I sold my R1 a few years ago when I bought my house and now I have the bug to get another bike.  I am trying to decide between a used 04-05 S4R or save some money and get a XB12 of similar year.  In the past I rode about 4K a year or so and will probably do the same with the new bike.  I will use it to commute, canyon riding, and an occasional touring trip.  Can anyone give me the pros and cons of the 2 bikes that have ridden both of them?  I was an experienced rider but have not been on a bike for about 3 years.  Thank for all your help.

That's a no-brainer--the S4R!

Completely un-biased opinion: S4R all the way.

This being a Monster forum, the opinions will be biased.  There are a couple of threads that talk about the Buell.   I'd choose the S4R of course. 

Thanks for the help guys.  I did a search and got some great info.  I know the monster is a much better bike but the buell will cost me 2-3K less.  I am still leaning towards the Monster though.

Comparing similar years you'd be way ahead with the S4R. Build quality is much better. The Ducati has better handling, better brakes, better power & better resale value. Of course you will need maintenance and repairs with either of them so you will have to factor in how close the nearest dealers are and how many dealers you can chose from. Every now & then I get tempted to look at Buell Firebolts. When I get a good close look I always say, "Nah". I'd go with a Japanese bike before a Buell and that's not a knock on Japanese bikes.

I rode the buell at the dealer demo during bike week in daytona. Overall, it was very torquey and a fun ride. The main complaints I have are (1) it sounds like a piece of farm equipment (2) it REALLY shakes while idling and (3) it is also fairly hot on the exhaust side (radiating heat into your leg is uncomfortable).  The dealer in Daytona had about 10 of them deeply discounted -- apparently they were very poor sellers for that dealer.

Certainly can't go wrong with an S4R   
Better than  ; let's see someone argue that!

I hear they make a Buell that is composed largely of Bacon. 

XB12R is actually a pretty neat bike. My friend has one. I havent seen his yet, but after sitting on one at a dealership once, i wouldn't mind owning one if the price was right. And like you I had to choose between XB12R and a S4R Monster. I wanted a change since i previously owned a Monster 900. I couldn't find an S4R at the right price and ended up finding a steal for a mint condition S2R1000. I'm glad i did, because the buell is a monster load of plastic. Im not saying its poorly built, but its a poor choice of material to cut cost. My friend says his XB12R corners better than his CBR1000, its really shaky up until 35+mph and no one would bother stealing it so hes happy.

As far as the heat goes, if you think the buell is bad, you probably havent been on an S4R. its worst. S2R are the same. Since the udder is mostly o nthe right, the heat on it just emanates and cooks your ankle.

Quote from: He Man on August 15, 2008, 02:28:46 PM
My friend says his XB12R corners better than his CBR1000,

That is pretty interesting...I would have never thought that - must be an older CBR1000. The new CBR1000  is reported to corner like a 600....my 600 turns on dime (too bad...I don't always stay attached to it).

The salesman trying to sell me an xb12s was trying to tell me they are the best cornering bikes, mostly because of the hollow axle in the front, saves weight, rotational force, yada yada yada, no other bike has them blahblah,  then i get my monster, hollow axles front and rear!  Durh!  Ducati has been doing this on at least the monster since at least 2003.  dipshit tries to tell me its unique...

I've had an '06 Firebolt 12 from new and sold it after 1.5 years.  Bought an '07 S4Rs.  Absolutely no regrets.  The monster blows the buell away in all respects except in torque from 1500-3000.  And remember 3K is almost half of the available revs for a buell! The buell would cook both mine and my passenger's ankles on the right side.  Really sucked in town.  Haven't had any problems witht he heat on the monster.  The shake at idle was something else too, but you do get used to that.  The front brakes on the buell are prone to warping.  Suspension setup is supposed to be CRITICAL for good handling on the buell.  The bike was adequate but far from magical.  Maybe I never got it right. But the monster right off the showroom floor was incredible!!!!!!!  I tried for a year and a half to fall in love with the buell. I really wanted too. Eventually I stopped riding it due to the annoyances.  The only annoyance (for me) with the monster is the stiff clutch.  But a $160 slave cylinder is supposed to clear that up or even just removing 2 clutch springs for free.  It just hasn't been enough to do anything about it.  However, wheelies and controlled slides (in a controlled environment of course) are really really easy on the buell.  And in my opinion the Buell Lightning and Firebolt are both very good looking bikes.  Of course the monster is far from a slouch in that dept either.

Quote from: He Man on August 15, 2008, 02:28:46 PM

As far as the heat goes, if you think the buell is bad, you probably havent been on an S4R. its worst. S2R are the same. Since the udder is mostly o nthe right, the heat on it just emanates and cooks your ankle.

I have never noticed exhaust heat to *any* degree on my S4R. Not in 27k on the beast in California. Perhaps you were missing a heat shield?

Quote from: someguy on August 15, 2008, 05:30:31 PM
I have never noticed exhaust heat to *any* degree on my S4R. Not in 27k on the beast in California. Perhaps you were missing a heat shield?

You have heat problems but not from the exhaust.