where (and where) to start...

[vitamin_dies3L]

Guys, new to the community and thought I would submit a post introducing myself along with asking a few questions (hope I'm not violating any rules, if so sorry in advance). First overall impressions of the bike are pretty favorable, though this is my first twin so that has been somewhat interesting to get used to. Bike is comfortable to ride (flew out of town to pick it up, 250 mile ride home was uneventful) and seems like an overall competent cruiser. With that said, I'd like do a few things to enhance performance (nothing crazy, would still like to pass annual TX inspections) and Erik Buell has some great stuff (HMF slip-on, ECM, etc) at very reasonable prices, any experience amongst the group? Seems like intake/exhaust/chip would a great way to start w/out getting crazy.

Also, the knucklehead who originally owned the bike marred up the tank/airbox cover pretty good w/ a series of tank protectors and/or stickers. Needless to say the finish/top layer has been pretty much destroyed and I'll need either an aftermarket or stock replacement cover. I've checked around on eBay and various other places (americansportbike.com, etc) though have not landed on a good supplier of O.E. or like-kind parts. Any thoughts there?

And finally, I'll be going over the bike in regards to service, maintenance, recalls, etc in the next few weeks though is there anything pressing I should be aware of (for example, start w/ the **** and go from there)?

Well, glad to be in the mix and looking forward to contributing when/where I can.

Thanks,
dies3l

 

[50dro]

Welcome to the forum! [up]

First things first...WE NEED PICS!!!! ...or as they say, "pics or it didn't happen!"

You might be surprised what some Novus plastic polish and a little elbow grease will do for your plastics. You might want to try that before investing in an expensive replacement?

We've sold several sets of Twin Motorcycles Intake Stacks to 1125 owners with favorable reviews. You may want to consider that? LOOK HERE for more info!

We also stock our axle sliders for your bike too in case you want to add some crash protection.

You can view all products for your bike on our site
HERE.

We can also get anything that Twin Motorcycles sells so if you find something on their site you're interested in, please let us know and we'll get you a price.

Ride safe!

5-0dro

 

[50dro]

Sorry...2nd link was wrong. Try HERE.

 

[John422]

Hey man! Congrats on the purchase welcome to the forum.

So few things. Any xb buell or 1125 buell will have the same airbox cover so there are way more covers out there for you then you think, used and new. Try eBay see if you can find a good used one.
There are afew things I would suggest to do to the performance like remove throttle bottle solenoid. And a k&n intake r6 throttle sleeve. Then as far as exhaust ECM. Just get the ebr ECM (tuned to the exhaust you get) and for an exhaust. Get a keda. Don't waste your time with anything else unless you want to spend the money on an ebr for a few more horsepower.
Pm sent.

 

[vitamin_dies3L]

Thanks guys for the responses, attached are a few pics...

Front: http://i.imgur.com/rwX6gMR.jpg
Side: http://i.imgur.com/o9RqFXd.jpg
Damage: http://i.imgur.com/l2heGlT.jpg

I doubt there is anything that can done in regards to the damage, and candidly the prices I saw for replacements on eBay didn't like that unreasonable.

I'll do some additional research on the performance mods, though I'm definitely not looking to dig into the motor so bolt-ons will have to do.

Thanks for the feedback again...

Dies3L

 

[Noobuel]

Did the previous owner do the stator/rotor upgrade? If not you may want to set aside some coin to address that when the charging system decides to cook itself.

 

[vitamin_dies3L]

John422 - rec'd your PM and will hit you back tomorrow (mobile is for whatever reason janky at the moment).

50dro - thanks for the links, definitely a few things to think about.

 

[Shawns]

[up]

 

[vitamin_dies3L]

@noobuell - will be working through that in the coming weeks as I'm not sure. I have read that the stator is a major concern and have made arrangements for it to be addressed should that be the case. Rotor upgrade?

Dies3L

 

[50dro]

There's a rotor modification that keeps the stator from overheating. More oil passages I believe? I believe doing one without the other doesn't completely fix the issue. I just added TM's kit on our site tonight as a matter of fact. I believe EBR also makes a rotor and there's a few places stateside that re-wind the stator. There's a bunch of threads here and on BadWeb that you can read about for days. Good times!

 

[1125RCya]

Here are a few things to look at.
First your kick stand, make sure your bolts are tight. Those kick stand bolts have a tendency to come loose, and it would suck to lose it.
Second keep an eye on your rear wheel bearings, they have a tendency to go bad very quick and will cause you to replace your rim.
Check your drive belt for missing teeth or cracks..ugh it sucks to be stranded when it goes.
Clean your air filter, easy must fo maintenance.
Clicking in the front end is a sign of steering stem bearings going bad...
Well there's just a few things you need to worry about..
Welcome!

 

[1125RCya]

Oh yeah, keep your bike on a trickle charge or you will be disappointed when you go to start her!

 

[GradeABeef]

Its hard to tell whats going on with your air box cover damage. Its looks like a possible deep scratch that wont come out but if that plastic shit thats peeling up is from another sticker just get a heat gun or a blow dryer and peel it off. dont get the heat too close and melt the plastic! Some adhesive remover like GoofOff will get the rest off. I removed my Buell stickers this same way. After that i used some 3k grit wet sanding paper and 2 stages of polishing compound with 2 different abrasive foam pads and it looked like a bran new one. Wet sanding takes time, skill and a lot of patience so its not for everyone and only if the scratches dont go too deep. Good luck man nice scooter!

 

[vitamin_dies3L]

Whatever the previous owner did definitely ate through a layer or two on the airbox cover, I am not sure sanding/buffing would do much if anything to correct it. With that said, would this cover fit?

http://www.buellparts.net/content-product_info/product_id-3518/firebolt_air_box_cover_hero_blue.html

I think I am set on which exhaust (keda rt3) and ecm (EBR's) along with intake (good ol' K&N), just need to get the airbox cover and any stator concerns addressed.

So, anybody know of a good mechanic in the DFW area? I (foolishly?) bought a Harley extended warranty so if there is a dealer around north Texas that still has affinity for Buell's, that would be great. If not, I'd welcome some recommendations on private shops. I found a thread on the same topic but it's a few years old...

http://www.buellxb.com/Buell-XB-Forum/Buell-Lightning-XB12S-XB12Ss-CityX-XB12Scg/DFW-mechanic

Thanks gents!

Dies3L

 

[Shawns]

I have Dean's Keda RT3, and the EBR ecm. Once you get it you won't look back. Get rid of the cheese grater and do a fender eliminator. If your looking for parts, your brothers here can be a great source of info. If it hasn't been de-noided, thats a place to start. I have a bunch of parts as well. Pm me and we will get ya started. Your going to need a service manual. I can help ya with that.[up]

 

[vitamin_dies3L]

UPDATE:

Gents - thought I would touch base on my recent changes/improvements. Purchased and installed an EBR ECM, K&N filter, EBR fuel cap, and Keda RT-4 exhaust. The bike is a completely different machine, I'm truly amazed at the changes the ECM/exhaust combination made on both performance and overall drivability (better keep those earplugs in though...). Only issue so far is I am now getting an errant "fuel" light, irrespective of how much petrol is in the bike. Initial thoughts (per my "extensive" google-fu) are an issue with the fuel system/pump or the instrument cluster. Any thoughts here? Ways to troubleshoot? Any good mechanics (either dealer or private shop) in DFW or North Texas?

And finally, the exhaust money shot -> http://imgur.com/uTlJbCO

<a href="http://imgur.com/uTlJbCO"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/uTlJbCO.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" /></a>