Buell XB9 or XB12

[frogpirate]

Hi, my name is Ken and I'm a motorcycle junkie. Wait, maybe this is the wrong place for _that_ speech. [cool]

I currently ride a Honda Barcolounger (aka Goldwing) which I love as a long distance bike. It is set up for IBR type rides, and as a matter of fact I'll be riding it in this years IBR. What it's not the best for is weekend outings with my friends on wonderful NW twisties. While it handles pretty damn good for a touring bike, it still weighs 1/2 a ton and has a wheelbase just slightly shorter than an Accord. :D

So, I am looking at getting a second bike. I've been talking to the wife, and she is cool with it, as long as I get the current second bike out of the garage first. For some reason she likes Buells (as do I) so I'm looking at them. I plan on test riding a few on Saturday to see how I like them.

My question is; could I be happy on a XB9, or should I just try and swing a XB12? I'll probably buy used, and there seem to be some great deals on XB9's around here. The 'wing makes roughly 100HO and 100 ft lbs at the rear wheel, but then again there is that 1/2 ton thing. What kind of HP/torque does the XB9 make vs the XB12?

Previous bikes have been (In order) Honda CX-500 & GL-500 (that 2nd bike that's in the garage), Kawasaki Concours and V-Strom 650. None of which are considered powerhouses by any stretch. I like the V-Strom, but ultimately wanted More Power.

Finally, if I do end up getting a XB9 and decide later that dammit I do NEED 1200cc's are big bore kits available like with Sporty's? Do Zipper at all make performance parts, you know, in case I decide to get crazy? ;)

Thanks in advance, Ken

[NOMORE4s4ME]

Hey. I think you'll really like the Buell ride. I just bought an XB12s and I'm glad i never put any serious thought into to 9. I'm sure they are great bikes but they just dont have the heft the 12 does. With close to the same weight and geometry, why get the smaller engine. Unless price is a real factor...you'll be glad you went big to begin with. Besides if you bought a 9 and needed more you would spend way more in mods.

[froglosopher]

I agree with NOMORE4s4ME, I just purchased a XB12SS a few weeks ago, I thought that the 9 would suit me fine and the 12 might be too much bike. So far I have no regrets and would probably be kicking myself if I had bought the 9. The reason there are some great deals on the 9's is maybe everyone decided to move up to a 12?

[07xb12rblack]

I bought both. XB9r and xb12r. I ride both and there is a big difference in power to me. New the difference is about 3g's. Go with the 12. You won't be sorry...

[njsxb9]

What about XB9 with Jardine exhaust, Race ECM and K&N? I road the XB9 with the mods and its performed better than the XB12Scg that I road.

[frogpirate]

[up]Thanks for the feedback. I guess since there is a big power difference, I'll watch for a smokin' deal on a XB12. I know I want a Lighting (too old and stiff for a Firebolt!) just got to figure our which one! I sat on a STT a while back and liked it. No room for the wife on that one though, so I'l probably watch for a S or Ss.

[mrdozer2you]

Get the SS, thats what I have and its decent with the misses on the back. Although I will be ordering the touring seat, (softer, and has a small lip on the back- to make the wifey more confident her ass isn't gonna slide off :p ) I picked up my 06' SS for $7k out the door with 600 miles on it. There are some people selling bikes on this site, also check http://www.sporttwin.com some good deals there, but you might have to go out of state.

[NOMORE4s4ME]

I rolled an unused '05 XB12s right off the showroom floor for what I think was a pretty good deal about a month ago. I found it at a dealership about an hour and a half from my house that had one in the attic. I wanted a warranty to make me feel better so I went to the dealers around me looking for unsold gems. I havent had a reliability issue as of yet, knock knock, buy from some stories I hear...a warranty will let me sleep easier.

Also depending on the wifes size...an XB12s looks freightening for the passenger but really isnt that bad. My girlfriend is 5'1" and about 102lbs so she fits perfectly on the seat, or in any large hard case travel bags for that matter. It's funny....you can tell when your passenger looks behind them for the first time. You get a bit of a squeeze when they realize there's nothin there but road.

[frogpirate]

My misses complains that the back of the 'wing is too big (!) because she is so far back she can't hold on to me. :D She actually liked the Connies back seat, the V-Strom not-so-much, even with a Givi back there. The V-Strom also has a notoriously hard seat.

Does anyone make a backrest for he XB12Ss? Is it possible to fit a XB12X screen onto a XB12Ss? I'd like to have a little more wind protection (I'm thinking) but I really don't want a Uly.

[NOMORE4s4ME]

Not sure about the screen...but I bet you could make it work with slight mods. After all the bikes are very similar.

A buddy of mine swears he saw a "sissy bar" type back rest for XB12s and ss's. I have yet to see it but he apparently confired it at a local dealer. I'm gonna try and look this weekend for one for mine. I think they look dumb but if it makes the passenger feel more comfortable.... I'll let you know what I find out.

[mrdozer2you]

As far as a taller windscreen, they exist. I believe that there is one that adds an extra 4" of height, also i've seen a removable flyscreen extender. I guess it just hooks on with high speed velcro. Looks corny and I dont know if I'd trust it. Also they do make sissy bars for the Ulysses and I bet with a little creativity you could fit it to a lightning.

[frogpirate]

I sent this out to a local bike-list:

So, I got one of those fliers in the mail - Ride the Bike, Keep the
Bag. Lisa wants the bag (and who am I to argue when she wants me to
test ride motorcycles?) so Saturday morning we dropped by Latus
Motors. Turns out there are (not surprisingly) not doing the
promotion, but I decided to test ride the bike anyway. ;-)

I took out a XB12Ss, aka Lightning Long. With a 2" longer wheelbase
than the standard XB12S, the long has more rear seat room, important
for Lisa. She felt like her posterior was hanging off the standard
bike, but was comfy on the longer one.

I followed the salesman (what a tough job he has!) South on I-205 to
the West Linn/Oregon City exit, then along the river to West Linn.
There we hopped back north on I-205 back to Gladstone. As expected,
there was some 'popping' through the air box on decell until the bike
warmed up, but once warm that went away. The Sportster derived engine
is all about torque and it is there in bunches. While the bike would
lug from 2K RPM without any shakes or complaints, but it was much
happier from about 2500 - up. Being a test ride, I was very careful
and good, but I was impressed with the brakes and handling.

The bike did not shake as much as I expected at idle, much less so
that the 2 big twins I've test ridden anyway. The stock exhaust is
fairly quiet, although Lisa thought the bike was farting. :-O She is
not a fan of loud pipes, and often complains when the typical Harley
passes us.I noted a fair amount of heat on my right leg when I stopped
(not noticed when moving) and the rear cylinder cooling fan ran for 3
or 4 minutes after we shut the bike off.

After the ride we checked out the XB12R bike, and Lisa even sat on it.
She liked it even better, particularly the black one with red screen,
although she allowed she'd rather have black wheels than the red ones.

No New Bike Annoucment expected in the near future, but I'm thinking I'll be out
looking at other sports bikes. ;-) And Lisa has asked me to check on
a riders course up here in Washington.

*************

As you can guess, Lisa is my wife. She really liked the XB12R and is thinking that if we got one, it could be my second bike / her primary bike. She likes the stretched out position of the 'R' better than the sit-up-and-beg 'S', but then she is a sporty girl herself.

Latus was asking MSRP + $1500. I thought that was outragous. Are other stealers ..er dealers asking MSRP +?