Being a Buell guy...

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jos51700

jos51700

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Prior to my current life, I was one of the few factory-certified Buell motorcycle technicians. I got out of that life around 2007.

Today, I'm watching a documentary about sinking an aircraft carrier, which was made in probably the mid-2000's. They're interviewing the Project Manager for the task of sinking the carrier, and I noticed: He's wearing a Buell shirt!

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A friend of mine had a Buell just out of high school. I remember it well. Was a nice sounding bike
 
I bought a near-new '98 White Lightning in '99. Factory solo seat and a slew of add-on upgrades. Loved that bike. At least I sold it to a friend down the street. I'd buy it back but he thinks it is worth a gold mine.
 
I had a Firebolt in 2005. I loved that bike but I hit pothole in the bling coming over a small hill. Jammed the forks and got the death wobble. I went over the front and got road rash all over my ***, legs, and elbows. A cop was not too far behind and he stopped to help and get EMS started. He said I should sue the county for damages but I just let insurance take care of it.
A co-worker has a Lightning that I am very lightly considering. I have a lot of Mopar irons in the fire and the bike would divert resources to it.
Buell Motorcycle Company is alive and looking awesome right now. They are without Erik Buell. He lost Erik Buell Motorcycles to a company to liquidate but a small group bought everything and now makes several models, some off the old Lightning and Firebolt frames.
 
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I bought a new 1998 White Lightning in April that year from Southside Harley Davidson in Indianapolis, Indiana. Had it less than a week before I was changing parts on it. Added a Sidewinder air cleaner and Vance & Hines muffler. I owned it for 3 years and it spent at least half that time at the dealership waiting on recall items. The two happiest days I owned that bike were the day I got it and the day I sold it.

Tom
 
PROSTOCKTOM said:
I bought a new 1998 White Lightning in April that year from Southside Harley Davidson in Indianapolis, Indiana. Had it less than a week before I was changing parts on it. Added a Sidewinder air cleaner and Vance & Hines muffler. I owned it for 3 years and it spent at least half that time at the dealership waiting on recall items. The two happiest days I owned that bike were the day I got it and the day I sold it.

Tom
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That original stainless muffler and header is worth $$ now. My neighbor gifted me his 98 White Lightning parts before he moved. NIB s1w fuel tank, rear shock, rear wheel, full stainless exhaust, fairing etc. Damn great looking bikes those s1w.
I'm on an 01 Cyclone and it's a tire spinning brute
 
3rd gear 100 mph you could roll on the throttle and stand the front wheel up with mine.
It had brutal torque and I always rode it like I had just stolen it. Fun for short hops around town, but an hour long ride took a while for any feeling in your butt to come back.

Tom
 
PROSTOCKTOM said:
I owned it for 3 years and it spent at least half that time at the dealership waiting on recall items. The two happiest days I owned that bike were the day I got it and the day I sold it.

Tom
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Strange..... I was the 2nd owner of my S1W, but I apparently wasn't on Harleys books. I was kicking back outside one day, admiring the bike, when.....I noticed a nice crack in my swingarm! That's when I started researching what recalls were issued for the bike. Sheesh!
 
Unconventional said:
Buells :thumbsup: What Harley could have been. I was lookin at the AMA dirt track racin' leaders the other day. :eek: Most of them are on Indians.
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The factory Harley riders, bought Indians outta their own pockets....so they could win.
 
I bought a new Ullysses, it was a super fun bike.
 
I had two Buells. x1 and an XB12r. Mine must have been made on a Friday because neither would come close to doing that.
Rode both of those through the Alps while I lived in Germany.

PROSTOCKTOM said:
3rd gear 100 mph you could roll on the throttle and stand the front wheel up with mine.
It had brutal torque and I always rode it like I had just stolen it. Fun for short hops around town, but an hour long ride took a while for any feeling in your butt to come back.

Tom
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1973Barracuda said:
I had two Buells. x1 and an XB12r. Mine must have been made on a Friday because neither would come close to doing that.
Rode both of those through the Alps while I lived in Germany.
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I'll wager they weren't set up properly.
 
Don’t take my comment as anti Buell. I loved my Buells. Was heart broken when HD crapped on them.
Neither bikes were ever in the shop. Ever. The Xb handled very well despite what a lot of magazines reported. I could ride that faster in the curves than a lot of sport bikes I have owned.
 
I work at what used to be a Goodyear plant. I remember back then, we did alot of development and testing for the drive belts. Years later in the boneyard, there were several testing jigs with the back wheel on them. They all had property of Buell Motorcycle tags on them. I wish I would have scarfed them up.
 
lemondana said:
I work at what used to be a Goodyear plant. I remember back then, we did alot of development and testing for the drive belts. Years later in the boneyard, there were several testing jigs with the back wheel on them. They all had property of Buell Motorcycle tags on them. I wish I would have scarfed them up.
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That would be cool to see. The early Buell motorcycles used sportster belts. Blasts got their own and then XB's got a much lighter belt.

I never understood why people got rid of belt drive on street bikes
 
Used to cruise around on my buddies lighting from time to time. He had an XB12R that he rode. Be safe out there on those bikes fellas.

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1973Barracuda said:
If I remember correctly Eslick won the championship on that one.
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Correct, mere months before Kieth Wandell shut down the brand so Harley could get back to it's 'core business'.

Which now has a yellow adv bike and a street fighter model in the lineup.

FHD.
 
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