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FZ6If you’re looking for one bike to perform a multitude of missions, look no further.
Take it from Cycle World* Magazine - “For a more advanced rider looking for a bike to do it all, there is no other choice.”
That exhaust that he has on his xb12 is a D&D.....could explain for the noise
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Get tha Nannys!
some people have feelings that get hurt easily. I simply say it may be a case of sandivaginitis.....go to the doctor. It sounds like sound paper when you walk.
That exhaust that he has on his xb12 is a D&D.....could explain for the noise
SRSLY.
My buddy put a D&D on his Gixxer 600...holy hell...it was at least as loud as my Two Brothers system (before I fabricated baffles for it, to avoid going deaf by age 35).
My buddy put a D&D on his Gixxer 600...holy hell...it was at least as loud as my Two Brothers system (before I fabricated baffles for it, to avoid going deaf by age 35).
I ride with plugs on long trips (more than 30 minutes).
Around town, I do not ride with plugs...I want to hear everything happening around me.
However, I did just get fitted yesterday for a set of Westone CUSTOM ear plugs! Woohoo! Not only will they be tunable (from 20-33dB NRR) with inserts, but they are made specifically for motorcyclists. They have a very slim profile that assures your helmet will not push on them causing discomfort.
Buells FTMFW! My 2004 XB12R gets around 45mpg when I only ride around town, and 60mpg out on open highways. The gas tank might appear to be small, but when you are getting 60mpg down the highway, it lasts a long time. The 08s are having a few issues with the new FI system, causing them to get bad gas mileage until they have several thousand miles on them, but they supposedly have those issues worked out for the 09s.
The things that will casue vibrations off idle are an aftermarket exhaust, due to those large pulses from the motor, clutch out of adjustment, or primary chain too loose. I love my Buell. It has so much character, and power everywhere. I got rid of the racekit cause it hurt my ears after a hundred or more miles of riding, even with earplugs in. The stock exhaust sounds damn good to me, and has a nice grunt to it when you go WOT and the valve in the 12's pipe opens up.
The handling is alot different from regular bikes. The short wheelbase, and location of the weight on the bike give it a fast turn-in, yet smooth. You have to keep a slightly constant pressure on the inside bar to keep it leaned in corners, which gives it that strange feeling. Its so smooth, and handles corners so well though. The suspension will need to be fined tuned to your weight. If it is off slightly, it will make the bike feel like a fat pig in corners, and like its not getting traction real well. This is where alot of people report of hit handling badly. Around town riding is great. You have power at any RPM, and flickablity for tight turns, like in parking lots.
The brakes are awesome. You might think the single disc wouldnt perform as well as the usual dual discs, but it does. The size of the rotor, and the location of it on the wheel, along with the lighter overall front wheel, give the bike great stopping power. The stock pads arent great though, so I would recommend upgrading them. The stock ones can leave brake dust in spots on the rotor, making the front brake pulse, and feel warped.
The belt drive is phenominal. No chain lash to deal with when getting on the throttle. Just instant power to the rear. Its honestly like having your right hand connected to the reartire. No maintenance on the belt drive system is hella nice as well. No need to worry about tension, or lubing, or if your reartire is aligned straight.
Overall maintenance wise for the bike, its very low. Change the engine oil, transmission oil, check primary chain tightness, and your off! During the miles between oil changes, all you need to do is check the oil level. I usually check mine every other fillup, and usually only have to add a little oil once between oil changes.
The 9 motor in the CityX is a bit smoother than the 12 motor. It doesnt create as much torque, or hp as the 12, but the higher revs give you a bit more playing room. The flat torque curve is nice for both motors. No sudden spikes of power, just nice, smooth, consitent pull that grows slightly as the RPMs rise. The engine heat isnt that bad. I ride mine around town alot, in 95+ degree weather multiple times this year, and havent had any problems from the motor, and sweat no more than I did on my FZ6 at those temps.
The bikes styling and engine isnt for everybody. It really is the kind of bike you either love, or hate, no in between. Give it a try WaveX.
The belt drive is phenominal. No chain lash to deal with when getting on the throttle. Just instant power to the rear. Its honestly like having your right hand connected to the reartire. No maintenance on the belt drive system is hella nice as well. No need to worry about tension, or lubing, or if your reartire is aligned straight.
I had two belt drive bikes (one Buell) and tension was an imporant thing just like with a chain. Now, if your model has a dedicated belt tensioner, then yes, you have very little to do. However, many belt driven bikes to NOT have a tensioner.
In fact I had a mechanic (one of the ONLY times I let them touch my bike) that set the belt tension too tight on my Yamaha Warrior and it caused the bike to destroy the primary drive shaft bearings, which was a rather expensive repair.
Also, just like with a chain, the rear wheel alignment is still very important. If the alignment is off, it will cause extreme wear on the side of the belt, which can kill a belt really quickly and even cause it to skip off the front or rear pulley if it becomes really worn.
You are right on the lube though...belts are MUCH cleaner than chains.
I prefer belt drives, but I thought I would comment on what you said, since both tension and alignment are very important on a belt system.
XB models have a dedicated belt tensioner. Also, the rearwheel has no adjusters on it. the axle goes in just like the front forks. The new belts last up to and over 20,000 miles as well.
Also, one last thing WaveX will probably love about the buell XBs, most parts are swappable between different models.
__________________ Gear: Scorpion Stinger Jacket, AGV Forza 1pc Suit, Teknic VR-II Gloves, TCX SS Performance 2 Racing Boots, Scorpion EXO-700 Burst Helmet ( Destroyed ) Bike: Drummer Muffler, Race ECM, High Flow Air Filter, Hepco & Becker Saddlebags, Front and Rear Axle Sliders, Smaller Rear View Mirrors, Heavy Bar-ends, Zero Gravity Taller Windscreen Are you Biker Friendly?
Last edited by Randomchaos : 07-29-2008 at 12:12 PM.
Buells FTMFW! My 2004 XB12R gets around 45mpg when I only ride around town, and 60mpg out on open highways. The gas tank might appear to be small, but when you are getting 60mpg down the highway, it lasts a long time. The 08s are having a few issues with the new FI system, causing them to get bad gas mileage until they have several thousand miles on them, but they supposedly have those issues worked out for the 09s.
The things that will casue vibrations off idle are an aftermarket exhaust, due to those large pulses from the motor, clutch out of adjustment, or primary chain too loose. I love my Buell. It has so much character, and power everywhere. I got rid of the racekit cause it hurt my ears after a hundred or more miles of riding, even with earplugs in. The stock exhaust sounds damn good to me, and has a nice grunt to it when you go WOT and the valve in the 12's pipe opens up.
The handling is alot different from regular bikes. The short wheelbase, and location of the weight on the bike give it a fast turn-in, yet smooth. You have to keep a slightly constant pressure on the inside bar to keep it leaned in corners, which gives it that strange feeling. Its so smooth, and handles corners so well though. The suspension will need to be fined tuned to your weight. If it is off slightly, it will make the bike feel like a fat pig in corners, and like its not getting traction real well. This is where alot of people report of hit handling badly. Around town riding is great. You have power at any RPM, and flickablity for tight turns, like in parking lots.
The brakes are awesome. You might think the single disc wouldnt perform as well as the usual dual discs, but it does. The size of the rotor, and the location of it on the wheel, along with the lighter overall front wheel, give the bike great stopping power. The stock pads arent great though, so I would recommend upgrading them. The stock ones can leave brake dust in spots on the rotor, making the front brake pulse, and feel warped.
The belt drive is phenominal. No chain lash to deal with when getting on the throttle. Just instant power to the rear. Its honestly like having your right hand connected to the reartire. No maintenance on the belt drive system is hella nice as well. No need to worry about tension, or lubing, or if your reartire is aligned straight.
Overall maintenance wise for the bike, its very low. Change the engine oil, transmission oil, check primary chain tightness, and your off! During the miles between oil changes, all you need to do is check the oil level. I usually check mine every other fillup, and usually only have to add a little oil once between oil changes.
The 9 motor in the CityX is a bit smoother than the 12 motor. It doesnt create as much torque, or hp as the 12, but the higher revs give you a bit more playing room. The flat torque curve is nice for both motors. No sudden spikes of power, just nice, smooth, consitent pull that grows slightly as the RPMs rise. The engine heat isnt that bad. I ride mine around town alot, in 95+ degree weather multiple times this year, and havent had any problems from the motor, and sweat no more than I did on my FZ6 at those temps.
The bikes styling and engine isnt for everybody. It really is the kind of bike you either love, or hate, no in between. Give it a try WaveX.
If I could, I would trade my 12R in for a 09 CityX. I love the new colors on it, and that sitting position is sooooo comfortable.
Random, thank you very much for the thorough review!!! Awesome! That is really what I was waiting for, and your comments match almost exactly the various reviews I had read on forums and on US and Euro magazines...
I agree with you that the translucent blue color on the XB9 is amazing.. you can see through the tank, and the blue wheels are kickass too! I am usually adamant about black for any bike, but the blue on the buell is amazing... just a couple of touches (tank and wheels) and the rest in black looks great!
Did you ride the XB9 City? It is my first choice, but I am just a little worried that power won`t be as amazing as the 12... I`ll test ride both of them soon (next wkd hopefully), but I`d like to get your feel if you tried it already.
I have not test rode the 9X, but I have test rode several 9Rs in the past. The power difference isnt really noticable to me. You can feel the bit of extra torque the 12 has when taking off from a stop, but thats about the only place I could feel a difference. They did a good job on the gearing for the 9 motor. Try riding the 12 and 9, most Buell dealerships have no problems with letting you testride the bike. Heck, Buell even runs promotions to get free stuff after test riding one .
__________________ Gear: Scorpion Stinger Jacket, AGV Forza 1pc Suit, Teknic VR-II Gloves, TCX SS Performance 2 Racing Boots, Scorpion EXO-700 Burst Helmet ( Destroyed ) Bike: Drummer Muffler, Race ECM, High Flow Air Filter, Hepco & Becker Saddlebags, Front and Rear Axle Sliders, Smaller Rear View Mirrors, Heavy Bar-ends, Zero Gravity Taller Windscreen Are you Biker Friendly?
XB models have a dedicated belt tensioner. Also, the rearwheel has no adjusters on it. the axle goes in just like the front forks. The new belts last up to and over 20,000 miles as well.
Also, one last thing WaveX will probably love about the buell XBs, most parts are swappable between different models.
Oh wow...that is crazy....I had no idea Buell had entirely removed the rear wheel alignment!!!!
Man....other bike manufacturers could take some notes from Buell on these additions to the belt drive system...my Warrior had no tensioner and definitely needed careful rear wheel alignment.
Yea, before the XB models they didnt have the belt tensioners and needed the rearwheel adjusters and stuff. This new setup is super nice. Makes it alot easier on upkeep. They even lengthened out the oil change intervals on the 08 models to allow them to go up to 5000 miles before needing an oil change. My 04 calls for one every 2500 miles . They really focus on trying to keep you on the road, with less upkeep.
__________________ Gear: Scorpion Stinger Jacket, AGV Forza 1pc Suit, Teknic VR-II Gloves, TCX SS Performance 2 Racing Boots, Scorpion EXO-700 Burst Helmet ( Destroyed ) Bike: Drummer Muffler, Race ECM, High Flow Air Filter, Hepco & Becker Saddlebags, Front and Rear Axle Sliders, Smaller Rear View Mirrors, Heavy Bar-ends, Zero Gravity Taller Windscreen Are you Biker Friendly?
we have an 05 XB12R in the garage. I ride it when I can (it is my husband's bike) Lots of fun, very flicky. =) My next bike will probably be the xb12Scg.
Wavex - if you have not done so yet, Buell allows test rides. I would not tell them how many versions of your FZ you have gone through.
...Buell allows test rides. I would not tell them how many versions of your FZ you have gone through.
Wham! Right in the nards!
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As the cars roar into Pennsylvania, the cradle of liberty, it seems apparent that our citizens are staying off the streets, which may make scoring particularly difficult, even with this year's rule changes. To recap those revisions: women are still worth 10 points more than men in all age brackets, but teenagers now rack up 40 points, and toddlers under 12 now rate a big 70 points. The big score: anyone, any sex, over 75 years old has been upped to 100 points.
we have an 05 XB12R in the garage. I ride it when I can (it is my husband's bike) Lots of fun, very flicky. =) My next bike will probably be the xb12Scg.
Wavex - if you have not done so yet, Buell allows test rides. I would not tell them how many versions of your FZ you have gone through.
)
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Let him get another streetfighter!
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