Buell bikes, any good?

A mates after a streetfighter or supermoto type bike, he's not a large
bloke. Are the Buell's any good? I have to say, the Lightening looks
bloody aggressive as ****. Or, does he go for a Supermoto. I reckon SM
insurance could be a bit high.

Any thoughts?


--
'I'll be back......'

Nige

Subaru WRX (54)
Land Rover Discovery II
BMW GS1200 2007
2000 Suzuki GSX1300R Y Hayabusa

 

Don't touch a Buell with a 10' barge pole. Petel who posts every now and
then could fill you in on his experience.

 

I think Buells have clocked up, pro rata, more product recalls (and for
*serious* stuff, not just "there is a chance in a million that...") than
any other bike manufacturer.

And then there's the reliability issue. Things break, fall off, become
disconnected.

This is one reason why they're dirt cheap used.

 

message

I think you might be wrong.!

If you could clarify I'll get the Buell expert at my local Stealership to
look into it.

--
Greybeard

FLHTCUI UK-07 96 cu-in (Written off after 3 days & 182 miles!) Courtesy of a
myopic female driver.
FLHTCUI UK-07 Mk II (On the road March 1/07)
Trumpet Trophy 1200 -96, (The Barge) for rainy days.
Garmin Zumo 550, To get me home!

ukrm@foxtails[dot]co[dot]uk

 

It's still a harley with the same faults.

 

They're small, they go around corners like nothing on earth and they
stoppie/wheelie with ease. And before you say owt, no not me.

I have to say, the Lightening looks

"Lightning" ffs.

I believe a trip to a Buellery would answer that.


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

In message

While I agree with your thoughts, I'd love to know where all these dirt
cheap used Buells are. Pref an XB12R or S

 

Yeah, I got the speelling thing, never seen one on the road, not a good
thing in my mind. 16 pints of beer have caved my head in today. Beer,
ambrosia for the working classes.

--
'I'll be back......'

Nige

Subaru WRX (54)
Land Rover Discovery II
BMW GS1200 2007
2000 Suzuki GSX1300R Y Hayabusa

 

Quite a lot more power tho' compared to a Sportster, which happens to
use the same basic engine...

 

Stick the engine in your Sportster?

My impression is that the "dirt cheap Buell" is mostly a myth in the
UK, although they tend to be cheaper than Sportsters. Same is true in
the US by the looks of it.

 

Just google for the words Petel, Buell & shit. Pete knows what he's
doing when it comes to bikes and he had an epic with his Buell.

 

Or possibly the opposite; I prefer my Sportster engine, but the Buell
handling is lovely.

Perhaps I could sell you the Buell engined Sportster I'd have left
over...

That said, the Buell engine is sewing machine smooth compared the Weapon
Of Muff Disruption, so the Buell running gear might not survive :-(

Pity

 

Well, "dirt cheap" is an exaggeration, but they still depreciate badly;
appallingly, compared with Harleys of same price/vintage.

 

His was pre XB.

Completely different bike.

 

I had the unpleasant experience of having a new Sportster as a loaner
recently.

Tortuous riding position, but I couldn't believe how smooth the bloody
thing was. Really light clutch too.

 

In message

Even cheap is an exaggeration, I agree with the depreciation, but one
hell of a ride.
Ok the early ones had a 'bit' of trouble, but now sorted. Downside is
you have to pay for at least "stage one" to get rid of that servo valve
in the exhaust to release the power. But in my opinion, it's the easiest
cornering bike I've had and torque, well how much do you want?
--
Mylodon

XB12R
FXDWG
TBucket

 

I don't see how you can agree that they depreciate badly and yet say
they aren't cheap. Look at these finished auctions:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Hypercharged-...QQihZ004QQcategoryZ122166QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BUELL-X1-LIGH...QQihZ013QQcategoryZ122166QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/STUNNING-BUEL...QQihZ009QQcategoryZ122166QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

all look cheap to me. And there are plenty of unsold bikes on Ebay
that didn't make low reserves or attracted no bids. Like this one:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2003-BUELL-FI...QQihZ003QQcategoryZ122166QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

They may be nice to ride, but they've got a lousy reputation[1] in the
trade for build quality and reliability, which is why they're cheap -
*especially* compared with Harleys of similar vintage and new selling
price.

Don't get me wrong: I'd be interested in one as well, but give a dog a
bad name and you can't expect it to fetch strong used prices. Maybe
yours is find, but there's an exception to every rule. Even with
Ducatis.

Sorry.

[1] Ducati-esque.

 

And the engine was designed by Buell, not Harley. Well according to the
comic, so it's likely to be bollocks.


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

I regularly see a few on the Cat and Fiddle road in Derbyshire and the guys
swear by - and sometimes at - them, but they keep them. I've only ever
riddenn one once (A Firebolt) and the riding position was very aggressive
and it almost begged to be ridden like a twat. Being a twat myself I didn't
need to own something that would convince me I was a better rider than I am
and end up killing myself which the Firebolt was likely to do, so I decided
against one.

It was amazingly smooth though which took me by surprise, given that it
almost walked down the road due to vibrations when I started it. I'm sure if
I hadn't been sat on it, it would've walked itself off the side stand and
fallen over, but as soon as it was off idle, it went all silky like.

16 pints of beer have caved my head in today. Beer,

Working classes? What's them then?



--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

Mate of mine from your neck of the woodsish bought a Firebolt as a
replacement for his Speed Triple (an early one). He was quick on the
Triple, but quicker on the Firebolt. I like the engineeringy touches
on the Buells, and the way everything seems to be focused on keeping
the wheelbase and overall size to an absolute minimum. Seem to reward
being ridden like a twat, albeit one who has been free with the
Nylocks.

I could only describe the engine as surprisingly turbinaceous once it
was over about 3k.

Glasses. He meant glasses.