S1W to XB rebuild and conversion

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So I sent everything off for powder coat. I decided to do the trees and wheels at the same time with the same color. Special Thanks to long time friend 03firebolt9r (Paul)! He took care of getting my powder coating done in Texas due to the lack of knowledge and colors in my area. That and it seem like every price I got here locally was twice the amount he could get it done for in Texas. So thanks again to 03firebolt9r for take care of that headache for me!
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Your welcome brother! It's looking awesome, I wish I could see it coming together in person.
 
this post is very interesting to me, so i thank you for taking the time to do so. Very helpful. I have a number of projects and mixing and matching parts from different bikes so this is very topical IMHO, in addition i was down in the bay area a few weeks ago, and met with Alex, aka Squidbuellie and he suggested something on these same lines for one of my projects,,, a 1998 S1 lightning, So its his fault im going deeper into this custom Buell thing.
My bike is black, currently a silver frame, I plan on redoing it this fall and painting the frame and wheels the Nuclear blue (Purple) color, SquidBuellie suggested swapping to the later legs, brakes, and late XB wheels as you have.

So i have a few questions if you do not mind,,,I realize you have yet to complete it, but please try and answer as best you can.

#1) how much of an improvement is the late XB forks over the earlier Tuber forks, and is there a weight difference?

#2) I realize the perimeter brakes are superior, but is it effective brakes (Good stoppers) or a weight savings that are the main advantages??

#3) What are the weight differences between the stock tuber wheel, the PM wheel and the late XB wheel??? (anyone have the weights for these?)

#4) is there any geometry issues to deal with? IE: Rake, trail, wheel sizes etc etc this could be in the steering heads or designed into the triple trees????

#5) How durable are the current XB wheels compared to earlier style Tuber wheels????? I have heard of people trashing their wheels hitting a big pot hole

I bought a set of wheels from SquidBuellie,,,,,,, and shocked how lightweight they are....I plan to do weights and measurements soon, but im thinking i might need another set of wheels for my tuber lightning project.

thanks again
 
#1) how much of an improvement is the late XB forks over the earlier Tuber forks, and is there a weight difference?
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I never have put anything on the scale but just by feel I would say yes they weight a little bit less than the tuber stuff. Plus the adjustablity of the XB stuff is far more superior than the old WP stuff.

#2) I realize the perimeter brakes are superior, but is it effective brakes (Good stoppers) or a weight savings that are the main advantages??
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Both yes, my brakes on this S1 were horible compared to my other bikes with the ZTL systems.

#3) What are the weight differences between the stock tuber wheel, the PM wheel and the late XB wheel??? (anyone have the weights for these?)
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Like I said above I have put anything on a scale. But just by feel the XB wheels are much lighter.

#4) is there any geometry issues to deal with? IE: Rake, trail, wheel sizes etc etc this could be in the steering heads or designed into the triple trees????
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I have noticed that the rake is a bit different and I have lost some turning radius when pushing it around in the garage. Wheel sizes are the same front and rear.

#5) How durable are the current XB wheels compared to earlier style Tuber wheels????? I have heard of people trashing their wheels hitting a big pot hole
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I have never had a problem myself. But I have seen posts of people putting digs in their wheels by just hitting pot holes. The Uly wheels are supposed to be a beefier design and if your worried about that then I would go that route.

All and all I love the look of the bike with this system. I have not riden it yet but from what Purpony and others say its a far superior system and rides like a dream. Hope that helps with your project decisions. Either way I am happy!
 
Awesome build! I'm building an '99 X1 from scratch and using an '03 XB set of forks. I'm still up in the air on how I want to do the conversion, but we'll see. One question I have though...would I have to stick with an X1 stem, or could I use an S1, M2, S3, Blast, etc. stem? Since I'm starting from scratch I don't have an X1 stem or trees to use, so the spacer option might be easiest for me. I just picked up a set of those spacers for the rear off eBay, so I'm looking good there. I'll probably have a number of questions for you and pur_pony as time progresses. I'm not really new to bikes, but I am new to Buells...
 
I'm not sure if the S3, blast use the same steering stem. I would use the X1 stem if you have one. I know the early X1 and S1 stems are about the same. Pm me anytime, I will help with whatever I can.
 
Red93stang: I'm not sure if the S3, blast use the same steering stem. I would use the X1 stem if you have one. I know the early X1 and S1 stems are about the same. Pm me anytime, I will help with whatever I can.
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Yeah, I don't have any stems whatsoever. Actually, all I have so far is a fax copy of the title. The frame (and original title), fuel tank, oil tank, XB forks, and rear XB wheel adapters should start arriving this week. That's all I have coming so far, so I have a long way to go before the thing will see the road...lol. I'll definitely hit you up on the PM offer as the build progresses though!
 
They will be sent out today
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Sweet! I figured they were coming from one of you. Oh, and I took another look at the forks I have coming. They are from a 2004 XB12R. Looking at them the top tree seems quite a bit different...see pic below. The handlebars appear to be integral to the top tree instead of bolting onto the top. I kind of like how they are. I'm wondering if I'm going to have to use XB12R grips & switches and adapt the connectors or if the X1 style pieces will work.

$T2eC16V,!yUE9s6NEm!rBRiWl40f)g~~60_57.JPG
 
The X1 switches and controls will bolt right up. The only issue I see would be the gauges. Unless you plan on doing something custom with those.
 
The X1 switches and controls will bolt right up.
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Cool...thanks for the confimation!

The only issue I see would be the gauges. Unless you plan on doing something custom with those.
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Yeah, I noticed that too...I'm not sure how I want to go with that yet...any ideas?
 
Yeah, I noticed that too...I'm not sure how I want to go with that yet...any ideas?
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Just depends on what you want to do. The easy way is to go with the S style top tree and then maybe clip ons if you like the look. Maybe crossroad bars like mine? I do know that Purpony had to cut the round stock off the neck on the X1 frame and my S1 does not have that style of steering neck.
 
Just depends on what you want to do. The easy way is to go with the S style top tree and then maybe clip ons if you like the look. Maybe crossroad bars like mine? I do know that Purpony had to cut the round stock off the neck on the X1 frame and my S1 does not have that style of steering neck.
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I'll just have to see how everything looks when it gets here...
 
no, didnt cut the frame, just the lower center bolt hole off the XBS upper tripple. It hit a part on the neck
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Am I correct in looking at my forks that I don't have the part that you cut off on my upper tripple? Hopefully I won't have any issues where I need to cut anything, but if I do so be it...
 
you do NOT have the part i needed to cut off my S upper..... and It looks like the R stops on your upper shouldnt be an issue either.
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Sweet! I can't wait to start mock up. The frame should be here tomorrow and the forks next week.
 
Have always heard hard work pays off and it looks like it did nicely done very impressed with your build.
 
Have always heard hard work pays off and it looks like it did nicely done very impressed with your build.
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Thanks, I have finally been able to get back to it this weekend. I am hoping to get it finished up so I can ride it!
 
5105_20130527151839_L.jpg


"Finished" it up this weekend!! I put a few miles on it and I can already tell its a refined machine! It feels loads better than "factory".
 

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