First time you rode your Buell XB

[turbohearse]

I just want to hear story's of when you first rode your Buell what it was like

For me the first time I rode my 2008 Buell XB12R I was underestimating it because I ride my 2010 Harley FXD I was thinking Sportster at first lol so I rode it like I did my Harley I was dead wrong the Harley don't pull up on wheelies from just twisting the throttle so I was doing a wheelie down hill around a curve on it I didn't suspect it could do that. It surprised me that the bike can pull the front end up on 1rst 2nd and 3rd gear so easy I'm not use to that I guess never underestimate a bike.

[rah7777777]

Had an 04 Yamaha FZ6, inline 4.
Sold it and 6 months later decided I couldn't live without another scooter.
Met the seller of my 03 XB9S in a parking lot, took it around the lot and didn't know what to think... It was weird!!!!!
(Race kit, so it sounded like a Harley)

But the smile on my face was a good indicator it was awesome.

Then he went over all the cool features it had, oil in swingarm, fuel in frame, exhaust down low.... I was sold! That was 7+ years ago.


When I was a teen, the blast came out and I thought that was gonna be my bike!! I printed off a picture of the yellow one and kept it in my empty wallet.... Went to tech school and couldn't afford a bike.

Years later I forgot all about Buell... Until a red Firebolt flew past me and the wife one day... She said what was that? He put a Harley motor in a crotch rocket. Googled V-twin sportbike as soon as I got home... Buell?!? That sounds fimiliar. Haha

[fishxb12]

Rode a ninja 250 for about 3 years. Went with out a bike for 2 years, bought my 04 xb12s. When i went to look at it, told the guy i hadnt been on a bike in a couple years, he tossed me the keys and said, you will be fine. I started it and almost lost it myself,lol. The sound was freaking amazing. Took it around the block, came back and handed him cash. I was hooked. Have had it for about 2 years now.

[1badtitan90]

When I lived in las Vegas my friends dad had a white lightning.. I remembered just staring at it. I was 17 at the time.. when I was 18 or 19 a guy that I work with was telling me about his 900 ninja that had got stolen. He said we should go buy some motorcycles.. at the time I was living with dad so I figured hell yea.. I always remembered buells. So I went to the local Harley dealer and looked at them.. they had 13 on the floor at the time.. I wanted all black. I settled on an 07 xb12s. It had 350 miles and I payed 5700 bucks for it.. and then all the added bs they add and warranty.. I didn't test ride it.. I knew I wanted it.. so I got it and took it hope and started tearing all the useless stuff off and making it my own.. this went on for 2 weeks.. still hadent rode it yet.. it was march and 20 to 30 degrees outside.. finally I got the balls to ride it.. it was 19 degrees out and I had a sweatshirt and helmet that was too big.. took it outside of town to open it up and go into a speed wobble going around a turn at 80.. I thought I was dead.. I have been hooked since... I have had since then a 2000 x1 a 2005 yellow xb9r and a 07xb12s and now my 09 1125cr..

[Enemy Zero]

First thing I thought, "man, this thing sure shakes a lot." :D
after getting it up to speed though, I knew it was definitely the bike for me.

Titan, Did you get it at Las Vegas Harley? They always kind of hid the Buell's in that corner to the right when you walked in. I remember vividly walking in and falling in love with the 2003 9S in yellow right away. Never did take them seriously though. Always told people that if they made a bike with those looks and a different motor, I'd buy one.

fast forward almost ten years, I always loved the look, never rode them and a friend comes to me and says he's looking at bikes and whether I'd ever heard of Buell. I told him the little I knew, we met up with a guy to look at the bike he was selling (09 XB9SX) and that feeling hit me again. He kept asking me what I thought and all I could say was "I'm sorry, I'm going to be of no use, I'm in love with it". He bought it and instantly complained about it not being fast enough. Said he was going to sell it for an R6. Ended up working a deal where he got an R6, and I got his bike. It hit me today how much I'm in love with this bike. I've listed after the 2003 Aprilia Tuono Racing from day 1. My father asked me if I'd trade my 9sx for one and for the first time ever with any bike I've ever owned, I said no without thinking. I'm hooked for good now.

[jamason_2000]

First buell I rode was a 2001 m2 cyclone. When I heard it fire up I thought ok, is a Harley and that's all I am gonna get out of it. On the contrary..... Gut wrenching pull from way down low, amazing handling in the corners. Bought my xb in oct of 2011 and have never looked back. Paid 4800 for an 07 xb12r with 2200 miles on it. Needless to say the one and only time I even thought about trading it was during a memorial ride for the fallen here in Hawaii. The dealership we stopped at had a 2010 1125r on the lot and wanted only 7300 for it. Toooo bad it had been sold like ten min prior.

[Jonny Black]

I bought mine and took it home without riding it, my first ride wasnt all that impressive, it was to loud (old jardine) and shook and sputtered. Gotta say I didnt care for it much at all. But I played with her a bit, got a stock muffler, put a K&N filter on her, did the plugs and also the breather mod. Tuned the suspension and then put some miles on her.

Great bike, and my wife loves to ride with me, which I love too. ;)


Jb

[superfastgherkin]

Hey buddy,

You were the first to reply to my post so I thought it only fair I'll post on yours.

I've had my XB12r for just over a year now and have been obsessed with it since I first heard the previous owner start it up in his garage. He'd already put the race exhaust and ecu on it so it already sounded like Satan choking on a fishbone.
When I bought it I didn't have my full licence and had been getting around on a DRZ 400 suzuki for about 2 years and with a history of dirtbikes had no idea what to expect. so I took it out on a quiet, twisting road... and gave it a f**king gut full. At first I was thinking, 'I really thought a 1200 would have me flapping off the handlebars like a plastic bag in the wind' but this was before I had an appreciation for torque. Of course when I came to the first bend I stuck my leg out like Stoner or Rossi, and like I had always done on my dirtbikes and waited for the bike to come around... It didn't. "Jesus Christ! I have to yank on this thing to make it turn!" So after I skimmed around the outskirts of the tar on the wrong side of the road, pulled up and had three cigarettes, I decided the physics of this thing were more than slightly different to what I was used to. So I lost the speed before the corners, got off my arse and started leaning throughout them and twisting on the throttle as I was coming out.
It's been a big learning curve for me, but holy **** do have respect for the bike now. I've only now started wearing the tread of my tyres down to the edge and the bike still has so much more to give. It is a cornering weapon. I think I will always be just learning hoe to harness it!

P.s in a year replaced the steering head bearings twice from an all too tempting hobby of picking the front end up. ;)

[ReconLdr]

I used to ride japanese sportbikes in the late 80's and early 90's.(1988 VFR 750 and 1991 ZXR 750). I rode like an asshole all the time and everywhere. I rode like an asshole even after the authorities took my license for going 103mph OVER the speed limit. (138 in a 35mph zone) While running from the cops, I lowsided and smacked my head (I was wearing a helmet and leathers) on a tree. This crash almost ended my Military career. When I woke up, my mom was sitting next to me. (I was out of it long enough for my mom to drive from Pa to NC) I promised her I wouldn't ride again until I was "grown up" enough to ride responsibly....

20 years later, I was getting ready to retire from the Army. I decided I was now grown up enough, and I was hell bent on getting a Sportster as my retirement gift for myself. Since I hadn't been on a street bike in 20 years, I decided to get an old KZ750 while I saved the cash for an 883 Iron. I took the cash to the HD dealer and took one for a ride. I was very disappointed. It was an improvement over the 30 year KZ... but not an $8,000 improvement. So I took a Nightster for a quick spin... Much better but I didn't have the cash and I wanted to ride a 48 before I made my purchase. 2 weeks later, the dentist told us my son needed braces. I took $5800 out of the Harley fund and paid for the braces.

A few weeks later, I was at my buddies Independence Day picnic and was telling him this ^^^ story. His neighbor was there and asked me:

Him - Why do you want a HD
Me - Who doesn't love the sound of a Vtwin???
Him - Why a Sportster?
Me - I commute 155 miles a day and some of it is on I80 through NJ. I need something small enough that I can throw it around in traffic.
Him - Grab your beer and follow me.
Me - Huh??? where are we going?
Him - I've got just the bike for you
Me - What kind of bike?
Him - Do you know what a Buell is??
Me - I know they used to sell them at HD dealers and they have Sportster engines...
Him - [removing the cover] This is a 2000 M2 Cyclone
Me - Damn... That's a great looking bike. How many miles on it?
Him - Just over 6k.
Me - Wow, I'd be interested but, I just put a little less than $6,000 in my kids braces... I don't have the cash for that right now. (truth is, I didn't know what they were selling for at the time)
Him - How much do you have?
Me - about $2500
Him - Sold

We played with it for about an hour draining the old gas and charging the battery and we got it running. Since I had around 8 beers by this point, I made arrangements to come back the next day with cash and to test ride the bike. All it took was a quick blast around the block and I was hooked!!!! I didn't even bother to try and negotiate... I counted out 25 $100 bills and took my bike home.

[jamason_2000]

^^^^ great story. I was stationed at Campbell pc'sing to Ft Riley when my wife sold my m2. Had to let her, braces and a yamaha raptor 660 in the same weekend. She took care of me the following year though.