Prolly one in the archives, but who cares? I like Buells: They're unique and thoughtfully designed by individuals and not committees. They're coarsely mechanical in a way that's rare in this mechanically sanitary age. They're torquey in an entertaining yank on your sockets kind of way. They're even economical and reliable, but don't tell anyone about that. More importantly they're designed by a rare breed of engineer who understands the importance of physics over fashion. The result is a ride like no other. If you can't keep an early Buell running don't whine about it here. Go buy an XB12. It'll be more reliable than a BMW. In the mean time drop by and leave a pic or two for those of us who "get it". SHOW US YOUR BUELLS!
Nice S3, PTG. Nothing like a touring bike that gives the sporty bike boys fits, eh? Gotta be careful not to smack em with the bags when you go by em on the inside. They never like that. Heheheheh.
This is my first Buell.... i must admit I had some trouble in the begining..... but now its getting better. View attachment 91103
My first bike was a used buell blast. I have no pictures but I wanted to support this thread dammit. Mine was purple, had a shield, was a .. well it was a blast and was alot of fun for little money.
I always liked the look of those older style Buells over the new ones. Those S3's are sweet bikes. I wish they would come out with something like it again, with better quality control, but they have so much sunk into the new design I doubt we are going to see much. Still, I'll keep my fingers crossed.
I believe it's Buell's intention for the Ully to fill the void left by the S3. Makes sense to me. It's an excellent all-surface sport touring bike with lots of room for people and gear and nice amenities for serious mileage. Don't let the dirt bike face fool you: It'll burn up a twisty road sharper than an S3. Here's my '96 S1 before it was set up for the track.
And the same bike in a nice 4th gear right hander on Mosport. These things handle like crazy which makes them an absolute blast to ride. A local bike mag journo raced a Buell for a few years and remarked that the front end felt like it was "welded to the track". He placed well in a national series and said in two years of racing he'd NEVER pushed/washed the front end. That sort of thing builds chassis confidence that inspires.
I'm at the in-laws for the weekend, so I can't post pics. I had to sell my 97 Thunderbolt a few years ago for financial reasons. I hated doing it and I still miss her. I've never ridden another bike that felt so connected to the road. Throwing it into a corner just felt natural. The sound of the engine always put a smile on my face.
Richy, that's a nice looking bike you've got there. Is that a 1200RS? First I heard of Buell was '89ish, iirc, Nick Iesnacht (sp?) of Motorcyclist magazine was testing a model similar to yours. It impressed me then as a clever approach to motorcycling: Mass centralization, low unsprung weight, useable power at useful engine speeds etc. That bike basically laid the chassis foundations for Buell for the next decade. And that bike was based on his race chassis that dated back to '83 or so. FWIW, It took the "Big 4" until the mid '90's to approach those sort of chassis dimensions on a production bike when Yamaha introduced it's first R6's. "Touring" through Mosport's Turn 1 on the S2.
I also have the Blast. After 2 days and 50 miles 2 up (at 40-50 Deg F), it really is a lot nicer than my KLR250 for 2 up and for going over 60mph. Oh, it still looks just like the picture in the brochure. At least until the new parts show up. Paul
Me too, me too! Right now "my" street bike is my Fiance's abandoned BLAST!. Next spring she'll take the MSF course and if she still hates it we'll trade it in on a used Tiger or V-Strom, but right now it's MY main ride. It handles great and is a lot of fun. I passed on the idea of riding it at first but rationalized to myself that I have always wanted an SR500 and the BLAST! was, in every way, a better bike than an SR500. Also, this particular one has a Vance & Hines pipe, a jet kit and K&N filter. It's plenty quick and growly obnoxious. Like me!
Your first is always special: But the Blast was too small to pick up chicks on, so I had to upgrade: But the Cyclone still wasn't great for long distances. So I traded it in: It keeps the Blast company now.
Good stuff, Kahoon. Bringing back mems, for sure. You've GOT to get clearance to do some track days next season. Hope you're well, mang, Lorenzo
