First Buell (2008 XB9SX)

[Polishblood]

Hello Buell Community,

I just bought myself a 2008 Buell XB9SX with 10k miles about a month ago. Man, does this bike have character in all aspects whether that be performance, appearance, or technology wise. More so than any other bike I have ever owned. The whistling of air rushing into the engine, the throatiness of the engine, and the hooligan handling. It makes me feel as if I am riding my very first motorcycle again.

I previously owned a CRF150F, Sportster xl1200c, two CBR600RRs, and currently with the addition of the Buell, I own a 1970 CB350. Before buying the bike, I was looking for something more comfortable like my previous sportster, however I wanted more handling. So for quite sometime I was looking into newer naked bikes, the sportster xl1200r, and on some occasions, I was looking into Buells. What kept me from being decisive early-on with buying a Buell was the rumor of them snapping belts, leaking oil, and overheating. So far, I haven't ran into any of those problems. One major decision why I bought a XB9 over the XB12 is to avoid snapping belts and overheating, if they be true.

I can go on and on about how great the bike is however the really reason I am making this post is to ask of advice. What do you guys recommend I do to the bike, if anything at all, to increase it's longevity. Are there any common problems that I can avoid by doing certain things? I remember reading somewhere that something with the kickstand may fail in the future and many address this issue? I see many people are relocating the breather tubes but with their location being after the air-filter and the way the intake is designed makes me think those breather tubes were put in that location for more than just EPA regulations.

Other than a K&N filter, NGK9 plugs installed onto the bike, and a right air scoop, the bike is stock. The ECM has never been messed with. Stock muffler. The previous owner had a few things done to it maintenance wise such as the head gaskets were replaced, new tires, both primary and engine oil changed, etc.

After buying the bike, despite what the previous owner told me I replaced both primary and engine oil with Mobil1 20w-50. Cut a new primary cover gasket from 1/16 material so I don't have to replace it every time I open it. Replaced the spark plugs. The previous ones were also NGK9s but had a spark plug gap of 0.031. I gapped the new ones to 0.035. Cleaned the air-filter and intake. I flipped the battery so that it would be laying upright rather than laying upside down. Not sure why it why it was upside down to begin with. I had to relocate the negative cable to the opposite side.

Somethings I would like to address in the near future are, painting the OEM muffler which has little bit of rust. Also possibly relocating the regulator/rectifier to the left hand side with the fins positioned horizontally. It blocks a lot of wind that could be cooling the front cylinder. Tell me what you guys think. However, contrary to the rumors, my Buell never runs that hot. Even after a long ride, I can place my hand one centimeter from the headers and no heat will be coming from them. The fan turns on but the air being pushed is barely warmer than the outside air. It pings when cooling down but it is very surprising how cool it actually is even after riding it all day in 80 degree weather. Has anyone repositioned the oil-cooler sideways or on a tilt for increased cooling?

Lastly I would like to mention that I have felt a flat-spot that many seem to have experienced around 4.5k rpm however, yesterday I opened the air-box up to see if any oil was accumulating from the breather tubes, which I first saw when opening the air-box to replace the spark plugs. There wasn't any oil this time around but I noticed the rubber seal from the bottom of the air-stack was underneath the air-box plate. So I corrected this and the flat-spot seemed to have gone away but I'm not 100% sure since I only rode for 25minutes. I can definitely tell the bike revs more easily/faster however the flat spot has occurred before the spark plug change and I don't remember vividly if the rubber seal was on correctly before that. We'll see, the next ride will tell. I'm crossing my fingers it's gone lol.

Thanks for reading. Hopefully some of my writing is clear lol. I look forward to your suggestions and comments.

[Cooter]

They are rock solid bikes, but still a bit quirky. Ride it and don't worry if it vibrates or makes more noises than your Honda.

No one is snapping belts because of stock power levels. XB9 and XB 12 HP is surprisingly close. the belt doesn't even have a maintenance schedule. I'd replace it at 30k though...

the breather re-route is meant to keep the intake cleaner, go ahead, and make sure to plug the holes left in the airbox when you pull them out.

Keep it stock, or get a muffler of your choice and match the ECM program to it. You can buy an ECM from IDS, or check out Buelltooth.com for options.

You can get a service manual from there as well, or Buellmods.com

Head gaskets are NOT a maintenance item. Did he mean rocker box gaskets? If so, take a close look at the fan. If it's oily I suggest replacing it before it dies.

Good idea to change the oil anyway, that way you know for sure. You shouldn't have to be inside the primary for much? Primary oil changes, clutch adjustments and chain adjustments are all done externally.

The Gel battery is fine however you like it.

Don't let the fact that its air cooled frighten you. Lots of testing went into component location and function, you aren't going to make it better. Air cooled engines are VERY robust. You'll absolutley know if it's overheating. The ECM will retard timing, lower redline...Pinging, knocking, lack of power, etc. Just pull over when you can safely and be patient. That said, I spent a LOT of time in Florida (100 ambient) on an XB and never had an issue, even flogging it at the track.

The flat spot was most likely caused by the air horn gasket being out of place, pretty common, good on ya for finding and fixing it.

Whenever you feel like working on it, wash it, ride it, and park it again. It's better than looking for problems that don't exist

Welcome to the forum. Hang out, be positive, share info, and Post pics!

[Polishblood]

I haven't found the bike to be quirky at all and nothing vibrates more than a solid mounted parallel twin lol. No one is snapping belts, that's good. I plan on keeping the bike bike as stock as possible, perhaps even keeping the breather tubes in the same place. The previous owner didn't know what gaskets were replaced, he just referred to them as engine gaskets. Fan is dead dry. Everywhere around the cylinders it is pretty much as dry as it can be. Clutch inspection cover gasket where you fill the primary fluid, not primary cover, my bad. Thanks for the welcome!

[Cooter]

Really sounds like you got it under control. Glad your a Bueller, now it's time for adventure!

[submax]

Welcome, Polishblood! Sounds like the bike is in good shape. +1 about posting pics! I have heard of kickstand bolts becoming loose, probably good to check them now and then. Have not heard of anyone repositioning the oil cooler or voltage regulator as you say (other than maybe a custom build), but there are a lot of folks on here with more knowledge than me about Buells who may have done it.

[Polishblood]

Welcome, Polishblood! Sounds like the bike is in good shape. +1 about posting pics! I have heard of kickstand bolts becoming loose, probably good to check them now and then. Have not heard of anyone repositioning the oil cooler or voltage regulator as you say (other than maybe a custom build), but there are a lot of folks on here with more knowledge than me about Buells who may have done it.

The voltage regulator doesn't get that hot, or at least to my knowledge, so why not put it off to the side. There's enough room and enough length in the cable. It will still get air but the front cylinder will have a lot more cooling. The biggest frontal air blockage to the front cylinder is the regulator. I did this to a friend's bike, gsxr600, which has a very well known problem of frying the regulator, and the appearance even looks cool lol.