Buell Firebolt XB12R

[Uncle Sam]

Buell (http://www.buell.com/selector.asp)

Beautiful Bike! Lot's of innovation. I want one!!

http://img38.exs.cx/img38/6010/Buell-Firebolt-XB12R-2004.jpg



Renegade Harley-Davidson engineer Erik Buell, having sold his fledgling company back to H-D, continues to use the motorcycle giant's engineering resources to build bikes unlike any others.

This year's two new bikes, the striking Firebolt XB12R sportbike and Lightning XB12S street fighter, will not likely be mistaken for any other Harleys, or any other motorcycles.

The XB12R sports yellow wheels and windscreen, just because. Both bikes share a 1203cc 45° V-twin. With a 10:1 compression ratio, the powerplants deliver 103 hp. More important, they deliver 84 ft.-lb. of torque--and most of that torque is available right down to idle.

To maintain a nearly flat torque curve, there's a computer-controlled stainless steel valve in the muffler to increase backpressure at specific engine speeds.

The fabricated aluminum frame is the gas-in-tank and oil-in-swing arm from last year's bikes.

The ultrashort 52-in. wheelbase, 21° rake and 3.3-in. trail make for razor-sharp handling, aided by Buell's placement of everything as close as possible to the bike's vertical center of mass for quick directional changes.

The 6-piston front caliper is mounted inside out, because the single 375mm brake disc is bolted directly to the rim's perimeter, not to the hub. Final drive is by a 14mm-pitch Goodyear aramid/rubber belt.

Buell's insistence on reducing unsprung weight means using the lightest tires he could find: Dunlop 120/70ZR17 front and 180/55ZR17 rear.

The result is a pair of bikes best suited to squirting through traffic or carving up back roads.

[Hullebullen]

Those things will kill you...

[Deuterium]

Had a Buell for two years, not too bad. I was tired of getting blown away from rice and pasta. I went with the Pasta...

My Bike in my shrine..



http://www.deuteriumox.com/milphotos/1386.jpg

[Uncle Sam]

Excellent...Ducati 996 right? Very nice!

[Merik]

I have always thought that street bikes look totally wicked, but they are just too damn dangerous in the wrongs hands for me to gactually think about getting one.



How much was the Buell Sam?

[Deuterium]

Excellent...Ducati 996 right? Very nice!

1999 996 yep.

[Uncle Sam]

Excellent...Ducati 996 right? Very nice!

1999 996 yep.

I have a 2003 Honda CBR 600RR - Now I want to get rid of it after seeing this Buell...I knew I should've waited...

Merik - The Buell goes for a cool $11,000 U.S.

[Merik]

Excellent...Ducati 996 right? Very nice!

1999 996 yep.

I have a 2003 Honda CBR 600RR - Now I want to get rid of it after seeing this Buell...I knew I should've waited...

Merik - The Buell goes for a cool $11,000 U.S.


Not knowing much about the actual important stuff about these things but is that a alright price for such a thing? The more I think about it the more I may want to get a bike when I come back from training. But I am sure as hell not starting off with that thing lol.

[Uncle Sam]

Excellent...Ducati 996 right? Very nice!

1999 996 yep.

I have a 2003 Honda CBR 600RR - Now I want to get rid of it after seeing this Buell...I knew I should've waited...

Merik - The Buell goes for a cool $11,000 U.S.


Not knowing much about the actual important stuff about these things but is that a alright price for such a thing? The more I think about it the more I may want to get a bike when I come back from training. But I am sure as hell not starting off with that thing lol.

Yeah, get a used one first. My first bike, bought in 1993, was a used (1989) Yamaha FZR 400

[Deuterium]

Most reviews I have read complain about the 21 degree rake and its effect on handling and turn-in. Nearly every sport bike has around a 24 degree rake for a reason, it works. The Buell is a pretty bike though. I'm a V-Twin snob so I'm partial to the torque and the sound. Buells are funny, at idle they vibrate themselves all over. At a stoplight your bike shakes and shimees. Don't even think about looking in the mirrors. Hit the throttle and everything smoothes out.

[Uncle Sam]

Most reviews I have read complain about the 21 degree rake and its effect on handling and turn-in. Nearly every sport bike has around a 24 degree rake for a reason, it works. The Buell is a pretty bike though. I'm a V-Twin snob so I'm partial to the torque and the sound. Buells are funny, at idle they vibrate themselves all over. At a stoplight your bike shakes and shimees. Don't even think about looking in the mirrors. Hit the throttle and everything smoothes out.

I think Buell is the only sport bike with a 21 degree rake and 84mm of trail. That is pretty steep and probably over agressive.

[memphiz]

Oh man if Seventy6er was here right now he would mabey post his video where he races a guy on the Autoban, and hes on a Kawasaki ZXR 750L..its sweet.

CLick here (http://translate.google.com/translate?pev=/language_tools&u=http://seventy6er.de/motorrad/index.htm)

[Hullebullen]

Oh man if Seventy6er was here right now he would mabey post his video where he races a guy on the Autoban, and hes on a Kawasaki ZXR 750L..its sweet.

CLick here (http://translate.google.com/translate?pev=/language_tools&u=http://seventy6er.de/motorrad/index.htm)

That made think of a show here in Sweden (kinda like Jackass). They're out racing, doing 300km/h, I **** you not, and record it. Then they show this tape to some police in Stockholm and they're like "what do you think of this?". This old copper naturally is like: "Outrageous!" and other stuff. Then they continue to talk to the police and all of a sudden this guy in biker gear shows and says: "You know, we gotta split, I have to be in Gothenburg in an hour". Which is like a 300km drive! The policeman is just dumbfounded! :lol:

[Merik]

Sam, what kind of bike do you think I should look at getting for a beginner?

[ibstolidude]

Sam, what kind of bike do you think I should look at getting for a beginner?
CBR 900RR

[Flagg]

1999 996 yep.

Oh crap....not another one......

First Royal....now Deuterium going to the dark side.

How many times do I have to tell you guys.....APRILIA & MOTO GUZZI!

But on a more serious note.......

Buell make nice bikes.......one of my techs owns an early Buell prototype and swears by them.....but even still.....they simply lack the refinement, build quality, and reliability of other brands.....maybe someday

Personally, I'm waiting for the arrival of this:

http://www.mgnoc.com/News/newbikes/mgs01_01.jpg

I saw it at the Sydney Bike Show a couple of months back......it's a beaut.

They keep pushing back production but it'll be worth the wait!

[gilgoul]

cmon flagg, since the X1, buells are fairly reliable and refined, witch wasn`t true for the S1, really bestial and raw to ride, but a literate pain in the ass and poor plastics.
I rode Japanese for years(the last in date was a zzr 1100 kawasaki from 1993, we had together a 200 000 km love story, this bike took me everywhere) and wish I could have afforded either a buell of a guzzi (not the california III, the Le mans was more of ny liking), for week ends fun.


woot

[gilgoul]

Sam, what kind of bike do you think I should look at getting for a beginner?

What license do you have?
How old are you?
What use do you want to make of the bike ?
What`s your insurance history?
What budget do you have for the buy and maintenance?
What`s your locations climate ?
Do you want to ride only solo or have a sissy option?


For a beginner, you`d rather learn the good old way, and knowing that inevitably some day you`ll find your ass on the asphalt, think of the price of plastic and pieces.
I followed the rule as folow, from age 14 to 17, 49cc muppets and scooters, easy to ride and cheap (I could keep on my vacation job small salaries to maintain the poopers for the year to come).
Age 17, sold everything and got a DT125, cute but too high for the shorty I am.
Age 22, XT350 yamaha, then XT600, Then honda vt500E (collector, only a few produced and maintained), then Suzuki GS500 (maybe a good beginners choice) and after some try out stuff, (GSXR 750, Kawasaki ninja ZXR750) I fell in love with a big mama called ZZR1100, made by Kawasaki in 1993, the lady was old but had a ridiculously small mileage, with a good 4in1 yoshimura RS3 line, Michelin sportmax and a slightly higher bubble, she brought me everywhere in Europe, giving perfect adherence and sane steering, beautiful torque and not too gaz consuming if kept out of the red zone (In any way, there`s no point to bring her there).
I`m out of bike now, so might have to go trhu the process again, (damn it), but it`s worth it.
One only thing, we all play dumb on the road at least once in a life time, and if we get out of there unscathed it`s often pure luck. And a bike doesn`t provide you any protection, car drivers know that and let you know that so be wise and safe.

[American Patriot]

That's a nice bike.

[Uncle Sam]

Sam, what kind of bike do you think I should look at getting for a beginner?

Go with something used, especially if you've never ridden before. Keep it below a 750cc. Go through a motorcycle riders course in your state - AMA (http://www.ama-cycle.org/roadride/NewRider/index.asp) has a great one!. They work!

[Deuterium]

1999 996 yep.

Oh crap....not another one......

First Royal....now Deuterium going to the dark side.

How many times do I have to tell you guys.....APRILIA & MOTO GUZZI!

But on a more serious note.......

Buell make nice bikes.......one of my techs owns an early Buell prototype and swears by them.....but even still.....they simply lack the refinement, build quality, and reliability of other brands.....maybe someday

Personally, I'm waiting for the arrival of this:

http://www.mgnoc.com/News/newbikes/mgs01_01.jpg

I saw it at the Sydney Bike Show a couple of months back......it's a beaut.

They keep pushing back production but it'll be worth the wait!

Oh that's a sweet bike. Ducati just bought out or is in the process of buying Aprilla.

[Uncle Sam]

^^ yep, that is one sweet bike!