Which one.......?

[workman482]

Hello everyone! As you can tell from my post count I am new to this forum and very soon a new Buell owner as well!

I am upgrading from a Kawi Z750S. Had loads of fun on it, but sold it prior to deploying and now I'm itching for a new(relatively) bike. I had pushed my Z as far as I could while I had it so I've been researching the upgrade to Litre class bikes. I had been looking at the big the big 4 from Japan for a few weeks trying to figure out which one would benefit my riding style and size. I'm 6ft and 230lbs so I am a bit heavier and taller than the average rider. I happened upon Buell's 1125R on craigslist of all places and was instantly drawn to it's looks. Started doing some researching and reading reviews and found that the power the bikes makes as well as the flat torque curve was almost exactly what I had been looking for! Thought about going with the CR for a little while, but decided the R would be better as I tend to ride year round and while it's raining so the full fairing will benefit me better.

Now I just have to decide which one. I've found four 08's at Barnett Harley ranging from 6999 to 7999. All with less than 5000 miles. Here are the links:
http://www.barnettharley.com/motorcycleinventory/buell.html?view=detail&id=2915
http://www.barnettharley.com/motorcycleinventory/buell.html?view=detail&id=3108
http://www.barnettharley.com/motorcycleinventory/buell.html?view=detail&id=4964
http://www.barnettharley.com/motorcycleinventory/buell.html?view=detail&id=4974

I'm looking at the one with 4847 on the odometer as it should be broken in by now. What do you guys think? Also, is it the 09 and 10's that have the strator problem? Any known problems with the 2008's?

 

[agfish18]

The 2008's have a clutch leak issue, but it isnt bad. Really the only issues that I have had with mine are the clutch leak and when I bought it, my rear turn signals kept going out, but the stock blinkers were replaced with an upgraded version through Buell and everything is nice now.

 

[workman482]

Ok. I found some post mentioning the clutch weeping issue. Seems the fix are the piston upgrades that EBR sells for 99 bucks. Thanks for the info!

 

[mowgoli84]

Sounds like you should take a stab at the R. Low mileage, and likely a hell of a lot cheaper than any of the "big four" bikes you were looking at. I've owned a couple of 1125's and have loved them both. Is it the fastest bike I've ridden.. no.. flashiest.. naa.. however, it's probably one of the best handling and well balanced bikes I have ridden. Power where you need it, not where you don't. Clutch weep on the 08 is an easy fix.

Good luck!

 

[d_adams]

These will bump up both the torque and hp more than any other pipe out there for an 1125. Both are good for at least 10 ft/lbs and 15+ hp, possibly as much as 20 depending on where it starts at stock. Basically, shift the stock charts up, it looks pretty much the same for torque/hp.

 

[netty2424]

I personally would avoid buying from the dealerships. There are plenty of deals out there to be had as people tend to undervalue these bikes. Good luck with your search.

 

[mowgoli84]

get the dealer to come down.. show them how much these bikes are selling for everywhere.. my first 1125 i bought for 5k out the door.. a little over a year ago.

 

[Loki]

The 2008's have a clutch leak issue

All of them had this issue. I had 2 2009 CR's and both had this issue. I just recently fixed it with the upgrade from EBR, zero leak now.

 

[workman482]

One of the reason's I decided to go with a dealer is because of financing. I don't want to spend that large a chunk out of my savings account unless it's for emergencies. I'm also deployed so doing the whole seller's assist thing is out of the question as they want both the seller and buyer at the dealership at the same time. I know I'll end up paying more, but that's ok as long as I get what I want in the end.

Thanks for the input guys.

d adams, those exhaust systems sound sick! Would love to have a RT-4 but $900 is a little steep for a slip-on for me right now. (As I talk about buying a bike from the dealership. LOL) Might scout around and see if someone has a used one they're wanting to part with to save some $$$.

 

[workman482]

Alright, so 2 years and 6 months in to my 08' 1125R and I'm loving the bike!

I've only had a couple of small problems with the bike. The first problem I've had with it is one of the fans stopped working. That turned out to be just the plug working loose. I quick visual inspection found the problem and I was back on the road in no time! The second was vibration in the front brakes, but a pad change and resurfacing the rotor fixed that. The last problem was do to me going full retard and leaving the key on overnight and killing the battery!

d_adams I am definitly interested in one of your exhaust and just sent you an email.