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NOTE: This "review" was thrown together quickly. I apologize if it lacks a flow or cohesion.
I’ll start by saying that I really do like Buells a lot. Ever since I first saw the Firebolt and then Lightnings I was hooked. I love street fighters, I love the look of the Buells, the frames, the wheels, the front brake, the whole shebang. Even the fact that the bikes have a motor derived from a Harley motor was fine by me. As much as I dislikes Harleys and a lot of the culture around them, I can appreciate the motors. Yes they are tractor-like, but they seem to be damn near bullet-proof.
I woke up early this morning and headed to Meredith Buell in NH near Laconia. Nice dealer, and the Buell truck out front was surrounded by the entire Buell lineup. The staff was incredibly nice, helpful, and knowledgeable. You can tell they’ve done many of these demo days, and the truck has made many stops. Sadly, the bikes had also seen one too many hard days, and it didn’t seem like they were kept in tip-top shape. More on that later.
I went in with the intention of riding the XB9SX and the XB12STT. As awesome as the 1125R is, I want upright bars and comfort. I signed up to ride the XB9 first, then the XB12 on the next run. Each ride was led by an employee, and had one at the back in case people straggled behind. There were about 10 riders total in each group. Very well setup route, with a nice variety of conditions ranging from traffic lights to windy roads, to a few 55 mph byways.
Anyway, I threw a leg over the XB9 and was ready to set off. Upon firing up the motor I realized that everyone was serious when they said the bikes shake a lot at idle. The bikes vibrates so much at idle it’s comical. I was actually sitting there chuckling to myself. The clutch lever (non adjustable) was a pretty far reach for my dainty hands, and had a medium-stiff pull. First engaged with a decent thud, and off we went. The throttle on the bike was so poorly adjusted that it didn’t feel like it was joined to the motor; the motor didn’t seem to respond until I had twisted the throttle a ¼ of the way. That was annoying. When the bike did pull away it was basically gutless. It had enough torque to get along, but when you revved it not a whole lot happened. I thought for sure it would be faster than my SV, and it sure as hell didn’t feel like it.
The suspension was also not setup well at all for my weight, and desperately needed the fork tubes lowered, and everything stiffened up. The bike simply didn’t want to lean over, which was disappointing because you always hear how awesome Buells handle. Again, I can’t really fault the bike for that, it was a demo ride. The brakes were awesome. One finger, plenty of feel, and very little effort required. With that being said, the super short wheelbase on the XB9 made the bike feel like it wanted to do a stoppie every time I got on the brakes. Shifting gears was absolutely abysmal. 1-2 required a lot of effort, and frequently didn’t work. And because the throttle was so poorly adjusted, it made smooth changes even harder. Neutral was tough to find.
Return back to base, fairly disappointed, I got on the XB12STT. Right away the bike felt a little better to me. Little bigger, nice stance, suspension was better. Sadly as I rolled to the first stop, the front end made a horrid mechanical whacking/grinding sound under braking (steering bearing felt shot). I continued on because the bike felt fine under way. Further proof that the demo bikes were in mediocre shape.
The longer wheelbase of the STT was MUCH nicer on the road than the XB9’s shorter one. The bike felt a lot less nervous, and more willing to turn. The longer travel suspension also felt much better with my weight. The bike felt like a cross between a motard and street bike (which is what they were going for so far as I know). The throttle on the XB12 was junk, just like the XB9, and the gearbox was also awful. Again, the brakes were great, and the XB12’s motor is MUCH better. Torque EVERYWHERE, and a really substantial tug once you got above 2.5k. I really liked the feel of the motor (once you get past the poorly adjusted throttle). Of the two bikes the XB12 is worlds better, and the one I would buy.
The one thing that was really tough to get over on both bikes (and was not a by-product of being a beaten demo bike) was the heat. My god the bikes are hot. At a light you are literally sitting on an oven, with heat hitting you everywhere. You get absolutely blasted. Even at speed the bike still puts out some serious heat. In the winter the bike would be wonderful
Overall I left disappointed. I know the bikes are better than what they had on display based on what I’ve gathered from Buell riders. You could tell that every machine there had lived a short and very hard life. It’s a shame they didn’t keep up on the basic adjustments.
Am I totally against getting a Buell still? No, not really. The STT can still be had for well under $9k brand new, and the motor was a blast. I also know that the suspension, once dialed in, would be riot on the streets. Add to that the fact that there is next to no maintenance required on the bike, and it still looks desirable.
The only thing that is REALLY keeping me from pulling the trigger is the heat. I commute a lot, and I’m a big time ATGATT person (as those of you who’ve ridden with me know). Sitting on a Buell in summer traffic on 93 would be borderline torture.
For now I’m going to try and find someone local with an XB12 that’s in good shape and see if they’ll let me take it for a spin. If the bike feels better than the demo one, it will be back on my list.
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