New (to me) Blue XB9SX in San Francisco

[Endopotential]

Hi folks,

Just wanted to say hi. My name is David, and I'm the happy owner of a 2009 XB9 with 21,000 miles. Pics soon.
I was really hoping to find one with the black frame and forks, so lucky to come across this one. Looks and runs OK, just some minor cosmetic issues with the plastics.

I'll plan on doing the usual basic maintenance - oil change, air filter, spark plugs. New tires and battery were already done by the Marin Speed Shop. Brake pads look OK.
I'll plan on adding the right side scoop and breather mod. Probably wheel bearings too.

So wondering for the bigger things, what is recommended vs really necessary? I saw all the stuff on the supposed maintenance schedule.
Thanks to Buellmods, I do have the full manual.

- Forks: feel fine, no leaks. Do I need to change fork oil? Just rebuild with new seals? Are new bearings needed?
- Belt drive: looks OK, no frays or damage. Just keep an eye on it till it looks worn, or replace pre-emptively?
- Belt tensioner: is there a recommended test for the stock one, or just replace at certain mileage? is it the group consensus that the Free Spirits one is cool looking, but also prone to breakdown?

Thanks in advance!

 

[TPEHAK]

You have to maintain fork each 10000 miles. You don't need to replace the fork parts if they look good.

 

[Cooter]

Stick to the maintenance schedule and you'll be fine. The belt should last the life of the bike, but no harm in changing it.

IMO the Free Spirits tensioner isn't worth the trouble, read up on the issues.... The bearings are really easy to swap on the stock one if you ever want to.
FWIW, I change the wheel bearings every time I change tires. It's significantly more often that the schedule, but considering when they go it's catastrophic, it's well worth the cheap insurance.
I would re-build the forks at that mileage. Change the seals and the oil, I doubt the sliders need changing but you'll know when you see them.

NGK Iridium spark plugs work very well in Buells and last a long time.

Check out Buellmods.com or Buelltooth.com for a free .pdf download of the service manual if you don't have one. Getting a bluetooth dongle is a good idea to communicate with the ECM for diagnosis and tweaking if you are so inclined

Congrats on the new toy!:up:

 

[user_deleted]

david: belts last 100K miles in many instances. leave it alone. see below.
1-NGK DCPR9EIX the plug of choice for all XB models. tiny dab of anti-seize on threads recommended. gap to spec
2-draining and refreshing the showa cartridge fork oil excellent idea. 10wt. top-shelf oil with "seal swell" additive wonderful if you can source it. tons of threads on here and tube videos on how to drain and fill.
3-wheel bearings changed/serviced as with any other cycle application cast aluminum wheel. CAREFULLY check the hub spacer for wear/nicks/damage. if out of spec replace it
4-belt tensioner is 2 bearing model. simply spin it by hand when belt is loose and it should spin freely. if it does NOT or feels notchy remove it and replace the 2 bearings. held to case by pair of 9/16th inch hex nuts atop large flat washer. blue loc-tite when reinstalling.
5-lastly....ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY remove/flush/replace front and rear brake fluids. use dot-4. no special equipment needed...simple to do by hand with a few tools, catch-bottle, piece of clear 1/8th inch ID tubing....works miracles. can guarantee you it's never been done and sorely needed. neglected badly by most all owners/riders. and while you're attending to the brakes "think about" replacing the pads with EBC HH front and rear. vastly improves braking quality and lever feel.

 

[Silverrider]

Welcome to the board !! Sounds like a good bike to have fun with ! I am guessing Blue ?

 

[Endopotential]

Hi guys, thanks for the pointers. Duly noted.

Silverrider, yup superhero blue. I think Buell was about 20 years late on their Tron-esque styling.

What's the latest favorite place for parts online? Many links have gone bust, and LSHD makes you fill in a request form?
Was hoping to send you business John, but can't seem to find Buell parts on the MidAtlantic site? I'm looking for the right side scoop and maybe some lowered foot pegs.

 

[user_deleted]

Hi guys, thanks for the pointers. Duly noted.

Silverrider, yup superhero blue. I think Buell was about 20 years late on their Tron-esque styling.

What's the latest favorite place for parts online? Many links have gone bust, and LSHD makes you fill in a request form?
Was hoping to send you business John, but can't seem to find Buell parts on the MidAtlantic site? I'm looking for the right side scoop and maybe some lowered foot pegs.

new castle H-D is great as is Surdyke. both online and both buell friendly. makes it much easier when ordering if you already have the part # for what you want. i don't have any buell parts listed @ midatlanticcycle.com but keep a fair amount of stuff in stock like all the perishables. if you need pads...rotors...etc...i keep in stock.

 

[Silverrider]

Check with John first then go here. Lance Kugler @ https://www.stpaulhd.com/ is a great guy for parts. https://www.ebay.com/sch/651lance/m...3xJVVNfE&vxp=mtr&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

 

[Endopotential]

Got in my first good ride today. Gotta love California along the coast in the winter time!

For comparison, I have a Triumph Daytona and a Suzuki GS500 that I turned into a cafe racer. I always liked the bug-eyed look
Things I noticed about the Buell:

- lovely torque, the power delivery was fairly smooth, didn't howl quite as crazily as the Daytona
- that front brake is amazing. Every bike should have a ZTL!
- for a stock suspension, it was surprisingly confidence inspiring. I dialed it in for my 155lb weight and pretty much better than the other 2 bikes

- upright seating position is much more comfortable than my other 2 bikes, but 65mph+ winds are harder to duck. I'm not all that big at 5'10", about 31"inseam but I feel like my legs are all scrunched up, and my butt wants to scooch back where the hump begins. I'll try the lowered foot pegs, and tempted to get a second seat so that I can either carve the foam out, or cut out a section of the raised plastic undertray

- where's my 6th gear? but with all that torque, I'll forgive Eric

- why the crazy mishmash of bolts in metric / SAE / Torx? this new bike has me rooting all around my tool bag!

 

[user_deleted]

why the crazy mishmash of bolts in metric / SAE / Torx? this new bike has me rooting all around my tool bag!

because the bikes' content is sourced from various world-wide manufacturers to include italy, japan and my beloved america. hence the sae/metric mixture.

 

[34nineteen]