Looking at a new ride...

[Airbozo]

Not computer related, but I am in the process of buying a new bike. I need to park my sportster to do some cosmetic and electric work on it and since I commute every day on my bike, the SO has green lighted a new ride (assuming of course that she can ride it and ride on the back).

Of course I love the HD EVO V-twins, and want something a little more canyon carving compatible, so I am looking at a Buell.

Here are the models I am looking at:

Buell S3 Thunderbolt 2000.
http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/3797/buells3t.jpg


Buell xb12r Firebolt 2005.
http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/448/buell05firebolt.jpg


Buell xb12r Firebolt 2009.
http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/7056/buell09firebolt.jpg

The S3T is really my first choice. I love the old tuber frames and the S3T is a really incredible bike. It only has 5700 miles on it as well. The down side is, it still has the original tires on it, needs a 5000 mile service and the rocker box gaskets replaced. I rode up to SF and checked it out Wednesday and put an offer on it. We'll see if he accepts it or not.

The firebolts are really a nice bike too. Much lighter than the S3T and one of the best bikes for the twisties on the market (well they used to be until HD shut Buell down). They have some pretty cool technology as well. What looks like a fuel tank is actually the cover for the air cleaner. The frame is the fuel tank and the rear swing-arm is the oil reservoir. It has a really low center of gravity and amazing brakes. The down side to the firebolts are the rear cylinder heat issues. Those V-twins were never meant to be enclosed in a full frame (originally designed and built for sportsters), so the newer models have a noisy fan that cools the rear jug.

I should know next week if I got the S3T. If not, I am on the hunt again.

[TLHarrell]

I used to have a Honda Shadow ACE. Next bike I get will probably be a Shadow Phantom. The Shadow cruisers are just all around nice bikes, especially in the twisties.

[Airbozo]

I like the looks of the Shadows too. Never ridden one, but a friend has one of the Ace's and he can't say enough about it. Very reliable bike too. He never has any issues.

After hot rodding the engine in my Sportster, the vibration has caused some electrical issues I need to fix, hence the new ride. Plus I have to run 100 octane and it is not cheap. The 50 mpg I get on that bike doesn't mean much when gas costs $8/gal. I may install some domed pistons to bring the CR down a bit so I can run premium. I will lose some torque but no big deal. I have plenty to spare.

I need something with a little more ground clearance than a cruiser. Even after installing taller shocks, I still scrape the turtles off the road with my kick stand (which is now ground down to a very sharp point).

[OvRiDe]

The Firebolts looks sweet... but I think it would be less then comfortable for a passenger on the back. I fear you may loose it to the SO! :)

[Airbozo]

The Firebolts looks sweet... but I think it would be less then comfortable for a passenger on the back. I fear you may loose it to the SO! :)

The firebolts are nice. It is amazing that the engine in those bikes have less HP and TQ than my sporty (almost the same engine), but handle so incredible it feels like a different engine. My only issue with the firebolts is that I would feel a little cramped after a long ride. The SO is a little scared of them though. The throttle response is much tighter than my sporty (and the one she had). The front wheel will pull up with almost no effort even in third gear.

THe early Firebolt models had a small passenger seat, but the newer ones are a little better. The X1 models have a knife edge seat and are only good for short jaunts.

The Buell that scares me a bit is the 1125R. The 1125's were the first Harley's ever produced with a non HD motor. Eric Buell used a Rotax motor and that thing puts out 160hp.
http://images.motorcycle-usa.com/PhotoGallerys/19839Buell_1125R_30331.jpg

EB Racing came out with a new model after the split from HD called the 1190RS. Only 100 produced of the first model, most of them are being sold to racers. I am man enough to admit that that bike is too much for me and I would just get in trouble.
http://www.erikbuellracing.com/wp-content/themes/EBR/style/images/gallery/row1d.jpg

[crenn]

After looking at all the bikes, the Firebolt looks the coolest in my opinion.

[Airbozo]

Bought the 2000 S3T last night. Got him to come down a little bit due to a few minor issues and some missing cosmetics. I am dropping it off today for it's 5k service. Only 5700 miles on this bike. Still has the original tires (which will be replaced before I ride it).

Sill can't believe I own this bike yet. I am sure it won't sink in until I put a couple hundred miles on it.

The person that sold it to me is a really nice guy and he is selling all but one of his bikes (he only has 12 left!) due to an illness.

...more later...

[OvRiDe]

Very cool!! I know exactly how you feel, when I bought the Camaro it was almost a month before it really sunk in that it was "my" car. LOL

Looking forward to a few pics of it, and ENJOY!

[Airbozo]

Very cool!! I know exactly how you feel, when I bought the Camaro it was almost a month before it really sunk in that it was "my" car. LOL

Looking forward to a few pics of it, and ENJOY!

I got home late last night from SF and this morning I still could not believe I had the bike, even though it was still on the trailer. This bike has never been in the rain, nor kept outside overnight. I broke both of those in less than 10 hours. Had a nasty downpour this morning as I was driving in. It stopped early though, so I was able to drop the bike off for service. My mechanic was almost as excited as I am because he knows once he is done with the service, he gets to ride it.

The bike I bought is the first picture in my initial post. Once the bike is ride able, I will post more shots.

[OvRiDe]

Looking forward and CONGRATS!!! That is one sweet ride.

[TheGreatSatan]

I found your new bike!

http://www.forodefotos.com/attachments/vespa/15593d1293055922-vespa-de-125cc-vespa-125cc-rosa.jpg

[Airbozo]

I don't know TGS, if I'm going to ride a pink girls bike, I think I would choose this one:
http://www.nrhsperformance.com/images/sportsterbike.jpg

[Swilken]

Congratulations on your purchase!

... Well crap, now I want a bike... But I suppose I can't just sell my car and grab a random bike. I'm assuming you have alternative means of transportation for when you need to transport stuff? How's using a bike as your everyday driver working out for you?

[SchaibleTech]

That firebolt is sickkkkk......

[Airbozo]

Congratulations on your purchase!

... Well crap, now I want a bike... But I suppose I can't just sell my car and grab a random bike. I'm assuming you have alternative means of transportation for when you need to transport stuff? How's using a bike as your everyday driver working out for you?

I ride everyday, or almost anyway. 50mpg plus being able to lane split are huge benefits right now.

I rarely transport anything that will not fit into my backpack. This new bike will give me extra cargo room, but since the bags are not that big, it won't be a huge amount of stuff.

I have a 1975 FJ40 and a trailer if I really need to haul something (OK, the FJ40 belongs to my wife). Plus in the winter months the SO and I carpool a lot. Saves money and strengthens our relationship. Win win!

My new tires are taking the longest, and since I won't ride it with the tires it has, I can't pick it up until Thursday... Looks like I am going to be sick Thursday afternoon and I may have to run a couple of tanks of gas to get home... LOL!

[TLHarrell]

Take the long way home... loop up along Skyline from Santa Cruz, through Felton and up to SF, then back along Hwy 1?

[Airbozo]

Take the long way home... loop up along Skyline from Santa Cruz, through Felton and up to SF, then back along Hwy 1?


Probably head up to 92 to Skyline, then stop at Alice's for dinner, then to 84 to 1, to Bonny Doon, Empire Grade and finally onto Jamison Creek to 236, hwy 9, then Bear Creek. Only a 107 miles, so I may have to make it longer...

[OvRiDe]

Only a 107 miles, so I may have to make it longer...

Yah... that would only be a little less then an hour on that bike. :whistler:

[CorsePerVita]

They both look like nice bikes! I dig the look of Buell bikes.

[Airbozo]

100 mile report:

Didn't get to do the long way home ride Friday, since we had already committed to dinner and a night out with the wife to see a friends band. I was able to take a ride Saturday but I didn't want to get to far from home, since I am still tightening things up. Have a few small issues due to the bike sitting so long. Loose mirrors, loose blinkers and such.

When I first got on the freeway Friday, I had just shifted into 4th and looked down to see I was going over 85!. This bike is really smooth over ~2500 rpm so I didn't realize how fast I was going. Acceleration is amazing. Still not as arm jerking as my sportster, but powerful and smooth. The front wheel wants to jump off the ground if you twist the throttle too hard, even in 3rd. Up into the mountains and I was really impressed with the way this bike handles. It is close to 450lb, but you can't tell. It just handles the corners amazing. The seat is going to take some getting used to, as well as the foot pegs and shifter. A little smaller than the sportster and I have big feet.

I am now learning about all of the little nuances of the bike including the shift points (redline at 6800), and the brakes. The front brake WILL stop the bike fast and I have had to learn not to grab too much. Grabbing the brake while in a corner makes the bike want to stand up and go straight. That was kind of fun finding that out.

[AmEv]

Wonder how fast you can go if you do this?
L01pZY5DDvw

[Airbozo]

Had my first major issue with my new ride. The stock Showa shock blew a seal and barfed it's guts all over the road. I felt it go and the bike started riding like one of those spring horses found in a playground.

To be honest I knew it was going to fail from the time I first saw the bike. It is one of those things that happens to every bike that had those shocks about 5-6k miles. I had planned for it, so the shock of buying a new shock wasn't that bad. OK, the price of a good shock did surprise me (I was not going to buy a similar one knowing it would fail in 5k miles again), but I found a brand new, in the box Works shock (http://www.worksperformance.com/html/street.html) for 50% of retail. 4 bolts to remove the old one and 2 bolts plus some cable ties and clamps to install the new one. The SO pushed the bike up on it's kickstand to ease the tension while I slipped the old one out and new one in. Took me all of 2 hours to swap and adjust.

Here are a few shots:
The Shock:
http://imageshack.us/a/img856/4228/buellnewshock002.jpg

...and the reservoir:
http://imageshack.us/a/img515/7351/buellnewshock001.jpg

Took the long way home last night and the difference is amazing! Not sure I would pay full price, but it would be worth it for the change in the ride.

[OvRiDe]

Man.. that thing looks so sweet.. and I can't even see the whole bike!! :)

[Airbozo]

http://imageshack.us/a/img248/7554/buellnewshock003.jpg

I can't believe this bike is in such good condition for a 2000 model...

I was going to touch up the chips on the wheels, but everyone I have spoken with about it says the touch up will look worse than the chips. There is a lady down the street from where I work that does custom paint and she says she can get close enough so you would have to really look to see the difference. The paint is called "Nuclear Blue" and it is a 3 step process. A special glitter silver base coat with a purple tinted clear coat and another blue clear coat. Depending on the way the light hits it, it is either purple or the blue you see in the pictures...

****, I can barely get primer to look good...