "Different In Every Sense"!! And THAT'S why I love the brand!

 

[Mark XB12r]

My rear brake has never been vague, I have so much confidence in it I use it trail braking into corners all the time. I have since it was new, never has it been quirky or unreliable. Very confident in my opinion.
As far as the off idle acceleration problem I cant help much since i have never rode a 9 but it sounds like some ECMspy tune up will cure that.
The only problem I have ever had with the shifting is how clunky it is, specially 1 to 2, but never a missing net prob. The previouse advise is probly spot on.
The front brake is probly just glazed and continued riding like that will just ruin your rotor. take some sand paper to it and scuff it up and go for a short ride; see if this cures it, if not then I think it may be time for a new rotor. Welcome to the club!

Also Im pretty sure you must run 92 oct or above all the time, if you run the lower octane it may start to ping on you. That pinging is called pre detonation, or just detonation depending on who you talk to, but either way its not good for the motor

 

[anrkizm95]

the only thing i would add is try a tps reset,breather reroute for number 1

try swiching to amsoil in the primary for 2

replace brake pads with some ebc-hh pads

 

[Oldgit]

I agree with the TPS reset. I cocked my TPS up yesterday and it ran like a dog, dipping on a little throttle and stalling. Redoing the TPS put it back as it should be, ie you can gradually slowly increase throttle and the engine keeps up with you.

I also agree that AMSoil is great for reducing "pinging" from the engine.

All advice above is valid and worthy

 

[Headbarcode]

Have you checked the throttle bodies for carbon build-up? Also, was the breather re-route mod done? Lots of guys have had great results after doing them, as far as crisper idle and initial acceleration.

It definitely sounds like either a bent rotor or the rotor monting hardware needs replacing. The stock hardware is a "floating" type with small compression springs under each bolt and ebr has an upgraded kit that omits the springs and a slightly thicker rotor because they are known for warping from the friction heat.

As said above, proper and clean oil level and primary chain tension go a long way towards smoother shifting and reliable neutral. If that doesn't solve the neutral issue, then is it only hard to find when at a dead stop but not when you're still rolling? Just wondering because my brothers bike does that due to slightly warped clutch plates that won't allow for full dis-engage. Wet clutches never dis-engage 100% like dry clutches, so all it takes is a slight warpage to screw the pooch.

Best of luck