Accident last night... V3.0 destroyed.

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Originally Posted by pelon717

The 2009 STREET TRIPLE R will have fully adjustable suspension and better brakes. It's not replacing the Street Triple but will be an option for those wanting better susp. & brakes.

Pricing is supposed to fall between the standard Street and Daytona. It looks like I'll be selling the Mazda next year- I need one of these bikes.

Street Triple ‘R’ announced with Daytona-spec brakes and suspension » The Biker Gene

Yeah the Triumph dealership told me they will sell the '09s Streets at a higher price than the 2008 Speed... you`re looking at $12-$13k OTD... he said they were so successful that they could sell for much more than they are worth... plus Triumph is having production capacity issues, so they`ll be getting one bike a month, and only if they are sold out

I haven`t eliminated the Triumphs from the list yet (he was ready to sell me a new '07 Speed for $10.5k OTD), but I am not sure it would be the smart choice for me... they are definitely awesome bikes, but with peak power above 10k rpm, and knowing myself, it's probably not the best mixture.

Again, I am not looking for a "power house" for my next bike (or else I`d be getting a CBR1000RR), I am looking at something that fits me, on which I will have fun riding, and that looks good to my eyes... pending the test ride, the Buells (probably the XB12) are on top right now.
They have more torque than the Triumphs, and I believe they`ll give me all the "street" fun I am looking for... we shall see

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Originally Posted by stevo_x

make sure you get really really good earplugs if you get an aftermarket exhaust. Guy who doesnt get on here much made me about def with his exhaust on his xb12. It echoed in my helmet from 4 bikes back on a group ride.

Perfect! They sound mean don`t they

[07zzr6004me]

Regarding your "low CG" comment, I do believe that Honda built a $1,000,000 dollar test bike with a whole host of sensory a few years ago, that proved for a street/track performer, actually a higher CG is needed to make the bike more flick-able sort of like a pendulum. Otherwise the weight down low is counter productive and actually fights the bikes ability to lean. After I assaulted a set of twisties in the XB9, I definitely felt like this was a factor.

The "keep the weight low where it belongs" campaign was when Buell was under the tenure of HD, which you have to consider the source.

Also a note on the steering. To me on every street bike "shy of a cruiser" I have ridden, at speeds < 5MPH the bike steers traditionally. At speeds > 5MPH the bike countersteers. On the XB9 it felt like that number bumped up to 15MPH, which created an odd situation in low speed corners IMO.

Also if you are dead set on a XB9 or XB12, you might search used. The bikes have been virtually unchanged since early 2000's.

For the Streetfighter look and feel, have you considered a KTM 690 Duke or a 990 Super Duke?

[wavex]

Thanks for the feedback... interesting info about the CG and feel in low speed corners. Did you enjoy riding the XB9 at all? How is the engine? Was it fun?

I checked the KTM, but with a OTD of $15k+ on the 990, and $11k on the 690 I scratched them from the list

[pelon717]

The 990 Superduke is a really fun bike, but damn, lots of money for what it is. Plus, I can't imagine riding one for more than a few days without losing my license & insurance.

[07zzr6004me]

Originally Posted by wavex

Thanks for the feedback... interesting info about the CG and feel in low speed corners. Did you enjoy riding the XB9 at all? How is the engine? Was it fun?

I checked the KTM, but with a OTD of $15k+ on the 990, and $11k on the 690 I scratched them from the list

Eh it looks great, fits me well, and sounds awesome. But for the $$$ the cons, far outweigh the pros.

Pros:

-Great styling
-A few Niche things like oil in swingarm fuel in frame
-Vtwin rumble decent torque off idle
-Belt drive

Cons:

-Air cooled engine doesn't work well in high heat
-Don't like weight down low
-Handling was funny
-(this one is petty) Huge BUELL stickers on everything
-Vibration (jesus the mirrors are useless this thing definitly descends from the HD bloodline)
--Hands go numb
--butt goes numb
--Balls go numb
-Fly screen was useless and counter productive IMO
-Not spectacular MPG
-Not spectacular power for the CC's
-Head lights while cool and projectory, were mediocre at best and left me wanting more at night
-High seat height, I'm 5'8" and was tip toeing it.

There are better bikes out there for the $$$.

I'd be all over a Street/Speed triple or Aprilia shiver, used 690/990 Super duke, Z1000, Hypermotard (dealer here selling for $11k OTD), Z750, monster 695, in a heart beat.

[07zzr6004me]

Oh and it does do burnouts rather nicely. My buddy who owned the bike picked up a nail in the sidewall on his brand new tire and wanted to send it off in style, but was too chicken to do it, so I was volunteered.

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Originally Posted by 07zzr6004me

Eh it looks great, fits me well, and sounds awesome. But for the $$$ the cons, far outweigh the pros.

Pros:

-Great styling
-A few Niche things like oil in swingarm fuel in frame
-Vtwin rumble decent torque off idle
-Belt drive

Cons:

-Air cooled engine doesn't work well in high heat
-Don't like weight down low
-Handling was funny
-(this one is petty) Huge BUELL stickers on everything
-Vibration (jesus the mirrors are useless this thing definitly descends from the HD bloodline)
--Hands go numb
--butt goes numb
--Balls go numb
-Fly screen was useless and counter productive IMO
-Not spectacular MPG
-Not spectacular power for the CC's
-Head lights while cool and projectory, were mediocre at best and left me wanting more at night
-High seat height, I'm 5'8" and was tip toeing it.

There are better bikes out there for the $$$.

I'd be all over a Street/Speed triple or Aprilia shiver, used 690/990 Super duke, Z1000, Hypermotard (dealer here selling for $11k OTD), Z750, monster 695, in a heart beat.

Thanks!

That's weird, the couple of reviews I read on the XBs said they handled great, and did not have ANY vibrations at all, except at idle... but as soon as you get off idle, the vibs are totally gone... I guess not!

All the other negatives you listed don`t bother me at all... but again, the test ride will tell how it feels to me

[07zzr6004me]

Originally Posted by wavex

Thanks!

That's weird, the couple of reviews I read on the XBs said they handled great, and did not have ANY vibrations at all, except at idle... but as soon as you get off idle, the vibs are totally gone... I guess not!

All the other negatives you listed don`t bother me at all... but again, the test ride will tell how it feels to me

* Noteworthy on the Vibrations:

The XB I put all my time on had a Jardine exhaust which could account for a considerable amount of the Vibs.

Yeah at the end of the day its your bike, go with what you feel...cheers.

[stevo_x]

Hey you might want to hit up Chanda, thats her name on here, she has a xb9 low and her husband has the xb12 with the stupid loud pipes. They both know all there is to know about buells. They both get 45+ mpg out of their bikes.

http://www.sportbikes.net/forums/members/chanda.html

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Thanks guys! I appreciate the feedback

[CrazyBiker]

If you are getting the XB get the XB12R and to be sure get feedback from Randomchaos (FZ6 Alumini). He has a lot to say about that bike. I haven't ridden his bike in person but I'll surely love to try it when we manage to meet for a group ride or something ..

[07zzr6004me]

Originally Posted by stevo_x

They both get 45+ mpg out of their bikes.

Cali's gas is crap, we get worse mileage out here by about 5 mpg. Go figure.

[stevo_x]

All we have is ethanol....its everywhere. It's hard to find 91 that doesnt have it in it. Yeah and 91 is the norm high octane as well. Unless you find a bp around.

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I pay $95 a week to commute in my suv... it was about $15 for the bike... I could care less about the bike's MPG, it`ll be WAY lower than the car anyway