Xb12 07 vs 09

[BuddyB]

I have been riding the 09 for a few months and to be honest, I find it quite twitchy when compared to the 07, just wondering if anybody else has experienced that? Having said that the 09 has a GPR Italian exhaust. And a tune for the exhaust. And it has what I believe to be the stock handle bars. The handle bars are short/ don't stick out much and the throttle control is for lack of a better term, twitchy/not smooth. Cornering with this bike is not as fun as the 07, I'm at the edge all the time. The 07 is way smoother, it drifts into corners so eloquently, and to be honest the power delivery is so much smoother. I can achieve a greater lean angle and smoother throttle with the 07.

any comments?

 

[Cooter]

Throttle should be smooth no matter what ECM you have as long as it is a good fuel map.

Geometry didn't change with comparable bikes in the XB line their entire run (except Uly's weird fork stuff). I would assume the front tire is worn on the '09. Even with tread left, they HATE being V'd out and will 'fall' into a corner where you need to catch it. So it act like you push the bars slightly, it turns in too fast (yikes!) then you have to adjust the bars to keep the same lean angle. I hate that and all of my Buell XB's wear fronts like that, especially with cheap tires.

Try swapping front wheel assemblies between bikes, heck.. might as well do both ends, and see if that livens up the '09.

 

[BuddyB]

Thanks,

You probably don't know it but you were one of the voices that encouraged me to keep riding after my crash and my decision to rebuild my bike. I was way out of my league in performing all the rebuild the bike needed and when I took it out I thought that the vibration was something I had done in the rebuild process. You were kind and told me these bikes are paint shakers. I now realize that the bike I rebuilt is actually smoother than the new one I bought. Keep it up. You are helping folks

Many thanks

 

[Cooter]

I appreciate the kind words BuddyB! And congrats on a successful resurrection of a good Buell:angel:

I may not be the best source for advice though. Currently stuck at home with fractured pelvis, hip, 6 ribs, and just got my collarbone reattached. TWO low-sides in 2 days will do that! LOL. I may be too old for this crap but still healing up fine. Both Bubbles (broken heel/ torn Achilles from Round 3 in AZ) and I (and both the bikes!) should be ready for CRA round 5 in October. We both have championships to defend!

 

[Bufort]

I would assume the front tire is worn on the '09. Even with tread left, they HATE being V'd out and will 'fall' into a corner where you need to catch it. So it act like you push the bars slightly, it turns in too fast (yikes!) then you have to adjust the bars to keep the same lean angle.

What do you mean by "V'd out"?

 

[Cooter]

The profile of the tire goes from round.... to peaked, in the center of the tread because of the scrub when turning. So looking straight down at the tire, it will look like a V not a U. It makes for a very sharp radius as you start to lean (low effort, the falling in part), then a very flat radius as it leans over farther requiring a much harder steering effort.

IMO, very hard to ride and frankly scary.

 

[Bufort]

The profile of the tire goes from round.... to peaked, in the center of the tread because of the scrub when turning. So looking straight down at the tire, it will look like a V not a U. It makes for a very sharp radius as you start to lean (low effort, the falling in part), then a very flat radius as it leans over farther requiring a much harder steering effort.

IMO, very hard to ride and frankly scary.

I see, and how does the Buell hate that? Surely it'll have that affect on any bike, or do you mean it's more prine to it on this bike? Although, my Vrod's tyre flattens out like a squished U because of the type of riding I do on it, which means it doesn't tip into corners well. But then I had an XDiavel which also has a stupid 240 tyre but that one had a better profile from new which helped it turn into corners, more V.

 

[Cooter]

Performance motorcycles and particularly the Buell XB platform has a very aggressive rake angle to make it turn in very easily. That also makes it sensitive to outside forces such as poor tire wear and road imperfections. A cruiser has a much more relaxed rake, so it self centers better and takes more effort to turn and be less affected by poor tire wear.

 

[Cooter]

I see, and how does the Buell hate that? Surely it'll have that affect on any bike, or do you mean it's more prine to it on this bike? Although, my Vrod's tyre flattens out like a squished U because of the type of riding I do on it, which means it doesn't tip into corners well. But then I had an XDiavel which also has a stupid 240 tyre but that one had a better profile from new which helped it turn into corners, more V.

Not "more V"... more "U" and the rear tire matters about 15-20%, wheras the front is directly connected to the steering, your hands and is responsible for steering effort (rake angle).

 

[34nineteen]

Shut it CoOter!


What do you really know about riding fast anyhow?

 

[Bufort]

Not "more V"... more "U" and the rear tire matters about 15-20%, wheras the front is directly connected to the steering, your hands and is responsible for steering effort (rake angle).

More like a cross between a V and U then, I know it's not sharp at the top but it's definitely not a uniform cross section radius - like the pointy end of an egg and not the fat side. I think the rear tyre has more than a 20% effect on steering after trying a 180 tyred Vrod and a 240 Vrod - it raises the pivot point which which means the rear of the bike essentially leans at a different angle making it crab slightly, or understeer. Otherwise known as terrible handling

 

[Cooter]

It doesn't take much, to feel the affects I'm trying to communicate to you.