Gnomad
03-05-2005, 07:54 AM
My very own BOTT.....
Went to the friendly Harley/Buell dealer in Anchorage with the purpose of taking a test ride to score the cool Buell sling pack. Obviously, if you want to test a Buell you should take the old Buell, so since Gnoma'am was otherwise occupied I snagged the S2 Thunderbolt and rode to the big city. It was my first extended slab drone on the S2 and the riding position, while not full race, isn't quite sport touring either, the bars are just a hair to low and the pegs a bit too high, but not an uncomfortable or akward riding position like so amny other sporty bikes. For those of you who have never experienced the war hammer cadence of a big twin thundering between you and the road, you should do that at least once, it sounds like a bike was made to sound! The interesting thing is that you actually can hear the engine over the wind rushing over the helmet-the aeros of the S2 manage the wind very nicely without the noise and buffeting I got from the Pegaso and the Sprint. I can leave the shield up at close to highway speed.
At the dealer, they were kind of unprepared. It took them a bit to find the test mule, a 03 XB12S. Now you know how the Buells always look tiny? That would be because they are tiny! It's a big motor, a couple wheels, something to hang on to and a place for your butt, and that's about it. The guys weighed me in, set the suspension, had me sign my life and my firstborn away and sent me down the road....the road to envy and ruin.
The Buells are injected and there was a little hitch right off idle on the test bike, which was only a problem while going really slow. The best workaround is to not go slow :bleh:. The big engine in the little bike pulls right from the start, and the vibrations are almost completely damped out. I had thought they'd done a decent job on the S2, but the XB was almost too smooth, hard to believe that a big high performance HD engine is bouncing around right under the fuel tank, which is actually the air cleaner. The frame is the fuel tank and the swingarm is the oil tank, the idea being that the weight is all carried low on the bike and as close to the middle as possible. It doesn't thump like a Harley, more like a BMW, where the S2 was more like a Guzzi.
Point the little bugger out on the highway and the bike really gets into its element. I made a full throttle entrance onto the freeway and skimmed the front tire the whole time-at the turn-around point I found out the XB wheelies like a dirt bike :w00t: . The ride was absolute silly fun. The XB will turn on a dime and give you a nickels change, but doesn't get wobbly on the highway. The air is smooth up to 70 or so, which was as fast as I went, seeing as how it wans't my bike, right? The fit of the bike was amazing, it is way more comfortable than you'd believe a small bike could be. It's smaller than the S2 but the bars are higher and the pegs lower, just perfect for me.I don't think I'll be carrying Gnoma'am on the back, the pillion seat is more of a perch for someone with no but at all, which for me is a problem, but it's right there with the intended purpose of the machine.
Did I like it? Oh yes I did. All of the riders out there who have never ridden an amped up V twin should treat themselves to a ride. It's not the fastest bike out there, but in the real world it often travels a twisty road faster than bikes with much better raw numbers. Some magazine which of course I can't recall at this moment found that the Buell was never the fastest but always turned in the best lap times. It's usable and ridable power and handling, and did I mention that it's fun??
Will I be turning in the S2 for the XB?
Probably not. The XB is clearly the better bike, but it's not 4 times the money better. And that is where the Buell always looks bad-it runs about $10-$11,000, which will buy you any of the Japanese superbikes and a couple of the Italian ones. And the raw numbers being what they are, many riders are going to gravitate towards the superbikes. I think that they'd be flabbergasted by the Buell if they bothered to try it, but the superbike riders aren't going to take the Buell seriously, which is fine. The Buell doesn't have to be taken seriously. You can take it out and run the snot out of it, have a great time and go home smiling.
You should at least take a test ride. They'll give you a sling bag. It might end up costing you $10,000 but you get a free bike with it at that price:XTmotard:.
The Buells together....
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/KL5A/xb121.jpg
Does this bike make my ass look fa(s)t?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/KL5A/xb12.jpg
Went to the friendly Harley/Buell dealer in Anchorage with the purpose of taking a test ride to score the cool Buell sling pack. Obviously, if you want to test a Buell you should take the old Buell, so since Gnoma'am was otherwise occupied I snagged the S2 Thunderbolt and rode to the big city. It was my first extended slab drone on the S2 and the riding position, while not full race, isn't quite sport touring either, the bars are just a hair to low and the pegs a bit too high, but not an uncomfortable or akward riding position like so amny other sporty bikes. For those of you who have never experienced the war hammer cadence of a big twin thundering between you and the road, you should do that at least once, it sounds like a bike was made to sound! The interesting thing is that you actually can hear the engine over the wind rushing over the helmet-the aeros of the S2 manage the wind very nicely without the noise and buffeting I got from the Pegaso and the Sprint. I can leave the shield up at close to highway speed.
At the dealer, they were kind of unprepared. It took them a bit to find the test mule, a 03 XB12S. Now you know how the Buells always look tiny? That would be because they are tiny! It's a big motor, a couple wheels, something to hang on to and a place for your butt, and that's about it. The guys weighed me in, set the suspension, had me sign my life and my firstborn away and sent me down the road....the road to envy and ruin.
The Buells are injected and there was a little hitch right off idle on the test bike, which was only a problem while going really slow. The best workaround is to not go slow :bleh:. The big engine in the little bike pulls right from the start, and the vibrations are almost completely damped out. I had thought they'd done a decent job on the S2, but the XB was almost too smooth, hard to believe that a big high performance HD engine is bouncing around right under the fuel tank, which is actually the air cleaner. The frame is the fuel tank and the swingarm is the oil tank, the idea being that the weight is all carried low on the bike and as close to the middle as possible. It doesn't thump like a Harley, more like a BMW, where the S2 was more like a Guzzi.
Point the little bugger out on the highway and the bike really gets into its element. I made a full throttle entrance onto the freeway and skimmed the front tire the whole time-at the turn-around point I found out the XB wheelies like a dirt bike :w00t: . The ride was absolute silly fun. The XB will turn on a dime and give you a nickels change, but doesn't get wobbly on the highway. The air is smooth up to 70 or so, which was as fast as I went, seeing as how it wans't my bike, right? The fit of the bike was amazing, it is way more comfortable than you'd believe a small bike could be. It's smaller than the S2 but the bars are higher and the pegs lower, just perfect for me.I don't think I'll be carrying Gnoma'am on the back, the pillion seat is more of a perch for someone with no but at all, which for me is a problem, but it's right there with the intended purpose of the machine.
Did I like it? Oh yes I did. All of the riders out there who have never ridden an amped up V twin should treat themselves to a ride. It's not the fastest bike out there, but in the real world it often travels a twisty road faster than bikes with much better raw numbers. Some magazine which of course I can't recall at this moment found that the Buell was never the fastest but always turned in the best lap times. It's usable and ridable power and handling, and did I mention that it's fun??
Will I be turning in the S2 for the XB?
Probably not. The XB is clearly the better bike, but it's not 4 times the money better. And that is where the Buell always looks bad-it runs about $10-$11,000, which will buy you any of the Japanese superbikes and a couple of the Italian ones. And the raw numbers being what they are, many riders are going to gravitate towards the superbikes. I think that they'd be flabbergasted by the Buell if they bothered to try it, but the superbike riders aren't going to take the Buell seriously, which is fine. The Buell doesn't have to be taken seriously. You can take it out and run the snot out of it, have a great time and go home smiling.
You should at least take a test ride. They'll give you a sling bag. It might end up costing you $10,000 but you get a free bike with it at that price:XTmotard:.
The Buells together....
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/KL5A/xb121.jpg
Does this bike make my ass look fa(s)t?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/KL5A/xb12.jpg