Buell XB9SX - solo backroad tourer extraordinaire?

[Grainbelt]

Starting to drool over buells. Kinda weird, I usually lust after ducatis.

Somebody on here has or has ordered an XB9SX 'cityX'. How do you like it?

I think they look great, are the right size/power for a solo tour, and make sense as a road bike. Then I found out ventura makes racks for them, and my mind started to wander.




Belt drive, torquey naked bike. From what I've heard I think I'd like the XB9 motor. Locking hard luggage would be nice, but few middleweights are available as such. I spend a lot of time in and around town, would love the torque and upright seating for those applications. I still want a mini-strada, but the buell is an interesting option I had completely overlooked. Thoughts?

[Richy]

I looked at, and rode the CityX, bought the 12S.



I'd backroad it, with different tires, etc. It depends though, the limited ground clearance would be a drawback, if you got into really tough stuff.

[afewmoremiles]

I didn't have the CityX, but I did experiment with an XB9S last year on a whim. I'd always been curious about the XB's, and when I came across a fairly cheap one on eBay last fall, I took a chance on it and bought it sight unseen (except for a few blurry digital pic's).

There were a lot of things that I liked about the bike in general. But ultimately the sordid past of the particular unit that I bought led me to move on (After I purchased the bike, I found out that it had accumulated the majority of its 4000 miles as a dealer demo unit. Needless to say, I was a little leary of the long term reliability after an initial thrashing like that. ) When I first picked the bike up, the clutch and primary chain were so far out of adjustment, that shifting was EXTREMELY difficult and finding nuetral with the engine running was completely out of the question.

After buying a factory service manual, making a few adjustments, and changing the fluids out to Amsoil synthetic, things worked better, but shifting and clutch actions were still a few notches below what I would like in a long term bike. The clutch pull in particular was a bit heavier than I would have liked for my daily routine of sifting through a few miles of stop and go traffic on the way to work.

To be completely fair:
a) Newer XB's have updates to both the clutch and transmission that would probably negate any of the nitpicks I had with my '03 model
b) Some of my issues may have been peculiar to my especially hammered bike.
c) Numerous aftermarket solutions are available to remedy both the clutch pull and clutch feel issues (Muller Power Clutch, Easy Pull, hydraulic kits, etc...)

On the plus side:
a) I really liked the compact, but upright riding position. I could ride it comfortably for a couple hours at a time.
b) The engine had a great spread of torque that let me often ignore the clutch and transmission glitches by just picking a gear and leaving it there for a lot of back road situations.
c) A cheap aftermarket universal handlebar mount windshield works wonders: I clamped one on and rode well into January this past winter. I only had to quit when the road to my house became perpetually crusted over with ice and packed snow. Plus, it made people look at me funny (couldn't have been the zip-ties, duct tape, and old fuel line used for the installation...)
d) Loved the low maintenance belt drive and hydaulic lifters
e) Awesome front brake
f) VERY quick handling (especially compared to my land barge ZZR1200)

Like you, I looked into the Ventura pack in an effort to make it more useful for my daily commute and running errands. I also priced out some of the clutch remedies, but in the end I decided I didn't want to sink any money into something with such a questionable history. So, I let my moto-A.D.D take over and sold it.

If you are considering a late model XB w/ the clutch and transmission updates, or if you find an earlier model worthy of your time, effort and money to upgrade with a couple aftermarket parts, I'd say you couldn't go wrong.

[805gregg]

Originally Posted by Grainbelt

Starting to drool over buells. Kinda weird, I usually lust after ducatis.

Somebody on here has or has ordered an XB9SX 'cityX'. How do you like it?

I think they look great, are the right size/power for a solo tour, and make sense as a road bike. Then I found out ventura makes racks for them, and my mind started to wander.




Belt drive, torquey naked bike. From what I've heard I think I'd like the XB9 motor. Locking hard luggage would be nice, but few middleweights are available as such. I spend a lot of time in and around town, would love the torque and upright seating for those applications. I still want a mini-strada, but the buell is an interesting option I had completely overlooked. Thoughts?

Ride a V-STROM you will stop drooling over Buell in any form (bad engine)

[Bueller]

Originally Posted by 805gregg

Ride a V-STROM you will stop drooling over Buell in any form (bad engine)

I've owned both and completely disagree. What makes you call the Buell engine bad? Do you actually have any ownership experience with a late model Buell? I tend to stay out of most Buell discussions anymore because of the nay sayer's tendency to claim my opinion is unfairly biased, but comments like this one are so ridiculous it makes me want to get involved.

Although I prefer the XB12 over the XB9 I have owned both as well as ridden a V-Strom 1000 and I have owned a V-Strom 650. The Buell has longer service intervals, requires less service, and like the V-Strom the Buell has proven reliability (although older tube frame Buells were known to have issues, the XB platform is been very reliable). The Buell gets better gas mileage and any maintenance parts needed are dirt cheap, not to mention the fact that there are lots of dealers. On average it costs the owner around 30 bucks in supplies to do a complete service, and it can be easily done in less than a couple of hours. No valves to adjust, no throttle body sync, maintenance free belt drive, tire changes are a snap, the list goes on & on. A brilliantly engineered bike on many levels.

I'd love to know from what experience you have gleaned the opinion that Buells have bad engines.

[twinrider]

Originally Posted by Bueller

I've owned both and completely disagree. What makes you call the Buell engine bad? Do you actually have any ownership experience with a late model Buell? I tend to stay out of most Buell discussions anymore because of the nay sayer's tendency to claim my opinion is unfairly biased, but comments like this one are so ridiculous it makes me want to get involved.

Although I prefer the XB12 over the XB9 I have owned both as well as ridden a V-Strom 1000 and I have owned a V-Strom 650. The Buell has longer service intervals, requires less service, and like the V-Strom the Buell has proven reliability (although older tube frame Buells were known to have issues, the XB platform is been very reliable). The Buell gets better gas mileage and any maintenance parts needed are dirt cheap, not to mention the fact that there are lots of dealers. On average it costs the owner around 30 bucks in supplies to do a complete service, and it can be easily done in less than a couple of hours. No valves to adjust, no throttle body sync, maintenance free belt drive, tire changes are a snap, the list goes on & on. A brilliantly engineered bike on many levels.

Not to mention that they're designed and made your fellow Mericans

[jeffs900s]

Originally Posted by 805gregg

Ride a V-STROM you will stop drooling over Buell in any form (bad engine)

805gregg seems to like to chime in on every Buell post with this bit of "wisdom". Ignore it and listen to people who actually own one. There are mulitiple happy Buell owners on this board. Also check out badweatherbikers.com for a encyclopedia of great info on Buells. The H-D derived motors seem to be tough as nails, have a great useable powerband, and require no valve adjustments, coolant changes etc. Very low maintenance. Stroms are fine too if you're into that sort of thing, I'm not, but I don't feel the need to invade every Strom post to tell everybody.

The only downside to the XB that I could see for your plan is the limited fuel capacity, they do seem to get exceptional gas mileage though.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

Jeff

[Monkey_Boy]

Having ridden the VTR, SV's, Aprilia, BMW, RC51, and Ducs (748, 749, 996/8/9), I think the Buell engine creates a more fun street bike than any of the others. It may not have the overall horsepower rating (it's not even on par with a 600cc I4) and it tends to run out of steam at the top end, but overall it pulls like a train from idle which makes for lots of smiles.

If the bike fits you well physically, you'll really enjoy it.

[Grainbelt]

Thanks for all the replies, with the possible exception of the V-Strom suggestion.

Still a few months from purchasing, hoping to find a leftover or such this fall. Seems that the buell horror stories I had heard were mostly from the M and X models, and that the XB's and uly's have been pretty well sorted.

I'll admit that the torque fetish is the result of my GS500 - it puts out about 27 ft/lbs, and while it is great fun to row thru the 6speed trans on the right road, most of my riding is on all the wrong roads.

Its pretty much down to the

Ducati Multistrada 620 -- hard bags, sounds beautiful, whats not to love?
XB9SX -- a compelling machine from many perspectives listed above
Yamaha YZF600R -- cheap, could tour, proven motor/delivery

There are some other wildcards, such as a used Kaw ZR-7S, used Duc ST2, etc. I'll keep y'all posted, and thx for the input.

[Saso]

Originally Posted by 805gregg

Ride a V-STROM you will stop drooling over Buell in any form (bad engine)

I own both - the V-Strom doesn't come close to putting a smile on my face the way the Buell does.

[Bueller]

Originally Posted by Grainbelt

Ducati Multistrada 620 -- hard bags, sounds beautiful, whats not to love?
XB9SX -- a compelling machine from many perspectives listed above
Yamaha YZF600R -- cheap, could tour, proven motor/delivery

There are some other wildcards, such as a used Kaw ZR-7S, used Duc ST2, etc. I'll keep y'all posted, and thx for the input.

Of the bikes you've mentioned the Buell will definitely be the right combination of comfort, ease of service, and cheap operating costs. The 620 Multi is going to be the most comfortable and will sound the best with a set of pipes, but maintenance will definitely cost more. Still I'd have to consider it as I've ridden one and really enjoyed it. I can't help but think I'd regret not getting the 1000 instead, as the 620 doesn't offer very much down low in the rev range. The YZF600R is uninspiring on many levels. Just another ubiquitous yet dated sportbike platform that will offer little in common with your intended use. No low end torque, not very comfortable, even worse than the Buell when it comes to luggage choices, etc.

[jmoore813]

I just got my City X last month. For the type of riding and speeds I do, it's perfect. It is replacing a 98 Bandit 1200S and a 97 TLS and I don't miss either bike at all.

For solo riding, I think the XB9 series is hard to beat. As far as issues, the only thing I can think of is the limited fuel range, due to the 3.7 gallon tank, but with stations all around me, it's not a real concern. I've been avg 46-50 mpg so far, and it should get better as the engine wears in. It's also far too quiet stock (personal preference), but I'm in no rush to turn it up a notch just yet. Still enjoying it completely bone stock, though I do see an aftermarket exhaust in my future.

I have been looking at that ventura rack, but I'd like a hard case instead of the soft one shown there. Buell does have a set of molded saddlebags for the XBs...that may end up on the bike before too long. And if I can score a spare airbox cover and fly screen, I'm thinking about a satin black paint job for it.

[Grainbelt]

Originally Posted by jmoore813

I have been looking at that ventura rack, but I'd like a hard case instead of the soft one shown there. Buell does have a set of molded saddlebags for the XBs...that may end up on the bike before too long. And if I can score a spare airbox cover and fly screen, I'm thinking about a satin black paint job for it.

Those bags actually fit the CityX? The cryptic website shows luggage/rack as "N/A" for the XB9SX, I was thinking (perhaps erroneously) that they only fit the XB9S and the 12's. If they do fit,

[jmoore813]

Originally Posted by Grainbelt

Those bags actually fit the CityX? The cryptic website shows luggage/rack as "N/A" for the XB9SX, I was thinking (perhaps erroneously) that they only fit the XB9S and the 12's. If they do fit,

I don't see why it wouldn't...the only difference back there, AFAIK, between the SX and S is the Skyline seat.

Been giving some thought to the Select seat too.

[TTTom]

re: the MTS 620... for next year that bike gets the new 695 engine with an additional 10 rwhp