Buell Bliss

Just completed a 278 mile Black Friday - stay out of the shopper's way - ride in WNC.

65 degrees and the sky was blue.

Rather do that than fight the "retail madness" of Black Friday.

A Buell in it's natural element.

2 lane back roads.

Try one you will like it!

The torquey nature of the engine interests me greatly. There is a 1st gen one at a local dealer I want to ride just to make sure. I really want a 08 or newer just because of the front end redesign. I flat track a lot on my xr650r and I want the buell to have enough steering. Unless of course someone tells me otherwise. Who has ridden the pre 08' models versus the 08 and on?

I own an 07 and I've had a short ride on an 08. The increase in steering lock is substantial; I think it'd be well worthwhile if ever plan on getting the bike sideways. The 08-up XB's also have the stouter crankshaft and improved oiling system.

We have had an 06, and 07 and now an 08.

Other than some increased ease of moving around a low speeds, can not really tell the difference.

Find one you like, make the choice and enjoy

Good Luck

I'm going into to it with an open mind, If I find an earlier one with insane low miles and right price I'll go that route but would rather have a newer one....

I'm also kind-of thinking one far away would be a great excuse to buy a one way ticket... HEHEHE

I bought my 06 uly with 6400 miles on it a couple months ago for $4900. I love the bike and think I got a decent deal, It also came with the HB hard luggage. One thing I did since its an 06 is put the 07 fork springs in it. Brake dive was crazy without them. The better turning of the newer models would be nice, but not that big of deal.

Try and get the 08 triples and swap them on. Thats what I did with my 06. Turns tighter.

Only downside is the pinlock wont reach into frame. There is a guy on badweb selling longer pins somewhere.

Love my bike but am having the itch to switch up and always open to offers only about 15-16k miles.

My kind of thinking! The best excuse to take a trip.

Ok, here is a bit of info and clarification on the o8-10 uly models.
The x is the one with the 47mm and increased steering lock.
The xt still retained the 43mm forks. And came with factory luggage.
They made both for 08-10

Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong.

I really like mine so far....I put 5k on it since june. Its an 08X. I always wanted one and when we went to trade my wife's harley on a new one and I saw the used Uly was sitting there.....well she got her harley and I rode my uly home. My Ultra has basically sat in the garage all summer. I am planning an Alaska ride next summer but just do not feel confident enough in the Uly to take it as I could be in trouble on that long open trip.

I will continue to ride the Uly 50 miles daily back and forth to work but the Ultra is more than likely making the Alaska trip. I lived in Alaska for 8 yrs and have a firm grip on making good decisions as poor ones can cost you

"Ok, here is a bit of info and clarification on the o8-10 uly models.
The x is the one with the 47mm and increased steering lock.
The xt still retained the 43mm forks. And came with factory luggage.
They made both for 08-10That is the major difference in the two bikes."

The X is the more off road version, the XT is the road going version. There are some other differences too. I believe the XT also has a lower seat, and a different front fender arrangement. Other than those things the bike is the same.
I bought an 09 X a couple of years ago from Craigs List. It came with the heated grips, Hepco Becker junior luggage, kako throttle lock, a right side comfort kit, and a palmer windshield system. I like this bike more every time I ride it. It just has more personality then any other bike I have ever owned.

New to me screaming yellow 2010 XB12X, as of this past Oct.17,
just days before the snow started to fly...

996DL

Jealous

Don't be, I've paid my dues...
Eight years of being dissatisfied, with my owned since new 04 DL1000.

Been overseeing a friend muck about with his 09 XB12X,
since he nabbed it firesale priced, back in 2010...

I've got another four months of winter to hash out my choices, for setting up this 2010 of mine. Free Spirit belt tensioner or not, probably Redline 20/50 in the motor and I'm leaning towards Motul Transoil Expert 10/40 for the trans / primary fill, either Pilot 3's or Metzeler Roadtec Z8's for rubber, 40 litre Hepco & Becker Junior bags for luggage duties down the road, EBR mapped ecm with a stock ceramic coated muffler, turf the heated grips and substitute my beloved Odi Mushroom grips, wire up the Bel Sti Driver and Radar Screamer audio setup off the Strom, yadda, yadda, yadda...

That and get the DL and RG500 ready for sale next year , it's gonna be a busy spring...

996DL

I picked up an 06 Uly w/full hardbags and 67k miles back in Oct. I only got to ride it a handful of times before it got stuck behind the supplies for our roof tear off. Took it out a few times and barely got home due to some weird issue that started as a slight and rhythmic surge and ended up in stalling and a bucking sensation. Still haven't narrowed it down yet.

Even with all this, I love that damn bike and don't regret buying it at all.

If it was raining at the time my bet would be the 77 connector.
If it was not, my bet would be the ECM.

Head on over to badweatherbikers, lots of help there.

Found an 08 Uly (12X) on CL a few weeks back with the HB panniers for $5700... couldn't pass it up and now gotta say it's the most FUN I've had on 2 wheels.

As far as < 2008 vs 2008+ : there are some engine changes too. Buell made some improvements to the oiling system and strength of internal components on 08+ if I remember correctly.

I've been told to WATCH rear wheel bearings and replace at the first signs of wear. Something about belt tension putting stress on the bearings I think. 2010's had a 3-bearing rear wheel which can retro-fit if you change wheel, bearings, axle, etc. I plan to just keep an eye on them and replace every 20,000 mi or so... and maybe use the Free Spirit tensioner. Apparently the FS tensioner puts less strain on the belt & bearings especially when traversing sharp bumps (sudden suspension travel). There have been documented cases of FS tensioner failure too... so I'm still kind of up in the air on that one.

If you don't already know, Al from American Sport Bike in CA (Buell parts supplier) is a GREAT resource and owns/rides an 08 Uly. No trouble getting parts - Al has most everything in stock and can get the rest. He provides great customer service.

Can't wait to get some more miles on this thing!

The single best piece of advice I can give any Uly owner is to purchase a spare belt and carry it with you. I've broken there of them, and having a spare made the difference between a half hour roadside repair job, and having to call a tow truck.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=520934

I took that advice and bought a new one for mine even though it only have 7500 miles on it. Changed it at home so Id know how on the side of the road and kept the old one as a spare. I havent been carrying it around, I figure if Im going more than 100 miles from home ill toss it in.

I'm looking at an '06 XB12X for sale locally. It has 2,100 miles, full luggage and an aftermarket windshield. The dealer wants $7,999. Even though it appears brand new, I believe this is way too high.

What concerns me the most is the lack of miles. It doesn't even have the comfort kit installed yet. I had the dealer check on that and it's still available ($140).

I may offer them $6,000 for it and see what happens. Any thoughts on this?