Who's rode both xb9 & xb12's. Which to buy?

[xtremelow]

Best 1/4mi run I have had on my 9's is a 12.03, at 112mph, I know many say 1/4mi doesnt mean s#*t but IMO it still has its place within a sport bike, otherwise what would one do if the bike had no power and ran like a Blast in the straight aways?

But like Buddha said, just buy what you can afford and like the best, the motor wont be the determining factor.

 

[cincybuelltp]

Wow, now I'm more confused which I should buy. Lol. I probably should get the 12 because I'll probably just have that thought in the back of my head that I should have got that little bit more hp. Coming from a guy that owns a 530hp 03 mustang cobra. I really want to like the 9 more and there are alot more 9's for sale. The first bike I looked at was a 12 and I liked it alot, just can't find a 9 to look at in the cincy oh area. Anyone on here that has a 9 for sale or even not for sale that is willing to let me come look at it?

 

[Stevenc150]

I had the choice to get either also - Got the 12 since I knew if I got the 9, I'd always wanted/wondered about what would've been with the 12. Looking at a 9 & 12 side-by-side won't gain you anything as aesthetically they're nearly identical model to model.

 

[upthemaiden]

I had wondered about it when i was looking and ended up with the 9 because I found a good deal on one. I'm sure I would've spent $1000-1500 more on a 12.

Have you had other bikes before? I've gotta say I was pretty dissapointed the first time I cracked the throttle in 1st gear after owning a 600 I4 as a last bike. I knew a 600 would usually beat an xb9 in a straight line, but I didn't know the difference was so drastic at 25-30mph already. Mine was a Triumph speed four and only had 97hp compared to the xb9s 92. I don't even want to know how a japanese 600 with 120hp would've made the 9 feel. I know most inline 4s are known for top end, but I still have another friend who has the same Triumph I used to, and I've ridden them back to back and his bike has just as much low end as mine does. Going wide open on the the triumph will have the front end getting light and the wheel barely skimming the ground from 25mph on. My xb9 stays perfectly planted the entire way. It's a low model so I know the lowered suspension doesn't help, but it's still not when I pictured when I knew I was buying a 1000cc bike. It's a great motor, but it's definitely..... soft? I'm working on getting a taller suspension, so once I have the bike taller I'll be able to get a better comparison between the two. My butt dyno isn't calibrated well enough to pick up specifically on acceleration, so I've gotta judge by how easy it is to lift the front wheel, and there's a big difference. On top of that, first gear on the triumph ran to 65mph. I hear people saying that to wheelie an xb in 2nd gear you have to be going about 45mph and bounce it using the passenger pegs. At that speed I could still do them sitting down in 1st on the triumph, and if I wanted to stand it up I could do it easily in 2nd with a light bounce at 65, or a really hard bounce in 3rd at 90(front pegs, no clutch). Don't know that wheelies are your thing, they're really not mine anymore either, but it's much easier to compare those than just straight acceleration since it paints a pretty good picture of what a bike can do.

If you've ridden other bikes I'd say look into a 12 if you're worried about power, otherwise the 9 is still a great bike, especially if it's your first. I may sell mine someday if I find a nice 12 for sale, but first I'm gonna wait until I get the new map and air filter to go with my exhaust, as well as the normal height suspension to see how it helps things out.

 

[cincybuelltp]

Yes, had a 98 1200 sportser and 2000 road king. Heavy bikes with little power. Video's on youtube show xb9's with just a race ecm, muffler and air filter upgrade doing wheelies and it looks they are doing it pretty easy not sure if they did more to the bike then that but I really didn't think power wise there was that big of a difference in 12's and 9's. I wonder with just those 3 mods how much a 9 picks up torque and HP wise? Anyone know?

 

[dallasb]

ASB did an exhaust shootout...

 

[upthemaiden]

I think the stock bikes have an 11hp difference. I'm hoping the exhaust/map/filter will give me at least an extra 5 hp. That would put me right back where I started with the Triumph plus have the extra torque to boot.

 

[upthemaiden]

The other thing I'm curious about, probably more so than which buell is better to own, is what japanese bike would be good to share garage space with it. Next fall I'm hoping to pick up a second bike(worked it in to the negotiations for the puppy my wife just had to have). I'm just hoping for something cheap, slightly rough around the edges, but still fun and willing to take the abuse I don't wish upon my Buell. Basically anything that you have to deal with on a less common bike that isn't easy to get spare parts for. Anything like daily commuting, parking the bike on city streets for periods of time, riding in bad weather, longer highway trips that rack up boring miles. Now that HD isn't going to make parts any more I want to keep my XB in as good of shape as possible, and really only put the fun miles on it when I have time for back roads and things the bike is meant for.

Anyway, I've always wanted a gsxr750, possibly something a little faster, but I'm really worried that anything bigger than a 600 is going to make my xb9 just feel slow and weak. My new 'hopefuls' list is an 04-05 gsxr750, 03-04 636, or an 05-06 600rr. I know the Buell will still be way more fun, and always be my favorite bike, but any of you other guys with japanese bikes parked in your garages have an opinion on what the speed/hp does every time you get back on the Buell and twist the throttle??

 

[wiznut]

The other thing I'm curious about, probably more so than which buell is better to own, is what japanese bike would be good to share garage space with it.

For a Japanese bike, I was highly considering the Kawasaki ER6N when shopping around, before settling on my buell.

http://www.kawasaki.com/Products/product-awards-reviews.aspx?autoplay=false&id=430&scid=6

 

[upthemaiden]

If I was going to go for a bike in that category it would without a doubt be an sv650. Probably the first generation sv650s, which I've always thought looked amazing. I'm looking for something with a little bit more get up and go than that though. Not to mention I appreciate the better suspension and everything else that comes on 600/750s.

 

[winnetka]

I had the choice to get either also - Got the 12 since I knew if I got the 9, I'd always wanted/wondered about what would've been with the 12. Looking at a 9 & 12 side-by-side won't gain you anything as aesthetically they're nearly identical model to model.

Me too. I had the choice to get either bike, and I got the 9. Now I've always wondered about what it would have been like riding the 12. Given the same choice again, I'd definitely choose the 12SS.

Having said that, I ride the heck out of my 9. This is the bike that I want to put all the miles on. I'm on track to finish the year at 18K miles my first year on the 9. It's not the fastest motorcycle on the road, but it's fun and easy to ride, and they're getting rare which is cool. The adjustible suspension lets you adjust it from bumpy to smooth, and from flickable to stable, whatever you like. It handles the twisties as good as your riding skill will let you.