xb9r vs xb12r

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jakub7

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what do you like better? i have a 02 blast now and i want to upsize to a firebolt :D so which would you recommend? i read that alot of people want more power once the get use to the xb9 but i do alot of in town driving (stop and go, stop and go) so i dont want to buy a xb12 if im never gonna use all the powewr. im probably going to use it to practice some small stunts on when im bored or have free time with it lol
 
well I have a XB12R and I rode my buddies xb9r big difference in power however these bikes dont have top end power, they can keep up with bikes, however a striaght away are not these kind of bikes power. firebolt is great for track or taking turns or mountian riding. from my experience I perfer to have the my xb12 over the 9, but everyone is different, think of xb like a mucles car a lot of take off power and torque
 
well I have a XB12R and I rode my buddies xb9r big difference in power
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It's not that much, you'll feel the torque of the 12 more when you punch both buts it's not that significant. If you do a lot of stop and go traffic the 9 will most likely be a better bike for you.
 
I have a 9r and really enjoy it. i do alot of city driving and it gets pretty quick in those short distances and corners very well. and i have no problem doing any wheelies on it either. its a well balanced bike once the front end is up. i am however looking for a 12 motor to work up alot and do a swap out from the 9 once i have that engine completed. i love more power but the 9r as is, is not bad at all. really couldnt complain about the bike. its runs great as is and does everything i need or want it to.
 
xb9 it is. there any mods i could do to it to make it have a little more power?
 
xb9 it is. there any mods i could do to it to make it have a little more power?
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On a dyno, yes, in the real world... that's more subjective. Personally I went from an xb9s with a jardine to with a stock muffler which should have resulted in about a 10 HP loss. But I honestly don't see a big difference. The missing "top end" people speak of is pretty much after 80-90 MPH. So if you never plan to get there I wouldn't worry about it. Just enjoy the cheap gobs of torque, 50ish MPG, cheap insurance and simple maintenance.

Bob
 
So if you never plan to get there I wouldn't worry about it. Just enjoy the cheap gobs of torque, 50ish MPG, cheap insurance and simple maintenance.
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Agreed!!
 
12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12
 
I didn't notice much difference between the 9 and 12. I have a 9 and it has plenty of power for me all the way up to say 90 or 100mph, I never go faster than that. It dies in the triple digits, but so does the 12.

A 9 with intake/exhaust/tune should be more powerful than a stock 12.
 
Ive hit 130+ a few times on my 9r. really with no problem either. still pulls pretty well even in 5th gear. didnt take to long to get it to 140 passing a line of semi's on the highway. the power differance really is not that much but more noticable when cruising at higher speeds down the highway. the 12 does not rev as high as the 9 but the 9 can sit at 4k+ all day for multiple days so its really not an issue. just depends on your preferance. but a 9 is cheeper to insure and you can always put work into it to give it more power.
 
This reminds me of the new v6 camaros, guys by them then put money into them to make more power??? Go with the 12, in my eyes more power the better. Probably cheaper in the long run. Allthough insurance will be more on a 12 :( If insurance isnt an issue I say 12.
 
all good advice above and my 9 firebolt and 9 lightning both fuel smoother than my 12 ulysses. just a bit smoother for around town riding but that's just my opinion. you can't go wrong with either one but the 9's seem to sell for a bit less money and they are actually 984cc. i did iridium tipped NGK plugs, breather re-route and hawk exhaust on both my 9's and they're very smooth, plenty of power for me. you'll be happy with either one though i'm sure.
 
More is not always better, it's about balance too. I've owned a bunch of liter bikes and just sold my ZX12R Ninja. Still have my ZX10R and love it but I have to say my Gixxer 750 is probably my favorite right now and has been for a while. Just about the weight and feel of the bike.
 
im probably never gonna go over 80mph and if the 9 is cheaper to buy and for insurance i will mostly like get that and tune it up a little just so it wont be stock. of course if i see a 12 for $4,500 vs a 9 for $5,200 , im gonna get the 12 lol
 
I really like the XB9 City X bike I rode, but there is a significant difference in how the power feels between it and my XB12's. I'm 5'11", 235, and my 12 suits me just fine.

I wouldn't be unhappy with a 9, but the increased power and torque of the 12 makes its presence known from the bottom to the top--not just "on top," but everywhere. It has 219 more cc's of displacement.

The bikes are not "indistinguishable" from one another--the difference is significant enough that Buell chose them as complementary models.

With respect to smoothness, it's not one of the reasons I bought my Buell... :D
 
This reminds me of the new v6 camaros, guys by them then put money into them to make more power??? Go with the 12, in my eyes more power the better. Probably cheaper in the long run. Allthough insurance will be more on a 12 If insurance isnt an issue I say 12.
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This is a bit of a different deal.

1) Insurance (at least for me) was not a huge difference. In fact, my 03 XB9s was $60 more per year than my 09 ex250

2) From what I read, the XB9 series motors were more reliable over the years. 12s had more bottom end issues, got this info from a guy who worked with a lot of buells.

3) It's more about the dyno curves than it is about the numbers up at the top. Making 50 ftlbs of torque at 3.5K is gonna be way better than a gixxer that needs to spool up to 8k before you really feel it pull.

4) If you don't like the 9 you can sell it next year for just about what you paid for it and buy the 12 :)

Bob
 
No replacement for displacement. There is a big difference, the 9's dont keep up with the japs. 12's has a better slim chance of seeing brake lights. If you have all curves and hills then it does not matter. I love my 12 a beautiful machine. :D
 
Rode a 9, bought a 12. The 9 didnt even compare. In fact you can look at my old post about it.
 

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