[chevy42083]

Yup... I think I was the 3rd fighter to buy a buell this weekend. :thumbsup:
Whiplash and twr3cks


Been riding a 650r (put 33k miles on it) while modding it off and on (was daily transportation)...
http://www.customfighters.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63060

Always loved the XB bikes, even asked on here for extensive opinions on them... was debating as a second bike...
Buell Yay/Nay

After having my 650r stolen...
Shitty feeling of the week

I was searching classifieds for our old bikes and/or replacements... I decided I'd buy a buell to replace it for now. Hopefully get something cheaper/less pretty to ride through the winter (something 650r/sv650 ish). Definitely keeping the Buell, but would like to keep the buell a little lower mileage than my 650r, and out of the nasty weather.

Drove over 2.5hrs both ways to get it, but I LOVE It....
2009 xb12scg in Cherry Bomb Translucent Red w/ ~7k miles
Mods:
Right side scoop
Rizoma knock-off turnsignals
modded stock muffler
Ti wrapped headers
bar-end mirrors
adjustable levers
tail chop
sx headlight grill
LEDs in scoops and under tank cover
Cigarette lighter power by the cluster

^That's my brother's 1100 Hypermotard. I let him ride the buell and he came back with this face.. :robssmilie: Telling me the bike was "stupid fun" and he wants one.

His comparison of the american 1200 vs itallian 1100...
1100 has more power early on (like sub 3k rpm)
The buell has a harder hit mid-range, and keeps on pulling to redline
The Duc revs much higher, but he said it feels like it runs out of gear right away. Not sure if that's cause it's going faster, or a shorter ratio. (cause his redline is like 10 or 11k rpm)
The Buell doesn't wheelie as easily, but it's a LOT lower.

The ONLY issues with the buell are some slight cracking of the plastics at attachment points, and a few chips in the paint on the wheels. It's perfect otherwise.

 

[jed.only]

LOVE it, man! im a sucker for Buell

 

[Whiplash]

Nice bike bro! Congrats!! I would have rather had red but I love my Goldie none the less

Buell-ade! That's funny!

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[trasher]

Is that an 8 piston caliper on the front??? I know you Buell boys only get 1 brake up front, but jeezus.

And by the way, how does it work having just one big assed brake set up on the front rather than doubles? Buell is the only one that stuck to a single set up on a "sporty" bike, but they are giant rotors and apparently on some, massive calipers

 

[chevy42083]

I think it's 08+ got the bigger caliper.
It feels no different than any other brake IMO. Probably all about surface area of disc to dissipate heat combined with pad area for friction. It's got both, so it's good.

From what I understand, it allows the wheel to be lighter as it doesn't need a large bulky center for a hub to bolt to and it doesn't have to withstand torsional forces, just the weight of the bike. With that said, it "should" act more like a gyroscope having more weight farther out.... but I don't really know how that aspect compares to other wheels. The bike is still VERY eager to turn.

I just realized that the bike has a 200 rear tire, and stock is 180. Not really sure how that may be affecting the handling, but it explains some of the chicken strips. I'm sub 140lbs, and the suspension feels pretty stiff.... I need to spend an afternoon and set the adjusters to the factory recommended.

 

[F'dup]

Nice buy man!

 

[chevy42083]

Oh, and I finally got some of my own pics of the LEDs (mentioned in another thread)
With LEDs and Flash to light up the pegasus cut out...

No flash... lights are brighter and more spread out... gotta get a better camera to capture the "real" look of it.

Left side is 4 slots...

LEDs in the scoops...

 

[Whiplash]

Oh, and I finally got some of my own pics of the LEDs (mentioned in another thread)
With LEDs and Flash to light up the pegasus cut out...

No flash... lights are brighter and more spread out... gotta get a better camera to capture the "real" look of it.

Left side is 4 slots...

LEDs in the scoops...

Omg!! That's awesome!! I'm doin it!!!


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[chevy42083]

I work at a print shop and we do commercial and non-commercial car wraps... so I've played around with installation. It's kinda tricky... but once you get some practice, not hard at all.

Figured I'd give a little project a shot. I car wrapped the heel plates to match the wheels. Color is VERY close. The wheels are metallic red... but the "flakes" look red. In the car wrap, it's like the "flakes" are silver. The shade of red is dead on though. We'll see how long the wrap stays decent... then maybe I'll powder coat them. Mainly worried because my sidis have really torn up the heel plates on my 650r (then again, that's 34k miles). Boots may tear through car wrap quickly.... and powder coat may not be much better.

I used 3M 1080 G203 Scotchprint Gloss Red Matallic Vinyl.

There's no good way to get the wrap to go around the back of the plates, so I have to trim it flush with the front edge. Hopefully that'll keep peeling up to a minimum.

I'll have to snap some whole bike pics after I do the passenger guards also.

 

[Whiplash]

Drank the buell-ade hell! You must have a buell I.V. Straight to the veins! I love it!


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[Nailhead]

:doh:

when i had my buell you had no idea how many people asked me if i was going to put syck LEDs under my tank cover like that

sorry but in my opinion lights are for the road not for show

 

[chevy42083]

Thanks Whiplash.

Nailhead...
Yeah... hence the asking about LEDs in another thread. I just couldn't make up my mind on them.
They aren't my thing... but it's tastefully done, and something cool that not every average joe can do... it's more than just leds slapped behind fairings, and the pegasus cutout was done perfectly. I still don't ride around with them on.


Mixed results on the heel guards.... the car wrap gets pretty soft when it's hot... and they get HOT. Basically, i doubt it'll hold up long-term, but I like it. They add a little flair in what was a plain mass of all matte black stuff. Holding off on passenger pegs till I know how well the material will hold up.

First mistake.... leaving wrap behind the counter sunk screws. I thought it would hold it down... but the screws tugged on the vinyl when it was snugged down...

I think wrapping a portion of the pulley cover would be nice too, but maybe too much if I end up doing the chin fairing.

Like i said... I love that pegasus on the airbox.

 

[Nailhead]

i painted mine with a paint for plastics that was really dark. it looked black expect in direct sunlight then it gave off this extremely dark maroon color.

you should of just painted the heal guards, it would of been pretty easy to do and you wouldnt of had the wrap mess happen.

as for the pulley cover there are some amazing billet offerings.

 

[Hambo]

Bike looks awesome! LEDs are badass and tasteful no matter who says different :shocker:

 

[Nailhead]

Bike looks awesome! LEDs are badass and tasteful no matter who says different :shocker:

 

[Whiplash]

:doh:

when i had my buell you had no idea how many people asked me if i was going to put syck LEDs under my tank cover like that

sorry but in my opinion lights are for the road not for show

Whaaaaaatever! I'm doin it, that airbox is fuckin wicked!

Wasn't there a goldish translucent cover?

What did he use for the Pegasus cutout?(material)


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[chevy42083]

I'll definitely be painting/powdering the heal guards eventually... though I may wait till can get a powder setup and do lots of bits at once (or price out having someone else do it). I just wanted to confirm I liked the look... I do.

Whiplash...
Yes, there is an orange color. Red, blue, orange, and smoked... all the transparent ones, pretty much in order of popularity/production. If you are buying one, be aware that some color are more likely to have the sx plastic "X" on the top... and it isn't always removable.

The pegasus was a sticker traced onto masking tape, then transferred to the airbox.
Keep in mind that the cool part (IMO) of that is the LEDs inside the airbox itself... which light up the filter that you see through the pegasus. Also, he put a line of tape around the rim of the red plastic so that you wouldn't see the LEDs themself, just the glow of them.
His DIY thread...
http://www.buellxb.com/Buell-XB-Forum/Do-It-Yourself-Buell-Mods/Buell-logo-airbox-cutout--LEDs

Not my bike, but here is another where they lit up the filter, but not the airbox...

i think if I could change one thing, it would be wiring the LEDs into the "park" position of the key. Not hard... might require the use of a relay to ease the parking light Fuse. But I think it would be the best place seeing as I don't ride with them on, and it looks better with the tail-light lit and headlight dimly glowing. Also, every time I park, I have to check to make sure it isn't in "park" when I just want "lock". The light would be an indicator Right now the LEDs are on a toggle switch in the empty triangle by my right thigh.

and while searching previous owner's threads, I came across the muffler chop... so here it is...
http://www.buellxb.com/Buell-XB-For...Mods/Home-made-custom-Corvette-exhaust-for-XB

 

[Whiplash]

Oh yeah I've studied his muffler chop got some good pics and stuff from it, I'm glad he did that, it gives me an idea of what I'm dealing with once I hack er open

Hey I was wondering, do you know if he remapped after the exhaust mod?

I kinda like how the stock exhaust dumps out the side so I'm gonna try to stick with that and I'm thinking of trying a little diffrent set up on the inside, it'll include removing all the tubes from the center section then linking the two outside tubes with a U shape pipe but really short so that it still uses the front chamber and the interactive exhaust but the rest of the can will be empty, I also thought about lining the middle section with thin packing kinda like Dummer does, but I'm not sure

Does the sx airbox lid fit the s? They're not easy to come by so I want to explore as many options as I can

And thanks for the info


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[DrJellyFingers]

Ride an xb9 today. It felt so tiny

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[Whiplash]

They are a very compact bike, but they pack alot of thunder in that little package

Ur basically sitting on top of the rear cylinder, which is kinda nice on cold days cuz it warms the seat up right nicely

My coworkers always told me how small they thought my GSXR looked until
I got the XB which is about 8" shorter wheel base


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