Why Buell...?

[agfish18]

When I started to learn how to ride, my dad had a Harley, so we made several trips to the HD dealer on the weekends for BBQ's and service and such.

I was never to keen on Harleys, but late in 2002 was when the first models of the Firebolts came out. I was always partial to sport bikes, so the Buell line intrigued me. My dad swore that he would never help me buy a sport bike, so I started my riding life out on a used Buell Blast with 1500 miles which was about as much of a sport bike that he would let me get away with at 16.

One of my dad's buddies bought one of the first XB9R's available from the dealer and I fell in love with the looks, the sound, everything about it, and decided that was the bike I wanted. After I got out of the Army in 2007 I bought that same bike from my dad's Buddy (now with 22K miles on it), and it just felt so right. I had that for a year and decided it was time to get a little more power, so I bought a 2008 1125R.

After riding the 1125 for a while I slowly stopped riding the XB and it became more of a piece of garage jewelry than the beast it was meant to be, so I sold it to a good family that would take care of it. I have been faithful to Buell ever since, so faithful that I wont take my 1125 out on the track because I fear it may become injured lol. I think I will always own a Buell as long as the supply of them lasts.

 

[vanson1200r]

Good question but I have many answers. First my Buell XB12R is different and rare. I have seen more Italian MV Agusta’s on the road than I have American Buells and when I stop on my bike I like it to be a conversation piece. I did a 7 day trip on my Triumph Thruxton 900 with my TRC (trusted riding companion) on his Honda VFR and at EVERY stop I had people ask me about my cool looking red with white striped Triumph and my friends VFR was totally invisible. Back to my Buell, when I stop most people are totally confused by it. They know what it sounds like but it’s not what they were expecting so then I have something to talk about! Japanese and Italian bikes are excellent motorcycles but I would not trade my American wife in for a foreign model so I would not trade my American motorcycle in for a foreign model no matter how sexy it is How many bikes can you ride with a name on it that belongs to a person that is still living AND developing new bikes? I’m sold!

 

[deh2k2]

Back in the day I rode moto-cross and Katanas and Hurricanes.... I stopped riding after my last bike was stolen in the early 90's. Then I wanted to get back to riding, I remember seeing my first Buell and thinking, wow that is cool... then when I started researching the XBs, I thought wow these are amazing..... so I the XB9R was the only thing on my list.....

But to me Buell represents everything that is right and wrong with this country.....

What is right about it... You can tell that when Eric Buell designed the XB, someone made the comment to him, "wow Eric, you really thought outside of the box when you designed this bike". To which he probably replied with a puzzled tone, "um, there was a box?" Despite being tied by Harley,Eric was able to create something amazing, so far forward thinking.... Eric did not invent the motorcycle, Henry Ford did not invent the automobile, the people at Boeing did not invent the airplane...we are the country that put the man on the moon, and this is the thinking and visionary thinking that made this country the best, most innovative country in history.....

What is wrong with it... something has happened to our thinking.... when the questions, "what is the 1/4 mile time?" or "what is the 0-60?" are how we judge "performance", we have missed something. As for me, I don't do things because that is what everyone else is doing, or riding, or eating, or whatever.


And thank you to all of the Veterans on this forum for your service... you too are what makes this country the greatest country in the world. Thank you for putting yourselves in harms way, maybe not coming home to your loved ones, so the rest of us can sit at home with our loved ones.

 

[WALLSXB]

I got into Buells in kind of a strange way. I'd been riding my 05 Yamaha Zuma (49cc) and wanted a REAL bike. I took my wife to see where i lived as a kid by Denton,Tx in the 70's and the land we had now has an H-D / Buell dealer on it. I said since were here lets go look at Harleys ,i had NO intent on buying a hog. We walked in and the first thing i saw was a blk/amber 06 XB12Ss , it was the same colors as a Mongoose special edition bmx bike i had when i was 12 and that was my favorite bike. SOLD ! Rode it home (with no liscense) and have been hooked since then ( i've had 3 so far ). American made sportbike? Hells yea !!!!!! [up]