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Tray3
07-30-2014, 05:07 AM
I am new to a recent purchase of a 2006 xb12x with only 4000 miles. I would like to ask for help on modification for getting more out of it. I have read many post about ebr ecm and k&n , and muffler upgrades. Most have lead me to believe that this is a waste of money, with no gain. Can someone that has done this reply with their opinion. It seems that the local bike shop I took it to said that " power commander is the way to go, but when I looked online there is no such item for the xb12x. So I do not think they know what they are talking about. If any one could give me their secret recipe on the best power modification I could do for this stock baby I would appreciate the education. Thank you in advance for your guidance.

Tray3
07-30-2014, 05:20 AM
Also does anybody know a buell expert in the houston area that I could just take it to make the modifications for me. If the ebr ecm , k&n , and muffler upgrade is a waste , how about the big bore 1250 cylinder upgrade, has anyone have an opinion about that modification. I just wanted to at least get 10k out of stock cylinders first before I went to that extreme.

Cosworth
07-30-2014, 11:14 AM
Sounds like the local bike shop doesnt know what they are talking about. I dont know of anyone that uses a powercommander on the buells (im sure someone does) its more of a piggyback system. Its better to either tune or buy a tuned ECM that corresponds with the exhaust you pick. If your running stock exhaust there are a few ponies to be had by getting a better exhaust and ECM but not a whole lot. go to americansportbike.com and look at the XB exhaust shootout its got all of the dynos etc. The 1250 kit is pretty nice and makes a few more ponies but its still not going to be the fastest bike on the block, but hopefully you werent expecting it to be.

Anyways welcome, enjoy your buell!
Also im here in Spring, Tx hit me up if you ever need help or wanna meet up

d_adams
07-30-2014, 11:42 AM
Mike Cobb is one of the guys still tuning them, www.xoptiinside.com is the website. I'd check with him for tuning help.

Beastrider
07-30-2014, 08:29 PM
I think a good place to start is to decide WHERE you want the power. There is a few mods with gains across the range, eg breather pipe reroute and K&N of which the breather gives better gains. The lengh of exhaust on the Buell will determine where the torque peak will be. Thus Eric Buell built the standard exhaust to give best of both worlds. This becomes a bigger issue on the Ulysses as it is meant to run at low RPM more than any other Buell. Going with the standard Buell mods and exhaustsas on the lightning etc. may give you a bike with a good top end but you may lose the torque down low. If you want the grunt then short exhaust pipes may work against you. For low RPM torque a slightly retarded to stock static timing will be better than advancing it. So as you can see your mods should be focussed at where your bike will spend most of its time. My own bike is used on gravel. A K&N will help me NOTHING. I seldom go above 5500rpm. I have a long pipe exhaust giving me massive low down grunt. So much so that i advanced my timing to get back a bit of top end that I lost due to the long runner length. Only then i start playing with ECMSPY. Your mechanics should work 2gether. No ECM can compensate for mechanicals that is set up for a different riding style.

Beastrider
07-30-2014, 08:35 PM
BTW, the 1250 bigbore mod will give you an 4% increase in capacity. so you will go from 100Hp to 104Hp best case scenario. Hardly noticable for all that trouble unless they do a good job on the headers and valves. Just a breather reroute has been show to get very close to that figure. The single throttle body of the Buell is a rather restrictive part. Compare it to the 1200BMW's twin 51mm throttles and twin 48's on the KTM990 and youll understand just how much. So im wondering whether a big valve job will even make ANY difference unless you magically increase the intake duct.

Alien
07-30-2014, 08:48 PM
Best bang for the buck is leave it stock. Nothing you can do will make a significant increase in raw power. You can do this and do that and have spent thousands only to find you made a marginal increase at best. Spend your money on useful mods like engine/wheel sliders, comfort kit, Tuono mirrors, air hawk or Corbin, suspension, riding gear, etc.

I've owned 4 Uly's and my current one has nearly every bolt on accessory minus anything related to upping the power output and I couldn't be happier.

But if you've got the cash & desire, go nuts. I just warn you of potential buyers remorse...

user_deleted
07-30-2014, 10:21 PM
are you planning on keeping it? want the motor and electronics to live before you start throwing mods at it? might want to consider spending $80 of your hard earned cash and purchase the oem ecm protector block and companion hardware along with rear cylinder cooling ductwork. i've posted all the H-D part #'s on here. use search feature at top of page and you'll find them. without these 2 simple improvements you'll find it's similar to riding a woodstove in anything above 80 degrees.....and you'll eventually be shelling out big bucks for a new ecm to replace your cracked unit.

Tray3
07-31-2014, 04:53 AM
Thanks to all for the inputs and rapid response to my questions. It is time for me to put my wallet up for now and process what I have been told.

Beastrider
07-31-2014, 03:00 PM
A buell without the comfort kit is nice to look at, horrible to ride.... Unless you like slowcooking yourself. It WORKS. Best money you will EVER spend om this bike. How they released the bike witout it as stock items is a mistery 2 me.....

axegrinder
10-02-2014, 02:02 AM
I've heard all this crap about Buells being very hot in high temps. If you simply splay your legs a little bit, there's no issue at all. I think people like to find faults just to sound like they're experts. A LOT of bikes feel hot in high temps. Try a Valkyrie to see what I mean and I've never heard a peep from anyone about that.

GregoXB
10-02-2014, 12:15 PM
When choosing an exhaust, HP and torque numbers are not the only thing to consider. Price, weight, maintenance, loudness, access to tunes, etc. should also be factored in. A dyno graph will give you an idea of how much power you are making, but it won't tell you real world performance. For example, exhaust A can make 2 more pounds of torque than exhaust B, but exhaust B can weigh 10 pounds less than exhaust A.

hport7
10-05-2014, 02:09 AM
Welcome, there are allot of great suggestions and knowledge hereā€¦
I was a new Uly rider about a year ago, and the guys here and over on Badweb are great resources !
Here is what I have done to make it a very dependable and enjoyable bike to ride.
Purchase a repair manual...
Comfort kit
breather mod
K&N air filter
wheel bearings ( with only 4K miles it may have gotten more water & polish then miles)
new or at least a spare belt
Ground mod
new spark plugs
Relocate ECM ( check for cracks)
Check primary chain adjustment
Adjust throttle cables and clean throttle body
If it has original tires, replace them.
Ride it !
I tried the exhaust valve bypass ( wire full open) you lose too much in the low to mid range. It made a better top end but I ended up going back to factory for better throttle response

John

dakotav8
10-16-2014, 07:12 PM
I recently bought a tune by Mike Cobb. Dollar for dollar you cant beat it! The man sure knows his stuff. totally cleaned up the lean spots and made an awesome bike out of it, very smooth and trackable power with gobs more torque. I would say it made more noticable differance than any pipe or big bore kit ive been around. If your ecm is stock it will be the cheapest and biggest bang for the buck.

Tbone
10-30-2014, 06:25 PM
I think the 2008 as well as 09 Uly lists stock as 103HP with somewhere between 80 and 90 lbs of torque? Buell made it tough to improve, since it is good too start with. Personally I do not like the sound of the stock muffler at idle, sounds like a Jalopy, but it performs so well I should not complain and will not replace it, at least Not permenantly. The Mods here on this forum are very inexpensive and help with longevity of the bike e.g. I had a cracked ECM and just replaced it. If it was relocated sooner it may have not needed replacement. I have done most of the mentioned above Mods and all have been worth it. For a Uly with 2 up riding or carrying a lot of luggage, commuting, etc..the stock set up has performed quite well for me for 3 years and 17 K miles. I think before you trick it out, spend some time with the bike and see how you use it and how it performs, so you know what to improve for what you want or need it to do?

Beastrider
03-31-2015, 08:13 PM
im still laughing at the "just splay your leg" comment. Sorry but its just funny. I cant believe sumone would enjoy being slow cooked. I rode my Uly for a few days and were strongly considering selling it again as I just could not live with the heat on my right leg. It was unbearable. Got the comfort kit and cant think now how you can live without it.