Strongly considering a Buell

[BuellRonin]

I bought a 2005 Buell XB12Scg before I ever had my MSF and before I could even ride. I had a friend who had more riding years to test one out for me and he almost bought it from underneath me (what an ass, hah!)

This is the first bike I'ven ever owned, so heading the warning posters have left you in being mindful of its pros and cons I haven't had any real issue with her. Since buying her, I had a few issues, those being ones that HD shops gave me with their shotty customer/repair service. Which I was informed by this forum that a Buell is not a lazy mans bike. And since I started working on my own bike, I haven't had to be towed once (knock on wood).

I am still learning how to ride and more importantly how to ride her. I have been riding for roughly 8 months total and have had the bike for a year. So far, its' been a blast.

Cheers!

 

[WIGGLE2]

Age is only a number John! And...it's all in fun!! You know more than most of the "young" guys!! AND......As always....your comments are right on! Much Respect!!

 

[chief_of_smoke]

buells are love it or hate it. ive been on jap bikes and italians. i love my firebolt. it does what i want it to to. for me its easy to work on. im about 3 hours or so south of chicago. i say test drive one and see what you think. if you get up to winona, mn or la cross, wi, they have guys there the own and work on them and are very knowledgeable. i have a guy down where im at that used to work for harley and he helps me out when i get stuck on a project. just go for it.

 

[Tbone]

Yeah it really is love it or hate it. I have not had many problems in the 1.25 years and 15K miles I have ridden. Then again I am turning 50 this month, could not think of a better way to cruise on the back country roads than on my 09 Uly for the rest of my time. I really feel blessed that I jumped on this thing for a test ride, been hooked ever since. It is my first V-Twin, really do like it. Learned really fast to maneuver through traffic, parking garages, tollways, etc.. in Dallas. I think you said you were in or near Chicago, I could see you easily cruising Lake Shore drive or anywhere in the city as well as bombing down the farm roads. Even though I had experience over 23 yrs ago riding a Yamaha 400, and Suzuki 250 scrambler, I was able to adapt quickly to the Uly. My personal experience, i am unable to push start it, even from the 3rd floor of a parking garage to build up speed, smooth concrete doesn't help. Also until I got to know the bike, I used the clutch a lot when doing low speed maneuvers. When the engine sputters or runs rough, it slows your momentum drastically, because of the light weight of the bike and the high compression of the motor. There was a video a guy posted and it made it on this forum and he dropped his bike in a slow speed U-Turn, easily avoided if he had more revs on the motor. Also noticed when riding 2 up and accelerating too hard it will wheelie. If it is running well it will easily power wheelie especially on inclines like in parking garages, security has had few conversations with me at work. It just might be the bike for you too? Get on one and ride it, see if it is the one for you?

 

[engineer777]

wow, the more i read, the more i want a xb12 instead. Still gonna check the bike (xb9s) out, and may very well still get it, but i've started sending emails about xb12S or xb12scg. I'm 5'6" 30-32" inseam, and from what i've read, the short wheel base versions should be better for me, and handle better.
Thanks again guys

 

[theMelvster6]

Scg would suit you well.

 

[mnbuellrider]

Personally love the buells. That being said I am not interested in an airsoft rifle as a selling point. I cannot say for the 12 but my 9s has been a blast to ride and work on. I would not hesitate to buy another one to put in the garage.

 

[engineer777]

btw http://www.ebay.com/itm/Buell-Light...3c3aa75ae&item=291045537198&pt=US_motorcycles
That is the bike i'm going to look at tomorrow, and possibly buy. Put a refundable down payment on it to reserve it. price would be $3800. What do y'all think

 

[thrstrmech]

if you get it, replace the seat...that's the tallest seat made for the xb

either a 9 or 12 sl / scg would fit you better

 

[cb750]

I have an Scg seat I will trade.

 

[XLXB]

Looks like a good clean all stock bike. Let us know if you got it or not. A nine will cruise at 80+ ( Interstate cruising )just fine and runs up to 125 rather quickly if needed. If you need to go faster than that on a regular basis these bikes will never work for you.

 

[engineer777]

Are there any model years one should aspire to buy? I see quite a few cheap 04's, and 07's for $1500 more with equal miles. I understand one of the major differences is a change in the fuel injection. How does that affect it? Assuming all else is equal, are the 07's that much better than the 04?

 

[Gloomshadow]

No, they are about the same... they changed the swingarm to make it a little bit stiffer but I cant tell the difference actually, my 12R is a 04 and its just as good as my 07

 

[engineer777]

Decided to pass on the xb9sx, so down to 2 bikes right now. A 2004 xb12s with about 6k miles and a 2007 xb12scg. the 2007 is about $1k more. What do y'all think the better choice would be?
I've also noticed the the xb12scg seems to be priced higher than the xb12ss. Why is that?

 

[Gloomshadow]

wait.. were talking about a 2004 xb12s or xb12ss? big difference between the two..

 

[GoFASTER100]

Buy my Xb12ss!

 

[engineer777]

the bike i am looking at is a 2004 buell xbs. but in general, it seemed like the SS were priced lower than the regular S or SCG. The SCG seemed to be the highest priced ones.
And thanks for the offer, but my size makes the scg/s the best for me

 

[Gloomshadow]

Im a shorty at 5'5" and the regular S is fine for me.. unless youre real short and light I would stick with the S so you get plenty of lean angle and ground clearance. What do you plan to do with the bike? Just regular commuting or something a little harder?... the scg is good too, but if you do not really need it, don't pay more for it.

what State are you in?

 

[engineer777]

I'm in IL. I'm only looking at the S and SCG. It does seem like there are more SCGs out there than regular S though. the '04 S i saw does have a horrible looking windshield, and the SCGs i've seen have colors that look amazing

 

[Gloomshadow]

choose a bike that fits you and the kind of riding you want to do. The looks and color can come later. The S and the scg only have 4 plastic body parts ..you can trade with someone else for the color you want or buy some other ones off ebay.