yesterday, here in the nutmeg state, at tsi buell, in ellington, they  had buell demo rides on all the '08 buell line up. there was about 10 guys there to test ride, so i was able to make several runs on every model except the blast, which i believe no one rode. the 1125r was the most requested, but they had 3 so it was always available. there was at least 3 or 4 of each model. this was my  first time on a v twin in quite a while. i was very dissapointed in the handeling, braking & wow the engine heat rising at all the stops was a bit much. all had alot of vibration that i forgot about from my v twin days. the 1125r was very powerfull but the riding position for me was to laid down for me. upon returning each time, the few that were there from the dealership & customers were always gathered at the only ducati in the parking lot, looking & pointing.  what a treat it was to leave & have everyone there  interested in watching the pasta burner leave.   i took the long back way home (60mi) & enjoyed every mile of it.  [moto]

Not a surprise they were so interested in your bike - A Ducati among a bunch of Buells is like Miss America (actually, make that Miss Teen USA) hanging with the day crew of that natty strip club by the airport. 

To each thier own; Buell is so far low on the motorcycle hiearchy they don't even exist for me.

I got a kick out of this monthes Cycle World. They did a comparo with the 848 vs 1195 to make it a fight. For an honest comparison they shoulda thrown a 1098 at it. 

Quote from: factorPlayer on May 31, 2008, 04:39:54 PM
Not a surprise they were so interested in your bike - A Ducati among a bunch of Buells is like Miss America (actually, make that Miss Teen USA) hanging with the day crew of that natty strip club by the airport. 

To each thier own; Buell is so far low on the motorcycle hiearchy they don't even exist for me.

well put. in my previous life i was a harley guy. i had been loyal for 35 years owning several. i've been on a ducati for 3 years now & yesterday was just a reassurance of why i will never go back. i often wonder if i would stiil be alive today if i had discovered ducatis earlier in life.  [moto]

I kind of like the Buell Lightning, and at one time seriously considered buying one.  Then I found out that the engine has so much inherent vibration that it isn't connected directly to the frame, but instead is buffered by some kind of damper.  To me that should indicate to the engineers that they should totally redesign the motor.  Glad I bought a Duc instead!   

Quote from: Grappa on May 31, 2008, 04:55:00 PM
I kind of like the Buell Lightning, and at one time seriously considered buying one.  Then I found out that the engine has so much inherent vibration that it isn't connected directly to the frame, but instead is buffered by some kind of damper.  To me that should indicate to the engineers that they should totally redesign the motor.  Glad I bought a Duc instead!   

the vibrations on the lightning & firebolt was VERY noticeable. 1125 was not that bad. when i returned after the first run (firebolt 1200) the buell guy asked (knowing i was  the ducati guy) "well, wud ya think"  i was very honest with him & he never asked me anything  at the end of any of the other runs.

The Buells I rode on a test day were ok, but too heavy, slow to turn and seemed inherently bred from chopper lines trying to be a sportbike. 

They lack the life and soul, too many stamped parts, cheap plastic bits an unimaginative engineers..wait a minute did ducati steal the "updates " for the 696 from Buell designers?

Just my opinion, but have always looked at the Buell Lightining as a pretty good bike if you like to ride in bad/nasty weather.  I work at night and it is a shame to walk out in the morning and see my monster covered in water, or even worse, ice.  I try to keep it covered, but it doesn't always work out.  Chain maintenance and replacement cost is a beast.  That Buell belt drive looks awful user friendly. 

Quote from: 55Spy on May 31, 2008, 05:10:39 PM
The Buells I rode on a test day were ok, but too heavy, slow to turn and seemed inherently bred from chopper lines trying to be a sportbike. 

Honestly, the only Buell I've ever ridden was in 2003, and it was a 2000 X1 Lighting, IIRC (not sure if that's right, I'll have to double check but 99% sure)... It was a friends bike, and I rode it a few days before he sold it, for only 20 or so miles... He nded up selling it for a GSX-R 750 which he promptly highsided within 2 weeks of owning it....

-Anyway, the bike had a tremendous amount of torque & was fast. but something felt wrong... I really don't know Buells that well but from what I hear, the 2001 and earlier models literally feel like a Harley motor stuffed into a half-assed sport bike frame with a steep rake + trail which is exactly what I experienced....Everything seemed cheaply made, and it was just a weird F'in bike to ride, and not really in a good way....  

-I probably didn't ride it enough to form a legit opinion on Buells, and they're definitely more refined now, but that bike just seemed strange from the get-go......Very steep rake/trail, weird frame, + a Harley motor surrounded by cheap plastic.... 

-To sum it up, Buells always confused me.....

a buddy in my riding group has a firebolt and his wife has a XB12Scg.  He's a fairly diehard buell fan but even he complains about some things I couldn't forgive.  1- the thing leaks fluids like it's made out of cardboard.  It's always dirty from fuel and oil leaking somewhere.  2- His dealer gives him just about zero support.  Buells around here are just HD's bastard child and the dealers treat it as such.

It's too bad really.  I like the way they look.  but yeah, when we're on a group ride and I see the mirrors on her bike vibrating like crazy, and i see mine (same mirror, same location) rock solid.. Yeah, I'm OK without a buell.  They were even on my short list when I was buying a bike.


andy

got  a chance to demo an 1125R.    stock it would be a good run for a stock s4rs.   The aftermarket just isn't there to bring it up to a modded one though.   fueling needed help, legs needed help, brakes needed help.     But I had some (but different) issues with a stock rs too, although the aftermarket took care of everything I wanted.

I would have fun playing with one.   It does look better in person than in photos, and it looks better riding it than looking at it in a showroom.   Nice instruments.

I promised the sales guy to not scrape anything...he was worried a little when I came in on my RS     (commented on the lack of chicken strips and I had to calm him down that it was track time before he let me out on their bike....damn HD store)


absolutely worth a test ride if big twin sport bikes tickle you. 

Quote from: Statler on May 31, 2008, 07:50:15 PM
I promised the sales guy to not scrape anything...he was worried a little when I came in on my RS     (commented on the lack of chicken strips and I had to calm him down that it was track time before he let me out on their bike....damn HD store)

I can see it now:   "uhhh, sir? we just happened to notice that your foot pegs are all ground down, and your tire wear is out to the edges....Not mention the wear on your pant knee sliders....We don't know if it's such a good idea if you test the, uhhhhh, ummm...." 

Quote from: factorPlayer on May 31, 2008, 04:39:54 PM
To each thier own; Buell is so far low on the motorcycle hiearchy they don't even exist for me.

Funny that you would say that. it would almost seem that the mainstream motorcycle press agrees with you. in a recent issue of motorcyclist, or was it cycleworld, i don't know, featured a shootout between the new 1125 buell and a 848! and of course the 848 won! i mean if i was eric beull i would bury my head in the sand. i know that the beull has had a substandard motor for a while, but its been around for long enough to at least be competitive. i mean imagine what would have happend if it went up against the 1098? i would have been destroyed! unfortunatley i feel bad for beull owners, they would seem to purchase for some kind of loyalty, but all they are getting is a substandard motorcycle, in my own usually hated opinion.

the ron

Bought a new '06 Firebolt 12 two years ago.  Test rode an S4Rs last friday. Bought the S4Rs last Saturday.  Buell was sold  the next day on Sunday. Buells can be fun, at least until you ride an S4Rs. 

I drove one and that was enough for me. An 06 XB12 "long". Looked like crap (how many times have I seen the "Buell" logo peeling off the plastic tank...) and vibrated like an old tractor. Drove like one too, diesel like noise and torque and clunky gearbox. Redline came way to fast and the "top end" didn't exist, it just pulled bloody hard from no revs and then ran out of steam fast. I found the front brake worked well for a stock setup, but then I'm not used to the latest monoblock radial mount stuff. Despite the long wheelbase it still felt like a twitchy bastard of a thing, too quick steering for my taste. Fast steering is fine if the bike is featherlight and nimble, but on a quirky Harley engined engineering thesis it's just weird.

I'd never buy one. I don't care about the goofy features, to me they are just reinventing the wheel without improving anything meaningful. You put that much effort into changing the chassis and running gear and then stuff an antiquated motor into it? Put down the crack pipe Erik.